Simon Phelps

Amazing walk, 3 new peaks in one! Carnedd Llewelyn, Carnedd Dafydd, Pen Y Ole Wen. Breathtaking 360 views, you can see the sea. Good views of Tryfan and the Glyders. A flock of Snow Bunting was the wildlife highlight. On days like this it feels like paradise.

A healthy antidote to the introduction rhetoric. Some make out the only way to get nature back is to introduce it. Yet stories like this show how much can be restored simply through creating good quality habitats. Wonderful to see. Nicely blending in introductions at the end too.

Wild, wet and windy day today in Snowdonia. Brief afternoon walk around the forest trails above Betws-y-coed. Llyn y Parc Lake was lovely and the woodland was scattered with fungi.

First summit of the week done! Cnicht was a lovely little peak to climb. Not as hard as it looked. Nice scramble at the top. Lovely lake on the way down to have my lunch beside. The autumn colours are lovely, the various brown tones of bracken and moor grass.

Arrived at a wonderful little cabin/cottage in Snowdonia. Tryfan is opposite! What a view. Looking forward to spending the week hiking up some new mountains. God I love this place!

More urban phone photography doodling! What do you think of these? I love this spot. So many interesting opportunities for creative composition and lighting.

My daily walk along the river is a highlight for me. I'm always struck by the contrast of the beautiful white swans and the dark industrial architecture of the railway line. I need to get down there with my dslr camera. This phone pic only gives a hint at the start beauty of this space.

I've shared wildlife photos from the Austrian Alps, but the real star of the show were the mountains. Staying in Mayrhofen I was surrounded by them. Many trails and two cable cars meant exploring them was easy. I loved nothing more than getting up high in the wilds to take in the inspiring views.

As summer draws to a close and the days shorten, my mind drifts back to June in the Austrian Alps. The alpine flowers were wonderful. Snowbell and Trumpet Gentian were my favourites. Delicate, elegant pink Snowbell, and the gorgeous unique deep blue of the Gentian. The alpine flowers were a joy.

I've had lots of new moth species since moving from Somerset to Peterborough. I had another on Thursday night, this fantastic Large Thorn. A stunning moth, quite different to the other Thorn species I have seen. #teammoth

Forgive the terrible phone pic but delighted to see my first Cydia amplana in Peterborough this morning. Had 3! Got 69 species, a lovely selection. Clay Triple-lines, Maiden's Blush other highlights. There was a whopping 89 Vines Rustic! #teammoth @migrantmothuk.bsky.social

I saw lots of cool beetles in Austria. My favourite may have been this tiger beetle. I think it is Cicindela sylvicola, but there could be similar species and it is hard to find information online. There were a few of these flying along the path in the Stilluptal Valley.

"No single waterway passed a separate test for chemical pollution." Shameful. Heartbraking. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

One of the most striking butterflies that I saw in Austria was the Black-veined White. Large and bold, and truly stunning up close. It went extinct in England in 1925. There is work taking place to potentially reintroduce it. You can't say it wouldn't be a welcome gem to have back!

As a butterfly lover I had to spend part of my birthday yesterday looking for them. Yet it was a death of one which brought me most joy! 😂 A Meadow Brown snared by a crab spider. I did also delight at live Purple Hairstreaks and Silver-washed Fritillaries. Found in the lovely Bedford Purlieus wood.

Far fewer species in the Peterborough garden moth trap today. Only 33. However it was worth it for this gorgeous Palpita vitrealis. I've only seen it a few times before. A lovely sheen to its wings. #teammoth

Starting to make my way through my photo backlog. Here are photos from April of the stunning Pasque Flowers that I saw near Peterborough. That combination of purple and gold is magical. They gave me hope when I needed it. The natural world keeps growing & regenerating, inspiring me to do the same.

Green is the theme it seems! A few days ago I found this stunning Musk Beetle on my walk home from work in Peterborough. More fabulous urban wildlife in the Nene Valley. Not seen this species before. It shows that you can have excellent wildlife in urban settings.

Another Peterborough moth trap, another new moth for me. Delighted to catch several Tree-lichen Beauty. Wanted to see it for a while. On 74 species at the moment, will go over 80 when fridge micros are done. Chinese Character always makes me smile. #teammoth

New garden and new moths! Moved back East to Peterborough. A new moth for me this morning: Toadflax Brocade. On 75 species, expecting to go over 80 and maybe close to 90. Heat made sleeping hard but mothing exciting! Always a joy when the trap is full up. #teammoth

Amazing to see huge swarms of Cockchafer beetles in Ailsworth yesterday evening. Never seen that before. There were so many swarming around the trees. Zooming around over the grass in the park.

Another first for me in Austria were hundreds of trees wrapped in Ermine moth webs. Seen hedges coated in the UK but never found whole trees. Incredible to see. Amazing how much webbing these tiny caterpillars produce. Fascinating to see the entire trunk wrapped up, like clingfilm! #teammoth

Bidding a fond farewell to Austria today. I'll miss waking up to Grinbergspitze mountain each morning. Mayrhofen is an incredible place to stay. I can't wait to return and explore other parts of the Alps. They're such a special landscape.

