24/03/24 - one of my ambitions for this first year of panlisting is to improve on my plants list that I started off really in lockdown. A local speciality of my part of Essex is Oxlip which grows well in a small reserve right next to Stansted Airport called Turners Spring.

Demons banished today after a painful dip at Aldeburgh 18 months ago or so. Some phonescoping expertise for this photo taken by Ron Cousins #clawback

One of the most nicely patterned beetles I’ve seen. Rufous-shouldered Longhorn Beetle 🪲 @WickenFenNT #InspiredByNature #NatureBeauty #TwitterNatureCommunity #wildlifephotography

Just wow. Mesmeric. What an incredible thing to see from your back door.

Two new recent shieldbugs for me: Bishop’s Mitre & Vernal Shieldbug The latter was confirmed as a first record for North Essex - thank you David Cousins for recognising this! #InspiredByNature #NatureBeauty #TwitterNatureCommunity #wildlifephotography

This experience won’t be topped for awhile… A Great Peacock Moth hanging out in the South of France 🇫🇷 It’s the biggest moth in Europe! #NatureBeauty #MothsMatter #nature Butterfly Conservation 🦋

A nice surprise from my Scottish trip was this Pammene obscurana. My first and a good record for north of the border as far as I can tell. A lucky find, it was sitting inside the Viewpoint hide at Insh Marshes RSPB reserve.

Delighted to find good numbers of Greater Streaked Shieldbug on Sunday at Sandwich Bay with @wjrpbp and of course the amazing Lizard Orchids and Bedstraw Broomrape. Earlier we had been to Samphire Hoe, and saw the brilliant Trichius gallicus chafers.

Not just one nationally scarce Orange Beauty (Commophila aeneana)… …but two! ♥️ Found yesterday lunchtime on my local patch in Stansted, Essex. #NatureBeauty #MothsMatter Butterfly Conservation 🦋 #Springwatch

Jersey Mocha (male) has now been confirmed by David Cousins by GD. Only the second record for Essex. It showed how tricky second generation moths can be! Migrant Lepidoptera Photo by David Cousins.

Only one moth on the garden trap last night but it was a Merveille du Jour! Super moth.

Pale-legged Leaf Warbler last weekend, Asian Desert Warbler today. My wife’s comment: surely you’ve seen all of the warblers by now… not quite! 😂

Death’s-head Hawk-moth on St Mary’s today. Thanks to Chris Lewis. ⁦Migrant Lepidoptera⁩

5 lifers this year, but a net gain of 3. No mega twitches this year with 2 American passerines bookending the year within an hour(ish) of home. Waterthrush, Alpine Accentor, Pale-legged Leaf Warbler, Desert Warbler and Yellow Warbler my roll call for 2025. Happy New Year!

Great weekend in the South West with David Cousins and family. Got lucky with the Booted Eagle and saw it as we arrived. Great scope views but a bit distant for anything other than record shots.

My popular science book is due out this November 🥳 🍾 It’s called Nature Within 🦋 🐛 🍁 🐜 🦢 🍄 🌳 🐝 🐞 🦔 🦎 🌸 🦜 🦒 🪱 🦉 🐦‍⬛ 🌿 And it’s all about the value of engaging with the natural world and protecting the biodiversity around us. pelagicpublishing.com/collections/ja…

Moments that will live forever 🏆