GrahamC75

A photo of a Ruddy Turnstone - a wading bird. A boating lake was nearby, but it chose to come and say hello to me! As the name suggests, the Turnstone flicks stones with its bill to uncover hidden delights.

Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres, from the family Scolopacidae. I was lucky enough to have spotted several of this perky characters, who'd made their home on a boating lake.

#Turnstone #Wader #UKWildlife #Birds 🪶

Alas, I can't recall the last time I used a pencil, so I'm afraid I'm not of much help. But, as the late, great Spike Milligan once penned...

"Said Hamlet to Ophelia,
I'll draw a sketch of thee,
What kind of pencil shall I use?
2B or not 2B?"

😆

A photo of an Avocet chick, newly hatched...

That's good England!😆
I initially read the first post as 'We really waNt to share...'

Patiently awaiting the latest issue with baited breath...📚

A photo of a Walrus, in water. Fun fact: It plays an important role in the religion and folklore of many Arctic peoples. Skin and bone are used in some ceremonies, and the animal appears frequently in legends. The 'Walrus' in the cryptic song 'I Am the Walrus' by the Beatles is a reference to the Lewis Carroll poem, 'The Walrus and the Carpenter'.

Walrus Odobenus rosmarus, of the family Odobenidae. This was one individual amongst several others along the beach. Seen a while back, in Svalbard. Great trip!

#Walrus #Mammal #Pinniped #Arctic #Svalbard

A photo of a Water Vole, feeding. Sadly, there are only about 100,000 left in the UK. 'Ecosystem engineers, they are sometimes called ‘mini Beavers’.

European Water Vole Arvicola amphibius, from the family Cricetidae. Seen several years ago, visiting RSPB Rainham Marsh.

#UKWildlife #WaterVole #Rodent #Ratty

Book cover saying: 'Fifty Shades of Grey Wagtail'...

Me, too.🙄

A photo of a White Admiral butterfly, perching on a stem. This lovely insect is a medium-sized butterfly often found in woodlands, clearings and rides in late summer. Adults are often found on the flowers of Bramble and lay their eggs on Honeysuckle leaves, which the caterpillars feed on. Usually seen in ones or twos, it is never very common, but is widespread in southern England. There is usually only one brood of per year, with adults emerging in June and July. Eggs are laid in late summer, and the new larvae wrap themselves in a silken leaf shelter for the winter. (Thanks to the HMWT)

White Admiral Limenitis camilla, from the family Nymphalidae. I found this one a few years ago, whist visiting HMWT Balls Wood. A haven for lepidoptera...

#WhiteAdmiral #Butterfly #Lepidoptera #UKWildlife

I would imagine that book sales have been steadily going down since the advent of SM. It's all I can do to get people to read a Flash Fiction story.

No one has any time, anymore. Where did 2025 go?

I suspect that we are all being dumbed down. But, here we are, on SM!😂

I know what you mean. Bluesky has yet to really take off.
I fear that eventually, it will go the same way as other social media. Toxic. SM has a finite lifetime.

But it's nearly there…

I think it's especially bad for writers. People are only used to 300 characters. Anything more and they lose int

😆

"Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep." SCOTT ADAMS

A photo of an Adder, warming up. It was around midday, so it must have been a teenager!

A photo of a pair of Gorse Shield Bugs, also soaking up the sun. I found upto a dozen. It's the first time I've seen one.

I finally managed a day out, yesterday. First outing this year! It was a good one, too. EWT Fingringhoe Wick. A few trails were washed out, but there were a few highlights.

An Adder soaking up the rare sunshine, and several Gorse Shield Bugs doing similar on...Gorse bushes.

#UKWildlife #Insects

A photo of a Willow Emerald damselfly face on, attempting to hide behind a plant stem. It's a recent colonist in the UK. From 2009 onwards, it experienced a population boom, centred in East Anglia. By 2024, it had spread to much of eastern England.

