W Griffith

Enjoyable and relaxing #seawatch near Lavernock Point yesterday morning. A distant common scoter, kittiwake, and a few sizeable woodpigeon flocks battling the wind were the best birds but the real highlight was the spectacular #sunrise over Flat Holm. What an amazing start to the day!

Not only that 👇 but today Wes Streeting warned us to be ready for climate-related impacts to food and water supplies. If only we knew what was causing this increase in extreme weather and could do things to reduce the risk of it getting worse. Oh wait... www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... #StopRosebank

Along the Vale coast earlier, newly arrived woodpigeons were greedily consuming haw berries, whilst peregrines stooped at the unsuspecting visitors. At least one late Clouded Yellow at Cosmeston this morning.

A brisk morning, but worth having chilly fingers to see 1000s of Wood Pigeons heading west over central and north Cardiff. Flocks were visible over the Gwent levels from 0730 but numbers had started to dwindle by 0830. Hopefully a taste of things to come towards the end of the month. 🤞 #birdingwales

Imagine a world where the mainstream media was filled with stories like this. 😊

#Gaussfest at the London museum of water and steam was quite literally electrifying! A really friendly and knowledgeable crew laid on a great show. Thanks to all involved. #electricity

It's heartbreaking to see the return of #bluefintuna from near extinction in British waters is being 'celebrated' with a fishing competition targeting them. Catch and release practices cause injuries and are linked with delayed mortality and increased predation risk. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Woodcock shooting season starts today in most of the UK (Scotland was 1 Sep). Continental birds have not arrived yet so any shot birds will be red-listed British breeders. GWCT suggests waiting until 1 December before targeting Woodcock. More here: wadertales.wordpress.com/2015/10/26/c... #birds

Building numbers of Common Scoters off the north Wales coast, with over 200 seen in just over an hour at Rhos Point this morning. 15 species in total including Common and Sandwich terns, RT divers, gannets, guillemots, shags, curlew, cormorants, and a selection of gulls. #birdingwales

I've never understood why people are happy to cause harmful environmental impacts whilst seeking out opportunities to enjoy wildlife and nature. This event sounds as though it will offer some interesting insights and alternative options.

Brief visit to Rhos Point this afternoon didn't disappoint. Singles of RT diver, Eider, Sandwich Tern, and Great Crested Grebe. Also 2 Gannets, 3 Herring Gulls, 3 Oystercatchers, and a Great Crested Grebe, all with a steady stream of Cormorants heading west. #birdingwales

Yet more evidence calling #SAF sustainability credentials into question. The only real world scenario that will reduce aviation emissions is to reduce the number of flights. #sustainableaviation #jetzero #flyless

Really enjoying the late season #butterflies. A beautifully iridescent Small Copper came to visit the red valerian flowers in the garden earlier today. Still good numbers of small white, and painted lady too. #southwalesbutterflies #smallcopper

J A Baker's The Peregrine came to life today as I spent a couple of hours watching them hunt around me. Amazing to see an adult dropping a live pigeon mid-air, seemingly for a juvenile to try to catch. Despite best efforts of the youngster, the lucky pigeon escaped. Wildlife highlight of the year!

Large numbers of butterflies seen in the Cowbridge area today. Nant Aberthin held Clouded Yellow, Painted Ladies and this Small Copper. A clump of buddleia near Llanquian held a spectacular cloud of butterflies - Red Admiral, Speckled Wood, PLs, Comma. All in all 34 of 8 sp. #SouthWalesButterflies

Red-veined darter (I think) playing hide and seek at Lavernock this morning. #dragonfly

This morning's #lunareclipse was a parting gift from the solar system after the total #eclipse I saw in Spain a couple of weeks ago. The #moon was beautiful sight against the gently brightening dawn sky. #astrophotography #nightsky

I'm in Spain for the eclipse and glad to see that the people of #Zaragoza have recognised Cardiff's rightful place amongst the great fashion houses of Paris, New York, and Milan. #CardiffHombre #HauteCouture

Wonderful airborne display in the garden this evening when a small squadron of migrant hawker #dragonflies arrived for their evening meal. #gardeningforwildlife

In what version of reality is drilling for North Sea oil and gas seen as such a great idea @andyburnham.bsky.social? #StopRosebank

More than making up for a lack of White Admirals at Slade Wood (where I cycled yesterday), a beautiful Clouded Yellow became the 16th and latest #butterfly species in my #Penarth garden. 5 silver-washed frits and a host of others were present at Slade. I'll return there soon. #SouthWalesButterflies

164 #butterflies of 10 species during a magical morning at #Cosmeston with 18 clouded yellow (including one white helice form), and a dark green fritillary the highlights. Also day-flying #moths, and many dragonflies. ##SouthWalesButterflies #nature Thanks to @sconzani.bsky.social for help with id.

