Steve Gale
@stevewg.bsky.social
Surrey-based naturalist on the edge of Greater London with a particular interest in bird migration, lepidoptera and botany. Dungeness (Kent) will sometimes get a mention. northdownsandbeyond.blogspot.com Non-league football follower.
I’m finding it very hard to be ‘out in nature’ at the moment without sporting a perpetual furrowed brow… “That shouldn’t be here” “There are too many of them” “It’s too hot” “It’s too dry” “This isn’t normal” The ‘new normal’ comes to us dressed in shiny new things that are actually poisonous…
Banstead, Surrey: maybe not West Country numbers, but 8 Small Mottled Willows to the MV last night was unprecedented. Between 1987-2025 I had trapped two here. So far in 2026 there have been 37. #TeamMoth
Banstead, Surrey: the MV totals are very poor - numbers and species well down. Full moon, clear skies, hot weather, or is it a local phenomenon? Also, Heart & Dart. Where are they? #TeamMoth
Step 5 League Tooting & Mitcham 1 Camberley Town 2 Away team ‘game managed’ the second-half like cynical pros. Odonata ‘seen at football’ list boosted by a brief - and hastily phone papped - Willow Emerald Damselfly. Adjacent habitat to the stadium pic gives some context.
Banstead, Surrey: just experienced 20 minutes of light rain as if it was some rarely observed weather phenomena. It’s where we’re at…
Pre-season Friendly Sutton United 2 Folkestone Invicta 1 Step 1 v 2 The away team took a deserved lead but then ran out of steam as the assumed superior conditioning of SUFC kicked in, scoring two late goals to win. A pleasure to bump into @markbravery.bsky.social after the game.
I love it when you happen to hit upon just the right kind of music to suit your mood… listened to the whole of ‘Joy of a Toy’ by Kevin Ayers. 1969, Canterbury louchness. A bit out there, at times naive at others sophisticated. Lovely voice. Well worth a listen.
Very belatedly discovered that one of my favourite writers, Ian Marchant, passed away last November. I have been richly educated and entertained by his books which included ‘Parallel Lines’, ‘The Longest Crawl’ and ‘A Hero for High Times’. Well worth seeking out. Thanks Ian, a fine body of work!
2026-27 Pre-season friendly Redhill 0 Rusthall 3 (both step 5) Second-half opened up with both teams highly entertaining. Rusthall’s second goal was a superb solo effort - shades of Maradona at the Azteca! Doubt if I’ll see better this season at any level.
Banstead, Surrey: super-sized Oak Processionary Moth, a plain, ginger-dusted giant (with two more trapped) up against a normal sized and marked individual. Anybody else recording them? #TeamMoth
Banstead, Surrey: comments welcomed on this noctuid. Doesn’t seem right for Double Square-spot or Triple-spotted Clay and giving me Euxoa vibes! #TeamMoth
Banstead, Surrey: a record catch of 41 Oak Processionary moths to the MV. There were three noticeably larger, plainer individuals with an almost gingery wash to the thorax - sexual size difference or hot weather shenanigans? Comparisons shown @mothyblackburn.bsky.social #TeamMoth
Into Fantasy Football? Our birding league is up and running and can be joined with the code: 0erg1d It’s called ‘Birding Haaland’ See what I did there?…
2026-27 Pre-season friendly Step 5 Chipstead 0 Larkfield & New Hythe 2 Both teams missed penalties and had to contend with a hard, bumpy and bone dry pitch. Painted Lady and bleating sheep both firsts for me whilst watching football.
A World Cup final to go in the bin along with 1990, 1994 (the worst), 2010 and 2014.
Saturday giveaway time! I picked a copy of the (still brilliant) Macmillan Guide to Bird Identification at Cley village fete & like the last time, I want to give this copy to a really keen young birder (18 or under). Drop me a DM - or reply here - & Lynnette will pick a name from a hat. #ukbirding
Pre-season friendly Redhill 3 Harrow Borough 1 100+ crowd, 1 pm kick-off Step 5 v Step 4 Plenty of scrub down eastern side of the ground looks useful for the bird list in the coming weeks…
Went to see Christopher Nolan’s ‘Odyssey’ today. Did it live up to the hype? 8.5/10 Another viewing needed.
RIP Gary Sobers. His name summed up ‘cricket’ and was revered worldwide. His all-round stats speak for themselves. As a wide-eyed kid I can still recall watching the b&w footage of his six sixes v Glamorgan on the news that very evening. Also a true gentleman. Another childhood touchstone gone.
Banstead, Surrey: a reduced number of moths at the MV included Fig-leaved Skeletonizer and a further two Small Mottled Willow #TeamMoth
It has taken me until today to finally come to the conclusion that Messi is the greatest player of all time. Until an hour ago I thought it was Maradona.
Banstead, Surrey: an interesting morning at the MV with the 7th garden record of The Vestal, a Buttoned Snout (barely annual), the first Gypsy Moth of the year plus a Yponomeuta sedella which I have no record of seeing before #TeamMoth
