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Toby Fountain @tobywildlife.bsky.social · 29/06/2025

Fantastic views of silver washed fritillary on the Doward, including lots of courtship behaviour. Flora exceptional as always with the highlight being my first county record of wood vetch (Vicia sylvatica): a stunning species. #butterflies #botany #ecology #conservation

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Toby Fountain @tobywildlife.bsky.social · 27/06/2025

Wigmore Rolls is my favourite Herefordshire woodland: significant for a plethora of flora, avifauna and Lepidoptera. Locally very notable for containing a fragment of W17 temperate rainforest (complete with wood warblers), calcareous flora and wood white #ecology #woodland #herefordshire

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Toby Fountain @tobywildlife.bsky.social · 17/06/2025

Some highlights from Tretawdy Farm this morning: Ruby-tailed wasp, slow worm, small skipper & common spotted orchid. A very underrated HWT reserve: it’s messiness makes it excellent for invertebrates, reptiles and mammals. @herefordshirewt.bsky.social

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Toby Fountain @tobywildlife.bsky.social · 08/06/2025

Had some fantastic insect records on @herefordshirewt.bsky.social surveys in the Black Mountain fringes, all locally scarce: Dark green fritillary, small pearl-bordered fritillary, golden-ringed dragonfly and emperor moth @savebutterflies.bsky.social

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Toby Fountain @tobywildlife.bsky.social · 01/06/2025

Yes they’ve decline dramatically in lowland England, the main theory being they are missing the breeding of dunnock which they usually parasite due to warm springs. They are doing well in uplands though where they parasite meadow pipit.

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Toby Fountain @tobywildlife.bsky.social · 01/06/2025

Remarkable abundance of cuckoo on North Uist, bucking the trend of their southern decline. Nice to have this bubbling female on the roof of our bothy! #ukbirding #birds #ornithology #wildlife #scotland

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Toby Fountain @tobywildlife.bsky.social · 31/05/2025

Magical encounter with a pair of golden eagles last week in the Outer Hebrides. You can see them being mobbed by a pair of common gull and a Greenshank breeding on the moor. One of many encounters I hope to share with my you soon #birds #birdinguk #ecology #ornithology #eagle #scotland #hebrides

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Toby Fountain @tobywildlife.bsky.social · 05/02/2025

It amazes me that these tiny overlooked ‘arable weeds’ which grow amongst stubble, margins and crops (here field speedwell, groundsel & red dead nettle) are literally keystone species for farmland birds like grey partridge, linnet, turtle dove and more. Bring back the weeds I say!

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Dan Webb @danwebb.bsky.social · 11/01/2025

RND and goldeneye still present at Walford Pools, also female wigeon, 25 greyalgs, 62 coots, 4 tufted duck, 25 mallard, 4 little grebes and a single hawfinch over. Minimum of 26 hawfinch and 3 blackcaps at church and a decent group of 8 song thrush in a single turnip field #herefordbirding

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Dan Webb @danwebb.bsky.social · 09/01/2025

Record shot from back of camera

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Dan Webb @danwebb.bsky.social · 09/01/2025

Brief afternoon around Walford and Ross on Wye part of patch included a drake Ring-necked Duck, first for the patch. Also first winter drake goldeneye still present, 1 female wigeon, 62 coots and 6 hawfinches at church #herefordbirding

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Toby Fountain @tobywildlife.bsky.social · 06/01/2025

… as well if not better in ash/birch, as opposed to oak woodland which is the assumed ‘stereotype habitat’. I suppose this could be related to other factors like insect abundance, due to thinner canopy and more deadwood (natural and ash dieback) in ash/birch woodland.

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Toby Fountain @tobywildlife.bsky.social · 06/01/2025

Okay thanks, I’m mostly playing devils advocate and agree with you, I just often hear the ‘lack of cavities’ argument thrown about. I asked about the greater frequency of cavities in ash/birch, because I feel that many of the classic western species like pied/spot fly and redstarts are doing…

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Toby Fountain @tobywildlife.bsky.social · 06/01/2025

Additionally do you think this has a bearing on what kind of woodlands need boxes?

