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Meanwhile, a friend spotted a massive flux of 100+ Clouded Yellow on mixed alfalfa/clover/trefoil fields in a nearby village. It would have been rude not to check them out. I counted about 50 CYs, and got an in-flight snapshot of one the males haring about #UKButterflies #MigrantSpecies

The Clouded Yellow is a migrant to the UK and doesn't, AFAIK, survive our winters (it will eventually, but needs its foodplants to be in bloom over winter to do so, not just about temperature as it doesn't hibernate). Nevertheless, it does breed here, and has done on this farm patch as there were lots of pristine specimens around. A friend saw hundreds a couple of days ago, I think I topped out counting at about 50.

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Slightly different view of the Cinereous Vulture, showing (sort of) the origin of the shade in its name (cinereous, meaning ashy, as in in-cinerate) www.sciencebase.com/science-blog...

Cinereous Vulture, or Black Vulture, Aegypius monachus. Its binomial loosely translating as "Egyptian Monk"

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For anyone who likes to see other people's holiday snaps, here are mine from our recent trip to Mallorca featuring Booted Eagle, Cinereous Vulture, Blue Rock Thrush and some scenery and stuff www.sciencebase.com/science-blog...

Blue Rock Thrush about to take off. Despite it's thrush-like appearance and its thrush-like song, it's actually a "chat" rather than a thrush...apparently...

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Exec Summ: Citizen science data often miss species because people tend to record sightings only where public access is easy. To get a complete picture, we need to encourage people to log common species near their homes and at the same time improve access to private natural areas for rare species.

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David Bradley @sciencebase.com · 22/09/2026

We were away just a week, but my how it's changed. 9C last night. 42 moths of just 21 species. The Lunar Underwings are back and a Deep Brown Dart was NFY too

Various forms of the Lunar Underwing moth, three dark, one lighter brown, one orangey-brown

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Avian highlight of our recent trip to Mallorca has to be this vulture, albeit a rather distant sighting #BalearicBirding #Spain

Cinereous Vulture near Sa Figuera, Mallorca, photographed from perhaps 500-600m with the bird high up.

Aegypius monachus

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David Bradley @sciencebase.com · 14/09/2026

Bit of an earache...olive oil spray until prescription came in did nothing, the actual medication contains acetic acid as an active ingredient...so I've basically been mixing salad dressing in my auditory canal. Didn't add mustard, that seemed like a recipe for disaster

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David Bradley @sciencebase.com · 14/09/2026

88 of 31 last night #teamMoth including NFM - Crocidosema plebejana, Tree-mallow Tortrix and a couple of NFY - Chestnut and Large Wainscot

The Chestnut. Largely chestnut-brown mottled moth resting on largely brown mottled log. Chestnut head colouration

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David Bradley @sciencebase.com · 14/09/2026

Closeup of Clifden Nonpareil hindwing scales #teamMoth You just wouldn't know, if you didn't know...would you?

Clifden Nonpareil hindwing closeup of the "blue" scales

Clifden Nonpareil hindwing closer closeup of the "blue" scales

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David Bradley @sciencebase.com · 13/09/2026

Clif is in the house! Clifden Nonpareil, Catocala fraxini, one of 67 moths of 22 species to the lamp in wet Cottenham last night #teamMoth Only my second ever Clif in 9 seasons of mothing

Closeup of the face of a Clifden Nonpareil moth. This is quite the beast, this one has a wingspan of about 80-90mm

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David Bradley @sciencebase.com · 12/09/2026

Just 83 of 22 last night, but NFY was one of the best-dressed species, the Black Rustic #teamMoth

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David Bradley @sciencebase.com · 11/09/2026

Just 93 of 20 last night, with 41 of those LYUs, their numbers have more than halved since peaking on the 7th at 89 Nice to see a Dark Spectacle, only the second one of the year so far. None of the autumnal NFYs I promised myself yesterday though #teamMoth

Dark Spectacle moth, almost face-on, showing its "spectacles" (just two lighter colourer rings of scales on its head, resembling a pair of glasses)

#PhonePhoto

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David Bradley @sciencebase.com · 10/09/2026

The autumnal changing of the mothing guard. What to look out for this week if you're in #teamMoth (Archive photos, although I have had a lot of CBS already this season) www.sciencebase.com/science-blog...

