Shane

@sharkeee

Observer of the natural world, mostly in UK. Mammals, insects, birds, plants, fungi it, they all catch my eye and via photographs and video, I like to share them with you.

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Shane@sharkeee· 11d

Photography challenges yesterday included. - Composition and framing failure whilst sat on the ridge photographing Hirundines. - Neck ache whilst laying at ground level with waders.

A photo of three barn swallows gathering prior to migration. Two adults posturing with gapes open either side of an incoming juvenile.

A common sandpiper walking along a foreshore, the background is wader beyond with green with reflected vegetation. A metallic bronze sheen glows upon the birds closed wings and it's pristine white belly offers a crisp contrast.

Green sandpiper. Larger than the common sandpiper, this bird is standing in the water, its green legs knee deep. It has our white belly and dark upper parts, this one appears dark brown in the setting sun. the feathers are speckled in starlike spots.

Shane@sharkeee· 12d

Usually flighty, this common sandpiper came over to me and foraged nearby. I was far from being camouflaged, as I was sat against a wall in the glow of the setting sun.

Shane@sharkeee· 14d

Recently fledged kingfishers used a local water level gauge where I could lay in wait. At times it sat less than a metre from me. 😍

Shane@sharkeee· 21d

She’s a beauty. Female Sparrowhawk from yesterday.

Shane@sharkeee· Jun 11

I first saw this small 'swarm' of Honey bees on this headstone a week ago whilst looking for a Badger sett. Last night whilst releasing a rescue Badger cub at the site we noticed that the 'swarm' now had settled status.

Shane@sharkeee· May 27

Crazy canids! A fox has bitten into my cars fuel tank breather pipe. @mammalsocietyyouth.bsky.social #foxes #mammals

A photo of a punctured plastic pipe showing two small round holes

The same pipe now with nails in each of the four holes. This is to highlight their location. A measuring tape is under the pipe to show the distance the holes are apart. The widest holes are around 32mm apart.

Now the pipe below the skull of a young adult red fox. The two pointed upper incisors line up perfectly at 32mm apart.

And the pipe by the lower mandibles of the fox. The narrower spaced holes aline with the lower teeth too.

Shane@sharkeee· May 19

I've finally sorted through the thousands of images and videos, of hundreds of species taken during a 3 week adventure in SE Asia. One stand out image for me so far, is of a couple of Fiery gem males during their non contact contest over territory. Not a sharp image by any means i know.

Shane@sharkeee· Apr 14

Any #Somerset based #moth ers out there who’d like to take over the care of our puss moths. They might be emerging from their cocoons in the coming few weeks and as will be away, we may not see them in their adult form. #Teammoth #nature

Shane@sharkeee· Mar 21

A couple of super cool finds by a member of our monthly #rockpoolproject #bioblitz today. Kilve beach on the #Quantockhills was the location and way out on the low water mark, a nudibranch named, Fuzzy Onchidoris - Onchidoris muricata and a stunning Rose sun star - Crossaster papposus wowed us.

A photo of a tiny white nudibranch (type of sea slug) on a the silty floor of a rockpool. It's main features are the many short blunt blobs covering it.

A photo of an orange coloured starfish laying on a rock. The angle of the photo makes this creature appear as a hand with two thumbs and four fingers wearing a prickly textured glove. This starfish has twelve arms in total, the other six arms are just about showing in the background.

Shane@sharkeee· Mar 16

A day at @nationaltrust.org.uk Tyntesfield, today and came across this little Helvella #fungi, who was unlike the elfins i've met before. The stipe was short, pale, and neither smooth or ribbed. It's dark brown cap wasn't as wrinkled as the uks white or elfin saddles. Thoughts please? #mycology

Shane@sharkeee· Mar 13

Crikey, they usually spawn in my Somerset garden brook during late April/early May. Maybe the mild but wet winter has kept water temperature up. As you say, it’s a real privilege to witness.