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Toby Fountain @tobywildlife.bsky.social · 06/01/2025

Hi Richard just picking this up again, would you say that natural cavities are more abundant in ancient woodland than is popularly perceived and would you say that they are more abundant in ash, Alder and birch woodland than oak woods, due to dying and displaying veteran features younger?

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Dan Webb @danwebb.bsky.social · 30/12/2024

A good morning around Ross on Wye patch this morning with @tobywildlife.bsky.social including minimum of 45 hawfinches, then the 1st winter drake Goldeneye and female wigeon at Walford Pools, topped off with 16 snipe and 2 water rails at Gamber Meadows #herefordbirding

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Toby Fountain @tobywildlife.bsky.social · 27/12/2024

Hi Hannah, sounds like a very interesting site! Could you provide more details? Shall I DM you?

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Toby Fountain @tobywildlife.bsky.social · 21/12/2024

Thanks Richard, I will use this as a reference when I make my case! Hopefully other trusts will follow

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Toby Fountain @tobywildlife.bsky.social · 21/12/2024

No problem! Question for you: I am going to be advising management on all HWT reserves; in your view would you recommend the removal of nest boxes in marsh/willow tit habitat? Understandably this gets alot of pushback from volunteers, but this is where education based on latest research is required

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Toby Fountain @tobywildlife.bsky.social · 21/12/2024

Yes I agree. Really enjoying your book! Very valuable insight for me working in the Welsh Marches, where we are most notable for scarce woodland passerines: our marsh tit population seems to be comparatively healthy, willow tit likely under recorded in remote woodlands on the Welsh border.

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Toby Fountain @tobywildlife.bsky.social · 21/12/2024

Chanced upon this fantastic wet woodland on a site visit yesterday: the largest W7 Alder woodland I’ve seen in Herefordshire! Priority for LWS survey next year: lots of potential for rare flora; might also visit in early spring to look for lesser pecker & willow tits @herefordshirewt.bsky.social

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Toby Fountain @tobywildlife.bsky.social · 10/12/2024

Article on the LWS project I ran this year for @herefordshirewt.bsky.social : 896ha of habitat surveyed, two breeding birds rediscovered, fragment of Celtic Temperate Rainforest found, invaluable relationships with local landowners formed.

forherefordshirewt.bsky.social

Bluesky

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Toby Fountain @tobywildlife.bsky.social · 30/11/2024

Anyone with in-depth knowledge of the habitat preferences and the favourable forms of woodland management for breeding Hawfinch, please get in contact with me. I have substantial experience writing woodland management plans with an avian focus, but never for this species! #hawfinch #ornithology

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Toby Fountain @tobywildlife.bsky.social · 29/11/2024

A fantastic day packed with some exceptional species! Probably the best variety I’ve ever seen overwintering in the Bristol Channel.

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Toby Fountain @tobywildlife.bsky.social · 27/11/2024

Hi mate, that’s fantastic, could you DM me to discuss further?

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Toby Fountain @tobywildlife.bsky.social · 27/11/2024

7. I am certainly going to incorporate elements of this into my LWS project next year with @HerefordshireWT but additionally any one out there with any ideas or relevant knowledge regarding this topic let me know #ornithology #breedingbirds #uplands. #UKbirds

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Toby Fountain @tobywildlife.bsky.social · 27/11/2024

6. After spending the year designating protected sites & witnessing first hand how good, recent biological data strengthens this protection, we should be looking for more of these species, especially as these unrecorded species will have no protection at all unless we find them!

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Toby Fountain @tobywildlife.bsky.social · 27/11/2024

5. It would be fantastic and not out of the question to find the likes of snipe (lost as a breeding bird in the early 90s) are persisting in a wet area up there. Considering their drumming is crepuscular, I bet no one would hear them!

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Toby Fountain @tobywildlife.bsky.social · 27/11/2024

4. This will also likely benefit cuckoo alongside the more abundant likes of tree pip, redstart etc. This also beggars the exciting question regarding what might be overlooked above scrub layer, slightly higher up on the open moor/Heath. Avoiding the schedule 1 species.

