Andy Symes

A day of two halves yesterday, starting with the Suffolk Turkestan Shrike - which was attempting to shelter from winds strong enough to blow it back to Turkestan - followed by a trip to London for a glorious, tearful, joyful farewell show from the living legend that is Edwyn Collins.

Did someone piss on your porridge this morning, or is this your usual level of debating prowess?

That's now Wall, Green Hairstreak and Small Blue seen by others in the past few years and not on my list for the Heath 🤦‍♂️

Thanks, was alerted to that and have had a very quick look but couldn't see it/any - now the weather is turning! Does sound like a bit of a resurgence for the species this summer, although usual caveats re uncertain origin apply. Assume the last record was 1990s or earlier but don't know for sure.

Look who was hiding on the back of the last sheet I checked this morning 🥳🥳🥳

On the off-chance that there's anyone who's not tired of Clouded Yellow photos, here's a male from a north Hertfordshire clover field yesterday. Surely one of our hardest butterflies to photograph, this one was relatively docile in a cloudy spell @bc-hertsmiddx.bsky.social

Hahaha did someone get out of the wrong side of the bed today? You have promoted his show, been called out for it and that's your reply? Utterly pathetic 🤣

You did, when you started your post with 'Rod Liddle is no fan of grouse shooting'. Weird reply.

Yeah I got that, thanks. My point still stands though.

Is any ally a good ally if they happen to align with your particular cause? If you make a career out of casual racism, sexism and homophobia but happen to dislike grouse shooting, does that mean you're welcome on board? A purely hypothetical question, you understand.

Imagine forgetting a garden Striped Hawk 😯 🤣 Smellyphant probably my second commonest hawk over the last couple of years, only beaten by its bigger cousin.

🐘, Small 🐘, Lime, Privet, Poplar, Pine, Hummingbird, and Convolvulus (once). So Eyed would do nicely, and anything after that would be a bonus!

I'd given up on Eyed for another year but maybe there's still hope! I have eight hawk-moths on the garden list, but not that one...

Initially thought Grey Mare's Tail was another obscure alpine rarity!

For something that isn't a reintroduction, that survey sure says 'reintroduction' a lot...

I like storks as much as the next person, probably more, but the arrogance of these guys - and previously Knepp - is exhausting! It's Schrödinger's stork - the 'much-missed, integral part of our cultural heritage' with only one reference to nesting here in the entirety of English literature...

'Return' of white storks 🤣 You can use the term reintroduction as many times as you like in your survey - and believe me, they use it a lot - but it doesn't suddenly make it true...

Thanks to those who replied - I had good views of three despite only having time for a brief look.

Can anyone share any tips for seeing Pool Frogs at Thompson Common? Working nearby today and would like to take a look.

Something tells you might not know all that much about bat surveys Dennis 🤣

OK.

Who isn't?

No idea of specifics in this case but yes, perfectly possible to have daytime bat surveys (preliminary roost inspection, aerial tree inspection etc)

Welcome your new stripy overlords - this is just the beginning!

Come on folks, I know they can be a pain but can we try to be on the side of our declining wildlife, even if it can be inconvenient at times?

Obsidentify really should be taken to tusk for such a poor suggestion...

An unexpected and very friendly Purple Emperor at Marsham Heath, Norfolk this afternoon

A monster!

A new Hertfordshire site for Lizard Orchid, with two spikes appearing at Therfield Heath this year making seven orchid species now extant here @ukorchids.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social

Could you not find a picture of a meadow?