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Sandy Hill

@phoenixsandy.bsky.social
132 followers 155 following 144 posts

Retired Biology teacher devoting my free time to Natural History. Keen Birder, increasingly enthusiastic "Moth trapper" and dabbler in too many other groups! The coast has always been my happy place.

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Sandy Hill @phoenixsandy.bsky.social · 4h
A v late entry to #wildflowerhour this week; Field Scabious, Knautia advensis from Long run Meadow, Taunton. Rather shocked to find it in flower 🌼 @wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social
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Sandy Hill @phoenixsandy.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
1st outing of pen LED moth trap from #falconmothtraps here at Slapton ley. Modest 2hr trap produced nice mix of migrants amongst 19spp. Can anyone ID the grass moth please? @mothiduk.bsky.social #teammoth
Dark Sword-Grass moth, a migrant speciesClear longitudinal white stripe to this grass moth, but uncertain what species it is?
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Sandy Hill @phoenixsandy.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Afternoon dog walk generally kept to the shade round #Longrunmeadow Taunton, but stumbled into Small-leaved Lime #tree with fruit held above leaves & tufts of orange hair in vein axils. Thankyou Jon Stokes & @princetonupress.bsky.social @thetreecouncil.bsky.social
Image of whole Small-leaved Lime tree, showing fruits lying on top of leaves in a bit of suburban grassland, TauntonUnderside of Lime leaf, highlighting tufts of orange hairs wedged into spots where veins diverge
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Sandy Hill @phoenixsandy.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
I have waited 40+ yrs for an encounter with this butterfly & it was so worth it. Brown Hairstreak in Taunton; a living jewel & what a boster? @savebutterflies.bsky.social @ukbutterflies.bsky.social @mariposanature.bsky.social @britishnatureguide.bsky.social #butterflies #Somerset
Brown Hairsteak nectaring on Creeping Thistle, I think
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Sandy Hill @phoenixsandy.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
Dog walk to Fyne court early am @nationaltrust.org.uk just outside Taunton. 10+spp of butterfly as we kept out of the sun. Purple Hairstreak & Ringlet notable, as was old 'Hairy knees' Holcus mollis, a grass I see less often than distribution suggests @bsbibotany.bsky.social
Ringlet. Distinctive eye-spot Underwing pattern on displayHairy 'nodes' of the grass Common Fog
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Sandy Hill @phoenixsandy.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
#Longrunmeadow has produced 20 butterfly spp in last 4weeks, but encounter with this Fritillary today was somthing special @savebutterflies.bsky.social #butterflies
Silver-washed Fritillary. A female I think
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Sandy Hill @phoenixsandy.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Anyone know if this is Bhutan Pine, Pinus wallichiana. Needles v long & in GPS of 5, but cones are v impressive. @bsbibotany.bsky.social #conifers @thetreecouncil.bsky.social #trees
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Sandy Hill @phoenixsandy.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
What a great idea; Birds in Greenspaces day. Thank you @btoengland.bsky.social There's even an app!
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Sandy Hill @phoenixsandy.bsky.social · 17/05/2026
Common Twayblade, Neottia ovata, for #wildflowerhour this week. @britishnatureguide.bsky.social @ukorchids.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social
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Sandy Hill @phoenixsandy.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
Patrick, like you I sit on the fence as my affection changes with the season. At the mo Wall Brown (pictured) is riding high in my affections, mainly cos it's getting scarce & I recently bumped into a few along #Pembrokeshire coastal path. What a living jewel?
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Sandy Hill @phoenixsandy.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
Today's S Pembs coastal walk produced a few Wall #butterflies but also some hedgerow #caterpillars grouped into webs. Can anyone help with ID? @savebutterflies.bsky.social @nhm-london.bsky.social #lepidoptera
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Sandy Hill @phoenixsandy.bsky.social · 02/05/2026
Pride of place to this nfg & lifer; Waved Umber. Amongst 34 of 21 from the garden actinic this morning in vc45 @gardenmothscheme.bsky.social #TeamMoth
Waved Umber. A strikingly patterned Geometrid.
