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David Bentley

@sussextangerine.bsky.social
511 followers 302 following 802 posts

Birds, wildlife, words, East Sussex. Almost always on🚶🚴 or 🚌 All photos are phone photos (some with a cheapo macro lens) Left/green BFC 🧡

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David Bentley @sussextangerine.bsky.social · 10h
sussexwildlifetrust.org.uk/news/castle-...
sussexwildlifetrust.org.uk
Castle Water re-opens - Sussex Wildlife Trust
We're pleased to announce that Castle Water at Rye Harbour Nature Reserve is open to visitors again, following careful monitoring of suspected avian botulism, confirmed bird flu and blue-green algae.
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David Bentley @sussextangerine.bsky.social · 10h
BBC News weather person (W) and newsreader (N)... W: 'Temperatures into the early 20s. IMPRESSIVE!' W: 'High pressure dominates, lots of dry weather' N: 'NICE ONE!' Seems that climate emergency is BRILLIANT! (First piece on the following local news is how use of standpipes is being considered.)
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David Bentley @sussextangerine.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
'Marmalade Hoverfly on Bristly Oxtongue.' Is that an autumn wildlife sighting or a Heston Blumenthal dish? #UKwildlife #hoverflies #Sussexwildlife @sussexwildlife.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social
A small yellow, orange, black and brown insect on a bright yellow flower in the sun.
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David Bentley @sussextangerine.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
Some of the numbers are sickening e.g.'Farmland bird populations have decreased by 63% since 1970 and 12% since 2020.' @sussexornitholo.bsky.social @sussexwildlife.bsky.social #birds #UKwildlife
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David Bentley @sussextangerine.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
'Marmalade Hoverfly on Bristly Oxtongue.' Is that an autumn wildlife sighting or a Heston Blumenthal dish? #UKwildlife #hoverflies #Sussexwildlife @sussexwildlife.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social
A small yellow, orange, black and brown insect on a bright yellow flower in the sun.
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David Bentley @sussextangerine.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
Very early red-head Goosander at Northpoint Pit, nr Rye, got spooked by boating activity and disappeared. Also on today's WeBS count - 2 Spoonbill, 46 Redshank, 3 Greenshank, 265 Lapwing, only 7 Curlew, 21 Dunlin and 9 Teal. #UKwildlife #birds @webs-gsmp.bsky.social @sussexornitholo.bsky.social
The River Rother a kilometre from the sea, with wispy clouds above. The photo is taken into the sun, so much of the view is in silhouette.
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David Bentley @sussextangerine.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
Camber Sands, East Sussex, just before high tide today. #beaches #seascapes #landscapes #Sussex
People walking on a long, sandy beach, besides a flat calm sea and below a mostly blue sky.
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David Bentley @sussextangerine.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
I used to dream of a corridor. That would've been a palace to us...
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David Bentley @sussextangerine.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Aged around 10-14 I was into trains. We travelled the UK - without adults - to climb fences and locomotives at depots in Stratford, Toton, Sheffield, Crewe etc, and go to stations in Edinburgh, York, London etc. We were just about in our teens. We were in a different world.
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David Bentley @sussextangerine.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
The first Devil's Fingers (Clathrus archeri) are pushing up from the underworld beneath Rye, East Sussex. And, yes, they really are that colour. #fungi #fungifriends #UKwildlife #Sussexwildlife @sussexwildlife.bsky.social
A weird bright-cerise fungus, shaped like deformed fingers, emerging from a partially hidden white 'ball' in grassland.
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David Bentley @sussextangerine.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Flat Beach, Rye Harbour Nature Reserve, late morning on Tuesday. Nowhere else I'd rather be. #Sussex #landscapes @sussexwildlife.bsky.social
A saline lagoon with the bright blue sky and benign clouds mirrored in it. It is a calm and lovely scene.
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David Bentley @sussextangerine.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Flat Beach, Rye Harbour NR in lovely light and no wind this morning. 4 Spoonbill, 2 Greenshank, 48 Ringed Plover, 85 Golden Plover, 25 Grey Plover + loadsa other waders, 25 Pintail, 2 Kingfisher, Wheatear, 100s of hirundines etc #UKwildlife #Sussexwildlife #birds @sussexwildlife.bsky.social
An atmospheric sky with clouds and soft light above a distinctive building with a red roof. There is a path across the shingle.Blue sky with benign clouds reflected in a flat calm saline lagoon.The mouth of the River Rother, with the beach beside it. The sky and light is atmospheric.A view of the beach at Rye Harbour Nature Reserve. The sea is flat calm.
