Sign in

Temple Balsall

@templebalsall.bsky.social
1.3K followers 4.6K following 4.3K posts
PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Temple Balsall
Richard Fox @richardfoxbc.bsky.social · 15h
Nice, sunny wander at Branscombe today with leafmines of Ectoedemia erythrogenella (Coast Dot) on Bramble, and Stigmella ulmivora (Barred Elm Dot) & S. viscerella (Plain Elm Dot) on elm. Plus bonus sighting (but no photo) of my first ever UK Long-tailed Blue butterfly. #teammoth
1231
Reposted by Temple Balsall
Richard K Broughton @richardkbroughton.bsky.social · 15h
That's a wrap on 25th year of the intensive Marsh Tit study at Monks Wood. @martamaziarz.bsky.social & I colour-ringed all new juvs, we think. Adult survival good but recruitment low, likely related to drought/heatwaves. Extreme hot/dry or wet/cold weather in spring-summer seems to hit juvs badly.
0476
Reposted by Temple Balsall
Louis P @sibthorpia.bsky.social · 18h
What was meant to be a quiet day of walking around West Penwith soon turned into quite the day of birding! Utterly incredible views of the Upland Sandpiper were bookended by two equally tame buntings - Lapland at Pendeen and Snow Bunting (self-found) above Cot. All photos taken with phone+bins!
1112
Reposted by Temple Balsall
Jonny @suffolkseawatcher.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Can people help share this far and wide? Great blog detailing a proper injustice - that seems to go unchecked year on year! Meanwhile over the border - Norfolk are smashing it! ♠️ tringa24.wordpress.com/2026/10/03/a...
tringa24.wordpress.com
A Tale of Two Coastlines – Norfolk Delivers, Suffolk Dithers
Norfolk has just committed £384,000 of developer mitigation money to protect beach-nesting birds on its coast. Suffolk is sitting on £1.74 million collected for exactly the same purpose. On 2 Octob…
099
Reposted by Temple Balsall
Rachel Deering @racheldeering.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
🖼️ Bernhard Anton Funke
Toadstools and autumn leaves painting.
011618
Reposted by Temple Balsall
Brad Scott @trichocolea.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
A terrific day @nhm-london.bsky.social yesterday for a meeting of the British and Irish Bryological Society
012
Temple Balsall @templebalsall.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
061
Reposted by Temple Balsall
Sandy Horne @sandyhorne.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
A fox at Old Gluepot Dam - at the exact moment it spotted @boyfrombruce.bsky.social approaching. It quickly scampered off into the scrub.
412411
Temple Balsall @templebalsall.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
@warwickshirewt.bsky.social
020
Reposted by Temple Balsall
Ciarán Byrne @kiwibyrne.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Unusual marked Adalia high up on a headstone in Kildavin, Co. Carlow today. Presumed 2-spot Ladybird (Adalia bipunctata) colour variant? @vc40ladybirds.bsky.social @vc40orthops.bsky.social @andrew-jewels.bsky.social
1134
Reposted by Temple Balsall
Ben Sheldon @sheldonbirds.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Little bit of video of the juvenile Pectoral Sandpiper at the Oxfordshire Golf Course this morning, foraging among lost golf balls... The same small lake hosted the juv Red-necked Phalarope only a month ago, an excellent double
1352
Temple Balsall @templebalsall.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
@bcwarwickshire.bsky.social
081
Temple Balsall @templebalsall.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
0110
Reposted by Temple Balsall
Froglife @froglife.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
We’re hiring! Join Froglife as a Project Assistant for our new #CoalfaceToWildspace Yorkshire project! - £27,500 - 35 hrs/week - Apply by 12pm, 26th Oct Help restore habitats and connect communities with nature: ow.ly/u7e050ZTQQS
034
Reposted by Temple Balsall
Jean E Teall @finchduck.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Leave ivy alone! Beautiful moths like these Mervielle du Jour moths feed on the flowers. #Teammoth #Gardening #Mygarden 🌱
1496
Reposted by Temple Balsall
Paintings of London @paintingsoflondon.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
'Prospect of Whitby' (wood engraving) by John Bryce www.re-printmakers.com/member-information/john-bryce-re/
216025
