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Bill Coulson @devonshirenature.bsky.social · 19h

Visit to the Lower Otter and we found a Spotted Redshank, Wigeon whistling happily and a pair of Little Grebes in the river.

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Bill Coulson @devonshirenature.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Dicranomyia goritiensis a rare crane fly found mainly, but not exclusively, on south western cliff and rock faces where water seepages occur. Its larvae feed on the available algae. Thanks John Walters for finding this one near Start Point, Devon.

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Bill Coulson @devonshirenature.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Mediterranean Oil Beetle Meloe mediterraneus, a rare nocturnal beetle, this one the first-found of the season. Thanks to John Walters who led us to Gt. Mattiscombe and Susan Williams who spotted the beetle in a clump of grass.

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Bill Coulson @devonshirenature.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Start Point last week: Great Green Bush-cricket Tettigonia viridissima. Speckled Bush-cricket Leptophytes punctatissima. Vertical on the walls of Start Point Lighthouse. Dark Bush-cricket Pholidoptera griseoaptera.

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Bill Coulson @devonshirenature.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Some great birds seen on the River Dart from the African Queen Dartmouth on a trip led by Mike Langman. Osprey, a juvenile, resting in a dead tree. Peregrine Falcons, female and male, at the mouth of the river. Kingfishers, several seen, this one a male.

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Bill Coulson @devonshirenature.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Garfish are currently the baitfish of choice for Grey Seals, Gulls and Gannets. They skitter across the sea in a state of panic when being chased by Tuna.

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Bill Coulson @devonshirenature.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Weekend spent on the South Devon coast watching Atlantic Bluefin Tuna catching Garfish.

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Bill Coulson @devonshirenature.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Stupendous numbers of Clouded Yellows in Old Mill Cove, nr. Froward Cove. Way over 50 seen in the lower damp part of the valley. Included one helice form (in 1.) They were nearly all nectaring on the fragrant Water Mint.

Clouded Yellow Colias crocea on Water Mint Mentha aquatica

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Bill Coulson @devonshirenature.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Migrating Spotted Flycatchers, 5 or 6 birds, feeding over the field behind Brownstone Farm. Medium sized Adder in front of my toes as I was scanning the stubble at Froward Cove. Convolvulus Hawkmoth caterpillar a migrant moth. Its caterpillar will pupate in soil but will not survive our winter.

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Bill Coulson @devonshirenature.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Common Dolphins feeding off Berry Head early this evening. I snapped one putting a great deal of power through its tail to breach with both height and distance! Another Dolphin chasing fish and breathing hard.

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Bill Coulson @devonshirenature.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Some of the birds from yesterday's pelagic led by Mike Langman on Kelly's Hero out of Brixham. Arctic Skua looking for Kittiwakes to harass. Manx Shearwater Yellow-legged Gull Juvenile Gannet

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Bill Coulson @devonshirenature.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Cirl Buntings, Froward Cove today looking for, and failing to find, the Ortolan Bunting. Pic 1 Cirl B. f. with Yellowhammer f. on rhs. Pic 2 Cirl m. Large Mullein plants at Froward, one of the food plants of the larval Mullein Moth. I found this stunning adult Mullein Moth on my front door.

Female Cirl Bunting lhs and female Yellowhammer on rhs

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Bill Coulson @devonshirenature.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

I've not seen this before - a Common Dolphin with a fish in its beak. Clouded Yellow on Buddleia and Common Blue f. All above at Berry Head yesterday.

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Bill Coulson @devonshirenature.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Waverley, the worlds last remaining passenger carrying paddle steamer entering Torbay this morning from Dartmouth. Built in 1946 on the Clyde to replace the PS Waverley sunk at Dunkirk attempting to evacuate our soldiers in 1940. An impressive sight.

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Bill Coulson @devonshirenature.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

Ivy Bees Colletes hederae making their appearance, males first, in the last days of August at Berry Head. They nested in the relatively soft streaks of red devonian sandstone of this limestone quarry. New to UK Falk says of them "not discovered on the mainland until 2001 (Dorset)."

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Bill Coulson @devonshirenature.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Yellow-legged Gull (juve) out in Lyme Bay, seen on Wednesdays pelagic cruise on Kelly's Hero out of Brixham and led by Mike Langman.