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Sandy Hill @phoenixsandy.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
Birding gods enabled 6 yr ticks today, including Am Wigeon, cracking Summer plumage Little Stint, pr of Garganey & Spoonbill. What a great reserve? @wwtworldwide.bsky.social #birdsinWales
Sign at WWT Llanelli reserve
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Sandy Hill @phoenixsandy.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
Afternoon in sunshine at Broad Haven South dunes. Started with a nicely patterned Silver Y, then Hairy Rockcress & Common Twayblade, with a great Glow worm larva to finish. @wwbic1.bsky.social #Biodiversity #Pembrokeshire
Lovely pallette of colours on this Silver YHairy RockcressCommon Twayblade, with flower spike slowly emergingGlow worms larva
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Sandy Hill @phoenixsandy.bsky.social · 12/04/2026
1st Orchid of the season, Anacamptis Mario or Green-winged Orchid for ##wildflowerhour From Fresh East dunes, Pembs. @bsbibotany.bsky.social @wildflowerhour.bsky.social @ukorchids.bsky.social
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Sandy Hill @phoenixsandy.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
Last night's garden actinic produced 32 of 16, including only my 2nd Small Mottled Willow in 7yrs; better photo this time. March moth was hiding in plain sight! @migrantmothuk.bsky.social #TeamMoth @gardenmothscheme.bsky.social
Small Mottled WillowMarch moth
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Sandy Hill @phoenixsandy.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
Found what I thought was male Violet Oil-beetle day before yesterday on Stackpole estate, Pembs. Can anyone confirm / correct my ID? #Coleoptera @johnwalterswildife.bsky.social
Male Violet Oil beetle - I 🤔
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Sandy Hill @phoenixsandy.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
Despite overnight chill, garden actinic in Pembroke produced 21 of 8 last night. This includes the Dotted Border hiding in plain sight on window ledge. #Teammoth @gardenmothscheme.bsky.social
Nicely marked Dotted Border. A geometrid moth
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Sandy Hill @phoenixsandy.bsky.social · 15/03/2026
Wood Anemone, Anemonoides nemorosa for #wildflowerhour this week. A member of buttercup family, with pink-suffered tepals, ensures almost luminous presence on woodland floor. @bsbibotany.bsky.social @wildflowerhour.bsky.social
Wood Anemone flower, highlighting 6 pink flushed tepals & sunburst of central stamens
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Sandy Hill @phoenixsandy.bsky.social · 01/03/2026
1st day of Spring, so lovely to find a dusting of blooms on Cherry Plum, P. cerasifera for #wildflowerhour this week. Reflexed sepals are great differentiator from Blackthorn. @bsbibotany.bsky.social @wildflowerhour.bsky.social
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Sandy Hill @phoenixsandy.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
Despite the moon Oak Beauty & perennially reliable Hebrew Character saved me from a Wogan last night to kick off my mothing year here in vc45. #teammoth @gardenmothscheme.bsky.social
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Sandy Hill @phoenixsandy.bsky.social · 22/02/2026
Gorse, Ulex europaeus for #wildflowerhour this week in Pembroke. Luminous flowers & coconut scent warding off the wet stuff! @bsbibotany.bsky.social @wildflowerhour.bsky.social
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Sandy Hill @phoenixsandy.bsky.social · 22/02/2026
Great to find my 1st Oil beetle of 2026 on #Pembrokeshire coastal path. Definitely a male & I think it's M. proscarabaeus, with pretty straight base to thorax? #coleoptera @coleopsoc.bsky.social @johnwalterswildife.bsky.social
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Sandy Hill @phoenixsandy.bsky.social · 15/02/2026
Female floral fireworks alongside Hazel catkins for #wildflowerhour here in Pembroke this week. Nice reminder that Hazel is monoecious! @wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social
Bright red female flowers of Hazel
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Sandy Hill @phoenixsandy.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
Found a couple of beautiful contour feathers in amongst marshy grassland this morning. Can anyone ID them please? @rspb.bsky.social @btobirds.bsky.social #feathers
Beautifully patterned contour feather. Alternating broad light then dark brown longitudinal stripes, placed either side of racist.