Temple Balsall @templebalsall.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
@warwickshirewt.bsky.social #warwickshirewildlifetrust @the-wildlifetrusts.bsky.social #wildlifetrusts @naturalengland.bsky.social @craigbennett3.bsky.social
080
Reposted by Temple Balsall
Adrian Dutton @nottscoleoptera.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
October 3rd, Painted Lady, Vanessa cardui, North-east Derbyshire garden. @savebutterflies.bsky.social #Derbyshire #Butterfly
0334
Reposted by Temple Balsall
Henk-Jan van der Veen @henk-janvdveen.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Excited to share my article on the UK’s record-breaking summer of 2026 in the latest issue of the Dutch Weather Magazine! I was there in June and early July and experienced part of this remarkable season first-hand. A summer that left its mark on the weather records! @metoffice.gov.uk
241
Temple Balsall @templebalsall.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
071
Temple Balsall @templebalsall.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
031
Reposted by Temple Balsall
BirdGuides @birdguides.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
A project aiming to re-establish Corncrake in Yorkshire has completed its second season of releases:
f.mtr.cool
Yorkshire reserve completes second year of Corncrake releases
Some 148 Corncrakes have been released at the Lower Derwent Valley NNR this summer.
0184
Reposted by Temple Balsall
Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland (BSBI) @bsbibotany.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Our annual membership special offer opens today! Join us this month to start enjoying 15 months of membership benefits for the price of 12. Benefits to you: social/training/access/opportunities & more Benefits to our wild plants: in a changing world, your support is vital! bsbi.org/blog/2026/10...
A group of inclusive botanists stands near the edge of a lake in Aberdeenshire, pointing at some of the aquatic plants and sharing ID tips. Image: Ian FrancisA wet meadow in the Yorkshire Dales, full of Ragged Robin and other wild flowers. Image: Ken ReadshawJulia Hanmer, BSBI Chief Executive. look up and smiles, surrounded by colleagues on an orchid-hunting trip in the Peak District. Image: Sarah Woods
03315
Reposted by Temple Balsall
Barry Yates @rxnature.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Circles in the sand, drawn by wind blown grass.
0123
Reposted by Temple Balsall
womensartbluesky.bsky.social @womensartbluesky.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
'Passion flower' by Mary Delany (1700-1788), English Bluestocking and artist, known for her botanical flower collages or 'paper-mosaicks' #WomensArt
Collage featuring a close-up of a pink blossom  with feathery thin petals forming a circular shape, all against a black background
2780122
Reposted by Temple Balsall
James Bullock @jmbecologist.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Nature recovery = More trees? Nope! But that rhetoric is rife in scientific papers, policy & news media It is particularly damaging for open ecosystems - grasslands, heaths, savannas, etc - which are implied as being of lesser value
85216
Reposted by Temple Balsall
Richard K Broughton @richardkbroughton.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Often see this on juv Marsh Tits in autumn - hard blobs of material stuck to the bill. It's solidified pulp from sticky berries, where they've been extracting the seeds. Maybe honeysuckle, bramble, wild service, dogwood or hawthorn; hard to be sure which (or all!).
3287
Reposted by Temple Balsall
rayb126.bsky.social @rayb126.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
A very poor catch last night 1/10/26 at home in St Helens, but I still managed to get a new micro species for the garden and St Helens, an Acleris hyemana, smart looking moth. #Teammoth #StHelensBirding
3211
Reposted by Temple Balsall
Raptor Persecution UK @raptorpersuk.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Whilst the shooters are out casually and mindlessly killing and wounding thousands of sentient birds for no reason other than their own entertainment this w/e, it’d be great if you could do this! raptorpersecutionuk.org/2026/10/02/d...
raptorpersecutionuk.org
Defra’s Call for Evidence on gamebirds: what exactly is it asking for, and how can you help?
