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The Backward Birder

@backwardbirder.bsky.social

Old-fashioned birder. Member of The Irregulars. Lover of Wild places and wildlife. Reliably twenty years behind the times. Also on Twitter {yes, it's still that to me} There's a blog out there somewhere, too...

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The Backward Birder@backwardbirder.bsky.social · 9h ago

Not knowing there was somewhere else to be 😔, on Sunday I meandered about the Exe, looking for whatever crossed my path. Ended up at Powderham Marsh late on. Fewer tringa sands than Monday, but a big arrival of Curlew and Whimbrel with the evening tide made up for it! {see alts for no.s} 😄 🦉

Big streaky waders pouring in! After they had all landed, I put the Big Scope to them and counted 366 Curlew and 24 Whimbrel. As well as 3 Green Sandpiper, 3 juv Shelduck, 1 juv Coot, 1 juv and an adult Grey Heron {former seen off best spot by the latter}. 17+ moulting Mallard with at least 2 Gadwall also in eclipse. Large numbers of mostly juvenile alba Wagtails {no Whites ID'd but presence could not be ruled out with range and heat haze}. Fewer large insects seen {dry weather biting?} no new spp. from last two visits, with only 1 dragonfly, but that was a Southern Migrant Hawker! Hirundines still hawking, and juv Buzzard heard yarking.Just for a moment I thought that that was mist and I'd walked into a Hammer Film.. But no, woodsmoke from a nearby house. {{Who puts the fire on in this heat?!?}}
The Backward Birder@backwardbirder.bsky.social · 2w ago

The having a job thing required me to wait until today to do the filthy twitching thing. In a shocking breach of tradition, the Long-tailed Shrike did not pull a Friday Night Special, and in fact showed quite marvellously 😲 😍 🦉 More sightings in part 2;

Digiscoped shot of a Long-tailed Shrike, doing the whole bird on a wire thing."Look at my tertials, I'm not the Fife bird!"Shrike checks its twitter; "Wha.. Oh come on, I'm not a fecking escape?!?!"
The Backward Birder@backwardbirder.bsky.social · 2w ago

There are species you see in a book or on a screen, that you look at with wonder. You may only ever dream of seeing them. The first time I looked through a book of odonata, I saw this one shining glory of a dragonfly. Today, I can share it with you; Southern Migrant Hawker. 😍🤩 🐉🦟

Southern Migrant Hawker. Male, Exminster Marsh. Pixels cannot convey how blue this thing is. Words cannot convey the glory of it; it's a bit like a White Admiral, if you get the idea?Southern Migrant Hawker. And then you see that thorax. Every panel is different, every panel is bright. Every panel is glorious. Emperors wish they look like this.Just.. Just look at him. wow.
The Backward Birder@backwardbirder.bsky.social · 2w ago

Went for a toddle up on t'Moor yesterday. Cooler, which was good, but very humid, which was less good, though then I got rained on, twice! 😀🌧️ {Rain = Joy, now} Had to abort my original route, but where I ended up wasn't bad at all. ⛰️🌋* 1/ {*Not active, but you use the smilies you can find 🙃}

Balancing granite, Dartmoor. Can you name the tor? It was here that I realised I had done gone messed up and so would not be yomping up high.... So I turned back {'Know when to turn back' is the absolute best advice for anyone going anywhere, by the way.}Layered lavas (Ok, ok, shallow-intrusives, probably submarine ones at that, but definitely NOT granitic, so I consider the volcano smiley to count {{and we need more smiley variety, btw}} ), in a small quarry, also on Dartmoor.Another balancing rock, Dartmoor. Hmm, that sky doesn't look very blue, does it? {Cough cough, volcano {ish} in sight}RAIN!!!!! Oh, and a third tor, Dartmoor. Also some of Plimoth. Which tells you where we are. Maybe.
The Backward Birder@backwardbirder.bsky.social · 3w ago

Missed my chance last week, but for this TombTuesday, a {slightly reshaped 🙄} Tomb With A View. Cairn, Great Nodden, showing a tiny section of the glorious panorama. This one is well worth the climb {even in that heat, ouch..} 😍 ⛏️

Cairn {the original one}, Great Nodden, Dartmoor. View over West Devon and into Cornwall. Original scale of the cairn shown by the low ring of stones. Most material removed; remainder piled up here and in a modern cairn of similar size behind the viewer. This is an amazing site to be buried, no pics can truly represent the views.
The Backward Birder@backwardbirder.bsky.social · 3w ago

Got up on t'Moor on Sunday; fresh wind countered the heat nicely 😁 Amazingly gloriously quiet, once clear of the woody fringe there wasn't a human for miles {What? I like a little solitude now & again🙃} Loads of insects around, too 😃 Yep, 🧵 time! 1/ Woods = Silver-washed Fritillaries 🦋

