A large, rounded and fairly flattish back beetle walking over short vegetation
Finally got around to keying out this handsome clown beetle, found trundling around Oare Marshes last June. Hister unicolor, identified from a lot of photos!
#Coleoptera #Beetle
Incredible footage!
Female Common Earwigs Forficula auricularia are very good mothers. After spending the winter guarding her batch of eggs she cares for the nymphs for several weeks and regurgitates food for them. The nymphs will disperse when they are large enough to fend for themselves. Dartmoor, Devon
A Lapland Bunting flapping its wings as it balances on some beach debris. It’s a streaky brown bird with a rich chestnut nape.
A Shore Lark in flight. It’s a brown bird with a black mark sweeping down each side of its yellow face.
A Snow Bunting flying above coastal dunes, showing bright white belly and wing patches.
A Snow Bunting glowing white amongst seaweed.
A fantastic day on the Lincolnshire coast at Saltfleetby-Theddlethorpe. Managed to catch up with the Lapland Bunting, two Shore Lark and two very white Snow Buntings. A Little Ringed Plover was a surprise bonus.
Strophosoma capitatum, a pale brown weevil with a short, broad rostrum an a small bare patch at the front of the elytra.
Found this slightly bedraggled Strophosoma capitatum in a clump of moss. A few scales missing, but still a charming little weevil.
#Coleoptera #Beetle
Common Quaker (Orthosia cerasi).
A recent Common Quaker for #MothFaceFriday. This moth played dead so convincingly that I thought it was dead.
#teammoth #dramaqueenmoth #moths
Thanks, it was a very hit and miss process!
He was certainly feeding well yesterday.
The silhouette of a bag against a cloudy blue sky
The silhouette of a bat against a cloudy blue sky
The silhouette of a bat against a darkening blue sky
Yesterday, I saw my first bat of the year! I’m guessing one of the pipistrelles, from the erratic flight. It was zipping around above the canal outside my flat at 5:30pm.
#Bat #Mammal
A robin standing on a wooden fencepost, its beak open as it sings
There was so much birdsong to enjoy this weekend, not just the Robins - though they were the most approachable!
That’s one of their antennae sticking out
Kleidocerys resedae, a rust-coloured bug, standing on a lichen-clad fence.
There were plenty of Birch Catkin Bugs (Kleidocerys resedae) emerging from their winter hiding places this weekend.
#Hemiptera #Bugs
My first flightless moth! A female Dotted Border on a fence in Sherwood Forest
#Lepidoptera #TeamMoth
A Pintail and a Shelduck upending, their tails in the air as they forage for food underwater
Bottom’s up! Pintail are dazzling dabbling ducks, even when you can only see their rear half.
A Bewick’s Swan on a rippling pool. It has a black beak with a short yellow block at the base.
A Bewick’s Swan on a rippling pool. It has a black beak with a short yellow block at the base.
A visit to Slimbridge wouldn’t be complete without spending some time with the beautiful Bewick’s Swans.
Two White-fronted Geese, one standing and one sitting, in a grassy field. They have a white blaze at the base of their dainty bill
Enjoyed a swan and goose extravaganza at Slimbridge yesterday. All three swans and seven species of goose. A few dainty White-fronted Geese even came close enough for photos!
#birds #birdwatching #Slimbrige
That’s an incredible shape!
Two coal tits fighting as they cling to a branch. One is grabbing the leg of the other.
The Coal Tits are getting feisty! Spotted these two squabbling in Sherwood Forest.
I went out to Crates Wood near Shaftesbury to see if I could find this, the Winter Scorpion Fly or Snow Flea. This is a winter specialist, when I see them I always think of the Greeks and Trojans with bronze armour. Only a single male today, Boreus hyemalis
I know I am biased but Ravens have to be one of the most stunning and expressive of birds. Maybe that is why they occur so much in literature and mythology
That ‘kronk’ is so evocative. An incredible sound.
Newington Cemetery; many species found under this Austrian pine tree.
Cream-streaked Ladybird.
Eyed Ladybird.
Larch Ladybird.
10 species of #ladybirds found yesterday on gravestones in Newington Cemetery, #Edinburgh. Surprisingly good haul (best of 2026 so far) despite the dreich weather. Part 1: Cream-streaked, Eyed & Larch Ladybirds … #CemeteryWildlifeWatch recording activity on #iRecord.
Two brownish-grey geese, the left-hand one facing front/right, the other with its head down & its back to us. Distinguishing features are the white base to the pinkish beak, orange legs and prominent black barring on the underside.
Made a trip to the moors north of Telford this morning thanks to a tip-off from @pilning.bsky.social to see the White-fronted Geese which have fetched up on the floods. They were showing well despite the continued murky weather.
Sitona lineatus standing on a wooden table. It’s a small, cigar-shaped weevil with a short broad snout and distinct dark and pale lines running the length of its body.
Another day, another unexpected indoor beetle. I found this Sitona lineatus climbing up the inside of my window this evening.
#Beetle #Weevil #Coleoptera
That is a gorgeous weevil! Love the zigzag pattern along the suture.
I know! I think that’s comfortably more than all my previous sightings of the species combined.
19 16-spot ladybirds huddle up on a wooden fence post. They are yellow ladybirds with a black line down the middle of their back and black spots.
A number of 16-spot ladybirds huddled up in a crack in a wooden fence post. They are yellow ladybirds with a black line down the middle of their back and black spots.
I won the ladybird lottery at the weekend, with 338 16-spot Ladybirds huddled up on a series of fence posts!
#beetle #Coleoptera
Dicyrtomina saundersi, a mottled brown springtail with bi-coloured antennae and long white hairs protruding from its bulbous abdomen, walking across a wooden fence
Orchesella cincta, a long, thin dark springtail with yellow bands and striped antennae, resting on a wooden fence post
It’s a shame springtails are so easily overlooked. I think people would love them if they could see them — they’re like little cartoon characters!
Dicyrtomina saundersi and Orchesella cincta from Sherwood Forest last weekend. #springtail
A male Spring Usher moth resting on a fence. Its wings are mottled brown with pale bands running across them.
A male Spring Usher moth resting on a fence. Its wings are mottled, sandy brown with paler bands running across them.
A male Spring Usher moth resting on a fence. Its wings are mottled grey with pale bands running across them.
A particularly dark Spring Usher moth resting on a fence, with trees viable in the background.
I found 7 male Spring Ushers on a short stretch of fence in Sherwood Forest, yesterday - no two were alike! Sadly couldn’t spot a female nearby.
#Moth #TeamMoth #Lepidoptera
Rhyzobius chrysomeloides, a tiny ladybird with a dark red body and darker markings on the wing cases
One of my strangest beetle sightings yet - Rhyzobius chrysomeloides crawling across my bed last night!
#ladybird #beetle
