Ella J Davies

The vampire that regurgitates its bloody stomach contents to hungry roost-mates to save them from starvation | Discover Wildlife New research reveals how vampire bats share their bloody meals to expand their social network.

This spooky species headline is irresistible as it underlines my aim - don't judge an animal by its name/reputation
www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts...

Started my day with a bit of public speaking, eek! Fortunately just chatting to my eldest's nursery class about jays, showed them a few bits from my collection and they sang me the goose song in return 🎵honk honk honk🎵

Black widows lure males with smell of 'cheesy feet' According to a new study by researchers from Greifswald and Canada, black widows (Latrodectus hesperus) use a unique scent strategy to find their mate. A chemical pheromone slowly decomposes on the fe...

Alright, so my spooky headline posts are a bit sporadic but here's another you might enjoy:
phys.org/news/2025-09...

This is making me imagine the halloween decorations devouring the Christmas ones, very Nightmare Before Christmas 🦇

Grisly recording reveals bat catching, killing and eating robin mid-flight Before the Spanish study, some scientists had been sceptical about the mammals attacking migratory birds

Kicking off my spooky species headlines with this banger: www.theguardian.com/science/2025...

Relatable

My tabs are full of spooky species headlines again. Shall I share one a day from Oct 13th? 🎃🕷️

Wondered if they'd all waited out the storm. I'll keep my eyes open for more (but mouth shut!)

Our patio door is currently hosting dozens of the flying baked beans

So ready for October 🍄

Caper didn't want the walk to end this morning. Me either 🍂🌞

In hot weather like this, remember to keep an eye on your freelancers. Move them to a shaded spot, indoors if possible, away from ‘people’. Distract them with a computer or some unrealistic deadline. Do check on them, by email, but don’t forget to set yours to out of office in case they reply 🙏

Really feels like August has put the accelerator down and is speeding us towards autumn. Sloes provide juxtaposition in name only.

Panting, gular fluttering and sploots: how Britain’s animals try to keep cool From cows and cats to squirrels and birds, all have their own methods but may need more help as heatwaves intensify

Going to have to employ sploots in the next heatwave, linguistically and physically:
www.theguardian.com/science/2025...

Shieldbugs guide The FSC Shieldbugs identification guide features 45 shieldbugs and leatherbugs. Late instar nymphs have also been included where distinctive.

You're welcome. I did an ID course a few years back but haven't seen much other than hawthorn shieldbugs since. The Field Studies Council guide is quite useful too www.field-studies-council.org/shop/publica...

My guess: Green shieldbug, 4th instar
www.britishbugs.org.uk/heteroptera/...

🚨 Injured bird! Advice needed!! 🚨 We've got a wood pigeon in the garden with an injured wing. Managed to get it into the dog crate in the shade with some water so it won't be picked on by the neighbourhood cats. What else can we do?

Bonus Wednesday afternoon in work mode visiting beautiful Hoylake today. Energising hubub at the Biodiversity & Sustainability Celebration, accompanied by swift squeals

Thought I saw similar on my morning dog walk but could have been another dog's prints. Do they shake water off like dogs or just drip dry? There was a wet patch on the path by the grass 🤔

I know it's probably from a wet dog but I got excited imagining this was an otter footprint at Hockenhull Platts this morning

260 hours staring at giant anteaters in Brazil's savanna - here's what researchers discovered | Discover Wildlife The scientists were particularly interested in the mammals' remarkable tails.

I love keeping up with the giant anteater research. I've written about the latest study looking at their splendid tails for BBC Wildlife: www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts...

I told the chap next to me your talk would be full of positive energy, thank you! I just wondered if you or Tosca had any tips for sharing your garden space with both a dog and wildlife?

Really enjoyed your talk! I wondered what sparked the idea for your book - the irksome modern place names or the grounding historical ones?

Delightful morning @wildlifefestival.bsky.social - views, soundtrack, speakers all very inspirational!

Foreboding sense of bracken in the forest this morning, felt like I only just had my head above the waves so I focused on the pinks and purples

Listening to the jay passages in Wilding @kneppwilding.bsky.social and looking forward to @wildlifefestival.bsky.social

Electricity pylon against a bright blue sky with cow parsley in the foreground

Felt (and heard) the summer sizzle on this morning's dog walk

I'm a day late but happy publication day! 🥳👏📖🌊

Looking forward to it!