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David Bentley @sussextangerine.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Hey Environment Agency! Flood defence work on the Rother in Rye has overrun by years. Part was supposed to open at the start of this month. It's STILL closed and the information provided is rubbish. Please do better or I'll vote Tory and you'll be abolished. #EnvironmentAgency (I won't vote Tory)
Poor signage on a closed public Right of Way at Scots Float, near Rye.
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David Bentley @sussextangerine.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
6 sp of bird of prey in 10 minutes near Pett - Kestrel, Buzzard, Red Kite, Sparrowhawk, Marsh Harrier & Peregrine! Of those, only the first was regular when I was a kid. But, oddly, it doesn't indicate a healthier environment with many other bird sp much reduced. #UKwildlife #Sussexwildlife #birds
A stile on a pubic footpath. Pasture, woods and the sea can be seen in the view beyond.
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David Bentley @sussextangerine.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
This morning I got abuse for being a cyclist, even though I was doing everything right. I felt shit for most of the day because of it. Later, I cycled again and got waves and smiles and nods and I felt like I was on top of the world. It doesn't take much to make people feel a bit happier.
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David Bentley @sussextangerine.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Mute Swansea City West Hamerkop Millwallcreeper Knots County Fleetwoodlark Eiderby County Gadwallsend Boys Club...
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David Bentley @sussextangerine.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
It's fair to criticise her nasty views and her party's awful 'policies', but it's not fair to criticise or make assumptions about her appearance.
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David Bentley @sussextangerine.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
A large chunk of the world's population of Sea Aster Bee, Colletes halophilus, is found on the east and south-east coast of England. It's on the upper saltmarsh of Rye Harbour Nature Reserve now. An autumn ace! #UKwildlife #Sussexwildlife #insects #bees @sussexwildlife.bsky.social
A brown-ish bee with yellow-ish abdominal stripes feeds on a yellow Sea Aster flower.
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David Bentley @sussextangerine.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
I always thought it referred to the seeds of rosehips. I was told that kids ripped off the red flesh and shoved the itchy seeds - the itchycoos - down their schoolmates' shirts as a jolly jape.
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David Bentley @sussextangerine.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
This is brilliant. It should make all birders want to walk every inch and suck out all of the interest from our local landscapes. Inspirational.
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David Bentley @sussextangerine.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
First Leaf-blower of the season. It's a winter visitor, invasive & a threat to resident species. It's found in parks & large gardens. It's call is a loud, monotonous roar. It feeds on some gardeners' obsession with pointless motorised tools. #UKwildlife #birds #gardening @sussexwildlife.bsky.social
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David Bentley @sussextangerine.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Animal & Plant Health Agency staff are using mini-transmitters to track invasive Asian Hornets to hidden nests near Rye. You can report sightings on an app www.ceh.ac.uk/our-science/... or via iRecord. This Asian Hornet was next to a trap down our lane just now. #UKwildlife #insects #AsianHornets
An Asia Hornet. It is darker and slightly smaller than the native species and has bright yellow legs. Here one is on an Ivy leaf.
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David Bentley @sussextangerine.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
First Leaf-blower of the season. It's a winter visitor, invasive & a threat to resident species. It's found in parks & large gardens. It's call is a loud, monotonous roar. It feeds on some gardeners' obsession with pointless motorised tools. #UKwildlife #birds #gardening @sussexwildlife.bsky.social
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David Bentley @sussextangerine.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Wow! Didn't realise they'd seeped this far south! I shall always watch The Hedge, Steve. The Hedge must always be watched.
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David Bentley @sussextangerine.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Boom! Yeahhh! Are the Goosander very early for you, as much as the Nightingale is late? Pintail is the best duck and a great find.🙏🏼 Keeeeeep walking!
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David Bentley @sussextangerine.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Small Coppers (pic this am), Gatekeepers & Painted Ladies were abundant in our Rye garden this year. There were more Clouded Yellows than ever. Small Tortoiseshells were all but absent. How did caterpillars fare in the drought😬? #butterflies @sussexwildlife.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social
A beautiful bright orange, brown and white butterfly on the white flowers of Yarrow.