Willow Emerald damselfly Chalcolestes viridis, from the family Lestidae. I found this beauty along my local river a few years ago. They've proliferated since then...

#WillowEmerald #Damselfly #Odonata #Riverlife

‘Why, what’s the matter, that you have such a February face, So full of frost, of storm and cloudiness?’

Much Ado About Nothing
Act 5 - Scene 4.
William Shakespeare

A photo of a Spotted Flycatcher. Thery hunt from conspicuous perches, making sallies after passing flying insects, and often returning to the same perch. Their upright posture is characteristic.

Spotted Flycatcher Muscicapa striata, of the family Muscicapidae. One of three found in one of my local Reserves, a few years ago.

#SpottedFlycatcher #Passerine #UKWildlife #Birds 🪶

Good luck! Don't forget to enjoy yourselves out there…!😜

A photo of a Scarce Swallowtail butterfly, perched on a seed head. Thankfully, despite the name, this species is quite common, and in some years it's quite abundant.

Scarce Swallowtail Iphiclides podalirius, of the family Papilionidae. Again, seen on a lovely trip to Bulgaria, some years ago.

#ScarceSwallowtail #Butterfly #Lepidoptera #Bulgaria

Great story! I particularly like the quirky comment "...always with the same mistake in the third measure…".😆👍

More stories like this, please...

A photo of a Scarce Copper butterfly perched on a leaf. A beautiful species, sadly not found in the UK.

Scarce Copper Lycaena virgaureae, from the family Lycaenidae. A quite lovely butterfly seen on a trip to Bulgaria, some years back.

#ScarceCopper #Butterfly #Lepidoptera #Bulgaria

Congratulations to Scotland. Well deserved. England clearly thought they only had to turn up...

"Onwards and upwards"
'"Lessons will be learned"
"We go again, next week"

#SCOvENG #BadDayAtTheOffice

A photo of a Red-headed Cardinal beetle, with wings spread, about to take off. There are three species of Cardinal beetle in the UK; the other two being Black-headed Cardinal beetles; one of which is extremely rare and can only be found in Wales.

Red-headed Cardinal Beetle Pyrochroa serraticornis, from the family Pyrochroidae.

I'd wanted to take a photo, but got lucky as it spread its wings with a view to taking off.

#CardinalBeetle #Beetle #Insect #UKWildlife #InsectThursday #Insectageddon #NoInsectinction

A photo of a Weasel, pausing on a log. Despite its small size, it's a fierce hunter, capable of killing a rabbit five to ten times its own weight.

Weasel Mustela nivalis, from the family Mustelidae. Spotted this little chap on a nearby reserve, some years ago. Sadly, I haven't seen one since.

#Weasel #Mammal #UKWildlife

Six Nations rugby time!🥳
But, oh dear me, adverts during game time? That's a no from me!😡

#6NationsRugby #FRAvIRE

A photo of droplets hanging on a spider's web.

Web droplets. Something a little different...🙂

#Droplets #SpidersWeb #Nature

Wrote two today!😍
But not for publication, just for me…!

A photo of a Common Winter damselfly, perched up. Only two records of this species have been recorded in the UK. They can be found all year round as they overwinter as an adult.

Common Winter Damselfly Sympecma fusca, from the family Lestidae. Seen whilst on a visit to France some years back.

#WinterDamselfly #Damselfly #Odonata

A photo of a Wood Mouse, pausing on a log. I was lucky to see one, as they are usually nocturnal.

Wood Mouse Apodemus sylvaticus, of the family Muridae. Not everyone's cup of tea but I was pleased to see one at a local Reserve.

#WoodMouse #Rodent #Amwell #UKWildlife

Was it his choice…?🤭

A photo of a Yellow-spotted Whiteface dragonfly, perched up and ready for its close-up. Also known as the Large White-faced Darter.

Yellow-spotted Whiteface Leucorrhinia pectoralis, of the family Libellulidae. Seen on a wonderful trip to France, several years ago.

#YellowSpottedWhiteface #Dragonfly #Odonata