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Sandy Hill @phoenixsandy.bsky.social · 18/01/2026
Red Campion, Silene dioica for #WildflowerHour this week. Bright flowers a sign of better botanising ahead, here along #Pembrokeshire coastal path @bsbibotany.bsky.social @wildflowerhour.bsky.social @wildflowersociety.bsky.social
Red Campion
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Sandy Hill @phoenixsandy.bsky.social · 18/01/2026
Couple of hrs mooching between Fresh East & Swanlake Bay. Yellowhammer, Linnet & Skylark no-show, but Chough, Razorbill & my 1st Pemb. Dartford Warbler were ample compensation #birdingWales Yr list at 77, all within 12 miles of home #lowcarbonbirding
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Sandy Hill @phoenixsandy.bsky.social · 05/12/2025
Great to see empty shop fronts given a festive face-lift here in #Pembrokeshire. V Joyeux Noel! #art #artadventcalendar #Christmas
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Sandy Hill @phoenixsandy.bsky.social · 16/11/2025
My latest trapping session over past 5yrs produced 6 of 3 for garden actinic. Single figure temperatures didn't help, but Feathered Thorn is always a joy. I'll try again, as December moth eludes me. #TeamMoth @gardenmothscheme.bsky.social
Feathered Thorn
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Sandy Hill @phoenixsandy.bsky.social · 13/11/2025
Cycled from Neyland to Haverfordwest #Pembrokeshire today, along the v scenic #Brunel trail. A round trip of c30km. Carbon neutral & no rain! Hurrah.
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Sandy Hill @phoenixsandy.bsky.social · 09/11/2025
Milford Cemetary (Part2) Had to include my first encounter with the 'Ballerina' What a beauty! #Biodiversity @britmycolsoc.org.uk
Pink or Ballerina Waxcap. What a beautySmoky Spindles, Clavaria fumosa. V distinctive & good predictor of good Waxcap sites, apparentlyMeadow Coral, Clavulinopsis corniculata.
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Sandy Hill @phoenixsandy.bsky.social · 09/11/2025
A tour of Milford Cemetary (part 1) with an expert produced quite the bounty, as photos below testify #Biodiversity @britmycolsoc.org.uk
Scarlet Waxcap. Smooth rather slim stem differentiates this from CrimsonCrimson Waxcap - Larger, with deeper red-brown cap & chunky, fibrous stemSnowy Waxcap on left, with small example of Meadow Waxcap to right. Meadow had lovely butterscotch colour to capNot my best photo, but Lime green colour evident in stem & cap show this to be Citrine Waxcap
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Sandy Hill @phoenixsandy.bsky.social · 08/11/2025
Nice one! Blundered into this chap most unexpectedly whilst looking for Waxcaps in a Pembrokeshire cemetery this morning. We've had a good year for them out here. @savingbutterflies.bsky.social
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Sandy Hill @phoenixsandy.bsky.social · 27/10/2025
Look what came in the post? Great addition to #WildGuides range. Can't wait to start tackling #trees in my local area @bsbibotany.bsky.social
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Sandy Hill @phoenixsandy.bsky.social · 22/10/2025
Recent intro to Waxcaps at #PembrokeshireCoastNP centre at Llanion produced a multitude of spp within car park area. Hoping to find more this autumn #fungi
Oily waxcap, with characteristic salmon coloured gillsFibrous waxcap, with distinct lines on cap & stem, hence Fibrous.Blackening waxcap - blackens with age / damageCrazed cap, a related fungus of Dermolma genus. Cap can cracking with age to create these fractured patterns.
