Chris Foster

Excellent! Indeed, not aware of any other Bucks records.

Between @themerl.bsky.social and @unirdgento.bsky.social I like to think we at Reading have this question covered!

Awesome! Enjoy 🍻

From the Belgian boxes in Lidl, perchance?!

RSPB species ID needs some work

Heat / drought is reason #1 I likely need a southeast England exit plan in the next decade at most

There in lies the difficulty in assessing populations from observations, good thing we have long-term monitoring programs, real need to develop more for other taxa.

Exactly!

On this day in 2018, at least 50 Swifts over our garden, probably 70+. Happy if I see more than 20 now. Rapidly shifting baselines, though that was on the sort of thundery day where non-local birds pass through following ascending insects.

Another summer of heat and drought anxiety and I'm extra glad of having planted plenty of shady hedge plants and fruit trees when we moved in 2022. They struggled that first summer but now help keep our garden cooler, greener and relatively insect rich. Pond rapidly evaporating is a worry though.

Based on my spring and summer so far I'm thinking about pitching a book in which I go on gentle days out looking for rare beetles, find none of them and learn nothing about myself whatsoever. It would at least be unflinchingly honest #naturewriting

He was something of a prophet I think!

I'm getting texts from LNER about a delayed train I didn't actually end up catching. Niche reference but it feels like the scene in Terry Pratchett's Jingo when the dis-organiser is stuck reporting from the wrong reality (bingly bingly beep!)

I have news! I have a beautiful new website, built, designed & hosted in a sustainable way, by lovely Nick @handpressed.net! Highly recommended, Nick's been truly great to work with, intuitive & supportive. Gorgeous illustrations by Lynn Hatzius & a new blog, An Ecology of Love & Ruin, from me too!

Beautiful website, and writing as always. Thanks so much for the mention - would be great to walk and talk on the hill someday soon! So much good work needing doing, just not sure where to start.

Proud to have played a small role in making this happen. Fantastic broad range of contributors. Now to reflect, including on who else needs to be in the room next time

View up the glacial valley at Carrifran in the southern uplands showing naturalistic tree planting with bracken and pink willowherb flowers in the foreground

Agricultural grassland blooming with buttercups and daisies with low mountains beyond capped by grey clouds

View of a dirt track leading through low trees to mountains beyond

A group of conference attendees seated wave their hands at the camera

Heading back south after two varied weeks in Scotland: Cairngorms with @colsocbi.bsky.social, holiday on South Uist and Barra and finally @landscapeecologyuk.bsky.social conference in Edinburgh with a trip to Carrifran. Great memories made, much to think about and I hope to haste back 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Bleak! For all their talk the layout and design of new housing estates doesn't appear to have improved since the 90s

It's only 24 degrees in Edinburgh and the bus I'm on is unbearably hot. Our infrastructure can't cope with the current climate already, let alone what's on the way very soon.

Idyllic morning on Eriskay

A delicate orchid with a pale green stem and crey flowers

I don't recall seeing Lesser Butterfly Orchid before but surely must have. This spring I've found them in Wiltshire chalk downland, New Forest heath and now this in a South Uist road verge.

Fancy being called facetious in the local newspaper

Two pairs of grey weevils with orange legs mating on a hollyhock bud. The female on the bottom of each stack has a remarkably long nose

Hollyhock weevil season

One of the major failings of the Labour party especially under both the current and the previous leadership!

I read a post the other day that suggested if you haven't said or done anything publicly about Gaza you are 'complicit in murder'. Being called a murderer doesn't really help me emerge from stunned shock, I must say.

I'll be watching so 'see' you there!

It's also where the Labour majority will be killed off. 4 years for the Lib Dems, Greens and independent minded Labour MPs to organise a stop Reform alliance! But I guess we shouldn't count on having that long😬

On this day in 2022 I was stood on snow, resolutely failing to see a Wallcreeper, but the Alpine Choughs were great fun. Hope to return to northern Spain in the relatively near future - by sea or rail of course!

Chippenham actually used to be called Chippenhamandeggs but it was too long for the road signs

The one positive is that chalk grassland recovery has the potential to be much more rapid than e.g. ancient woodland. So many miles of potential along that ridge but feels like it will take a big shift in society / land ownership to get lasting change. Keep walking and witnessing!