How many swallows make summer? No idea, either. But here’s two flavours of swallow prominent from the Norwich garden moth trap. Lesser on the left; Notlesser on the right

Mid suffolk council. Majority green. Council tax increase only 2%. I've not seen that anywhere in the media (traditional or social), services improved, budget balanced, land purchased for environmental recovery

Can’t go wrong with a Chocolate-tip. An annual visitor to our Norwich garden. #teammoth #mothing

The star of this morning’s Norwich garden mothing: the annual turn by The Mullein. Uncompromisingly cool.

For a piece in a forthcoming issue of the same magazine, I hope my line ‘thereby putting the poo in hoopoe’ makes it through the edit…

Outstanding wildlife journalism, this.

what a stunner!

Yes indeed. Eurasian Jay nesting in the garden for the first time this year. Ditto Long-tailed Tit.

Common Swifts & European Turtle-doves will soon arrive in the UK; Grey Plovers are northing along coasts in Europe & N America. I have written about the threats to the trio plus the conservation measures taken by BirdLife International & Partners (e.g. RSPB) in BirdLife's exc magazine (Apr-Jun)

proper foamy froth. love that.

I’ve just watched 'My Garden of a Thousand Bees' filmed in Bristol by Martin Dohrn and available on BBC iPlayer. Absolutely mind-blowing and quite possibly the best wildlife documentary I’ve ever watched.

(COMPLEMENTARY) NEW BLOG: Cyprus moths III. www.jameslowen.com/blog-4-apr-2... A few words, and a fair few pics, of spring-flying moths in Cyprus on our @wildlifetraveller.bsky.social tour last week, led by @wildlifeprecey.bsky.social

NEW BLOG: Cyprus spring 2026 with @wildlifetraveller.bsky.social, led by @wildlifeprecey.bsky.social Click www.jameslowen.com/blog-3-apr-2... to read

Dyscia simplicaria, a little known Cypriot endemic geometrid moth

#MothBreakfast

Striped Hawkmoth, always a crowd pleaser

anyone for #MothBreakfast?

and our first rain of the week just before we left the hotel brought Purple Heron, Whinchat and a Thrush Nightingale into the garden.

Cyprus, we will be back...

#WildlifeTravelling in #Cyprus with @jameslowenwild.bsky.social

Lovely, Nic!

Between checking our Cyprus-touring @travel_wildlife group in to Paphos airport yesterday, and going through security for the flight, @WildlifePrecey and I had time to march along to Timi Beach to tick Bimaculated Lark, with a side-order of Trumpeter Finch. Rubbish photos, but much excitement!

A fine farewell from the hotel gardens of our @wildlifetraveller.bsky.social Cyprus tour, which proffered Dyscia simplicaria (a little-known endemic), a crowdpleasing Striped Hawk-moth, an intermittently showy Thrush Nightingale and an ostentious Collared Flycatcher (among 8 Ficedula in the garden)

Spot the moth-er’s hotel
bedroom…

that should have read 22 types (species/subspecies/variants)

A mesmerising walk back to our hotel with 22 species of orchid to delight our @wildlifetraveller.bsky.social Cyprus tour clients. Wowza.

To paraphrase @dunnjons.bsky.social, writing recently about Kotschy’s orchid, it is unconceivable for a wildlife-watcher to leave Cyprus without seeing its
endemic warbler. Our @wildlifetraveller.bsky.social group enjoyed several today, plus much else besides.

As the late douglas boyes once suggested, we should crowdsource vernacular names for moths. @wildlifeprecey.bsky.social suggests Blue-eyed Flatterer for the sumptuous Eutelia adulatrix. I concur. Anyone else in?

Rather splendid moth-breakfast for our @wildlifetraveller.bsky.social Cyprus group, with new moths (for me too!) inc Hadena adriana, Marigold Shark, Dark Mottled Willow and Peribatodes correptaria. Delightful, esp when interrupted by a showy male Collared Flycatcher… @wildlifeprecey.bsky.social

Highlight of today’s @wildlifetraveller.bsky.social moth breakfast was one of my fave Mediterranean lepidopterans: Eutelia adulatrix. Look those eyes… and that line of blood…

correct

Although Lemon-yellow Treefrog won my personal ‘animal of the day’ on our @wildlifetraveller.bsky.social Cyprus explorations today, the hotel garden was bounteous, with 2 Semi-collared & 3 Collared Flycatchers, & Cyprus Wheatear - all piebald drakes - plus Wood Warbler, Redstart, Tree Pipits…

Forget birdwatching, I’m into moth-watching: they’re fascinating and misunderstood insects | Helen Pilcher According to new research, distinguishing between the UK’s 2,500 species could halt cognitive decline – so my brain could not be happier, or healthier, says science writer Helen Pilcher

lovely piece by the lovely helen pilcher about the lovely critters that are moths. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

here is the inaturalist map of kotschy’s orchid in western Cyprus - now with a Paphos dot

When your @wildlifetraveller.bsky.social Cyprus tour day starts with Semi-collared, Collared and Pied Flycatchers in the hotel garden, plus Purple Marbled, Levant Blackneck and a splendid mantid at the moth trap, you quickly have a smile on your boatrace @wildlifeprecey.bsky.social

Delighted that our @wildlifetraveller.bsky.social Cyprus group enjoyed these Kotschy’s Orchids in the unexpected location of Paphos. Thanks to @wildlifeprecey.bsky.social for his sharp eyes and to @orientbutterflies.bsky.social for finding a different plant there yesterday! (rfi any named variants?)