I hope by now that blog readers are aware of Defra’s Call for Evidence on gamebird rearing, releasing and shooting. The Call for Evidence was launched in September 2026, and closes on 1st Nov…
34431
Reposted by Temple Balsall
Simon Harding @simon-ontheverge.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Nothing to see here, just some pretty fungal reproductive vessels from a mycelial network connected to tree roots helping them function whilst locking up soil carbon. Hortiboletus rubellus - Ruby bolete in the park with oak #FungusFriday #FungiFriends #Fungi #Mushrooms #Mycology #Nature #Wildlife
1293
Temple Balsall @templebalsall.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
0131
Temple Balsall @templebalsall.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
0100
Reposted by Temple Balsall
Jeremy Bartlett @jeremybartlett.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
www.norfolkwildlifetrust.org.uk/news/new-pro...
norfolkwildlifetrust.org.uk
New project gives Norfolk's water voles a lifeline | Norfolk Wildlife Trust
Norfolk Wildlife Trust has launched a new project, funded by Natural England and working in partnership with the Norfolk Rivers Trust, to help water voles thrive once more throughout the Wensum and Ya...
064
Reposted by Temple Balsall
Hugh Harrop @hughharrop.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
The first year male SIBERIAN BLUE ROBIN that graced our Shetland garden this morning. A fifth for Britain and one hell of a garden tick! Thanks to all that visited and enjoyed this special bird today. #BirdingScotland #UKbirding #RareBirdsUK #Birds #UKWildlife
121513
Reposted by Temple Balsall
The White Falcon @markgolley.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
The Shocking Pinks!!! At some point, there will be a natural conclusion to the Vestal images from Cley but this might well be the Vestal to out-Vestal all others. Today's field-fringe visitor was the most outrageous one we've seen anywhere. Wow! @linnetincley.bsky.social #cleymothobs #norfolkmoths
914420
Reposted by Temple Balsall
Roger_TL45Y @rogerhorton.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Today, the first adult Southern Green Shieldbug, Nezara viridula, in the garden this year, on a Small Teasel seed head. #Hemiptera #TrueBugs #Cambridge
0274
Reposted by Temple Balsall
Bernoid @bernoid.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Log of the week #LogOfTheWeek
A mossy, rotten log in the woods covered with Sulfurtuft mushrooms.
221523
Reposted by Temple Balsall
Ken T @velociraptor500.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Quite a warm day for October and it brought a few butterflies out including this Common Blue and Small Copper. They chased each other for several minutes, with brief rests before settling some distance apart.
0173
Reposted by Temple Balsall
Glo i Natur CIC @gloinatur.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
🌿 COAL SPOIL – NATURE’S SURPRISE LEGACY 🌿 📍 St Elvan’s Church, Aberdare 📅 Friday 2nd October | 1pm–3pm Join Glo i Natur CIC as we celebrate the completed first phase of the 'Our Cwm Cynon' project and explore the remarkable wildlife found on coal spoil sites in the Cynon Valley and beyond. 🦋
032
Reposted by Temple Balsall
Robert Tropek @robtrop.bsky.social · 04/12/2025
The study showed that natural processes can be better than some technocratic restoration approaches. Its results has also been incorporated in numerous projects of postindustrial sites, in strategic documents, and others. I am happy to not follow my supervisor's opinion! doi.org/10.1111/j.13...
032
Reposted by Temple Balsall
Jeremy Bartlett @jeremybartlett.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
My latest blog post: Warted Amanita, Amanita strobiliformis. A big, chunky and distinctive mushroom, often found quite early in the fungus season. www.jeremybartlett.co.uk/2026/09/30/w... #Fungi #FungiFriends
Warted Amanita, Amanita strobiliformis, on a road verge in Norwich (August 2025).Warted Amanita, Amanita strobiliformis, a picked specimen showing the stem ring and stout, rooting stem base. From a road verge in Norwich (August 2025).Warted Amanita, Amanita strobiliformis, on a roadside in a Norfolk beechwood. September 2025.Measuring the height of a Warted Amanita, Amanita strobiliformis. Earlham Cemetery, Norwich, October 2023.