Shane@sharkeee· Mar 3

We meet this fine looking fella a couple of times yesterday and i did for a moment wonder whether @natureartvic.bsky.social had needle felted its plush head wear. @mammalsociety.bsky.social #ukmammals #ukwildlife #nature #Deer

A pretty close photo of a Roe buck looking over it's own back.
This deer has almost fully developed antlers which are still covered in what known as velvet. This furry skin will fall off once the antlers have fully developed and during this process, they can look rather tatty.

Shane@sharkeee· Mar 2

Searching for Beaver activity on the Somerset levels this pm in the glorious sunshine. Heading back to the car along a road as the sun began to set and found this stunner just a coupe metres from us. #Somersetbirds

Photo of one of two smallest UK birds species, the Firecrest. Weighing the same as a 20p piece, it's a tiny bird, with a dark band through it's eye dark cap with a yellow/orange crest which it raises when alarmed. It's back is olive with hues of yellow. Throat chest and belly is a dull buff to grey.

Shane@sharkeee· Feb 1

I'm so happy to have provided this moment for you. Enjoy these Liverworts i found a few years ago, as they asked to be seen and bring joy to everyone, feel free to pass their joy forwards to anyone in need.

Shane@sharkeee· Jan 31

If anyone is in need of something to make them smile or laugh, please watch and more importantly listen to this little clip my trail camera captured. Yes, that is a genuine Badger #fart #Badgers #Nature #trailcam #Ukwildlife #BBCspringwatch

Shane@sharkeee· Jan 19

A closer view of the Ciliophora that was found in a water filled ditch here. Possibly Carchesium due to the colony growing from a single stalk attached to the leaf. #supermacro #micro-organisms #nature #pondlife #winterwatch

Shane@sharkeee· Jan 18

Other incredible find was a minute transparent green thing which wasn't visible to the naked eye, the previous one wasn't either. The green organism has a contracting trunk which supports 6 tentacles. This is a Green Hydra. #UkNature #BBCWinterwatch #UKwildlife #Aquaticlife #hydrozoans

Shane@sharkeee· Jan 18

1/2 @wildlifetoursed.bsky.social grabbed a 300ml sample of water twigs and leaf litter from a temporary pool here. Amazing life forms were found and these really pushed the limits of the @omsystem.bsky.social #TG-7 #biology #freshwater @withpondlife.bsky.social

Shane@sharkeee· Jan 12

A little session in a temporary pool by the stream early tonight looking at very small things. #freshwater #habitats #cyclops #UKwildlife #nature

A photo of the tiny freshwater crustacean called 'Cyclops'. The pear shaped body is transparent and reveals its white body organs. On the tail end are tow large masses of round white eggs sacs, this indicates that it's a female. At the front and centre is a single eye, in the light of flash it looked red. They have a pair of antennae and 5 pairs of legs.

A photo of a tiny freshwater bivalve. I'm not sure of the species. There were many of these all were around 5mm across. They are typically clam shaped, rounded, smooth with radiating growth lines across its shells. In the photo its sitting on a rotting leaf which is covered in silty detritus.
This one is pale cream in colour. The mouth of this mollusc is partially open and to the left of it, the tailend of of it's foot extends out.

A photo of a tiny pale green freshwater crustacean on brown detritus. It's appearance is that of a shiny split seed. Extending from the lower opened end and numerous clear filaments.

Shane@sharkeee· Jan 4

Yesterday whilst take a chilly mooch through an ancient woodland, we happened across some little green gems lurking in the sparse dry moss loosely covering a historic earth boundary bank, under some big old holly bushes so well shaded. Late season Parrot #waxcaps in a rather odd location? #fungi

Shane@sharkeee· Dec 25

Cyanosporus subcaesius up behind the woodstore/field shelter here. It really is this blue. #fungi #nature #blue

Shane@sharkeee· Dec 24

A few recent and particulary lovely finds of the #slimemould kind. #UKnature #Nature #decay

A close up photograph showing a bunch of bright red slime moulds growing from a damp piece of dead wood. Tiny red stems support a large rounded head, these are densely clustered together. They are probably a species of Arcyria.

