I note the nights are drawing in now, and the bat activity seems to reflect this. They were echo-locating at 5.30am today! This timing is dependent on temperature,  available food and weather, so draw your own conclusions. The sun is just rising but we are cloudy here, 11°C and still.

Beast - check out today's Killer Whale story...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science_and_environment 

Breaking local story:

Fury over plan for £4.3m bat bridge and tunnel - Lincoln

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp8z0j840g8o 

Been for a pleasant walk along the River Witham, but little wildlife to be seen. The river is half covered in a mat of Azolla.

https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/1024x576/p09tzgd5.jpg 

Drones join battle against eight-toothed beetle threatening forests 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clyr8yml9rro 

I've seen the devastation this beetle can cause at first hand, in Poland, where they've had to give up growing spruce in some areas. The campaign against the beetle has increasingly affected orienteering events - 3 years ago it was just a matter of avoiding spruce plantations so as not to promote the spread of the beetle, now Forestry England requires disinfection of footwear in potentially infected areas.

Record 2024–2025 honeybee colony losses reported across United States

https://watchers.news/2025/09/01/record-honeybee-colony-losses-2024-2025-united-states-texas/ 

Mainly due to varroa mite and viruses that it carries

Not forgetting poor animal husbandry in the management of these pollinators. Big beekeepers have to cut corners. This is the price they pay. They move their hives about with less than adequate inspection and treatment - which is how Varroa was introduced in the first place. We get what we deserve. I remember when the first varroa mite was found in our hives - early 90s - and knew perfectly well what some beekeepers were doing in the UK at that time - ignoring restrictions and doing their own thing!

Varroa in the UK: 25 years on [2017 article]

https://www.vita-europe.com/beehealth/blog/varroa-uk-25-years/ 

Am late watching series 7 of Gone Fishing, and was amazed to see that there's a chalk stream in Driffield, East Yorkshire! It looked absolutely stunning, the water so pure.

Entomologist with enormous beard

Why you may find spiders under your Christmas tree

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp3qnzpdw9go 

Darwinian.

Darwin and Marx: truly critical thinkers

And one to tie in to your current reading perhaps Roger. So do you still have beard?

https://radicalteatowel.co.uk/radical-history-blog/the-surprising-links-between-darwin-and-marx 

I do. It's 56 years old this year! 😁

How wildlife is returning to heathland

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy8rn9zrg8ko 

But you do wonder about why it's worth worrying about a tiny nail fungus which lives only on New Forest pony dung (see link)

Sorry Roger, only just saw your post. I dont come here very often!  The story is no longer there 

I'll see if I can relocate it for you, Beast. Here you go...

It's not as odd a story as some might think. How do you think AI works - the REAL AI?

I did a course in it at a cattle breeding centre. My other half made me a jumper with a short left sleeve!

She once remarked: "Tea's ready - go and wash your arm!" 🤣🤣🤣

I've still got some long plastic gloves somewhere if they are any use to you.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cedvp89jy4do 

https://scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/things-to-do/watch-wildlife-online/loch-of-the-lowes-webcam/ 

There are little fungi that live on dead holly leaves, the holly parachute fungi - amazing, beautiful things that I'd guess 99.99% of people have no idea of. There are thousands of moth species than even fewer people know if.

On a slightly bigger scale there are amazingly beautiful and colourful 'waxcap' mushrooms that I would guess 99.9% of people know nothing of.

Knowing about all of those has enriched me. Knowing about how the weather and climate works has enriched me too. My guess is somewhere between 90 and 99% of people have no idea how the weather and climate actually works.

I'm glad I now know about the dung fungus too 👍

Oedipal complex is something cross species. Studies on Humans show teenage boys can be sexually attracted to their mothers.  Maybe we shouldnt fight it! 

18/9/2025

Second Flush of Suede Boletus on No Mow part of lawn.

Xerocomus subtomentosus

https://www.first-nature.com/fungi/boletus-subtomentosus.php 

That said I've found plenty of brown hairstreak eggs (even with the blackthorn well leafed, but only on the usual hedges, despite lots of suckers in others) and the increasing patches of devils bit scabious in the zero input meadow are a lovely sight.

Edit: I checked the nest boxes carefully yesterday and saw no house martins but there are some back again tonight - in a box that has been empty for some weeks! Either I missed some last night (which is possible) or they've come back (which I think is a bit more likely) .

 I do like to think there is much I do not know about those amazing little birds. They do normally go on migration and not return. Perhaps tonight's are some of our young ones? Perhaps adults who can't yet bear to go? Perhaps they're not even some of 'ours' but some taking a rest in a nest as they pass? I do get the feeling they really don't want to go but are driven away. But it's all slightly educated speculation on my part. One day, maybe, we will have house martins with minute devices fitted when you can say 'Oh, so it's that bird' Or 'Blimey, that's a bird from Yorkshire'. I hope I'm around to see that, I hope more there are house martins around though..

Finally, at last... today I saw a Peacock butterfly in the garden. 

This summer seems to have been good for the White butterflies here, seen plenty of them, but surprisingly and despite the amazing summer weather I have seen no Peacocks, no Red Admirals, no Tortoiseshells, no Comma's and no Painted Ladies.

That's not to say they aren't around, but most years they are in and out of the garden. But this year, just the one Peacock yesterday.

However, there have been a surprising number of quite large and colourful dragonflies in the garden this year. Not sure why, because we have no pond or anything that you would think would attract them. 

Roger, do butterflies avoid dragonflies ? 

They are interesting. Here's a few links.

Yellow-browed Warbler - RSPB

https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/yellow-browed-warbler 

Yellow-browed Warbler - BTO

https://www.bto.org/learn/about-birds/birdfacts/yellow-browed-warbler 

Yellow-browed Warbler - British Birdsongs

https://www.british-birdsongs.uk/yellow-browed-warbler/ 

Not Roger, but no - not in my garden. I've had a procession of dragonflies (from my pond) for most of the summer, and the butterflies don't seem bothered - they settle on fences, plants etc. The dragonflies have done an excellent job of keeping the little midge-like flies under control, but oddly this year none of them seem to have lasted more than a day or two! Last year I had up to 7 dragonflies at a time flying around, this time it's one or, very rarely, two at a time.

I am not an entomologist - bar my interest in bees and wasps. We have a good number of dragonflies [hawkers and darters] and several spp of butterflies in the garden. I've never seen a dragonfly try to take a butterfly but they seem to be catching the small stuff they like, so I agree. Some friends here have just re-worked their pond and within hours dragonflies were laying in it.

Mesmerising starling murmuration captured on film - Cleethorpes

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/c7402vp9p7yo 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/czr1mgmz44ko 

Specially shaped concrete blocks with hidey-holes for marine life deposited around the base of a turbine after a successful small-scale trial in Devon - and will also prevent erosion of the turbine foundations.