29410
Reposted by Temple Balsall
Tim Blackburn @mothyblackburn.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Trapping in Windsor Great Park. So far, mainly hornets… 🙄 #TeamMoth
1271
Reposted by Temple Balsall
Dr Victoria Xiaoxiao Ma @victoriaxiaoxiaoma.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Wednesday #morningread John Clare’s ‘Autumn Birds’ ✨🎈🦉
0185
Reposted by Temple Balsall
Prof. Jeff Ollerton @jeffollerton.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Want to conserve #birds, #mammals and other vertebrates? Then don’t forget their #insects. Our new Nature Reviews Biodiversity paper explores the many ways vertebrates depend on insects — for food, shelter, protection and much more. I’ve written about it here: jeffollerton.co.uk/2026/09/30/w...
jeffollerton.co.uk
Want to conserve birds and mammals? Then conserve their insects – our new paper in Nature Reviews Biodiversity sets out the details
It’s sometimes easy to forget quite how much of the living world depends upon insects. That might seem an odd thing for someone who has spent much of his career studying insects and their relations…
19355
Reposted by Temple Balsall
David Gould @drdavidgould.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
My book on historic rabbit warrens in England is published on 13th Nov by Liverpool Uni Press and I'm pleased to have received my advance copies. The perfect Xmas gift for any rabbit warren-obsessed nerd, of which there are no doubt many such people. #landscapearchaeology #rabbits #medievalsky
Me in a dapper shirt pointing at the cover of my soon to be published book.
48532
Reposted by Temple Balsall
Wild Justice @wildjustice.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Defra is gathering evidence that could shape the future policy on gamebird shooting. Have your say! Have you experienced issues such as gamebird collisions, dumped dead birds, illegal traps, suspicious raptor deaths, disturbance, damage or loss of access to land? For info, visit buff.ly/TGjrkrK
25254
Reposted by Temple Balsall
Butterfly Conservation Norfolk @norfolkbutterflies.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Reports received of Swallowtail caterpillars feeding on Fennel. These are likely to be the Continental Swallowtail (gorganus), not the British one (britannicus) which is found only in the Norfolk Broads. We would be interested to hear of any sightings of the Continental form.#savebutterflies
23715
Reposted by Temple Balsall
Rod Jones @rodshelf.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Painted lady in Shelf Woods, Halifax. It's been a great year for spotting these beautiful migratory butterflies in the UK. #wildlife #nature #photography #PhotographersOfBluesky #butterflies @savebutterflies.bsky.social @yorkswildlife.bsky.social
A painted lady butterfly rests among leaf litter on the ground with its wings stretched out.
1191
Reposted by Temple Balsall
CM @manchesterbirder.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Some excellent birding at Spurn today, which was alive with common migrants. My favourite of the day was this showy Brambling. #ukbirding #birds #BirdsSeenIn2026
A male Brambling, a finch, perched on a pale stem in front of undergrowth.  The Brambling has a fading black head and upper body, black tail and wing stripes, and a bright orange breast and wing.
315114
Reposted by Temple Balsall
CM @manchesterbirder.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
I know there's foliage obscuring these shots of a Brambling, but the orange flashes on the wing and body just make me happy. #ukbirding #birds
A male Brambling, a finch, flying in front of undergrowth.  The Brambling has a fading black head and upper body, black tail and wing stripes, and a bright orange breast and wing.A male Brambling, a finch, flying in front of undergrowth, with some grass stems obscuring it.  The Brambling has a fading black head and upper body, black tail and wing stripes, and a bright orange breast and wing.
1532