John Martin

Yes, but can't download pics til we get home. #luddite

Least Adder's-tongue (Ophioglossum lusitanicum) on Wingletang, St Agnes, today on a fine sunny day with @andymus.bsky.social @janettem34.bsky.social About 40 plants seen in 2 tiny patches of habitat #wildflowerhour

Autumn Crocus (Crocus nudiflorus) in grassland

Some fairly big patches in some places

Crocus nudiflorus (Autumn Crocus) spreading in Shrewsbury in the Quarry. There are more over towards Frankwell in more natural grassland but we were passing these in the week and they were looking splendid in the autumn sunshine. @janettem34.bsky.social #wildflowerhour

Pink-barred Sallow. A yellow moth with pinky/reddish markings.

Brindled Green with rather licheny camouflage with greens, greys and pinks

Some nice autumn moths in the garden last night. Better catch with higher temperatures and some cloud cover. Pink-barred Sallow and Brindled Green both nfy. #teammoth #Shrewsbury

Opposite the cattle grid sign for next time you're there. Makes you think it must be in other similar sites. John and Denise have obviously got a good eye for the right spots to check!

Early morning light and mist at VP with departing geese

VP - chilly slightly misty start, ice on the car! 810 Canadas, 595 Greylags, 2 Canlag, 9 Egyptian out of roost. Green & Common Sand, 3 Snipe, Kestrel, Fallow Deer, L Egret, 17 Shoveler, 12 Chiffchaff, Cetti's. No sign of the Ruffs. 27+Skylark, 12+ Mipit, Swallow etc to S. #Shropshirebirding

Chaffweed (Lysimachia minima) fruit. It's pretty distinctive, finding it is the trick. Shown by John and Denise B

The easily missed Chaffweed (Lysimachia minima) in short roadside turf that is probably winter-wet and is next to heathland.

Last Shropshire Botanical Society field trip of 2025 on Catherton Common in the sun. Well attended, some fine plants recorded in the mires, we ended with the tiny and unassuming Chaffweed (Lysimachia minima) by the roadside at one of its rather few sites in the county. #wildflowerhour

Juvenile Ruff at Venus Pool. Medium sized wader with neat scaly upperparts, rather plain below with some buff and a relatively short bill. This duller individual was much the larger of the two so a male

Juvenile Ruff at Venus Pool. Smaller individual happened also to be the brighter buff of the two. It's a female on size

The two juvenile Ruffs together

Called in at VP on the way home from Catherton Common to see the two juvenile Ruffs. First of the year for the site, on size a male and female. Also 1w Ringed Plover, Common Sand etc in brief late afternoon visit. #Shropshirebirding

Black Rustic on egg box. Coal Black moth with small white marks on wing

Lunar Underwing. Neatly marked autumn noctuid

Definitely an autumnal feel to the garden moths in Shrewsbury yesterday with Black Rustic and Lunar Underwing nfy. Later yesterday and into the evening a distinctly aquatic feel so didn't run it last night. #teammoth

Strawberry Spider (Araneus alsine) - a portly orange spider with white spots. Nationally Scarce

Excellent day in the Wyre Forest, Shropshire with fungi, ants, 60 Crossbills and the highlight a lovely female Araneus alsine (Strawberry Spider) found by Denise B on Neil's trousers (not their preferred habitat). nth try for these for me - what a belter! @lancefly.bsky.social #spiders #ukwildlife

Early morning light at the Mere, Ellesmere

Good start to the day at Ellesmere. @saloplarus.bsky.social 's juv Sabine's Gull was still there as it got light, picked up by Reevesy at 0630. At 0645 it flew a half circuit of the mere then headed strongly to N. Only the third county record. #shropshirebirding

Epic!

Is it a worn cuttlefish 'shell' (I know that's not the right word for it)

Lovely pics David!

The Lygaeid bug Rhyparochromus pini is a heathland specialist with Shropshire records just in the Wyre. tick!

Coleophora milvipennis case (occupied!) on young Birch leaf. Again Wyre is the Shropshire place for these. Another lifer!

