Mark Edgeller

Acrylic sketch of one of today’s Lesser spots.

Misty morning trees with a layer of dead Braken in the foreground.

A cracking couple of hours birding in the #NewForest on a misty morning. Lots of activity and a decent dawn chorus. Highlights incl pr of LSWs, 15+ xbills, 12+ Stonechats & Dartford W. Best of all was a Woodcock which silently lifted from a forest stream and jinked off thro the trees. #HantsBirds

4-0 to the CB for me. 😟 I'm hoping it'll sing more as spring progresses.

Quality Larids D & L.

It's filling up nicely. 🙂

Three Suffolk Shrikes - I have a signed, limited edition giclee print of a painting of the 3 rare shrikes in Suffolk this autumn (Isabelline, Turkestan and Brown). Just 50 available and only £50 window mounted (add £12 for P&P): PM me if interested and please repost, thanks

Skomer Island guided birdwatching trips 2026, an update!

Anticipating that boat/landing tickets will go on sale on 1st December, if you'd like to book a place on one of my day trips you need to get in touch soon. Availability on scheduled dates as follows:

A cold & relatively clear dawn on the Hants coast prompted a bit of vizmiggging at Brownwich with 848 birds of 10 spp moving west up to 10:00. 72 Redpolls was a good count for here. Also 250+ Brents offshore. #HantsBirds

Black Rustic & Barred Sallow. A couple of autumn classics.

Swallowtail. 1st garden record in October.

1st trap in the Southampton garden for a month produced 30:19. Standard seasonal stuff, but incl the 1st October Swallowtail. #MothsMatter

Nice catch, Andy!

Pearly Underwing the best of the moths so far.

Great to be back on @skokholmisland.bsky.social after far too long. A Sab's gull on the boat over was great start. Plenty of birds on the move this morning & it feels rare.

Beautiful Hook-tip

1st trapping session in the Southampton garden since 25th Aug was predictably modest with just 43:18. Cypress Pug NFY & Rusty Dot Pearl the only migrant. 4 L-album Wainscots were also quite noteworthy.

I've only had 4 Box Moths in Southampton this year, Steve. Numbers dropped sharply in 2023 so (hopefully?) You'll see a similar sharp decline in the next few years.

Standard fare in the Southampton trap this morning with a modest 78:31. The exception was this pristine Scarce Bordered Straw - only the 2nd garden record. #mothsmatter @migrantmothuk.bsky.social

Back on the Brownwich patch for the 1st time this autumn. Precious few signs of migration but some loafing Meds produced 7 colour rings read. Beast of the day was a Stoat zipping across in front of me. #HantsBirds

Likewise. Just about long enough to prop on your knees if you didn't have a tripod.

Small Heath added to the Southampton garden list taking it to 22 species.

A couple of caterpillars found by @EdgellerGilly in the garden today. Bright-line Brown-eye taking liberties with the tomatoes & Toadfax Brocade.

Dark Sword Grass

White Point

Broad-Bordered Yellow Underwing. Quite scarce this year.

Another modest haul from the Southampton trap with 86:38. Several NFYs incl Dark Sword Grass, White Point & N. molliculana. Also 7 Crossbills flying over. #teammoth

Surprisingly modest in Southampton too with only 64:33. Cabbage & Hawthorn were NFY with nothing else of note.

Old Lady. Disappeared into the house & will hopefully reappear tonight.

A few of the Jersey Tigers.

229:72 in the Southampton trap this morning incl 29 Jersey Tigers. Ethmia quadrillella NFG & several nfy incl Old Lady and E. foenella. 1 each of Silver Y, Diamondback & Rusty Dot Pearl the only migrants.

131:70 in Southampton this morning. 4-spotted Footman & a pair of Ears probably the pick of the bunch.

119:51 in Southampton overnight. NFYs included Copper Underwing, Ruby Tiger & Tree-lichen Beauty.

A very fresh Large Emerald

Scorched Carpet - a rare garden visitor.

275:83 in the Soton trap this morning. 7 nfy incl Large Emerald & Scorched Carpet (rare here). 1 each of Silver Y, Rush Veneer & Diamondback the only migrants.

Hopefully our time will come.

Largest garden catch of the year with 205:79 in Southampton. Hollyhock Seed Moth nfg & a dozen nfy including this Eyed Hawk. No sign of any migrants. #TeamMoth

Moderate.... hmm...

My 11 year old ELs went back to Swarovski in March and came back good as new in 5 weeks. All done under warranty so no charge.

96:33 after a cool and blustery night in Southampton. 7 NFYs including Black Arches & Swallowtail Moth.

Poster with details of the 2025 West Coast Pelagics on it

Just one pelagic trip to the Celtic Deep with places remaining this year. Surely 14th September gives us the best chance of large shearwaters, if recent years are anything to go by? #BirdingWales