A photograph of some black slime moulds growing from a piece of damp dead wood. Much more sparsely grouped together, these glistening black fruiting bodies are growing on long black slender stalk. These are possibly in the genus Comatricha.

A very close photograph of some tiny globular slime moulds that i found in the damaged crutch of an apple tree. The stalks are short and grey. The heads are almost kidney shaped. They are white to the eye, but close up they are dark with a paler speckling.

Shane@sharkeee· Nov 30

A little unsure on this species, only young forms of the fungi were present. Am I correct in thinking they are young Orange peels? #Fungi #fungiID #mycology #nature

A photo of four cups shaped fungi. Orange in colour with downy or hairy outside and rims.

Shane@sharkeee· Nov 30

This is not the cheeky cherub it appears to be. This is a ground beetle species infected by the pathogenic #fungus Entomophthora nebriae. Found today on the #Quantockhills with @wildlifetoursed.bsky.social Like the cordycep yesterday, this is not a commonly seen species. #uknature #mycology

What appears to be a fuzzy white coloured face with a funny hat is in fact a fungus infected beetle body. The hat is its wings.

The infected beetle in entirety. The spore releasing fruiting body to the left, wings and dark brown wing cases to the right. The whole thing is on rotting wood and was laying fungus facing down.

Shane@sharkeee· Nov 29

Well hello there you chubby little matchsticks, we didn't expect to see you lot hanging out in beech woodland in Somerset today. These are I suspect, Drumstick truffle club fungus - Cordyceps capitate. Hidden in the ground will be it's host, a false truffle, #fungi #Truffle #cordyceps #UKnature

A photo showing three brown fungi, growing from a mossy ground. The caps are brown and covered in small dots, the stem is light olive coloured with dark streaks. IMO they resemble lighting matches rather than the drumsticks that they are named after.

A photo showing a single brown fungi, growing from a mossy ground. The cap is brown and covered in small dots, the stem is light olive coloured with dark streaks. IMO the species resembles a lighting matches rather than the drumsticks that they are named after. These fungus are parasitic and need a host species, specifically that of the false truffle - Elaphomyces granulatus

Shane@sharkeee· Nov 23

A touch dry, but tonight we'll be searching the mossy trees for aboreal Opiliones like these 'amorous', Ramosus sp. If you find these creatures fascinating, consider joining @megabunus.bsky.social et al, in a webinar on the 30th dec and learn more. www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/arboreal-h...

Shane@sharkeee· Nov 23

Crop failures due to rapidly changing climate aren’t the only reasons for food shortages, here in #Somerset, I’ve found evidence during a #litterpick, of unfertilised veg.

A photo of litter in a plastic bag, various vegetables, some lube and a black towel.
Some of the veg are suspiciously wrapped..

I’ve tried to describe this image without using the word condom, well that’s failed, as this image shows clearly a carrot and cucumber wearing condoms..

Shane@sharkeee· Nov 10

Returning from a short walk to see some fantastic beaver activity, I was drawn to a strip of woodland. My reward came in the shape of #fungi Two new to me species, Favolaschia claudopus aka orange pore fungus and a solitary Typhula fistulosa known as a Pipe Club. + lavulina cinerea - Grey Coral

The underside of some bright orange fungus.

Eight bright orange fungi on a dead stick.

A slender and pale coloured pipe fungus growing in leaf litter on a woodland floor.

A grey coloured coral fungus on a woodland floor.

Shane@sharkeee· Nov 9

2/2 Candelabrum cocksii hydroids @exetermarine.bsky.social #rockpools #UKnature #ukwildlife

Shane@sharkeee· Nov 9

1/2 A trip to Wembury beach in #Devon gave us the Gastropod, the transparent marsenia - Marsenia perspicua, a new species for us, plus a gorgeous mass of sea hare eggs. Yellow plumed slugs in good numbers and lots of Candelabrum cocksii hydroids (see 2/2) but no #Nudibranches such as the rainbow..