Hopefully things are on the up Graham, at my study site in Hampshire we had a low point around 2004, but since then they have been increasing. We already have 15 singing males back in the study area this year which is nearly back to the numbers from around the late 1990s!
Dewick’s plusia
Turnip moth
Nutmeg
The start of my mothing season has been a bit hit & miss, with being away them bogged down with work. 10/04/26 was a tad windy so not surprised to get 40:12 but was surprised to get 5 diamond backs & 1 ea nutmeg, turnip moth and Dewick’s plusia amongst the usual suspects #migrantmothuk #teammoth
New study alert! Female Daubenton’s bats foraging at the cold edge of their range take turns using the same feeding spots at different times of night, thus reducing competition and helping them cope with the cold.
Read the full story here: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Curlews are in crisis. Ground-nesting birds aren’t fledging enough chicks due to farming, predation, development & climate change. Saving them means tackling our biggest environmental challenges.
Join our FREE webinar with Mary Colwell @curlewaction.bsky.social
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1983671521...
Incredible ringing recovery this AM by Stour Ringing Group of a Kestrel caught near Arne which was carrying a Dutch ring and a sat-tag. Well done for getting the data so quickly. Amazing movement for a bird that typically isn’t considered to move large distances. @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social
I know you’re not Chris, they just done see it as a problem. It’s all very depressing.
This is what it was like two weeks ago, same roost, same disturbance, more birds. Our wildlife doesn’t stand a chance unless things change, it’s seems ‘dog is king at the moment’ 🥲
That was until this spaniel ran through the roost and flushed everything. I missed the first and main flush, this was the aftermath, with smaller groups still being flushed. We have a strategy in place in Hampshire to protect these birds from disturbance, but it’s just not working.
There was a modest roost of c. 150 Dunlin and 100 ringed plovers at high tide on Gunner Point, Hayling Island. Down from the c. 1000 birds a couple of weeks ago. #ukbirding
Spotted redshank
Common redshank
Common greenshank
Three ‘shanks’ wintering together at Bunny Meadows, NR Warsash, Hampshire. Spotted and Common Redshank and Common Greenshank #ukbirding
Fair Isle Bird Observatory is pleased to announce that 'The Birds of Fair Isle' is now available to pre-order. This richly illustrated two-volume avifauna celebrates 75 years of FIBO survey work.
The set is offered for a limited time at £70 plus postage. For details: www.fairislebirdobs.co.uk/bofi
Inaugural #SolentSeabirdSymposium today in Havant. Great range of expert speakers and topics: seabird conservation projects, habitat restoration, disturbance mitigation, funding, regulatory challenges, trail cameras, ringing. So much work going on! Inspiring stuff! 😃 @wordsfromwez.bsky.social
Tissue moth
Buttoned Snout
Bloxworth Snout
Another bat survey today in South-east Hants, exploring tunnels on Portsdown Hill. The highlights for me were another Tissue, Buttoned Snout and Bloxworth Snout. Also a dozen or so herald moths and over 50 peacock butterflies. #teammoth
Ticks are more likely to carry the bacteria that cause Lyme disease in areas where Common Pheasants Phasianus colchicus are released, according to new research.
Read more: britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...
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Grasshopper warbler
It’s not been a great year numbers wise at Titchfield Haven NNR, but today the 200th grasshopper warbler of the year was ringed. This is now the highest total since 2014 when we ringed 341 from 29 sessions, this year there have only been 19 sessions so far. #ukbirding #birdringing
Latest government stats show a continued decline in many bird species across the UK 🪶🧪
www.gov.uk/government/s...
These data are made possible by the dedication of expert volunteers, allowing us to track common bird populations for >50 years
46:18 was better than expected from my cold S Hants VC11 garden. The undoubted highlight was a clifden nonpareil, 1 silver Y the other migrant. Others bits included northern deep brown dart 1, black rustic 1, pink barred sallow 1, sallow 3 and L-album wainscot 6. #teammoth #migrantmothuk
Very little on the migrant front for me 1 each dark sword-grass and rush veneer also 4 four spotted footman, 3 Clancy’s rustic and a white-point bit they are probably not migrants
The wonderful intricately marked Cherry Bark Moth (Enarmonia formosana) to light in the Hampshire garden last night. Ignore micros at your peril! #TeamMoth
4am on 25/8
4pm on 25/8
11pm on 25/8
A couple of interesting nights on the way as our weather is influenced by ex-hurricane Elin. Tonight, we could see the 1st arrivals in S. Ireland, SW Britain & perhaps along the south coast. Monday will be very warm with air from N. Africa, and perhaps the most likely night for migrants. #teammoth
Cracking photo!
My nephew even had one on his front door last week, and I know of a few others that have caught them so must be fairly common this year.
Gypsy Moth - a few have been caught locally so no surprise really, but a new moth for me!
Face on these antennae look like the big ears of a brown long-eared bat
This pic a took a few years ago. A brown long-eared bat with ears up. I may have to start a new feed of moths that look like bats!
82:48 to my South Hants VC11 garden last night. Some nice bits - Jersey & Garden Tigers, shaded broad-bar, rosy rustic, four-spotted footman & a diamond back, but this Gypsy Moth was the star, a new moth for me. Great antennae - face on it looks like a brown long-eared bat #teammoth #migrantmothuk
Little terns dead after dog attacks at Norfolk beach | Eastern Daily Press share.google/ryighi5PKWGC...
Amazing footage!!
21 day old ringed plover chick
21 day old ringed plover chick
Mum, standing guard very diligently
It’s now 21 days since my last plover post, we have found nest 11, outside the enclosure. It only had one egg, but the female was incubating it. Although she seems to have stopped now. Meanwhile, one chick from the brood 4 reported last time is still doing well. Fingerscrossed. #ukbirding
My 29th year monitoring nightingales in Hampshire this year, and it looks like a good year. The first birds were recorded back around 7th April, at least 16 males held territory locally and 5 breeding females confirmed. So far 3 juveniles ringed in 2025, proving breeding success. #ukbirding
I'm so excited to share that this springtail, one that seems to have rapidly appeared in graveyards and gardens across the UK, now has a proper name: Entomobrya petri!
I hope this will be the first of many new species descriptions, allowing us to track our rapidly changing springtail fauna. 🧵⬇️
