Ian Bennell
@ianbennell75
Birds, Moths, Watford FC, Weird Weather, Taxidermy and general moaning about things. Though not necessarily in that order. ❤️ Scilly
Well am I glad I didn’t drive a 16+hr round trip to Fife! A much more pleasant 3.5 hours to Glos and back with Matt Moreton for the stunning LONG-TAILED SHRIKE #499 #onemoretogo #ukbirding 🪶
27.6.26. 508 moths of 97 species including 3 lifers and a NFG. Those being Lesser-spotted Pinion, Evergestis limbata and Blastobasis vittata and the NFG Coleophora conspicuella. #teammoth
Found a couple of caterpillars today at work. My first ever Lime Hawkmoth and a Gypsy Moth. #teammoth
Can this Coleophora sp be ID’d to species without chopping?! #teammoth
Can anyone help ID these two please? Golden Rod Pug and ? thanks #teammoth
My first visit to N Wales since the Cemlyn Sooty Tern in 2005. The Western Reef Heron ✔️ the highlight. 2 Puffin, 2 Chough, Black Guillemot, Osprey, Tree Pipit and 8 Willow Tit amongst over a dozen year ticks. #ukbirding 🪶
28.5.26. 321 moths of 73 species including 2 lifers Assara terebrella and Musotima nitidalis. Also 2nd garden records of Scarlet Tiger Moth, Sallow Kitten and Reddish Light Arches. #teammoth
Potted this up in my Hemel Hempstead garden this afternoon. Looks like it’s a Clepsis dumicolana and from most recent info it’s possibly just the 2nd Herts. #teammoth
25.5.26. 200 moths of 71 species with 1 NFG that being not 1 but 3 Small Mottled Willow which is my 650th garden species. Also garden 2nd Green Silver Lines and 3rds of Ptycholoma lecheana + Exotelia dodecella #teammoth
22.5.26. 217 moths of 69 species including 3 lifers and a NFG! Those being Cydia conicolana, Endothenia nigricostana and Phtheochroa rugosana. The NFG saw me in my shed turn over an egg tray at 4am and say to myself GEOFF! Alabonia geoffrella #teammoth
Can anyone confirm these as Endothenia nigricostana and Cydia conicolana please? #teammoth
Can anyone ID this Bucculatrix? If ObsIdentify is to be believed it’s either demaryella or maritima but probably nothing that exciting! #teammoth
Poor phone pic of a moth on the works van. Anyone able to ID it please? Cochylis nana coming up on Obsidentify. #teammoth
Finally the Lesser Scaup has done the right thing and flown to Wilstone Reservoir and visit a proper county! 4th Herts and a nice Herts ✔️ for myself 🥳 + Common Tern, Yellow Wag year ticks and a flock of 6 Oystercatchers (my biggest in Herts) @patchbirding.bsky.social #ukbirding 🪶
8.4.26. 72 moths of 18 species wasn’t as good as I’d hoped given the day’s temperatures. Mullein, Brindled Beauty and Herald were the highlights. This well marked Double-striped Pug was one of 25 in and around the trap. #teammoth
A patch tick Lesser Scaup was the highlight of a few hours this morning along with just my 3rd patch Curlew. Also the first few summer migrants with 2 LRP, Sedge Warbler, Willow Warbler, Swallow and House Martin. @patchbirding.bsky.social #patchgold
Great day out with Brendon Fagan to East Anglia. 13 year ticks including 2 LS Woodpeckers, Iceland Gull, 2 Stone Curlew, 5 Crossbill, Marsh Tit, BT Diver, RT Diver and 2 Crane. #ukbirding 🪶
5.3.26. First trap of the year was pretty good with a lifer March Moth (2), 4th garden Dotted Border, 2 Oak Beauty and a Diurnea fagella amongst the usual suspects. #teammoth
Great day in Hampshire with Brendon Fagan. My 2nd UK Killdeer was the highlight. The Great-tailed Grackle took his time to show but show well he did. Little Gull, White-tailed Eagle and Great Northern Diver the best of 9 year ticks. #ukbirding 🦉 🪶
Cheating a bit as one night there were c.2000 mixed ermine moths. I had to walk away for a while as I was smothered in them!
Finally finished my 2025 moth records. 12 Traps 281 Species 5005 Moths 10 Garden Ticks 4 Lifers The Jersey Mocha is my first since I found Herts first record and I also had a garden second Blastobasis rebeli which is a 3rd for Herts (my garden first was Herts second record)! #teammoth
A year ago today I had my final tick of 2024 with the stunning Yellow Warbler at New Hythe GP’s,Kent. It looked better than my photos would lead you to believe so here’s a pic of my stuffed one as well 😂 #ukbirding 🪶
@support.bsky.team I’ve got this message re private messaging. I can’t work out how/what to do to get it cleared. I don’t have another email account to add, I don’t want to change my handle or password and I’ve already added my date of birth. Help!
So 2 weeks on Scilly produced 129 species and with a couple of stops on the way home that rose to 142sp. The highlight of course Britain’s 7th Mourning Dove but daft numbers of Firecrest, Jack Snipe and Black Redstart were almost as impressive! Roll on next year. #ukbirding 🦉
So 2 weeks on Scilly produced 129 species and with a couple of stops on the way home that rose to 142sp. The highlight of course Britain’s 7th Mourning Dove but daft numbers of Firecrest, Jack Snipe and Black Redstart were almost as impressive! Roll on next year.
After yesterday’s Death’s-head Hawkmoth today I twitched my first ever Feathered Brindle that was trapped at Buzza,Scilly. #teammoth
This beast of a Death’s-head Hawkmoth is on show at the log this evening. Just my 2nd ever and both on Scilly. #teammoth