Silver-washed Fritillary on Meadow Thistle. This has been a very good year for SWF.Silver-washed Fritillary on Common KnapweedWait, that's not a frit! Painted Lady on Common Knapweed.
The Backward Birder@backwardbirder.bsky.social · 4w ago

More from Sunday's bog! 😄 Keeled Skimmers were everywhere, making damselfly 'togging difficult, with 17 along the same runnel that I counted 7 Southern Damselfly on, with 3 Brown Chinamark, too. Also a couple of pretty flowers for you; Bog Pimpernel {3rd Pimp of the year!} and Bog Asphodel. 🐉🦟 🦋 🌼

Keeled Skimmer, male. I'm a big fan of these wonderful little dragons, but they can be very frustrating, as they have a talent for disturbing small blue damselflies when I'm trying to get a sharp {ish} photo....Brown Chinamark, which is another technical micro-moth {by that, I mean a not that small one. Though nowhere near as mahoosive as another 'micro', the Box Tree Moth, which is the size of a Peacock butterfly.!!}. These are right buggers to photo, as they like posing in difficult places, then start fluttering their wings, or just plain moving, when you finally get an angle...Bog Pimpernel {with Round-leaved Sundew in background; yes, I meant that}. Lovely little flowers, though hard to examine without getting soggy. The classic of the acid bog; Bog Asphodel. When the Bogbeans give out, this is here for all your nectaring needs.
The Backward Birder@backwardbirder.bsky.social · last mo.

You will be shocked to learn that I've been on Another Bug Hunt 😲 Started a bit overcast {normal for Plimoth, of course 😉}, but then it brightened and well, I succeeded! 😎 1/ Purple Hairstreaks are only purple from some angles. I did my best! 🦋

Purple Hairstreak, Plymouth. You can just about see a purpley tinge there.... {The overcast was very helpful, you normally just don't see them do this!}Purple Hairstreak, the more usual view.At good half-dozen on the wing.
The Backward Birder@backwardbirder.bsky.social · last mo.

Oh, so many things to put up... Lets us have a thread of butterfly comparisons! 🦋 1/ Essex and Small Skippers are very similar. The males have a black sex brand on the forewing, which are slightly different shapes, but the best character is the glossy black underside to Essex's antennae tips.

Essex Skipper. Third post for this one!Small Skipper. Note antennae tips with a thin black line only. This one's a bit battered, having been defending his stretch of path against all and sundry; ie. everything that flies! {They're feisty things}
The Backward Birder@backwardbirder.bsky.social · last mo.

Sunday {yes, actual Sunday} I went South. Cloudier & windier than expected, so I gave the sea some time from Prawle {more later}. The weather saw me set up, laughed, and it got much sunnier 🙄 I moved to Slapton, where after not that much nonsense, a couple of actual Norfolk Hawker posed for me; 😍 🐉🦟

'Slightly worn' Norfolk Hawker, Slapton Ley. Norfolk Hawkers are very considerate - for hawker dragonflies - and do sit and pose where you can see them. Sometimes.I did say 'sometimes'.! A different insect {at least 7 males and a female seen}, feeling less helpful.Yes, this is the same Norfolk Hawker as in 1, but posing for a second {technically first, but the second spot was better}
The Backward Birder@backwardbirder.bsky.social · last mo.

The third site gets a name; Stover. I was passing by and - having seen a report of Norfolk Hawker there - had to take a shufti. No sign of the Jade-eyed Jewel 😔, but I did find the sapphire splendour of Scarce Chaser! Also some ducks. Notably a ♀️Tufted, with 3 quacklings! 😍 {See? Birds! 😋} 🐉🦟🦉

Male Scarce Chaser, Stover Lake, showing mating marks.Female Tufted Duck with two of three {they kept diving, I just couldn't catch them all on the surface together!} quacklings.The inevitable Mandarin.
The Backward Birder@backwardbirder.bsky.social · last mo.

I'll get back to Site 1 in a bit. Site 2 is lower-lying & woodier, home of Big Fancy Butterflies {& small fancy ones, too, it turns out!} It was good & hot by the time I arrived, making things more interesting. 🥵 Persistence & iced coffee {try it} won out for me; 🦋 1/

White Admiral! Very mobile {when are they not?} but finally caught in not toooo much glare. This one is a little worn, but still looking dapper.Different - slightly more battered! - White Admiral, nectaring on Plantain. I'd seen a White Admiral at Site 1, but it went zooming past at Bracken top height and didn't even slow, let alone stop.Silver-washed Fritillary. Quite a few about but possibly even more active than the White Admirals. This is the only one I saw perch, at all!
The Backward Birder@backwardbirder.bsky.social · last mo.