Was going to post pics of Shining Guest-ant and Dinarda maerkelii from Wyre on Tuesday w @lancefly.bsky.social @exmoormothman.bsky.social @vc40orthops.bsky.social and Jim C but others got lovely pics of them. Also saw Rhyparochromus pini and occupied cases of Coleophora milvipennis #teammoth

I found this as a pavement weed in Shrewsbury last year new for VC40

Nice way to start a Monday morning - Vestal on the garden trap. Only about our third here. #teammoth #Shrewsbury

Pale Galingale - have seen it several times at large in Shropshire in last couple of years

Pale Galingale (Cyperus eragrostis) in corner of organic farmyard with some nice plants with the wildlife group on Wednesday. Sort of #SeedHeads for #Wildflowerhour albeit late again

Moulting adult Black Tern in the murk and heavy rain at lunchtime found earlier by Tom Lowe

Great White Egret - one of two present mid afternoon at VP. one flew off to N

Great White Egret in flight

#Shropshirebirding too tired after all dayer for early VP visit so missed L Tern, blub. Chased @saloplarus.bsky.social moulting ad Black Tern at The Mere in heavy rain amongst the hirundines. 1st 2 GWE of the autumn at VP pm w 31 Shoveler, 5 Green Sand etc but nothing else of note had dropped in 🪶

Not necessarily 😅

Yes, not long since they were rare the county

Juvenile Hobby feeding on insect overhead at Venus Pool

Juvenile Hobby swooping about

VP yesterday for #WestMidsalldayer hard work with team total a provisional 62, lowest ever? But good looks at juv Hobby feeding over the hill were a treat, other extras 2 Goosander, Kestrel, 3 Red Kite, 2 Sprawk, Raven, 15 Egyptian Goose, 8 Green Sand, 29 Lapwing, 19 Shoveler. #shropshirebirding 🪶

VP early for #westmidsalldayer 6 Green Sand, 14 L Egret, 14 Shoveler, 7 Snipe, 2 W Rail, Kestrel, Green Woodpecker, Cetti's etc so far in a calm morning. #Shropshirebirding now interlude for #ParkRun and breakfast

They must have good feeding in the shallows at the moment!

Part of a big gathering of Grey Herons and Great White Egrets along the dam

Belvide yesterday with @janettem34.bsky.social Nice looks at the Grey Phalarope at the west end (too distant for pics), also lots of herons! 38 Grey, 9 GWE, 14 Little along with 4 Greenshank, Green Sand, 3 RP, Hobby, Yellow Wag etc seen #staffsbirding 🪶 #ukbirding

Ooft - absolutely mint!

One of the 2 juvenile Curlew Sandpiper in flight

juvenile Curlew Sandpiper wing stretching

Garganey on W Scrape

juv Ruff

Away day w @janettem34.bsky.social to Middleton Lakes #RSPB (last visited goodness knows when but I saw Turtle Dove so a long time ago!) Good birding with 2 juv Curlew Sandpiper, Garganey, juv Ruff, 4 isl Blackwit, 6 Common Tern, Great White Egret, 1w Whinchat, 3 Swift etc #ukbirding #staffsbirding

Decided to give them a night off last night, so maybe made the right decision for once

I reckon yes, probably less expected here and better as it was a lifer! Small Marbled extremely dapper though so I can't call it!

Small Marbled - a very small migrant macro moth that breeds in hot years in the south. Beautifully marked when seen close up.

Initial pic of the Small Marbled hoping it didn't immediately fly off

Anomalous, a heathland and moorland species that I really should have seen before, but not one I expected here, maybe 10 miles from the Long Mynd where there's a lot of suitable habitat

Garden moth trap in Shrewsbury produced what for me were two megas this morning! My 1st Small Marbled since 1995 (vintage moth autumn on St Agnes), only maybe the second for Shropshire, and a lifer Anomalous that has wandered a fair way from its heathery home. #teammoth @bc-westmids.bsky.social