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Bill Coulson @devonshirenature.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Autumn Squill Prospero autumnale on Berry Head. A few showers of rain had to have helped them out of the ground. In areas of low footfall they flower profusely, where the headland is well trodden numbers decrease dramatically. A Hummingbird Hawkmoth finds them very welcome! Thanks Nigel.

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Bill Coulson @devonshirenature.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Little Gull (imm) resting on the sea, a really pretty and unusual little sea bird. Over 100 Common Terns rafting in the bay and numbers of Kittiwakes. All seen on the pelagic trip out of Brixham led by Mike Langman on Kelly's Hero.

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Bill Coulson @devonshirenature.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Shearwaters seen from Kelly's Hero on a pelagic trip led by Mike Langman out of Brixham. 1. Sooty Shearwater 2. Balearic Shearwater 3 + 4. Manx Shearwater

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Bill Coulson @devonshirenature.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Excellent pelagic trip today, led by Mike Langman, who spotted three Great Skuas on the sea. We were on board Kelly's Hero out of Brixham. Bonxies as they are known, have been heavily depleted by avian flu and are much rarer than they were a few years ago.

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Bill Coulson @devonshirenature.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Juvenile Osprey at Slapton Ley NNR this morning. Pic 4 shows it being buzzed by one of the two Hobbies in Ireland Bay.

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Bill Coulson @devonshirenature.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

Two of the four Wheatears I saw passing through Berry Head yesterday.

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Bill Coulson @devonshirenature.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Risso's Dolphin, a young one I think, caught an Octopus off Berry Head this morning and brought it to the surface.. Risso's have no top teeth and only a few front lower teeth so the Octopus is normally swallowed whole, by suction! Things would not have ended well for this Octopus this morning.

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Bill Coulson @devonshirenature.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

I think this Risso's Dolphin is a young one. It has caught an Octopus which is intent on not being eaten. It dived and we didn't see the final outcome but it probably didn't end well for the Octopus. Risso's have no top teeth and only a few lower ones so they swallow their prey whole!

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Bill Coulson @devonshirenature.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

An unusual state of affairs? A Common Dolphin keeping company with a Risso's Dolphin seemingly relaxed in each others company for a minute or two. Berry Head this morning.

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Bill Coulson @devonshirenature.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

At least a dozen very loud tail-slaps from this Risso's Dolphin at Berry Head this morning. Communicating what? The pod was starting to move south but some were left behind in Torbay, was this a "come on pod, we're leaving?" In slo-mo so no sound! Thanks Mike L for the WhatsApp message.

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Bill Coulson @devonshirenature.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

Hornet Robberfly Asilus crabroniformis, five seen in Coronation Meadow at Greenway NT this afternoon. At just over an inch long they are big enough to supplement their diet with of flies with grasshoppers! The largest of the robberflies and an impressive insect.

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Bill Coulson @devonshirenature.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

Grayling Hipparchia semele, a very lovely butterfly seen here in photo 1 on heather at Bovey Heath this morning. They're not often seen with their wings open like this one in Photo 2 taken on Little Haldon Heath.

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Bill Coulson @devonshirenature.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

Millions of small fish, roughly 7cms long, washed up along the high tide line at Slapton Sands yesterday. These were small Herring/Whitebait chased in by Mackerel. Hundreds of well fed gulls including lots of Med. Gulls, juvenile to adult ages.

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Bill Coulson @devonshirenature.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

Migrant Hawkers at Slapton Ley NNR yesterday.

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Bill Coulson @devonshirenature.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

In the evening sunlight, a trio of Common Dolphins breaching off Berry Head last night. Hummingbird Hawk-moths nectaring on Red Valerian at Berry Head.

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Bill Coulson @devonshirenature.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

Sandwich Terns at Slapton Sands yesterday. They will be at Slapton for a while yet, feeding the juveniles and roosting before starting the 4000km coastal flight down to South Africa. Pic 4 is one of the juveniles.

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Bill Coulson @devonshirenature.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Sparrowhawk, a female, flying over Berry Head this morning.

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Bill Coulson @devonshirenature.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Red-legged Spider Wasp Episyron rufipes has paralysed a spider and is dragging it back to her ground nest burrow as provision for her larva when it hatches. I think the spider is a Silver-sided Sector Spider Zygiella x-notata an orb weaver. In the quarry at Berry Head today.

