Ben Eaton
@benjeaton.bsky.social
Ladywalk & Sutton Park (Warks/West Mids) birder, moth-er and conservation volunteer. Gardener.
Some of the macro highlights from Saturday’s moth morning at @ladywalknr.bsky.social Scallop Shell (new for the reserve), Bordered Beauty, Mere, Fen, Silky & Brown-veined Wainscot, Angle-striped Sallow, Sallow & Poplar Kitten, Crescent. #teammoth @westmidbirdclub.bsky.social @benjeaton.bsky.social
Got final totals checked this morning from the #LadywalkNR team and we finished the day on 101. Nothing amazing with Med gull probably the best bird of the day but one I missed. Always good to get a 100+ birds and good that predominately it was breeding birds with not much passage #westmidsalldayer
Norfolk Bird Report 1970 - shrikes are the proverbial canary in the coal mine for global change #UKBirding
There are few Baikal Teal (Sibirionetta formosa 花脸鸭 Huāliǎn yā) wintering at the Yellow River estuary in Shandong Province. Photo by "菜小hua". #birds #china #yellowriver
Kentish still south of jetty at Burnham with Ringeds (08:40) @birdguides.bsky.social #somersetbirds
Yellow-browed Warbler at Hurley,Warks 2/1/26 showed well today to a small smiling crowd.... #ukbirding #warksbirding
A visit to Hurley to see if the Yellow Browed Warbler would put in an appearance. It certainly did and showed well the whole time I was there. @westmidbirdclub.bsky.social
As #localpatch finds go, this one was up there🤘🔥 Yellow-browed Warbler - Kingsbury Firing Range/Hurley Treatment works - 26/12 #lowcarbonbirding #warksbirding #ukbirding
I was delighted to catch up with the Harlequin Duck again at Trà na gCloch yesterday. Despite the horrible weather, I was able to sit in the comfort of the car and watch it come and go in the massive surf.
This is cool. Gotta love a Jack Snipe #motus #migration #ukbirding
Landguard Bird Observatory @landguardbo.bsky.social · 11mo ago
Sadly, we have to report the death of three of the four young Hen Harriers that were tagged this summer thanks to donations from our supporters. #birds #conservation www.henharrierday.uk/news/devasta...
Report of the Death of Three Young Hen Harriers | Hen Harrier Action
It is with great sadness that we have to report the death of three of the four young Hen Harriers satellite tagged this Summer thanks to donations from supporters.
henharrierday.uk
A Ladywalk mega Curlew Sandpiper coincided with my Webs count today. Possibly the first in my lifetime! Seemed settled in front of Bittern Hide but disappeared mid afternoon. Jack Snipe also briefly close by. #ladywalknr #warksbirds
After 25+ miles walked in better conditions along the Norfolk coast this month it felt sort of ironic that the first bird I lifted my bins for on a family outing at Happisburgh this afternoon was this lovely 1w Isabelline (Daurian) Shrike.
Lovely Spotted Redshank again at far end of Shustoke Res this am. 2+ Tree Pipits, 5 Yellow Wags, 6 Common & 1 Green Sand, juv Common Tern. Tons of hirundines #warksbirding @birdguides.bsky.social
Ladywalk Nature Reserve are holding a moth morning! Come along on Saturday 6th September to find out what's been caught in the trap overnight! Book your place by visiting our website: www.westmidlandbirdclub.org.uk/event-detail... or by emailing Geoff Adams (see details below).
Warbler waves aplenty at #SuttonPark, West Mids early this am. 4+ Tree Pipits, Yellow Wag & 4 Snipe high south over Upper Crabs. 4 Redstarts, 2 Spot Fly, 4 Swallow, Swift. #ukbirding
Better urban mothing last night (Erdington, B’ham). A nice Dusky Thorn. Annoyingly, my second Tree-lichen Beauty of the year got away. 20 Vine’s Rustics maybe a record. #teammoth
A PB of 10+ Tree Pipits over at #SuttonPark, West Mids this am. The first two Spot Flys of the autumn, Whinchat, 6 Redstarts, 2 Lesser Whites & Hobby. #westmidsbirding
I know nothing about spiders. What have I got here? Found him looking comfy in a plant pot inside my van. #ukspiders
Fresh morning at #SuttonPark, West Mids. 1+ Crossbill roaming around Queen’s Coppice. 3 Tree Pipits buzzed south, Yellow Wag on flying field, just the single Redstart, Lesser White and a few Garden Warblers. #ukbirding
A good turn out last night for the bat walk at #LadywalkNR, Warks. Soprano & Common Pips, Noctule, Brown Long-eared & Daubenton’s enjoyed. Tree-lichen Beauty in the morning was new for the reserve too.
I’ve sneaked some ornamental weeds for #teammoth into a client’s garden. They’ve struggled with the drought but the ‘Album’ form of Rosebay Willowherb is useful as it spreads well but doesn’t self seed. And some interesting harvests this week…
Mothing at #LadywalkNR brought nothing unexpected. 4 Fen Wainscots are the most I’ve seen here. Slender Brindle & Box-tree Moth were gaps filled on the list. Down the road though in Chelmsley Wood (Birmingham), mom finds a Jersey Tiger whilst watering the garden! Colonised now locally? #teammoth
My iPhone 13’s macro is pretty poor. So my first crude attempt at macro with my Opticron hand lens attached! 3 new micros for the garden last night (Erdington, Birmingham) #teammoth
It’s hard not to feel a sense rising dread & impending disaster reading this. The article shows the difference in #moth numbers to a light in 1984 & in 2019, the difference is scary. How many species have we already lost? #mothsmatter #inverts #bugsky 🌿🐛🐝🦋🌾🪷🦎🐦⬛ www.theguardian.com/environment/...
‘Half the tree of life’: ecologists’ horror as nature reserves are emptied of insects
A new point in history has been reached, entomologists say, as climate-led species’ collapse moves up the food chain even in supposedly protected regions free of pesticides
theguardian.com
