Mike Ixer

Brief, hot but rewarding visit to Reserve Naturelle du Lac de Grand-Lieu yesterday. Just under an hour but clocked up a couple of lifers (black kite and purple heron) as well as great views of whiskered terns. #Birds #France #WildlifePhotography

Spent some time trying to photograph this hummingbird hawkmoth in the garden of our French home exchange property. Also had my first ever black-winged kite fly over during a short evening walk. #Moth #TeamMoth #France #MacroPhotography #WildlifePhotography

Looks like the type of old photo that @mrvalley.bsky.social digs out of Valley birders from the past 😂 Amazing work though Steve.

As I sent the children out for break today, I noticed the large buddleia was heaving with butterflies. A quick print of the #BigButterflyCount ID sheet and the children were hooked on finding #butterflies for the rest of the day. I was equally delighted to see my first ever silver-washed fritillary!

Not an unusual or rare sighting, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many cinnabar moth caterpillars in a single area of ragwort. An overgrown area of our Axminster garden. #Moth #TeamMoth #UKWildlife #GardenWildlife #Insects

What an evocative sound! Nightjar ‘churring’ on a Devon heathland this evening! #Birding #Birds #UKWildlife #sunset

Great to catch up with these beautiful black-winged stilts here in East Devon yesterday. Good to see the marsh harrier as well. #DevonBirds #UKWildlife #WildlifePhotography #Birds #Birding

Had a red kite go low over the garden first thing this morning. A bonus of hanging washing outside! First red kite over since we moved here a year ago. #Devonbirds #birds #birding #Migration

A pair of pied avocets looking in opposite directions on a muddy island.

A female marsh harrier with a brown body and cream cap flying over a seedbed searching for food.

A Sedgewick warbler sat proudly on a reed stem.

A young rabbit sat in the grass looking attentive.

Great trip to Seaton Wetlands this afternoon. Avocets, whimbrels, marsh harrier, Egyptian geese, cattle egrets, ringed plovers, little ringed plovers and loads of warblers. #Birds #Birding #UKWildlife #WildlifePhotography #DevonBirds

Silhouettes of Manx shearwaters over the water against a golden, sunset sky.

Three puffins flying in a row over the sea lit by golden hour sunshine.

Two Manx shearwaters flying low over the waves.

Golden sunset over the sea.

Spent the final evening in Pembrokeshire heading out and getting chilled to the bone on a sunset cruise off Skomer and in St Brides Bay looking for Manx shearwaters. It was very successful! #Birds #Birding #UKWildlife #WildlifePhotography #Sunset #Wales #Seabirds #Cruise

A very brief stop with the family to see the whiskered tern at Durleigh Reservoir en route home from Pembrokeshire was my first lifer of the year. Spent the short time I was there very distant so no photos. #birds #ukwildlife

Fantastic first visit to Skomer today. Saw everything you’d hope to see plus a few bonus migrants as well. Still a little early in the season to see some things I believe but the weather made us think it was mid-summer!
#Birds #UKWildlife #Birding #WildlifePhotography #Wales

A pinky orange hoopoe with black and white wing patterns and a crest on top of its head.

Put the disappointment of missing the Seaton bird by a few hours behind me by popping 15 minutes down the road from where we’re staying in Pembrokeshire to get stunning views of this hoopoe in Marloes. #Birds #UKWildlife #Birding #WildlifePhotography #UKBirds

A little ringed plover on stoned ground surrounded by small rocks.

A male blackcap singing from the top of some bushes.

A lapwing on the water’s edge with its small crest fully displayed.

A greylag goose on the water’s edge that’s reflecting the blue sky above.

Lovely to visit my old patch, Sandwell Valley, during our weekend trip back to Birmingham. I can’t believe there are many places that you’d get better views of little ringed plovers. #Birds #SandwellValley #UKWildlife #WildlifePhotography #Migration

Slow worm on straw

No luck on the Seaton hoopoe this afternoon after is disappeared mid morning. However, it was nice to see my first singing blackcap of the year near the house and my first slow worm this year under our little garden reptile shelter. #Slowworm #Reptiles #UKWildlife #Spring

I’m pretty sure I could hear a distant blackcap singing in Axminster during the early morning sun whilst I was busy hanging washing. It stopped before I could make my self respectable enough to go and search for it. #Devonbirds #Birds #Migration

Male and female teal. The male is looking very smart in his full breeding plumage.

Nice morning around Seaton Wetlands. First sand martins of the year were the only migrants of note other than the numerous singing chiffchaffs. Some of the winter regulars are starting to scrub up nicely ready to migrate and look great. #devonbirds #birds #ukwildlife #wildlifephotography

Corn bunting sat on a wire fence line.

Stonehenge with blue sky above.

It was great to hear and see corn buntings around Stonehenge on Saturday. I was hoping to get a better angle on this corn bunting but then a shuttle bus went past the fence line and scared it away.
#UKWildlife #Birds #Stonehenge #Photography #WorkdHeritage

Purple sandpiper in front of crashing waves

Purple sandpiper on rock in front of crashing waves.

Ruddy turnstone on rocks.

Ruddy turnstone on a rock with water washing around its legs.

Amazing watching these lightweight wading birds brave the crashing waves on the Cobb at Lyme Regis to grab a tasty morsel. Some of my best views of purple sandpipers alongside the usually tame turnstones.
#birds #wildlifephotography #ukwildlife #LymeRegis

Little Egret with reflection

Little Egret with its reflection at Seaton Wetlands. #DevonBirds #UKWildlife #WildlifePhotography

Black-Tailed Godwits Fighting

Black-Tailed Godwits fighting

Redshanks aggressively flying towards each other.

Redshanks fighting.

Battling waders at Seaton Wetlands this afternoon.
#Birds #UKWildlife #Devon #WildlifePhotography #WadingBirds

Common Snipe

Common Greenshank

Black-Tailed Godwit with colour rings

Common Redshank

Some showy waders at Seaton Wetlands this morning.
#Birds #UKBirding #WildlifePhotography

Artwork - marsh tits with one hidden willow tit

Artwork - Black-headed gulls in winter plumage with one hidden Bonaparte's gull also in winter plumage

Artwork- snipe with one hidden jack snipe

Artwork - goldcrests with one hidden firecrest

New to Bluesky. Usually posting about birds, nature, or my artwork. Say 👋
Just for fun here are some #hiddengems pieces.
Spot the odd one out!
Marsh tits/willow tit, black-headed gulls/Bonaparte's gull, snipe/jack snipe, golcrests/firecrest
#birds #nature #art #hiddengems

Rook

A rook at Durdle Door.
#UKBirding #WildlifePhotography #Birds

Male stonechat

Eurasian Robin

Dunnock

Distant Barn Owl

Seaton Wetlands was a good spot this morning.

I had a painted lady fluttering around in Seaton, Devon yesterday.

Black-Tailed Godwit with coloured leg rings.

Logged sightings of this black-tailed godwit

Fascinating to get this information back regarding this colour-ringed black-tailed godwit. At least 13 years old and looks like she makes a regular migration to Iceland. #Birds #Migration #UKBirding #Ringing

That sounds great. Thank you.

A late swallow was swooping around the harbour in West Bay this afternoon. Can’t remember seeing one in November previous, although I know it’s certainly not unheard of. #UKBirding #Birds #Dorset #Migration

Throwback a few months to a very obliging common sandpiper at #SandwellValley prior to our departure from the West Midlands. #Birds #UKBirding #WildlifePhotography #Wildlife