The fields of North East Dartmoor feel pretty Mediterranean at the minute. A couple of Clouded Yellows around today. @bcdevon.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social

Painted Lady in a wild and beautiful meadow on Dartmoor. Left by the farmer and full with hundreds of butterflies flying around. @bcdevon.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social

First Clouded yellow on my local summer butterfly patch. So many meadow browns. Good numbers of common blues and gatekeepers and a few marbled whites.

More purple hairstreaks low down and almost on the ground than I ever seen. Perhaps staying out of the heat. Loads of beautiful demoiselles and good numbers of Brimstones around too.

White admiral males have set up territories near shady honeysuckle. Lots of fighting and courting going on in the heat today. At one point there were 5 spinning around each other above my head. Magical day @savebutterflies.bsky.social @bcdevon.bsky.social

Purple hairstreak numbers building. About 30 on my favourite few oaks at 630 this evening. Fighting for the best spots in the sun. @bcdevon.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social Mainly males but the bottom left picture is a female. A great site to see.

They can be very elusive but this one was just hanging out next to me on the floor today for 20 minutes

Im going to the woods every chance I get to spend time with the white admirals. @savebutterflies.bsky.social @bcdevon.bsky.social

Spotted flycatchers in the garden this morning. A rare treat. #Birds

Such pleasure watching white admirals glide into forest glades. Perching high on leaves and surveying the area. @savebutterflies.bsky.social @bcdevon.bsky.social The most graceful of UK butterflies

The magnificent white admiral in the wonderful woods of Dartmoor. Heaven on Earth. @bcdevon.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social

Next generation of High Browns on Dartmoor being produced. @savebutterflies.bsky.social @bcdevon.bsky.social

An explosion of male Silver Washed Fritillaries in the woods of Dartmoor this weekend. Lots of fighting for territories. Numbers of Red and White Admirals growing. @bcdevon.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social

7 high brown fritillaries at a small site on Dartmoor today. Good to see they are still hanging on in a few different spots @bcdevon.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social

White admirals are my favourite UK butterfly. They live in the woods, are black and white, elusive, beautiful and if you put in the work can be very rewarding. A lot like my favourite bird! 5 seen this afternoon as the sun came out. @bcdevon.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social

A very overcast humid morning hard to find the silver studded blues on the East Devon Pebbled Heaths. But I managed to find 3 including this beautiful female on the heather. @bcdevon.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social

Freshly emerged High Brown fritillaries on Dartmoor. Not many out yet. 2 seen in the sunny spells between the rain this morning. A magnificent butterfly. Let's hope for many more very the next few weeks. @bcdevon.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social

The only Wood Warbler I have seen in Devon this year and I am in the woods a lot! Great to see and hear but always make me think when will I have seen my last in Devon #Birds

4 species of fritillary today but didn't capture the ragged pearl bordered fritillary. 3 in @bcdevon.bsky.social and 1 in @bc-cornwall.bsky.social . Gotta love the fritillaries in the south west. @savebutterflies.bsky.social

A yearly adventure across the border to @bc-cornwall.bsky.social to look for heath fritillaries. Over 50 seen today even in mixed conditions. They were easier to photograph in between the rain. One of my favourite butterflies and favourite places to see them.

Here's a slow mo of the first two flights for this young male. Not elegant but beautiful none the less. I hope to see the 3 chicks again as adult birds over the coming years. @lesserspotnet.bsky.social

Back this morning to see if the nest was empty. Surprised to see the male chick. Watched for an hour. No feeding from adults. One quick visit followed by a close visit and the Male fledged! Female checked the empty nest and then they were off together. Absolute joy. @lesserspotnet.bsky.social #Birds

What a wonderful spring Ive had following these lesser spots from drumming to fledging. Fun video from one of the few visits today. The parents were trying to force them out through hunger. Got a bit competitive in the nest. @lesserspotnet.bsky.social

The lesser spots have finally fledged! Want to see it don't watch this video! Watching through my bins and didn't notice my camera had frozen in the heat. Watch the pre-behaviour and you can hear the bird fly away calling at 31 secs. Then her siblings realise at 37 secs @lesserspotnet.bsky.social

Lesser Spots still not fledged. Typical behaviour this morning. Chicks calling from the hole, Female brings a quick feed then tries to call them out. They didn't want to come out. Has to be tmrw but I've been saying that since Thursday! @lesserspotnet.bsky.social

Some more footage of the lesser spot pair Ive been following since February. Ive loved every minute. Hopefully tmrw I will see the chicks, these two have been working incredibly hard to raise, fledge. @lesserspotnet.bsky.social

I cant believe the lesser spot chicks haven't fledged yet. The female kept calling at them to come out this morning. At one point for over 6 minutes straight. The adults are tired and want the chicks to forage for themselves. They are doing there best to avoid the lunges! @lesserspotnet.bsky.social

Local Marsh Fritillaries are out on Dartmoor. Counts done for @savebutterflies.bsky.social Beautiful butterflies.

Female was briefly spooked tonight by a strange noise which meant she stayed a while. Not many days to go until fledging. Could be tmrw @lesserspotnet.bsky.social If this is the last I see of them this year, good luck its been a beautiful spring. #Birds

Pied flycatchers are everywhere in the woods of Dartmoor. Doing so well. A real pleasure to be near. @piedflynet.bsky.social