Red Knot-Woolston Eyes NR (permit only)-Injured adult still on east cell of No 4 Bed from viewing platform; reserve open from 08:00-20:00, permit and key obtainable at www.woolstoneyes.com
Garganey-Sandbach Flashes-Female type at Elton Hall Flash
Get in the car, we've got an option!
Red Knot-Woolston Eyes NR (permit only)-Injured adult still on east cell of No 4 Bed from viewing platform; reserve open from 08:00-20:00, permit and key obtainable at www.woolstoneyes.com
Garganey-Sandbach Flashes-Female type at Elton Hall Flash
In just about any other circumstances, you would scarcely be able to stop birders from discussing a first-for-Britain New World warbler. Such is the controversial nature of ship-assisted passage, however, that this week's record in Merseyside was met by most birders with little more than a disinterested shrug. Read more>
The British Ornithologists’ Union Records Committee (BOURC) has made the following decisions about the British List: Read more>
I spent two enjoyable nights this week at Pamber Forest and Silchester Common with my good friend Alan Lewis, doing some late-night moth trapping. We had a fantastic couple of nights, with some really quality moths recorded.
Pamber Forest and Silchester Common is an area of woodland and heathland in Hampshire and is designated as a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest. Pamber Forest contains mature deciduous woodland, with hazel coppice dominated by mature oak, creating excellent habitat for a wide variety of wildlife, including some very interesting woodland moths.
Seeing these impressive moths emerge from the darkness was one of the real highlights of the visit. Underwings can be easily overlooked when resting during the day, but when they reveal their brightly coloured hindwings, they are truly spectacular moths.
We also recorded Small Black Arches, another excellent woodland species. It is a localised moth in Britain, occurring mainly in the southern counties, and is associated with mature deciduous woodland. Its larvae are believed to feed on oak (Quercus), making the mature oak woodland at Pamber Forest particularly suitable habitat.
Summer 2026 will go down in the history books for its simply stunning rarities, with surreal events on the Northumberland coast this week adding further to the special tale. There was plenty to enjoy up in Scotland, too, and exciting news from Suffolk. Read more>
Jenna and I had had this trip booked in for the last couple of weeks, as soon as we heard that the Long-tailed blues were on the wing in Brighton, Sussex. The added bonus was that five Queen of Spain fritillaries had also been found in Hampshire, so we decided to visit both places and make a day of it.
We left Cheshire at 5:00am and made good progress, arriving in Brighton around 10:00am. We parked the car and headed towards the TV antenna, where we soon met a few people who were already on site.
It wasn't long before we had our first sighting of a Long-tailed blue, and eventually five were seen bombing around. Hardly any would settle, though, so I could only get record shots when they landed briefly.
I've always wanted to visit this site, and it was nice to see a good crowd of people who had travelled from all over the country, like ourselves, to see this butterfly. After getting some good views, we had some lunch. Moving on from here, we headed to Monk Sherborne, hoping to get Jenna a new butterfly for her list, the Queen of Spain fritillary.
After a couple of hours, we arrived on site and took the short walk to where they had been seen. As soon as we arrived, Jenna noticed one sitting on the gravel track, and it was showing really well.
Over the next hour, we managed to get good views of two individuals. Jenna was made up as she had never seen one before, so it was a new one for her list. After some good views, we headed home following another good day in the field, with a few more lifers added to the list.
Whilst working down in Didcot, Oxfordshire, this week, news came through that a Wood Sandpiper had been found only a few miles down the road. So, I headed over to have a look and was rewarded with cracking views of this superb little wader.
The evening was made even better by enjoying some quality time out birding, and watching the sun set over a sunflower field was the perfect way to finish off a memorable evening in Oxfordshire.