iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Despite my best efforts over the last few years, I still hear people say that moths are dull, grey, brown...well, some of them are grey and some of them are brown, but there's so much more to it... #teamMoth imagingstorm.co.uk/lepidoptera-...

2302

Was expecting more, given that it didn't get below 20C here last night, but at least I got a chance to photograph the Bordered Straw. Also made me realise that I needed to correct my records as only had Scarce Bordered Straw previously this year

000

I remember a Jon Pertwee episode back in the 70s when the Master turned up in a TARDIS that wasn't broken, it was a shiny metal lozenge-shaped thing, presumably the native format. He could also fully control his spacetime destination

000

By morning 44 of 20 species

Another Bordered Straw, or perhaps even the same moth, turned up to the lamp in the back garden this evening. So a quick photoshoot before releasing it out front Bordered Straw, Heliothis peltigera #teamMoth #mothsMatter

190

There was carnage during nesting season one morning when I didn't get up early enough. But even now I see it and the Robin and a Wren suddenly appearing and pecking something I presumably missed on the pation or "lawn"

30 moths of 12 species in 16C VC29 last night #teamMoth Including what seems to be a quite late Bordered Straw, which I now realise I haven't previously photographed properly and didn't retain this morning! Dammit!

Agonopterix nervosa, the Burnt-tip Buff. Only the second one of the year here.

1220

Our Great Tit heads in and out :-(

Just scanning through old photos with the Aves photogallery app. Raven with a Kittiwake* egg in its bill at South Stack, Ynys Môn #UKBirding *I snapped the bird raiding Kittiwake nests, but this may be a gull's egg?

Raven with predated egg, on a cliff edge, South Stack, Anglesey (Ynys Môn)

0161

David Bradley @sciencebase.com · 28/09/2026

Just as I remember it, when I moved away back in 1989 ;-)

000

I've had an LBAM, an Ag nervosa, a Gelechiidae sp, and an LYU so far...

020

David Bradley @sciencebase.com · 27/09/2026

30 of 14 #teamMoth No NFYs, no NFMs, no NFGs, hoping for some more autumnal goodies soon though...

070

Been seeking Beardies last couple of days #BirdingUK #UKBirds RSPB Ouse Fen #BeardedReedling

0121

Yes, it could be that, although it's only one of half a dozen places, and the other places don't seem to have had repeats over the last three years like this one has, despite the now-rubbish vegetation

000

Just 46 #teamMoth of 18 species in 10C Cambs last night Sallow and Beaded Chestnut were NFY

A largely yellow Sallow moth on a mainly brown chunk of wood

Beaded Chestnut moth, brown with black marks sitting on a brown leaf with black marks

0120

Yes, that *is* what I thought, it's just the notion that new migrants are turning up at the same patch each year despite the lack of foodplants seems odd...

100

Patch Earith-Over had 5 earlier this pm. Couple of dozen there in '23 when it had clover. Now it's mainly thistle and hairy ox-tongue. Makes me wonder whether these are somehow surviving offspring of offspring, otherwise why immigrate to a dead patch?

100

I also did my best not to double count, not clicking a second sighting within 20 metres or 20 seconds of the first click. So, I am confident in this 100+ number

020

It was absolutely mad. But, it's a dense patch of mixed pollinator plants, alfalfa, sanfroin, clover etc, drilled a couple of years ago. The CYs have obviously bred well here. Ditto the Common Blue which were present in the 100+ too

020

Always a treat to see a new E&T book from Steve :-)

Just 34 moths of 10 species last night, 12 of them Lunars

I did a 1200m peripheral walk around the field (with permission), took 45 mins, counted 108 CYs, reckon there is likely to be the same number again that were basking or hidden in the depths of the field. Maybe more... 100+ Common Blue too #Butterflies www.sciencebase.com/science-blog...

Side-on view of female CY nectaring on alfalfa blossom

370

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.

1385

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"

030

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...

030

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.

063

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

1220

Just got home. Fabulous week in Port de Soller, but very little mothing done

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

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

050

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

170

Yes. I do a per session average for the whole year and work it out for May-Sep inclusive too and it's been much higher this year...the one thing that was massively down was Box, there were hundreds some nights last year, but their larvae ravaged our neighbours' hedges and there was a famine

400+ is way up on what I normally see, usually just 350-370 or so. But absolute numbers are in the 15000s and usually I get 7-9k. Something very different. Could be my "wilding" or its just chance and a weird spring and extreme summer

The Chestnut was species 410 of the year

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

1151

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

090

Another snap from yesterday's photoshoot with Clif #teamMoth

Closeup frontal view of Clifden Nonpareil moth

060

It was my photo of a Black Hairstreak...your comment suddenly appeared yesterday, haha

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

Thank you. Odd this only just showed up, well over a year late...

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

2423

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

Thank you. They're a tough moth to photograph, but I experimented a bit with this one to show more of the detail and colour

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

1201

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

I also worked with the editor of Gas Jar (the young members' mag) and renamed and rebranded it as New Elements. My column in there I called Elemental Discoveries and I launched it on the web in 94, it morphed into my Sciencebase website in 99! I'm old.