Beating British bird crime

The RSPB highlighted its latest UK Bird Crime Report in this month’s magazine and urged members to help spread the word. The report covers the illegal persecution of birds of prey (raptors) between 2009 and 2023, revealing routine and widespread criminal activity—much of it linked to the gamebird shooting industry. Beyond the ecological damage caused … Continue reading "Beating British bird crime"

Posted on: 17 April 2025 | 11:16 am

Dark Ash Bud Moth – Prays ruficeps

A new moth for the garden last night to the 30W UV U-tube. Having been attracted to the light, it didn’t actually enter the Robinson trap and simply sat on the grubby white sheet hanging behind it. Prays ruficeps is its scientific binomial. The English vernacular name for this little, black micro moth is the … Continue reading "Dark Ash Bud Moth – Prays ruficeps"

Posted on: 15 April 2025 | 4:12 am

Zen and the Art of Photography

Much of the pleasure in photography is seeking out the subject, appreciating the light, dialling in the settings and pressing the shutter. For some, not so much of the pleasure is the scrolling through dozens of burst-mode images of the same thing trying to decide which one is sharpest and captures the essence of the … Continue reading "Zen and the Art of Photography"

Posted on: 14 April 2025 | 6:19 am

Aves envy and moth matters

Occasional visits to relatives who live in the leafy suburbs of Surrey always make me feel a little envious of the habitat represented by their garden and its surroundings. Lots of old oaks and other tree species beyond their fence but plenty of spots for birds (Aves) and invertebrates in their garden. I usually get … Continue reading "Aves envy and moth matters"

Posted on: 13 April 2025 | 9:55 am

The British butterfly ticklist

There are purportedly 59 extant species of butterfly in the UK. Those marked with an asterisk (twenty, as of April 2025) are ones I’ve yet to record here. There is at least one species that may be recolonising, Large Tortoiseshell. There are others that turn up sporadically, vagrants and migrants and don’t breed here. Adonis … Continue reading "The British butterfly ticklist"

Posted on: 9 April 2025 | 5:42 am

Bullfinch in Les King Wood

Went for a brief butterfly walk in our local woodland, Les King Wood. Saw my first Speckled Wood of the year, lots more European Peacock, Whites (Small and Large), and numerous male Orange Tip. No Brimstone nor Comma on this outing. Just as I was about to head home, I heard a Bullfinch making its … Continue reading "Bullfinch in Les King Wood"

Posted on: 7 April 2025 | 3:12 am

Local Peregrine Falcons – Falco peregrinus

Today, we got to a local site about 20 minutes after the pair of Peregrine Falcons that live there had gone off hunting…at least according to one birder who was leaving as we arrived. We trekked on and awaited the raptors’ return and in the meantime watched several Red Kite, some Common Buzzard, and a … Continue reading "Local Peregrine Falcons – Falco peregrinus"

Posted on: 31 March 2025 | 11:07 am

Top security tips for everyday computer use

UPDATE: 25th March 2025 – You may have noticed the so-called security debacle surrounding the US government’s use of messaging app Signal. Somebody very stupid added a journalist to a high-level officials’ discussion group on the app and essentially betrayed a load of information that should’ve been classified. The app wasn’t hacked, their account wasn’t … Continue reading "Top security tips for everyday computer use"

Posted on: 17 March 2025 | 7:16 am

Butterflies of 2025

It seemed like a slow start to the year. Usually expect to see some of the emerging hibernators and over-winterers in later February. However, my first UK butterfly of the year wasn’t until 5th March, a Brimstone. My first Orange Tip last year was 17th March, and apparently it was the first UK record for … Continue reading "Butterflies of 2025"

Posted on: 10 March 2025 | 5:26 am

Amphibian timeline – Operation PondLife

UPDATE: Larval hatchlings by 20th March or thereabouts, and gills and mouth obvious in the tadpoles just under a week later. Reluctantly, but for safety reasons, I drained and filled our old pond in March 1998 and relocated dozens and dozens of frogs. Luckily, some of the neighbours at the time had ponds. We’d had … Continue reading "Amphibian timeline – Operation PondLife"

Posted on: 6 March 2025 | 5:15 am