Centre-barred Sallow moth. A largely yellow moth, with a brown bar centred across its forewings and a trailing edge of brown

Brindled Green moth, which has some green markings on its other shades of brown and black forewings

Beaded chestnut on what looks like a beaded chestnut-coloured leaf

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David Bradley @sciencebase.com · 10/09/2026

Science writer BlueSky starter pack bsky.app/starter-pack...

bsky.app

David Bradley @sciencebase.com · 09/09/2026

You can do a Follow All, or pick and choose. Meanwhile, I'm trying to work out how to hack* that graphic to show my mugshot, hahahah *I'm not. Obvs.

David Bradley @sciencebase.com · 09/09/2026

142/27 last night, incl migrant Clouded Silver #teamMoth LYU numbers fell, 89 to 74, so past the peak in Cambs? Thursday night forecast is warmer tho, so who knows? I've written about the annual rise and fall of the LYU www.sciencebase.com/science-blog...

Large Yellow Underwing on a window against the light, forewings partly open

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David Bradley @sciencebase.com · 09/09/2026

Another shoutout for the BlueSky starter pack from the Association of British Science Writers. Trusted sources when it comes to science bsky.app/starter-pack...

Ooh...I seem to be following 666 people now...of course 664 and 668 are the Neighbours of the Beast

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Obviously, you should follow all of my fellow ABSW members! There are some fabulous writers on that list. I'm not sure how many of them are moth-ers though...

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Great to see so many new followers these last couple of days, many of whom have arrived via the ABSW science writer BlueSky starter pack: bsky.app/starter-pack... Be warned, I'm mostly about moths here...

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The mothing law of diminishing returns #teamMoth #mothsMatter www.sciencebase.com/science-blog...

Eastern Bordered Straw - one of the first ever to be recorded in Cambridgeshire

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The rain didn't deter the Large Yellow Underwings, although they may have come home to roost on the eggtrays and sheet before it started, all 88 of them! #teamMoth 186 moths in total just 28 species

Large Yellow Underwing moth with its forewings spread, revealing its orange hindwings with the black band. We didn't really commonly use the word 'orange' to mean the colour; things were red or yellow, despite being more orange to the modern eye. Maybe some people perceive this as a shade of yellow...

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Moth of the moment – Getting my Goat Moth – David Bradley's Nature Matters

My header photo shows a Goat Moth, a chonky beast that turned up in my garden in May '25. Its larvae feed in tree trunks for 3 to 5 years before pupating and emerging as adults. The larvae smell of goat wee, pig poo, rotten fish, and puke #NotSoCute #teamMoth www.sciencebase.com/science-blog...

sciencebase.com

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Association of British Science Writers members

If you're after a science writer, the Association of British Science Writers (ABSW) has a Bluesky starter pack just for you go.bsky.app/F6bdkUY

go.bsky.app

Join the conversation

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David Bradley @sciencebase.com · 07/09/2026

A sudden uplift, well over 200 moths of 44 species last night in Cambs to synergetic #teamMoth Included my first Satellite with white spots, they've previously been the orange form here. A tattered Old Lady and at least 68 Large YU, Frosted Orange, Maiden's Blush at al.

Frosted Orange moth on a light-brown log, almost blending in...

Maiden's Blush looking slightly embarrassed on a beige log

The Satellite moth with white markings as opposed to the orange form I usually see. Resting on a crumbly piece of bark

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David Bradley @sciencebase.com · 06/09/2026

Dwindling diversity. Still, 121 moths, but just 20 species #teamMoth Nice Frosted Orange though

Frosted Orange resting on some autumnal leaves

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David Bradley @sciencebase.com · 05/09/2026

Polygraphs? What is it, a 1950s B-movie?

