Sorby Natural History Society

Gardeners urged to collaborate to help moths and hover flies thrive in cities Researchers found moths and hover flies are more negatively affected by urbanisation than bees

Fascinating research from colleagues at @sheffielduni.bsky.social on impact of urbanization on moth and hoverfly populations

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

9 butterfly species around Royd Moor this afternoon. Inc Small Copper, Painted Lady, Small Heath @sorbynathissoc.bsky.social @bcyorkshire.bsky.social

Calling all Sheffield & Derbyshire birders! We're looking to gather as many Ring Ouzel sightings as possible this August & September to aid the work of RSPB Eastern Moors Partnership.

Please see our website news item for more details:
www.sbsg.org/sbsg-news/re...

#ukbirding
📷 Chris Greenwood ©

Juvenile Black Redstart on roof near Longwall Close, Mapplewell, Barnsley at 0835 then flew towards Mapplewell Coop. Nice one for the house list. 😀

Any help with this sawfly appreciated. I'm not even sure I'm getting to the right genus in the key.

In the field I thought an Athalia, but the long antennae maybe aren't right and I keyed it to Pachynematus (but it looks like many if these species are now a different genus).

@suillia.bsky.social

Bombus monticola, also known as the Bilberry Bumblebee, the Blaeberry Bumblebee or the Mountain Bumblebee. This individual appears to be a recently-emerged queen.

Bombus monticola, also known as the Bilberry Bumblebee, the Blaeberry Bumblebee or the Mountain Bumblebee. This individual appears to be a recently-emerged queen.

Bombus monticola, also known as the Bilberry Bumblebee, the Blaeberry Bumblebee or the Mountain Bumblebee. This individual appears to be a recently-emerged queen.

Bilberry Bumblebee (Bombus monticola) visiting the flowers of Buddleja and Hebe in a Sheffield garden, about 2 km from open moorland.

Image of a deceased Black-headed Gull alongside the wording: Please report sightings of dead birds. Image by Dawn Balmer.

Please report sightings of dead birds for possible testing for Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) ⬇️

📌 In England, Wales & Scotland: www.gov.uk/guidance/...
📌 In Northern Ireland: www.daera-ni.gov.uk/...
📌 In Republic of Ireland: aviancheck.apps.serv...

Swift Awareness Week starts Saturday Swift Awareness Week, which aims to highlight the plight of the UK's declining Common Swifts, runs from 28 June-6 July 2025.

Swift Awareness Week, which aims to highlight the plight of the UK's declining Common Swifts, runs from 28 June-6 July:

30 bird sp. around Royd Moor this afternoon. 7 butterfly inc. Painted Lady and Large Skipper along with freshly emerged Burnet moths. @s-yorksbirding.bsky.social @sorbynathissoc.bsky.social @bcyorkshire.bsky.social

I think this might be a Yellow-bellied Rush-cutter, Eutomostethus luteiventris, that swept from a wet field near me. Looks distinctive enough, but I think it is fairly variable.

A new species for me. 🙂

@sorbynathissoc.bsky.social

I led a @sorbynathissoc.bsky.social walk to Long Dale in the Peaks today. Lots of interesting things, but too windy for many flying invertebrates.

Brittle Bladder-fern, Flea Sedge, Common Rockrose, Limestone Bedstraw.

Our outline programme of activities for April 2025 to March 2026 is available on our website at www.sorby.org.uk/events Full details of each activity can be found in our monthly newsletter, which is distributed free to members.

List of taxa found at Potteric Carr broken down by species groups.

iRecord is a great tool for collecting and processing wildlife records so they can be shared and used.

However, I find myself verging on becoming a lister. I looked at numbers of taxa at Potteric, and found myself thinking 'must get more beetles than birds'.

Good motivation? Or obsession?

Common Furrow Bee, face through a microscope.

Early instar of a Meadow Grasshopper in a glass pot.

A Cockchafer flew into me, perhaps attracted by the white net.

A Chimney Sweeper moth, in a pot. Found in it's habitat of meadow full of Pignut.

A nice day of plants and insects in the Moss Valley, just on the edge of Sheffield.

A few bees, butterflies, moths and grasshoppers. The @nationaltrust.org.uk meadow is turning out to be a real hot spot for wildlife.

