#MarineMiles day 95! GOLDEN EAGLE!! My closest ever encounter when this male came low overhead this afternoon. Incredible! Better walking today with a great tailwind and great tracks. Keep donating! Ever nearer to £11k for Hebridean Whale & Dolphin Trust, thank you so much. gofund.me/6f2d7013

It was brilliant to get out last week doing a spot of Whale Watching on CalMac Ferries from Ullapool to Stornoway and back. We saw a few pods of common dolphin despite the poor conditions! Massive thanks to Dan Brown Hebridean Whale & Dolphin Trust and Mammal Society for a great day!

Seawatchers of the southwest here’s an insight into where your Great Shears are coming from this year

Another superb Minch crossing today despite 59knt winds! 5 Humpbacks, 5 Fin Whales, an intriguing v-shaped blow and plenty of Common Dolphins + Porpoise making up 27 sightings of over 200 cetaceans! That takes us up to 21 mammals for our tour and only day 3! #MammalWatching

Some cracking views of Crested Tits on tour today foraging along the regenerating Scots Pine line beneath the Cairngorm Car park at 540m; behind us a Golden Eagle cruised and then perched on the ridge.

This Pine-tree Lappet was a real surprise when we went through the trap this morning at Aigas. Despite having seen them nearby in the past I has assumed their flight season was over - you just never know what you're going to get in the trap! #TeamMoth

Superb views of five Raft Spiders today in Glen Strathfarrar including one hunting from a Birch sapling! They are such awesome inverts made even more exciting by their scarcity in Scotland. Another wildlife highlight from this current tour. #OM1 + 60mm macro

Hello Winter... First two Pink-footed Geese of the autumn/winter with Greylags and Canadas at Udale Bay as hundreds of hirundines streamed down the coast and flocks of waders beat hastily down the firths, rising to head inland down the Great Glen; migration is just superb

This Violet Coral fungus (Clavaria zollingeri) was a great surprise in Glen Strathfarrar yesterday and by the looks of things a new site from this stunning meadow fungus. #Mycology

Our first Wild Discovery 'Mammals of the Highlands' tour has come to an end & what a success it was. 25 species of Mammal seen well with a further 3 as signs. 4 Mustelids, 6 Cetaceans inc Humpback & Fin Whales & Beaver to name a few. We will run it again in 2026 - don't miss out!

A great 45 mins Dolphin watching at Chanonry Point produced 1 ad Little Gull SW, 1 Arctic Skua, 17 Whimbrel, 40 Blackwits + flocks of Turnstone, Ringed Plover, Dublin & Sanderling all heading up the Firth, 2 Manxies as well as 10s of foraging terns. #VisMig

More Raft Spider magic today including two nests squirming with spiderlings & at least 12 adults at RSPB Loch Garten. The spiderlings were just stunning with their blueish legs - teeny tiny killing machines set to stalk the swamps #Spiders #OM1 + 60mm macro

Massive congratulations! What a monumental physical and mental effort to achieve this and all in the name of supporting conservation!

Will this be the start of colonisation or a one-off? I’d put money on the former.

As Suspected the Old Ladies were straight into the sweet stuff last night on my first night of sugaring this summer. 12 moths of 5sp was a steady start and at least the temp was higher than 4oC the night before! #TeamMoth

The sugaring is picking up in Cairngorms as temp dropped to 5oC last night. First pristine Herald of the year plus Brown-spot Pinion amongst 10sp but highlights were our first False Ladybird in Deeside & Northern Rose Chafer (former a rare sp in Scotland) #TeamMoth

Despite heavy rain nearly all night the haul was 523 of 54 in the MV and 52 of 16 to Sugar (4sp not recorded at light). Probably one of my bigger September catches. Also an insane number of Violet Ground Beetles to sugar last night #TeamMoth #MothsMatter

⏰ 1900hrs BST Friday 6 September 👀 Watch for news of the Global Birdfair 2024 donation to BirdLife International 🧡Creating Brighter Futures 🇪🇬Galala Bird Observatory, Egypt 🙏🏽Massive thanks to all involved OSME Stephen Moss IUCN Indy Kiemel Greene Ruth and Alan Discover Rutland

This explains the origins of many of the recent migrant moths and why Shetland and Orkney are turning up a few nice species/records.

Great to be able to check the trap at Kew Gardens today. Highlights were 3 Plumed Fan-foot, Duponchelia fovealis and what I presume is Oak Hooktip despite the toothed dark costal blaze. Despite searching tens of trees not a single Red Underwing or Clifden - weather? Year??