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David Bradley @sciencebase.com · 05/09/2026

I think this is an aberration of Golden Twin-spot, it was NFM last night in Cambs #teamMoth one of 107 moths of 26 species. @mothiduk.bsky.social Can't see it mentioned on the Cam moths site nor in our county Google Group...is it a county first, I wonder

Four views of Golden Twin-spot, Chrysodeixis chalcites ab.

The scientific binomial loosely translates as the Golden-Bronze Moth

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David Bradley @sciencebase.com · 04/09/2026

Here's an early-morning Flamingo on the Lesvos coast at Skala Kallonis, getting a bit more shuteye before a busy day of hoovering up crustaceans begins #BirdOfTheDay #BirdNaps

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David Bradley @sciencebase.com · 04/09/2026

Trapping in the back (not front) garden again and numbers down to 104 of 26 #teamMoth It was a bit wet, but didn't get below 18C, so hard to know whether it's location...or just natural falling off. This time last year, numbers were way below this though, 38 of 16 similar in 2024, ~100 of 21

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David Bradley @sciencebase.com · 03/09/2026

There were a couple of Scarce Silver-lines to the lemp last night, here in Cambs #teamMoth A portrait of one of them

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David Bradley @sciencebase.com · 03/09/2026

Down to 18C in Cambs. 140 of 32 #teamMoth including two Scarce Silver-lines, NFY. And perhaps the longest name for the smallest moth? Paraswammerdamia albicapitella, the White-headed Drab

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David Bradley @sciencebase.com · 02/09/2026

Good numbers 152, and up again on species, 35 #teamMoth First Waved Umber since early May, here roosting on a piece of wood and blending in nicely with its fifty shades of brown against the wood

Waved Umber moth on a piece of wood, blending in very nicely given it is 50 shades of brown like the wood

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Reposted by David Bradley

Peter Santema @petersantema.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

New #ornithology paper out in @royalsocietypublishing.org! We show that female dotterels can move across large distances within a single breeding season in search of mating opportunities, visiting up to five different sites (median: 3) and travelling up to 1000 km between sites (median: 71 km). 1/n

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David Bradley @sciencebase.com · 01/09/2026

Large Thorn had evaded detection until after the morning constitutional. Was hiding in plain sight on the wall at the front of the house #teamMoth

Sideview, Large Thorn moth. Orangey brown looks like an autumnal leaf

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David Bradley @sciencebase.com · 01/09/2026

Had to relocate the trap, so tucked in a corner out front rather than back. Similar numbers, but way down on species count, but that could've been the 12C temp in Cambs 138/21 #teamMoth

There were three Small Blood-vein in the trap this morning, this wasn't one of them #archivePhoto

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David Bradley @sciencebase.com · 31/08/2026

Numbers quite high last night 174 of 36 #teamMoth The big hitters: Straw Underwing (28), Vine's Rustic (18), Flounced Rustic (42), and starting to pick up Large Yellow Underwing (16) Nice to see a Scarce Bordered Straw again Trap will be in front garden this evening as a test, but also #visitors

Scarce Bordered Straw moth, with straw-coloured forewings slightly parted to show the border on its hindwings

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David Bradley @sciencebase.com · 30/08/2026

Perhaps just the rain, as temp was still only as low as 18C in our Cambs garden, but diversity was down for #teamMoth - 133 of 26 Straw and Flounced were both at 35 and Vine's only just in double figures. Nice to see L-album Wainscot again

L-album Wainscot, so called because it's woody looking, like wainscotting, and has a white L on its forewings. Unmistakable moth in the UK

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David Bradley @sciencebase.com · 29/08/2026

146 of 32 #teamMoth Flounced (30+) and Vine's (25), Straw Underwing (26), everything else single figures. Cypress Pug was NFY For those who don't know, the pug moths are named for the breed of dog, because the early naturalists saw a resemblance in their shape with the jowls of the pooch

Cypress Pug resting on a cork coaster. Archive photo

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David Bradley @sciencebase.com · 28/08/2026

"Lunar eclipse lights up night sky" Huh?