Further evidence of the complete system collapse with regards our rivers. Nothing works or is fit for purpose. It is desperately sad. Campaigner threatened with prosecution by Environment Agency after waterway cleanup www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Blink and you'll miss it! Just watched a Dipper pair flying through this waterfall to reach their nest. Incredible to witness. Such remarkable birds.

A final high alpine walk for me as my Austrian Alps holiday draws to a close. Reached my highest point of the trip at 2278 metres. Awe inspiring views of the Zillertal Alps. Amazing wildflowers everywhere, including lots of Bird's-eye Primrose. Mazarine Blue and Ring Ouzel the other highlights.

A more sedate day today, to ease my aching legs. 6 miles along the valley floor. Beautiful chapels and churches. Lovely rivers and waterfalls. Screaming Swifts and gliding White Admirals the highlights.

Today was all about the alpine flowers. Up above 2000 metres in the Austrian Alps. Alpine Snowbell, Globeflower, Trumpet Gentian and many more I could not identify. A kaleidoscope of colour. Pure magic.

Breathtaking walk in the Stilluptal valley today. More lovely butterflies, including Thors Fritillary which was new for me. Large Blue and Chequered Skipper also great to see. Some cool beetlew too and the ever present wildflowers.

This is fantastic. We need more of this. Properly monitored and quantified. But we need decision makers to listen. The science isn't new. It is about giving nature space to do its thing. When we take everything, as we normally do, we make problems for ourselves www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...

Wonderful 8 mile walk exploring the Zillergrund valley. Up to Steinerkogl and down via Brandberg. Lots of lovely flowers and butterflies. Black-veined White and Birds nest orchid may have been the highlights. But there were so many delights. Just paradise!

Arrived in Mayrhofen for a week in the Austrian Alps. The Zillertal Valley is stunning. Feels like paradise. Views of the majestic mountains from my hotel room balcony. Can't wait to get walking the trails tomorrow. Excited to see what wildlife I can find.

Lots of wonderful wildlife in my parents garden. The Slow worm in the compost heap and Mullein moth caterpillars the highlights. The usual bat was out last night. Two hedgehogs seen recently. Painted Lady butterflies too. Ermine moth caterpillars on the apple and spindle. Newts in the pond.

Final day in Snowdonia. Climbed Moel Siabod. Lovely walk, although the ridge path up was tough. Especially in the hailstorms! Another Cuckoo heard. So many here. Such a stunning and special part of the world. Can't wait to return!

A more gentle walk today, after the exertion of yesterday. Starting in Trefriw and going round two lakes: Llyn Geirionydd and Llyn Crafnant. Lovely views and lots of bluebells. Soundtrack of Cuckoo's (four or five) and Willow Warblers. Just wonderful.

Marsh Fritillary for me! Get voting!

Fantastic walk up Y Garn in Snowdonia. Up via Lyn Idwal and Devils Kitchen and down via steep ridge back. Amazing panoramic views. Tryfan a welcome constant brooding presence. Bilberry Bumblebee the wildlife highlight, a new species for me.

More thrilling urban wildlife seen today in Peterborough. A Peregrine perching on the block of flats opposite my office block. Lovely to watch it preening its feathers. Below by the road, the gory remains of its breakfast. I think it's a pigeons wing!

This morning on my daily walk to work in Peterborough I heard my first Cuckoo of the year. It brought genuine joy to my heart.

Wonderful trip to Old Sulehay and Barnack Hills and Holes. Pasque flowers, Bluebells, Wild Garlic, first ever Toothwort, Nightingales singing, first Willow Warblers singing, Nomad bees. The pure magic of spring! 😁

The miracles of migration will never cease to amaze me. And in a world of so much turmoil and uncertainty, it feels strangely comforting to see birds like this continuing to live out their lives. All is not lost and the world can still function.

I love this time of the year. The world is waking up. Intricate tiny details everywhere. The spring blossom is stunning. Blackthorn and willow an explosion of intricacy.

The Somerset Levels is drying out. King Alfred's monument emerging from the flood that engulfed it a month or so ago. Curry Moor remains full. Pumps on and powering the water away, down the rivers to Bridgwater Bay.

Spring in the air tonight and on Sunday during my @webs-gsmp.bsky.social count at @wwtworldwide.bsky.social Steart Marshes. Skylarks were singing. Such a glorious sound. A group of smart Grey Plover the highlight.

A glorious sunrise walk around the Quantock Hills today. Dead Women's Ditch > Somerton Combe > Shepherds Combe > Ramscombe. I love it there so much. Golden light, twisted oaks, wild streams, far reaching views, open heath.

Vast volumes of water moving slowly through the Somerset Levels and Moors. These photos show the King's Sedgemoor area, looking towards RSPB Greylake and the A361. Water transforms the landscape. Amazing to witness its power.