Lovely to find a small skipper laying eggs in our garden meadow. Our fourth #NoMowSummer in a row (with complementary planting in the borders) has really seen an uptick in biodiversity, with many additional plant and insect species. #SouthWalesButterflies #Butterfly #Gardeningfornature

A #NoMow approach to the garden over the last few years is really starting to bear fruit. The lawn is now home to a wide range of invertebrates and yesterday we had our first ever small skipper, which liked it so much it decided to stay overnight. #wildlifegardening #butterflies

Beaming messages with as much relevance today as when they were originally penned, #DEVO were other-worldly last night in Manchester. The Cosmic De-evolution tour with the #B-52s, #TheRezillos, & #LeneLovich was a triumph! #glitchart #AreWeNotMen #WeAreDEVO

Never mind the #heatwave, there's a tidal wave of #litter out there! Worryingly large numbers of disposable barbecues today, each releasing sharp, corroded metal onto #Penarth beach, which is popular with (often barefoot) swimmers! #BintheBBQ #DawnStalkers #KeepWalesTidy

Warm and overcast conditions last night attracted over 50 #moths of 20 species, many of which were new to the garden (Coronet, Common Lutestring, & Phoenix). However, the highlight was this charming Acorn Weevil. #acornweevil #teammoth #bugs

Spent a wonderful morning sitting in a cloud of Silver-studded blue #butterflies on the #GreatOrme. The plebejus caernensis sub-species is only found on the Orme and have a symbiotic relationship with black ants.

Fruitless search for the reef heron in Y Foryd today. A lot of people were searching, so it seems likely to have moved on. A lovely cycle from Bangor station nonetheless, and a yellow wagtail, 3 black swans and many shelduck chicks were great to see. #BirdingWales

Can't belive that #GardenersWorld came to #Penarth and didn't mention our incredible diversity of garden #molluscs! 🤣 A short scan round the flower beds during the drizzle last night revealed at least 9 species of #slugs and #snails. 🐌🐌🐌

What better way to spend a hot evening than a bit of moth trapping in the garden? 16 species (plus a few unidentified pugs 🤔), with many new to the garden including Treble Brown Spot and this spectacular Waved Umber. Also a rather striking (ophion?) #ichneumon wasp. #TeamMoth #Mothsmatter

Think of CO₂ removal like a time machine. How far back does planting 100 million trees take us? One mature tree takes up ~25 kg of CO₂/year, so 100 million trees will take up 2.5 MtCO₂. That's a time machine that takes us back ~33 minutes in a year. Nature will not save us from fossil fuel CO₂.

Perfect timing to visit Compton Down for a #butterfly hunt! 12 species seen alongside multiple day-flying moths and other #beasties. Glanville Fritillary, Adonis Blue, Grizzled Skipper, Small Blue, Wood Tiger, and Mother Shipton moth were my highlights. #UKwildlife #Teammoth #IsleofWight

First Jersey Tiger moth caterpillar found in my #Penarth garden today. The first adults were seen at our moth trap a couple of years ago and it seems that these striking #moths are now here to stay! #mothsmatter #tigermoth #caterpillar

'There is a last time for everything, though when that happens we rarely know it for what it is - and so we should approach each thing as if we'll never have a chance to experience it again.' Wise words from @stonelands.bsky.social in Stone Lands, a wonderfully poignant book #megalith #standingstone

I found my first ever grizzled skippers at Merthyr Mawr today. Much smaller than I expected, but they certainly made the long cycle worthwhile. Also seen: dingy skippers, orange tip, common blue and both flavours of white. #butterflies #ukwildlife #butterfly

A cycle to the unloved and overlooked Ffos-yr-Haidal 1 cupmarked rock on Mynydd Eglwysilan today. More modern mark-making was evident nearby, including some that had been drilled and cut into the rock! 😱 #BronzeAge round cairn Carneddi Llwydion had seen better days. #StoneClub #rockart

Calls for policymakers and regulators to recognise #nature as "the critical foundation of society and the economy" as #climatechange, water shortages, soil degradation, pollinator declines and overfishing are creating a #perfectstorm threatening #food supplies. www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...

Successful morning searching for longhorn moths at Casehill Woods. Over 8 adela reaumurella on a single oak tree, with a lone nematopogon swammerdamella up in the woods proper. #mothsmatter #woodlandtrust #longhornmoth #moth

"Almost every feather sample tested from five common species of UK garden birds contained either permethrin, imidacloprid or fipronil – all insecticides that are banned for agricultural use but still common in pet tick and flea treatments."

As one of the 22% of households without access to a car, with a female partner who (justifiably) feels too #unsafe to #cycle on the road, and in living an area of south #Wales with disconnected and poorly maintained #cyclepaths, this video really hit home. #activetravel #equality