Fantastic variety of warblers in the lovely scrub at RSPB Otmoor: my first common whitethroat, lesser whitethroat, gropper, reed warbler and sedge warbler of the year. Heaven for a passerine addict like me!

Snapshot of Constables England at Hatfield this morning: ancient Alder woodland rich in flora, wood pasture with belting redstarts, low intensity arable full of linnet, skylarks, yammers, l whitethroat. There is hope! HerefordshireBirds Herefordshire Wildlife Trust

The best sound in Britain: tonnes of nightingales today at RSPB Pulborough Brooks, amazing reserve containing a high density of highly contrasting but fantastic habitats.

Fantastic to see 4 singing wood warblers this morning in South Herefordshire. A very special bird that really needs our help! HerefordshireBirds

Seems to be a fantastic year for redstarts; two singing in the ancient parkland of Pengethley Grove. Not normally an easy bird to find in the Ross area. Lots of stock dove, mistle thrust and a lesser whitethroat HerefordshireBirds National Trust

Still have biodiversity withdrawal from my amazing trip to North Uist, the best wildlife destination I’ve ever been in the UK: a land rammed with breeding waders and where short eared owls are the most common raptor! Some photo highlights:

Had some fantastic insect records on Herefordshire Wildlife Trust surveys in the Black Mountain fringes, all locally scarce: Dark green fritillary, small pearl-bordered fritillary, golden-ringed dragonfly and emperor moth Butterfly Conservation 🦋

Ruby tailed wasp (Chrysis ignita agg.) investigating a bee hotel at Tretawdy Farm today. My first time seeing this stunning little insect Herefordshire Wildlife Trust

A mating pair of scarlet tigers, which seem to be very numerous in my local village of Walford this year; always a treat seeing these absolute beauties! I wonder how long it will be before we get jersey tigers too!? Butterfly Conservation 🦋 West Midlands Butterfly Conservation

Some stunning views of silver washed fritillary on the Doward including lots of courtship behaviour. A spectacular species that I look forward to seeing every year Herefordshire Wildlife Trust Butterfly Conservation 🦋

Varied selection of wildlife today in Herefordshire: first local crossbill flock in a while near Longhope, over a grassland with a fantastic abundance of butterflies including small coppers. Finished the day with first autumn passage common sand on The Wye near Ross HerefordshireBirds

Lovely to see some second generation brimstones in Dymock Woods, alongside SW fritillary and notable numbers of common blue. Bird wise crossbills feeding in the conifers as well as spot fly and marsh tit Butterfly Conservation 🦋 West Midlands Butterfly Conservation HerefordshireBirds

This year I’ve been obsessed with the complex ecology of LSW in particular theorising their potential status in Herefordshire. Just visited an orchard with recent records where you can see how tiny the nest hole is: first image is GSW, second LSW LesserSpot Network HerefordshireBirds

3 Hawfinches up on the little Doward this afternoon. Great to see the habitat improving since being grazed this year; nice mosaic of scrub and grassland emerging. For the botanical amongst also found this deadly nightshade a local rarity! HerefordshireBirds Herefordshire Wildlife Trust

Excited to announce I’ll be appearing on Countryfile this Sunday at 17:15 on BB1. Can’t say much, but I’ll be talking about the ecology of Herefordshire’s most iconic habitat, including a certain very elusive little bird that loves it! LesserSpot Network Herefordshire Wildlife Trust HerefordshireBirds

Tragic. Preventable. Final. The Slender-billed Curlew is officially extinct, declared today by the IUCN. On our watch. We are technically brilliant and carelessly blind. Sit with the silence. Then fight for what remains. #Extinction #BiodiversityCrisis #Curlews David Gray

Bravo Herefordshire Wildlife Trust & Toby Fountain (@tobywildlife.bsky.social) for showing the worth of traditional orchards. Here in Cambs we are lucky to have Coton Orchard, similarly recognised by The Wildlife Trust for Beds, Cambs & Northants, yet Cambridgeshire County Council would drive a busway through it. If we care for such places, we must defend them ✊🏻🤨🌳🚌❌

You can now check out my Countryfile slot on iplayer, and see me in talk about the ecology of trad orchards and delve into the fascinating world of Britains most mysterious breeding bird: the lesser spotted woodpecker LesserSpot Network Herefordshire Wildlife Trust HerefordshireBirds