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Sandy Hill @phoenixsandy.bsky.social · 22/10/2025
12 of 6 to garden actinic last night in vc45. Definitely quality over quantity, with this nfg, beautifully marked Green-brindled Crescent. @gardenmothscheme.bsky.social #TeamMoth
Green-Brindled Crescent
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Sandy Hill @phoenixsandy.bsky.social · 15/10/2025
Last night's garden actinic in vc45 produced 19 of 11, with Spruce Carpet & Beaded Chestnut being nfy. Unseasonal Brimstone moth was a surprise. @gardenmothscheme.bsky.social #teammoth
Beaded Chestnut
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Sandy Hill @phoenixsandy.bsky.social · 06/10/2025
Last night's moth trap lifted me out of doldrums since coming home from Menorca. 31 of 16, with P. vitrealis outshone by nfy, Black Rustic & Sallow. Never thought I'd say that 😱 #teammoth
Black RusticSallow
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Sandy Hill @phoenixsandy.bsky.social · 30/09/2025
Farewell to #Menorca. Sunrise over Isle de L'aire, with Roosting family of Night Herons & Spotless Starling taking holiday bird list to 70spp. Great memories
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Sandy Hill @phoenixsandy.bsky.social · 29/09/2025
A little catch up during last day on #Menorca. Yesterday's trip to S'Albufera es Grau cemented it as a favoured birding spot. Notable were Gtr Flamingo, Black-necked Grebe, beautiful male Redstart, Spot Fly, BW stilt & Green Sandpiper
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Sandy Hill @phoenixsandy.bsky.social · 29/09/2025
Late entry for ##wildflowerhour From Menorca. I give you Sea squill, with v distinctive green anthers. @wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social
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Sandy Hill @phoenixsandy.bsky.social · 23/09/2025
Whilst out & about birding in #Menorca, stumbled into Vestal at Ferreries & Crimson Speckled being seen each day #teammoth
VestalCrimson Speckled
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Sandy Hill @phoenixsandy.bsky.social · 22/09/2025
Hermann's Tortoise on the Cami de Cavalls, Menorca today #herpetology #balearics
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Sandy Hill @phoenixsandy.bsky.social · 04/09/2025
Box tree moth was a lifer last night, but being invasive tempered any joy. The Tortrix has me perplexed mind. Forefinger length c10mm #teammoth @mothiduk.bsky.social
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Sandy Hill @phoenixsandy.bsky.social · 24/08/2025
Garden actinic in vc45 dominated by Setaceous Hebrew Ch, but 2 stars were Olive-tree Pearl & Scarce Bordered Straw. Absolutely buzzin @migrantmothuk.bsky.social #teammoth
Palpita vitrealis Scarce Bordered Straw
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Sandy Hill @phoenixsandy.bsky.social · 17/08/2025
My moth of the week here in Pembroke; Peach Blossom. New for garden & what a belter? @britishnatureguide.bsky.social #teammoth
Peach Blossom
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Sandy Hill @phoenixsandy.bsky.social · 14/08/2025
Working thru some Microsoft & need help. First two are a Knothorn, but which one? 3rd image has me stumped. @mothiduk.bsky.social #teammoth
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Sandy Hill @phoenixsandy.bsky.social · 13/08/2025
Terrible lighting, but 3 of this moth popped into last night's moth trap. I'm hoping they are Small Mottled Willow? 16mm length. Garden actinic in Pembroke @migrantmothuk.bsky.social @mothiduk.bsky.social @gardenmothscheme.bsky.social
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Sandy Hill @phoenixsandy.bsky.social · 05/08/2025
Wall Brown in the garden, here in Pembroke 😍 Up to 19spp now, but alas no Fritillaries or Skippers as yet @savebutterflies.bsky.social
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Sandy Hill @phoenixsandy.bsky.social · 03/08/2025
Is this cloaked minor? @mothiduk.bsky.social
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