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  • Jack Snipe, Durham, December 2021
  • Red Grouse, Durham, April 2021
  • Garden Tiger, Durham, July 2020
  • Long-eared Owl, Durham, June 2020
  • Golden-bloomed grey longhorn beetle, Durham, June 2019
  • Jack snipe, Durham, October 2017
  • Razorbill, Durham, May 2017
  • Waxwing, Durham, March 2017
  • Fulmar, Northumberland, June 2015
  • Emerald Damselfly, Durham, September 2019
  • Barn Owl, Oxfordshire, March 2020
  • Purple Thorn, Durham, April 2020
  • Elephant Hawk-moth, Durham, May 2020
  • Yellowhammer, Durham, April 2021
  • Pied Flycatcher, Northumberland, May 2021
  • Peach Blossom, Durham, June 2021
  • Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary, Durham, June 2021
  • Puffin, Mid Ebudes, July 2021
  • Garden Tiger, West Inverness-shire, July 2021
  • Razorbill, Mid Ebudes, July 2021
  • Sanderling, Pembrokeshire, August 2021
  • Fly Agaric, Durham, October 2021

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Flounced Chestnut flies in September and October and is suitably autumnal in colouration. Here’s one from last year. I was sitting hidden, waiting for this Short-eared Owl to appear again, when it surprised me by flying directly overhead! It was quite something to look through my camera’s viewfinder and see its piercing yellow eyes staring straight back at me. Autumnal Rustic is a classy-looking moth of late summer/early autumn. I’ve had good numbers of them whilst trapping on the heather moorlands of Durham this year. Common Lizard, peeking through the metal wire of a boardwalk in the North Pennines. I found a good number of these sunning themselves on the wooden planks. Autumn is coming, which tends to mean an increase of colour in my mothtrap. I look forward to Merveille du Jour every year– I’ve not yet had one in 2023, so here’s one from 2022. I spotted this Bronze Shieldbug on a patch of heather the other week, shining brightly in the early morning sun. This is actually the final instar nymph– the full adult has a somewhat more understated appearance. Grey Seal, taken in Pembrokeshire during the late summer of 2020. It often isn’t possible to get close shots of beached seals without disturbing them: this forces a more creative photographic approach which places the animal in its surroundings more obviously. I love the glowing orange and distinctive shape of the Herald moth. They are a rather curious species: they overwinter as adults and can be found in large numbers in caves and tunnels. This one came to my trap earlier in the year. Short-eared Owl in the Northumbrian Pennines, returning to its chicks with prey in talon. I stayed for a few days in Northumberland this summer, and we had the pleasure of watching these majestic moorland hunters most evenings. Pebble Hook-tip is the commonest Hook-tip moth. I had them in my traps in May this year and then again in August for their second brood. I love their distinctive shape! I added a new butterfly species to the garden list this year– the rather pretty Holly Blue. I found adults flying around the ivy on our fence earlier in May, and watched one as it laid its eggs. These emerged successfully in August: hopefully, the next generation will appear again in the spring! The usual garden Hedgehogs have been thin on the ground this year. I had a lovely view of this one as it wandered through my garden in early spring, but I’ve barely seen any since. My favourite common butterfly is the Comma. I associate them with Autumn, but they can be seen throughout the year– I found this individual patrolling a sunlight glade full of bracken earlier this year. Noble False-widow Spider are not often seen where I live in the North East, but their population is increasing rapidly in the south. An impressive but controversial spider: they are an invasive species, being introduced accidentally from the Canaries and Madeira many years ago probably through maritime trade. They outbreed other native spiders, and may pose a threat to some of these species. I found this individual in the roof of a shed in a family garden last year. Bar-tailed Godwit, taken in Pembrokeshire at this time of year in 2021. These large, elegant waders breed in Arctic and spend their winters in various places across the world. One subspecies breeds in Alaska and winters in New Zealand– a bird on this journey with a satellite tag set the world record for longest non-stop migratory flight at 8435 miles! Ethmia quadrillella is a pretty little moth– I found my first last year whilst trapping in a family garden. Small Copper butterfly feeding on heather. Taken a few years ago in the Durham Pennines. Late summer is a great time to see waders. I found this Sanderling feeding on a beach in Pembrokeshire a few years ago and spent a happy few hours watching it, waiting for the sun to set over the sea.