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Toby Fountain @tobywildlife.bsky.social · 27/11/2024

3. occurring in such areas as a result of private rewilding projects and new SFI grants which incentivise natural regen, this seems to me to be a timely moment to be looking for such passerine species as their habitat in my opinion is slowly increasing.

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Toby Fountain @tobywildlife.bsky.social · 27/11/2024

2. To me the vegetation structures present in this image are proof that the likes of gropper and whinchat are significantly under recorded in this area, contrary to only one record every couple of years! Additionally, with an increasing amount of scrub regeneration,

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Toby Fountain @tobywildlife.bsky.social · 27/11/2024

1. This image of the Ochlon Valley fills me with excitement! As an ecologist with a growing fascination with breeding birds in the upland fringes of Herefordshire, Id like to spend this winter swatting up on some relevant research/book so that I’m well prepared for the spring (suggestions?)

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Toby Fountain @tobywildlife.bsky.social · 26/11/2024

Hi Suw, I’ll ask the landowner I’m sure he’d be delighted to hear from you! Shall I take your email? Feel free to DM me

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Toby Fountain @tobywildlife.bsky.social · 26/11/2024

That sounds like heaven on earth! Such a magical set of species.

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Toby Fountain @tobywildlife.bsky.social · 25/11/2024

9. Special thanks to my work experience student William Lambourne @birder1.bsky.social an exceptional young naturalist who was an immense asset as well as his mum Amanda, as well as all the landowners and recorders involved in the project.

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Toby Fountain @tobywildlife.bsky.social · 25/11/2024

8. After writing management plans for all of these sites, I have nurtured some brilliant long term partnerships with these landowners and I am now helping many of them to enhance their sites by planning and applying for agri-schemes that will provide financial support.

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Toby Fountain @tobywildlife.bsky.social · 25/11/2024

7. It’s clear from these discoveries that the county is under surveyed for avifauna and with the far west and far north being the most overlooked. My other takeaway from the project is that there a numerous private landowners and farmers doing fantastic conservation work in the county.

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Toby Fountain @tobywildlife.bsky.social · 25/11/2024

6. This is only a fraction of the wonderful habitats and species that were observed in this project. In total, 24 LWS were surveyed, including 9 new sites being designated, totalling 896ha. The project will repeat next year and hopefully there will be more exciting finds.

Green hairstreak, credit: William Lambourne

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Toby Fountain @tobywildlife.bsky.social · 25/11/2024

5. This atypical flora is a product of very high soil acidity and heavy rainfall. With less than 1% of its historic extent remaining, it is now mostly found in the Welsh Uplands, West Coast of Scotland and W Ireland. This makes this site one of the only examples in the West of England.

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Toby Fountain @tobywildlife.bsky.social · 25/11/2024

4. At this site I also discovered an internationally scarce type of woodland: Celtic Temperate Rainforest. This is a very unusual looking woodland with a canopy of stunted oak, an absence of hazel understory and ground flora mostly comprised of mosses ferns and acid grassland flora (NVC: W11 & W17)

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Toby Fountain @tobywildlife.bsky.social · 25/11/2024

3. The other significant avian discovery was the first breeding records of tree sparrows in the county in 10 years. @birder1.bsky.social and I found a colony of several pairs in very traditional farmland on the Welsh border. William even got this cracking photo of a fledgling!

Tree sparrow fledgling, credit William Lambourne

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Toby Fountain @tobywildlife.bsky.social · 25/11/2024

2. This probable breeding pair was found by @danwebb.bsky.social at an ancient woodland site, where they seemed to favour Hazel Coppice. This was part of an exciting private rewilding project which also hosted gropper, marsh tit, pied fly, redstart, spot fly and tree pipit; some in very high numbers

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Toby Fountain @tobywildlife.bsky.social · 25/11/2024

1. The 2024 Local Wildlife Site Project I ran for @HerefordshireWT has now finished for the year and I can now reveal some of the exciting discoveries that were made. Perhaps the most exciting of which is the first county breeding record of hawfinch in 140 years!

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