Jon Dunn

Blimey. There's suddenly a LOT more people here. Hello! For those who weren't on the bird site and don't already know, amongst other things, I write stuff, and with Christmas coming up, maybe a joyful book about orchids, or one about hummingbirds, might be a colourful antidote to winter and Now?

If you'd told me at the start of autumn that I'd see both Siberian Blue and Rufous-tailed Robins in Britain, I'd have laughed at you, but it's happened! Today's Rufous-tailed Robin at Flamborough hopped around in front of us for over an hour from dawn, showing down to a few metres. #ukbirding

Lichens on rock near Kim #Fallback to April 27 🌿

We're so proud to have @europebutterfly.bsky.social (BCE) founding father Chris van Swaay as one of Team Mariposa's tour leaders - the butterfly knowledge and experience he brings is immense. Chris will be leading Butterflies of the Hautes Pyrenees in 2027, another tour generating a donation to BCE.

While the orchids of Tenerife earlier this year were the stars of the show, it was hard to ignore other flowers on that botanical treasure island - not least Canary Bellflower, whose fiery bells dangled at eye level above flowering Canary Three-fingered Orchid.

Good morning and welcome to a new week! Our featured tour is Orchids of Tenerife, a great winter break to this subtropical island in search of a small, desirable array of orchids. Naturally, the tour generates a donation to support @bsbibotany.bsky.social. 💚 www.mariposanature.com/tours/botani...

A heads up on my forthcoming book: Where the Wild Things Live. Available: late November. A search for species, from lichens to mammals & from moths to fungi, in an ordinary garden. How many species would you find in your garden? More details markavery.info/my-new-book-...

Tour update 🚨 The 2027 edition of the spectacular Summer Butterflies of the Spanish Pyrenees took another booking today, making it now a guaranteed departure next July. And another guaranteed donation to @europebutterfly.bsky.social. www.mariposanature.com/tours/butter...

Back from the AGM of the European Butterflies Group held yesterday in Birmingham. Great to catch up with so many old friends, and to hear updates on survey work being done on some imperilled species. As always, a terrific exchange of news and insights.

The Slender-billed Nutcracker at Mundesley this morning put on quite a show feeding within a metre of a very appreciative early crowd. What a bird! #NorfolkBirding

Nuts! #UKBirding # NorfolkBirding

Remarkable how confiding/settled the Chestnut Bunting gradually became through the wk, compared to views we were initially getting. Earlier in the week it was v mobile and working a full circuit of the various walled yards of the farm. Many thanks for everyones cooperation with site instructions 👍

Tour update 🚨 Bookings are coming thick and fast for the 2028 editions of our tours - first two places secured today for glorious Spring Butterflies in Abruzzo. This, like all our butterfly tours, generates a donation to support @europebutterfly.bsky.social. www.mariposanature.com/tours/butter...

We're proud to have been the first wildlife tour company to commit to supporting @europebutterfly.bsky.social with donations made straight after *every* butterfly tour we run. Their science-led conservation work is the gold standard for butterflies.

Tour update 🚨 Things move fast around here, and as of this afternoon the 2028 edition of Spring Butterflies of Marvellous Morocco now has just one place left available to book to join us for the unique chance to see some very special species indeed: www.mariposanature.com/tours/butter...

'An amazing week of great food, great tour leaders and orchids, orchids and more orchids!' A lovely guest testimonial for Orchids of Rhodes - thank you Steph! Did we mention there may be rather a lot of orchids?! While we don't neglect the rarities, we're there for the sheer spectacle too.

Since butterfly season is winding down, I'm looking back on some of my favorite moments of the year with these glorious critters. Guest starring as always @natbutterflycenter.bsky.social and @mariposanature.bsky.social, who always bring me butterfly joy! overtonpark.org/2026/10/21/n...

Tour update 🚨 The end of a *very* busy day of bookings, and two more places secured for the 2028 edition of our Spring Butterflies of Marvellous Morocco tour. That leaves just two places remaining available to join us there: www.mariposanature.com/tours/butter...

Fantastic lichens of Finse, Norway

Who's it going to be?!

Tour update 🚨 Another 2028 orchid tour booking today, this one for Orchids of Sardinia, led by our brilliant Italian naturalist and renowned orchid-hunter Michele Viganò, and Dave Fairhurst. The varied habitats of the 'mini-continent' of Sardinia await! www.mariposanature.com/tours/botani...

Tour update🚨 Today's proving to be an excellent day for orchid tour bookings for 2028. First out of the blocks, a booking for Orchids of Cyprus, led by the dynamic, friendly, highly knowledgeable naturalist duo of @thenewgalaxy.bsky.social & Dave Fairhurst... www.mariposanature.com/tours/botani...

Just a (very!) small selection of the notable orchid hybrids and unusual forms found earlier this year during the month I spent out on Rhodes for @mariposanature.bsky.social. Looking forward very much to doing this again in 2027, both for Team Mariposa and with another project on the cards... 🤫

Tour update 🚨 Another place secured lately on our tried and tested Butterflies of Montes Universales tour next August. All bookings made before 1 December 2026 enjoy a £150 Early Bird discount off the list price. www.mariposanature.com/tours/butter...

'Orchids of Rhodes was excellent. It surpassed my expectations in the number, quantity and quality of species... the 'bang for my buck' was very large' On all of our tours we believe there's no sacrifice to be made in quality or quantity of species seen. Value for money matters to you, and to us.

An insect from a different tribe altogether that's pretending to be something it isn't. Eurasian Bee Beetle, as the name suggests, is rocking a bumblebee look this season to deter bird predators that don't fancy dealing with a sting in the tail.

This has made my day 🥰 Creating tours, contributing to others and leading them for Mariposa has been a labour of love I genuinely cannot wait to get out and about again in the beautiful places we know, with people who want to share our combined experience and knowledge Come and join us sometime!