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David Bentley @sussextangerine.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
The Hedge 20 28/9 I'll keep looking at The Hedge, but reduce the no. of posts. 52 species so far - list attached. Lacked nos of Spotted Flycatchers of previous years and no Redstart, but fledged Hobbies and Wryneck more than make up for that. #Sussexwildlife #UKwildlife @sussexwildlife.bsky.social
A handwritten list of 52 bird species.A fallen, dead tree with a hedgerow and a rough paddock beyond. The sky is mostly blue.
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David Bentley @sussextangerine.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
I think we all need to stop farting around and do EVERYTHING in our power to stop Reform getting into power. If we don't, we'll regret it for the rest of our lives.
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David Bentley @sussextangerine.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Combined total of 81 species at @sussexwildlife.bsky.social / Friends of RHNR 'Guide in a Hide' yesterday & Friends of RHNR walk today on just a part of the nature reserve. Includes 19 wader and 5 bird of prey species. And on a weekend when it felt 'pretty quiet' bird-wise. #UKwildlife #Sussexbirds
Sea-water rushing into the Flat Beach area of Rye Harbour Nature Reserve at high tide today. It's an area of saltmarsh, saline lagoons and shingle.
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David Bentley @sussextangerine.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Bee-wolf on Marram Grass at Camber Sands this morning. Always special to see this spectacular solitary wasp. #UKwildlife #Sussexwildlife #insects #wasps @sussexwildlife.bsky.social
A black, yellow and reddish insect on a straw coloured grass-head.
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David Bentley @sussextangerine.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Boom! My first European Paper Wasp, Polistes dominula. Very distinctive in flight, with back legs left dangling. Another very recent arrival set to spread fast. This was just outside the main entrance to Rye Harbour NR. #UKwildlife #Sussexwildlife #insects #wasps @sussexwildlife.bsky.social
An attractive yellow, black and reddish wasp on a bright green Ivy leaf.
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David Bentley @sussextangerine.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
I saw 75 Wigeon, 45 Teal and half a dozen Pintail on a small part of Rye Harbour NR. Walking home, up the hill, Tawny Owls are very vocal; they have been for a while. I'm in shorts and T-shirt, a bit sweaty, and struggling to work out what bloody season we are in. #UKbirds #Sussexbirds
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David Bentley @sussextangerine.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
I'm not keen on the abbreviation of bird names. They have such evocative names like Yellowhammer, Whinchat, Fieldfare, Dotterel, Firecrest, Red Kite, Chough, Lapwing... Groppers, barwits, mippits and spawks just sound horrible 🤮 #UKbirds @sussexornitholo.bsky.social @sussexwildlife.bsky.social
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David Bentley @sussextangerine.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
The Hedge 19 23/9 I was considering whether the hum of far-off industry was ruining my visit, when I realised it was in fact masses of Ivy Bees! Lesser Whitethroat, Willow Warbler. What's the collective noun for loadsa Chiffchaffs? 52 bird sp. #Sussexwildlife #UKwildlife @sussexwildlife.bsky.social
A line of trees, with leaves starting to turn to autumn colours, with rough grassland in front and a lovely sky, with interesting clouds behind.
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David Bentley @sussextangerine.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Twist-winged Parasite Flies, Ectophasia crassipennis, were on the last flowering umbellifers by the River Rother, near Rye, this morning. #UKwildlife #Sussexwildlife #insects #flies @dipteristsforum.bsky.social @sussexwildlife.bsky.social
A striking yellow, orange, black, brown and red insect on white/pink flowers.A striking yellow, orange, black, brown and red insect on white/pink flowers.A striking yellow, orange, black, brown and red insect on white/pink flowers. Its wings are 'twisted'.A striking yellow, orange, black, brown and red insect on white/pink flowers.
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David Bentley @sussextangerine.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Not long ago buses between Beckley & Rye were 1 per hr. Then they went to 1 per 2hr. Then yet more cuts & no Sunday service. So, today, when the 14.25 didn't turn up the next (& last) bus was 4 hrs later at 18.29. And they wonder why passenger nos fall when the 'service' is un-usable. #SaveOurBuses
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David Bentley @sussextangerine.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
The Woodland Grasshopper, Omocestus rufipes, here at @sussexwildlife.bsky.social Flatropers Wood Nature Reserve, near Rye, is Nationally Scarce. This one is a classy charcoal-black and fiery-orange. 🖤🧡 #UKwildlife #Sussexwildlife #insects #orthoptera
A black and orange insect, with long antennae and legs, on a bright green bracken frond.
