We are pleased to announce that structural repair works will be commencing next week and we look forward to reopening the tower hide on Bridgwater Bay NNR very soon. Thank you for your continued patience.

Bam, just 30m from entrance to Alners Gorse ⁦Butterfly Conservation 🦋⁩ reserve and male Brown Hairstreak on Angelica. Beautiful ⁦BC Dorset 🦋⁩

New moth trap strategy seems to be going well. Oak eggar (NFG) and a swirling cloud of insects but only one hornet so far. Discreet glow contrasts favourably with the searchlight-like MV. Like it! Proof of the pudding... laters! Somerset Moth Group

First Robinson moth trap using 25W black light bulb instead of 250W MV: 91 of 50 species: oak eggar, marbled beauty NTG, 5 NFY. Bycatch of pond beetles, N. vespillo (burying beetle), H. rufipes (strawberry seed beetle) leafhoppers, caddis, hornet (only 3, yay!) &c Somerset Moth Group

An un-ringed Scarlet Ibis currently at marsh hide Stodmarsh !

Early indications of a richer mothing night and some migrants with scarce bordered straw already at the trap (Heathfield TA4 VC5) at 23.30 #teammoth Somerset Moth Group Migrant Lepidoptera

Things are shaping up nicely for next week. Tuesday and especially Wednesday (28th) look the standout nights. Not so good on Thursday, then another bout of hot weather from Friday. #insectmigration [chart 22:00 on 28/8]

Bicknoller (Quantock Hills National Landscape) Village to the ridge yesterday afternoon accompanied by plenty of butterflies sheltering from the stiff SW breeze. Mostly gatekeeper and meadow brown but small copper always good to see. Celebrated with a pint at the Bicknoller Inn. BC Somerset & Bristol

Stockland marsh WWT Steart Marshes today. Small numbers of white butterflies including this green-veined white, and worn meadow browns but no blues etc. Odonata everywhere including southern and migrant hawkers and many common darter. Reed warbler heard then seen. Many linnet, goldfinch.

Red-footed falcon influx in Netherlands. Blow you east wind, blow! Been a few years since one ventured this far west. June 2020 bird on Cothelstone hill was admired by many and I believe there was a brief visit to Greylake in '22. Somerset Birds

At first glance, you might think Jan van Eyck's masterpiece is an ordinary portrait: Italian merchant Giovanni Arnolfini and his wife, Costanza. It looks like it could be a wedding ceremony, but there is far more going on...

Scarce bordered straw and silver Y appeared early in tonight's moth trapping session, accompanied by multiple kamikaze hornets that found the head torch a source of amusement (not shared). Retreated with fingers crossed for more migrants overnight. Somerset Moth Group

Black and common terns at Durleigh Reservoir this afternoon. Sand martins with many swallows, greenshank, gree sandpiper and common sandpiper were the other standout birds. Great to see Bob Winn John Tolfree Ann Crawford et al., hope you got home dry! Somerset Birds