Over 100 Adder's Tongue ferns as well 🙂

@sorbynathissoc.bsky.social

Ringing success This year’s Peregrine chicks were successfully ringed on Friday 16th May, aged 19 days old.

Three Peregrine chicks were ringed at St Georges Church yesterday @SheffPeregrines

Click on the link to read all about them in our latest blog.

sheffieldperegrines.wordpress.com/2025/05/17/r...

MEETING CANCELLATION: Today's meeting of the Sorby Invertebrate Group at the Whitehall Centre, Buxton has been cancelled. It will be rearranged in July. See our newsletter for full details.

Broad-bodied Chaser (Libellula depressa).

The Broad-bodied Chaser dragonflies were very active at Rocher Bog yesterday. At least four males were competing for the attention of one female. Thankfully, this male kept returning to the same perch between skirmishes.

A small slender sedge with male flowers above (with a couple of anthers still present) and 2 lots of female flowers below (stigmas still visible).

I managed a jaunt to Lindrick Common this morning to check on the Rare Spring Sedge. This SSSI golf course is fairly sympathetically managed for it's interesting plants.

The last record for this site was 2008, so good to refind it. A fellow @sorbynathissoc.bsky.social found another patch last month

A supplement to our June newsletter is now available from newsletter@sorby.org.uk

Golden-bloomed Grey Longhorn Beetle (Agapanthia villosoviridescens) on the Steel Valley Walk, near Stocksbridge.

Dingy Skipper butterfly (Erynnis tages) at Bradfield View Woodland Burial Ground, near Stannington.

Small Yellow Underwing moth (Panemeria tenebrata) at Bradfield View Woodland Burial Ground, near Stannington.

Black-headed Cardinal Beetle (Pyrochroa coccinea) in woodland alongside a disused canal, near Hemingfield.

Some insects from the past few days. Species info in the alt text. Detailed locations on iRecord.

Hartcliff with Hamish this morning. Plenty of Wall Brown butterflies and Green long-horned moths. Cinnabar moth and Green Hair-streaked butterfly. @bcyorkshire.bsky.social @sorbynathissoc.bsky.social

The cover of the Sorby Newsletter for June 2025, featuring a close-up photo of a Green Hairstreak butterfly.

Our June 2025 newsletter is available now for subscribing members. Cover photo by @rogerbutterfield.bsky.social

Just noticed this in last Sunday’s Observer, a week in the life of an Orange-tip as told to Simon Barnes. Brilliant.

Highlights from today's @shefbirdstudy.bsky.social meet-up at Padley Gorge.

Harley village - 22:15 - avocets calling overhead! @s-yorksbirding.bsky.social @wildsheffield.bsky.social @sorbynathissoc.bsky.social @barnsleybsg.bsky.social

🦇 There are more than 80 bat groups in the UK. They are made up of dedicated volunteers and are the mainstay of bat conservation across the country, undertaking vital front-line conservation work. They are a great way to get started in the world of bats: buff.ly/3k7VvWN

Tankersley black lane ponds midday - avocet x2 (wow), also LRP 2, teal 14 gadwall 8 mallard 7 coot 2 moorhen 2 - swallow sand martin flyover @s-yorksbirding.bsky.social @sorbynathissoc.bsky.social

Bright mauve colour of Early Purple Orchid

Adder's Tongue fern in short sward

Hairy Woodrush amongst the leaf litter at the base of an oak tree

I led a @sorbynathissoc.bsky.social walk to Maltby Far Common and Wood today. Despite not many flowers, and even fewer fungi, we found over 140 species. Mostly vegetative plants, but a few invertebrates, birds etc too.

Book review: Rare Plants by Peter Marren (cover Carry Akroyd) @bloomsburybooksuk.bsky.social @chiffchat.bsky.social

Review: markavery.info/2025/04/13/s...

'A great read for botanists & non-botanists alike'

@bsbibotany.bsky.social @bsbiscience.bsky.social @plantlifeuk.bsky.social #naturewriting

Small black beetle, with pubescent hairs. Microreticulate all over, so not appearing shiny.

Underside of small black beetle.

As the weather has been warmer I decided to pond dip and see what was about. It's amazing how quickly you forget things!

Most I could ID quickly, but stuck on this small diving beetle (3mm long), I can't get the key to get me to something it looks like.

@palustris.bsky.social something obvious?