It means the world to me that the orchid tours I lead for @mariposanature.bsky.social are accessible for all. We've had guests join us from age 12 to 91, and with all levels of orchid knowledge, from absolute beginner to world-renowned professor of botany. Everyone's welcome!

Struck it lucky as I was preparing to leave the site today after 2 + hours of poor but reasonable binocular views. Then a WOW photo moment! CHESTNUT BUNTING at Baltasound, Unst. Thanks Brydon Thomason for finding this incredible bird, 2nd record for Britain. #rarebirds #shetland

The most startling example I can find of Batesian mimicry involves Danaid Eggfly, a completely palatable (if you're a bird) butterfly that's evolved to look uncannily like the toxic, foul-tasting, and unrelated Plain Tiger. The former trades heavily on the latter's reputation...

When my pal David Moore and I founded Mariposa, donations to conservation charity were from the very outset to be at the heart of the business. That mattered to us - and always will - and we know it matters to our guests too.

Postcard from the field: Team Mariposa's leaders rarely stop looking at wildlife - when they're not leading tours, they're out and about seeing what they can find. Intrepid @thenewgalaxy.bsky.social has been scaling the treacherous slopes of Madeira this past week in search of rare orchids.

Tour update 🚨 Another place secured this afternoon for the 2028 edition of Spring Butterflies of Marvellous Morocco. Just four places now left available on this super introduction to north African butterfly wonders. www.mariposanature.com/tours/butter...

💥😍👍 Chestnut Bunting today on Unst. Yet another epic find by @brydonthomason.bsky.social. Could be tricky to get views, but occasionally showing well with patience. #YellBirding #Shetland #RareBirdsUk

I've been writing a piece lately about insects that masquerade, pretending to be other things entirely, fooling the casual onlooker. This robberfly, Laphria aurea, resembles a wasp - Batesian mimicry to deter visual predators. Ironic, given it's a determined predator in its own right.

My Orchids of Rhodes 2026 trip was unforgettable with the very best guides. @dunnjons.bsky.social & @thenewgalaxy.bsky.social were so passionate, knowledgeable, welcoming & great fun. Breathtaking orchids & scenery. A wonderfully inclusive group atmosphere. I'd have rebooked immediately if I could.

Why does our Orchids of Rhodes tour fill two years in advance? The answer's simple - nobody knows the island's orchids better than us. That's no idle boast - just read our trip reports, and the guest testimonials on our website. We don't wing it, so you don't have to either! (2/2)

Good morning & welcome to a new week! Several of our 2028 tours are already fully booked, including Orchids of Rhodes - indeed, that was full two years before it's due to run! So we laid on a second week, and that has just two spaces left available on it... (1/2) mariposanature.com/tours/botani...

Setting out for a dog walk just after 4pm, i didn’t expect that going through autopilot motion to kick something out rank grass would give anything, let alone this! CHESTNUT BUNTING. Massive thanks to team effort- DC, MGP, RF helping pin down and nail ID, against the clock before sundown! 1/2

Tour update - room for one more? 😉 Places on the 2028 editions of our tours have been going like hot cakes this weekend. Our Serbian butterfly tour is down to just one place left. Worth the wait? Absolutely yes! www.mariposanature.com/tours/butter... @europebutterfly.bsky.social #butterflies

Tour update 🚨 Our 2028 edition tours are filling fast... two places just taken on Spring Butterflies of Marvellous Morocco, so it's now a guaranteed departure, and another guaranteed donation to support the work of @europebutterfly.bsky.social. www.mariposanature.com/tours/butter...

Tour update 🚨 We launched the 2028 edition of Butterflies of the Italian & Swiss Alps yesterday evening, and that too is now fully booked. Places remain available to join our other 2028 (and some 2027) butterfly tours - full details on our website: www.mariposanature.com/calendar

Tour update 🚨 The 2028 edition of our Butterflies of the European Arctic opened for bookings last night, and was quickly fully booked. Places remain available on other 2028 (and some 2027) butterfly tours, details on our website: www.mariposanature.com/calendar

Red-flanked Bluetail, in my patch, Halligarth next door, yesterday. Though very likely to be the Burrafirth bird from earlier in wk, was a glorious, pulse-raising moment to focus my #swarovskioptik #NLPures on those iconic flank blushes. Far from the mythical mega it once was, still top drawer Sibe.

And now for something I've *not* done this year, but can't wait for my turn to come around with @mariposanature.bsky.social - Butterflies of the Italian & Swiss Alps. There's some really special insects there to look forward to... #butterflies

Big respect to the person on high quality drugs in the distant past who decided to call maidenhair spleenwort 'maidenhair spleenwort'.

I spent this week helping translocate some animals you have probably never heard of: Vodjvodina Blind Mole-Rats. There are fewer than 1,000 left: ploughing destroys their habitat. They are not moles, not rats, but are blind! They live 20+ years and need your help! gofund.me/ce3134007. Pls share.

I don't follow this account, because I can't bear to, but it shows up in my feed every day, and I'm so glad it exists, because we need to be told, and shown, *every damn day*, exactly where all this shit leads us. Exactly where. Down to all the little kids' birthdays and all the little shoes.

Another personal butterfly highlights collage, this one from the butterfly tour I co-led in Austria this summer with my Team Mariposa co-founder David Moore, and the genial and knowledgeable Frank Sengpiel. Some wonderful alpine species showed beautifully well for us and our guests.

Tour update 🚨 Things move fast around here. Taking advantage of our Early Bird deal, offering £150 off any 2027 or 2028 tours booked before 1 December 2026, another place taken on 2028 edition of our Serbian butterfly tour. Two places now remain available... www.mariposanature.com/tours/butter...