Yesterday slightly reduced heat saw me hitting 3 sites for, well, whatever would let me photo it. 😆 Site 1: while High Brown & Dark Green Fritillary were both present {if still in heat-induced SpeedRun}, the HighBs wouldn't show their underwings & the DarkGs were bashful about their uppers.?!? 🤷 🦋

Female High Brown Fritillary {I do have an underwing shot if you don't believe me, but it's awful...}, hiding out of sight of any path {I made my own, being a Dutiful Large Mammal vs the Bracken.}Male High Brown Fritillary, slightly the worse for wear.Dark Green Fritillary, giving me the eye.Another Dark Green Fritillary {they were the more numerous, once it warmed up even more.}
The Backward Birder@backwardbirder.bsky.social · last mo.

My success east of the Exe, & the defiance of the heat involved, had consequences. So it was that the day after, I only got to the Nose. In the late afternoon. It was a bit blowy, but I eventually got pics of one of the 4+ Marbled White on the wing there. 😁 🦋

Marbled White, Hope's Nose.Marbled White, defiantly not showing its rather spectacular underwing, the rotter.
The Backward Birder@backwardbirder.bsky.social · last mo.

Yesterday I took the only day without army firing on Dartmoor to hit the high moor. Expecting blazing 🌞, I got that, but also surprise steady rain & thunder.! Cue my ::Exit, stage left:: at pace. {Don't mess with 🌩️} {Moral: Dartmoor has all the weather. Often in one day. Be prepared.🌧️} 1/

Dartmoor, viewing the high Teign basin, with Fernworthy on the left horizon and Watern Tor on the right. Note high fluffy 'fair weather' clouds. You can't see the heat, but it's there!Lunchtime, Cranmere Pool. Yes, that's its name, though it remains stubbornly non-waterfilled, despite best attempts at re-wetting. Observe sun and high thin clouds.One hour later. View from Hangingstone Hill {which I had to go over to get back, while listening to the thunder.. Fun times} Fur Tor visible on left, Hare Tor on the right. Interesting cloud forms. Yes, it was raining. More of the same view. Note High Wilhays and Yes Tor centre, Cosdon Beacon on the right. You can't hear the thunder, but oh my days it was there. I am very weatherproof, and will hit the Moor in rain, wind, and snow {if I can get up there, I will} but the one weather I won't is thunder. Don't mess with lightning; you will lose.
The Backward Birder@backwardbirder.bsky.social · 2mo ago

A day spent ambling a loop between Warren House and Challacombe with the Folks {location almost entirely co-incidental 😉} produced no Hoopoe-bird {shock} but did give this lovely Red Kite, which came from the north mid- afternoon, thermalled over Vitifer, then departed westwards. 😍 🦉

Red Kite, presumed 2cy. At first it was below us {a very good spot by my Mum; her first self-find!} Bright spots in the wing where missing primaries let light through.Red Kite, Vitifer, Dartmoor. Very soon it was above us, and still with the light catching where there were inner primaries missing.
The Backward Birder@backwardbirder.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Lost most of the weekend 🤕, but managed to get out Sunday, for lunch and an amble up on t'Moor. Yes it was cloudy and a bit windy, but that's just proper Deb'n Summer Weather 😉 Hardy rained at all. I even saw some birds {gasp} Pics and such ensue; 🦉🐞

This tor used to be a cairn. You can see its former extent here, including the curving arc of the former perimeter. Elsewhere on the outcrop, there are still stones piled up. Not quite sure why it got stripped away {treasure hunters, I suppose...} Ok, technically speaking, a cairn was piled up around the tor {similar to be seen on several tors around the east side of Dartmoor}. There are many large cairns on tors and hilltops on Dartmoor. How much these are actual imhumation sites and how much territorial markers is a matter of interest.Wheatear! This was one of three males holding territory on that there tor. He was a bit vexed with me, despite me just sitting there quietly.Reason for Mr Wheatear's annoyance revealed! Juvenile Wheatear, very recently {like that day} fledged. Photo taken with zoom at ~25m, and I retired much further immediately after. There may well have been more juveniles present, but I wasn't hanging around to look.Dung Beetle sp. {It is rolling dung here}
Raptor Persecution UK@raptorpersuk.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Young White-tailed Eagle 'disappears' from grouse shooting estate in North York Moors National Park. Police think its disappearance is 'suspicious'. No shit. #RaptorResearch #WildlifeCrime raptorpersecutionuk.org/2026/06/01/y...

Young White-tailed Eagle ‘disappears’ from grouse shooting estate in North York Moors National Park

Press statement from North Yorkshire Police (1st June 2026): INVESTIGATION UNDERWAY AFTER DISAPPEARANCE OF EAGLE We are appealing for information after the disappearance of a white-tailed eagle. Th…

raptorpersecutionuk.org