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Bill Coulson @devonshirenature.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

Two of the four Risso's Dolphins which cruised around the headland at Berry Head this morning. We fatally went for a coffee and missed some of their more exciting moves. Moral is to stay put till the very end!

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Bill Coulson @devonshirenature.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

I watched a female Cirl Bunting working through an area of undergrowth and emerge a couple of minutes later with these grasshoppers. She has a second brood to feed. Two Wheatears passing through on their way south. Berry Head yesterday.

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Bill Coulson @devonshirenature.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Common Dolphins, so many calves amongst them! Shot from Berry Head, Devon yesterday afternoon. Hopefully indicates good feeding conditions for nursing mothers. This may have been a special nursery pod protecting their young.

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Bill Coulson @devonshirenature.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Sandwich Terns off Berry Head this morning. It was grey and cloudy so the Sandwich Terns were calling but were difficult to see. This one catching a fish.

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Bill Coulson @devonshirenature.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

Common Dolphin breaching vertically yesterday from Berry Head. Suggested reasons for this are 1. to communicate something to other pods, the loud splash on coming down again would be a good signal perhaps of warning. 2. To dislodge parasites.

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Bill Coulson @devonshirenature.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

Two interesting moths in the trap this week: 1 Tree-lichen Beauty, its caterpillars feed on tree lichens and the moth is perfectly coloured to blend into woodland. Was an immigrant but is now naturalised in the south. 2 Bordered Straw, a migrant from Europe along southern coasts in particular.

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Bill Coulson @devonshirenature.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

Greenway NT Devonshire home of Agatha Christie, did she write "Murder in the Woodpile"? Here in Coronation Meadow a Kite-tailed Robberfly Tolmerus atricapillus left its perch on the woodpile and came back with prey. Looks a bit like a Caddisfly.

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Bill Coulson @devonshirenature.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

Helice form of Clouded Yellow butterfly (f) seen this morning at Berry Head. Pictured here as it took off with the blue of Torbay behind it. Thanks to Steph Murphy who spotted it.

Clouded Yellow Colias croceus helice form

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Bill Coulson @devonshirenature.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

Even body snatchers need to take a break. Bee-wolf Philanthus triangulum resting on her way back to her nest burrow with a Honey Bee Apis mellifera. Other prey species have occasionally been recorded such as Yellow-legged Mining Bee Andrena flavipes. Berry Head, South Devon.

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Bill Coulson @devonshirenature.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

Red-veined Darters Sympetrum fonscolombii at Clennon Lakes this afternoon. Ovipositing in tandem in Lake 1. Hopefully they will be present here for years to come.

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Bill Coulson @devonshirenature.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

Red-veined Darters mating. Clennon Lakes, Paignton.

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Bill Coulson @devonshirenature.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

Special Dragonflies at Clennon Lakes today ! 1+2 Lesser Emperor Anax parthenope. Delighted to get some shots over lake 2. From the same spot, a Red-veined Darter Sympetrum fonscolombii, again one of two seen. Note the blue at the back of the eye. Known as a migrant but has started to breed in UK.

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Bill Coulson @devonshirenature.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

Red-banded Sand Wasp Ammophila sabulosa taking 3 steps to getting provisions into her nest burrow: 1. Dump caterpillar to one side and clear entrance to burrow. 2. Pick up caterpillar and take down into burrow. 3. Turn around and cover up entrance to burrow. I wish I'd had the wit to video this.

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Bill Coulson @devonshirenature.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

Photo 1 is a Heath Potter Wasp Eumenes coarctatus regurgitating a gobbet of water brought back from a fresh water source. Its purpose is to moisten some of the clay in its quarry so that it can mix it into a soft clay ball to be carried back to be plastered into its clay pot nest. See pic 2

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Bill Coulson @devonshirenature.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

Emperor Dragonflies Anax imperator (m) flying non-stop over the pond at Bovey Heath.

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Bill Coulson @devonshirenature.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

Bee-wolf Philanthus triangulum provisioning the chambers in her deep nest burrow with paralysed Honey Bees Apis mellifera. There seem to be many more than last year at Mansands beach.

Bee-wolf Philanthus triangulum with Honey Bee Apis mellifera

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