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Highlights

  • Jack Snipe, Durham, December 2021
  • Red Grouse, Durham, April 2021
  • Garden Tiger, Durham, July 2020
  • Long-eared Owl, Durham, June 2020
  • Golden-bloomed grey longhorn beetle, Durham, June 2019
  • Jack snipe, Durham, October 2017
  • Razorbill, Durham, May 2017
  • Waxwing, Durham, March 2017
  • Fulmar, Northumberland, June 2015
  • Emerald Damselfly, Durham, September 2019
  • Barn Owl, Oxfordshire, March 2020
  • Purple Thorn, Durham, April 2020
  • Elephant Hawk-moth, Durham, May 2020
  • Yellowhammer, Durham, April 2021
  • Pied Flycatcher, Northumberland, May 2021
  • Peach Blossom, Durham, June 2021
  • Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary, Durham, June 2021
  • Puffin, Mid Ebudes, July 2021
  • Garden Tiger, West Inverness-shire, July 2021
  • Razorbill, Mid Ebudes, July 2021
  • Sanderling, Pembrokeshire, August 2021
  • Fly Agaric, Durham, October 2021

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I haven’t caught many Buff-tips in my traps in Durham, so it was great to see one yesterday! The trap site is surrounded by Silver Birch trees, and Buff-tips are famous for their perfect camouflage on birch twigs. I went up to one of my favourite spots on the edge of the Durham dales for an early morning walk a few days ago. Curlew, Lapwing, Snipe, Oystercatcher, Golden Plover and Woodcock all breed here, but it was the Common Redshank that caught my eye this time. There were at least three breeding pairs of these amber-listed waders in the surrounding area. Here’s a Pebble Hook-tip from a recent trip to a local nature reserve. This rather gothic-looking thing is the largest Hook-tip moth in the UK. The adults fly at night in May and June. A rather splendid Green Silver-lines from my trap the other day. There aren’t many completely green moths in the UK, but most of them are real lookers! Goosanders breed on the rivers throughout County Durham. I always love finding young families in May– this mother and her chicks swam by whilst I had stopped for lunch on a recent walk! I’ve been fortunate enough to see 4 Scarce Prominents in two recent traps at a local nature reserve. These are only the 3rd and 4th records for County Durham in the last decade! Whilst crossing the river Wharfe a few weeks ago, I noticed that there were dozens of toads congregated in the calm water around the bridge. Every so often they rose to the surface- I only had to wait! Here’s one of my favourite common woodland birds– the Treecreeper. I found this one building a nest in an oak trunk a few weeks ago, and happily watched it as it foraged for moss and twigs. Early Thorn moth. I found this on leaflitter next to my trap one morning a few weeks ago, though I very nearly missed it! I spent a happy few hours searching for Adders in the Durham uplands over the weekend. I’ve had success at this site in previous years; this time I was rewarded with fantastic views of three very active males! Water Carpet from my mothtrap last week. I love their intricate patterns! Here’s a Walnut Orb-weaver that I found in a garden recently. These impressive spiders are fairly common but tough to spot during the day. They stay hidden, like this female, until night falls: then they’ll emerge to spin their web. Take a look with a torch after night falls– they inhabit the fences, windows and dead wood of most gardens I’ve been doing some remote moth trapping at a local nature reserve recently. My first trap had several lovely Yellow Horned in! A Grey Wagtail from the edge of the Durham moors the other day. These birds are, admittedly, less yellow than Yellow Wagtails but "grey" just doesn’t do them justice! Jack Snipe from my local patch a few weeks ago. Its taken me years of practice to get shots like this! I took this photo whilst standing less than half a metre away from this amazing wader– it didn’t move an inch. Here’s a Razorbill from over the summer. Their pin-sharp, tuxedo-like plumage is quite impressive at close quarters! Purple Thorn from my garden last year. These rather impressive insects first emerge in April and May– hopefully I’ll get one this year in a few weeks! I managed to get close to this superb female Curlew on the Durham coast a few weeks ago. Curlews are the largest of the UK waders, and certainly have the bill to match!