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David Bentley @sussextangerine.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
1/2 ACE! The 'duck-bill' of the Snout Hoverfly protects an ENORMOUS proboscis, as long as its body. Here it is cleaned, before being folded away and tucked back into the 'beak'. This is in our Rye garden. #UKwildlife #insects #hoverflies @sussexwildlife.bsky.social @dipteristsforum.bsky.social
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David Bentley @sussextangerine.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
... Sherringham's pass for the 3rd goal. Oooph!
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David Bentley @sussextangerine.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
I used to collect beer mats, so that I could hide them away in boxes to take up valuable space. I've since 're-homed' all but a few favourites. This one was pilfered from a boozer in Wells-next-the-Sea, in Norfolk, on 18 June 1996, during the Euros. Netherlands 1-4 England. #beermats #realale #footy
A beer mat branded Woodforde's Wherry Best Bitter, Norfolk, 3.8% vol. Good session beer 🍺
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David Bentley @sussextangerine.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
2/2 Here's a better photo of the Snout Hoverfly, Rhingia campestris, in our Rye garden. #UKwildlife #insects #hoverflies @sussexwildlife.bsky.social @dipteristsforum.bsky.social
An orange, black and grey hoverfly, with wings splayed, on a green leaf.
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David Bentley @sussextangerine.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
1/2 ACE! The 'duck-bill' of the Snout Hoverfly protects an ENORMOUS proboscis, as long as its body. Here it is cleaned, before being folded away and tucked back into the 'beak'. This is in our Rye garden. #UKwildlife #insects #hoverflies @sussexwildlife.bsky.social @dipteristsforum.bsky.social
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David Bentley @sussextangerine.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
The Hedge 18 20/9 I stood with the Sussex Red cattle watching Spotted Flycatchers and Chiffchaffs. We smelled the first wisps of autumn decay. Raucous Jays jarred against the mellow mood. 52 bird sp. #Sussexwildlife #UKwildlife #farming @sussexwildlife.bsky.social
A very close red/brown cow with a yellow ear-tag stares benignly into the camera.
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David Bentley @sussextangerine.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
These billionaires can't wait till it's just their piles of money and their consciences to keep themselves company. I think they are mad.
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David Bentley @sussextangerine.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
The Hedge 17 13-16/9 Daily visits have seen strong movement of Swallows, some movement of Wood Pigeons and an influx of Jays. Common warblers and the odd Spotted Flycatcher add interest. Sussex Red cattle have become friends. 52 bird sp. #Sussexwildlife #UKwildlife #birds @sussexwildlife.bsky.social
A group of red/brown cattle in a pasture, looking into the camera.
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David Bentley @sussextangerine.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Rye Harbour Nature Reserve sightings in August 2026  - Sussex Wildlife Trust share.google/ni1O8kIXKYz6... @sussexornitholo.bsky.social #UKbirds #Sussexbirds
share.google
Rye Harbour Nature Reserve sightings in August 2026  - Sussex Wildlife Trust
The extremely hot and dry weather that will define the summer of 2026 finally started to break in the second half of the month, when we received the first significant rainfall in many weeks.
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David Bentley @sussextangerine.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
I don't often see Toadflax around here, but there's a clump by the road to Camber. I imagine it goes largely unnoticed. Some call it 'butter and eggs', but not many, these days, I suspect... #UKwildlife #Sussexwildlife #wildflowers @sussexwildlife.bsky.social
Bright yellow and orange wildflowers in a clump by a busy road.
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David Bentley @sussextangerine.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
A bit of rain has led to a bit of an increase in hoverfly numbers. I like this Migrant Aphideater, Eupeodes corallae. #UKwildlife ##Sussexwildlife #insects #hoverflies @sussexwildlife.bsky.social
A black and yellow striped insect on a circular bright yellow 'flower'.
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David Bentley @sussextangerine.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
@webs-gsmp.bsky.social
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David Bentley @sussextangerine.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Rye to the sea along the Rother, with access for WeBS: 2 Greenshank, 73 Redshank, 4 Spoonbill, 16 Curlew, 43 Dunlin, 16 Ringed Plover, 1 Grey Plover, 1 Bar-tailed Godwit & 74 Lapwing. Also 2 Whinchat, 100s of Swallows, 10+ Common & 1 Grey Seal. #UKwildlife #UKbirds #Sussexbirds @btobirds.bsky.social
A view overland dunes to a sandy beach - Camber Sands - and the sea beyond. It's a cloudy morning in early autumn.
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