Nick Pomiankowski
All things natural history
- Angle shades caterpillar my first moth of the year, in the garden
- My first visit of the year to uttoxeter quarry produced a whooper swan, green sand, 2 golden plover, 5 goldeneye, red kite and 900+ lapwing
- 2 hours Vismig at Black Bank Stoke this morning produced 21300 woodies sw, 250 pinks east at 8:55 and 185 pinks sw at 9:20. #staffsbird @staffsbirdnews.bsky.social
- Finding a Firecrest in my back garden in Stoke this morning was a nice surprise! My second garden record after one in 2003(ish). Thanks for the pic @philj61.bsky.social @staffsbirdnews.bsky.social
- A white-point nfg was the highlight in my Stoke trap last night along with December moth, 6 lbam and 3 ruddy streak #teammoth
- Today’s Vismig - good numbers of chaffinch, brambling and woodpigeon but still poor on the thrushes #staffsbirds
- Another big woody push this morning despite the showers. Skein of pinks a nice bonus
- Woodpigeon passage increasing nicely with over 14K thru Black Bank today, otherwise fairly quiet although probably undercounted #staffsbirds
- Vismig this morning was dominated by woodies, a brambling and 3 crossbill the best of the rest
- Visible migration at Black Bank this morning produced the first push of woodpigeons this autumn with a crossbill, two brambling and 31 golden plover the best of the rest
- Highlights from todays vis mig at Black Bank were 2 skeins of pinks and a couple of brambling but 2 grey herons flying high south were the first I’ve ever seen here on migration #staffsbirds @staffsbirdnews.bsky.social
- Decent push of redwings on Black Bank vismig this morning but highlight was a late swallow
- Just seen my first orcas, three going up the east coast of Shetland, super excited to get them on my bucket list at last 😀
- One of two incredibly confiding goldcrests at Sumburgh Quarry Shetland yesterday
- A migration watch from Black Bank (Staffs) produced the first brambling of the autumn. Best of the rest were 204 mipit, 20 siskin, 9 swallow and 40 chaffinch. #staffsbirds @staffsbirdnews.bsky.social
- First Redwing of the autumn (for Staffs) and 18 redpolls passed over an otherwise quiet Black Bank this morning #staffsbirds
- Decent migration watch this morning, a flock of 4 hawfinch being the highlight
- First clouded yellow I’ve seen in ages: Seasalter beach, Kent, 9/9/25. Such a stunning butterfly
- Some other goodies from my holiday in Seasalter, Kent: 2 scarce bordered straw, several yellow belle, nutmeg. Made a change for the commonest moth in the trap to be Flounced Rustic 😮
- An eight day visit to Seasalter Kent produced several moth lifers for me. Part 2: Cynaeda dentalis, Acrobasis tumidana, pediasia contaminella and ancylosis oblitella
- An eight day visit to Seasalter Kent produced several moth lifers for me. Part 1: plumed fan-foot, Clancys rustic, mullein wave and Chilo phragmitella
- A visit to Blithfield produced 22 crossbill, 3 Greenshank, 6 lrp, 5 ringed plover, 7 blackwit, 5 common sand, 10 ruff, 2 spot fly and a swift
- Black Redstart still at Berryhill Fields this morning (4th day) along with 2 Whinchat, 3 redstart and wheatear. Totally unexpected were 5 little egret and 3 grey heron loafing on Tiddlers Heath - I guess fishing must be easy on the water depleted ponds!
- At uttoxeter quarry this afternoon: a turnstone (site tick for me), green sand and ylg
- Highlights from last night’s moth trap in Stoke were Bordered Straw and Palpita vitrealis with pale mottled willow, treble-bar and swallow prominent also present #teammoth
- Good drop of migrants at Berryhill Fields this morning, star bird being an elusive black redstart which evaded the camera! Also present were 6 redstart, 2 whinchat, 2 lesser whitethroat, 2 stonechat, tree pipit over.
- A second twin-spotted wainscot for the year and a grey chi nfy were the best in my Stoke trap from last night #teammoth
- At Berryhill Fields this morning: Whinchat, 6 wheatear, 3-4 redstart, 2 stonechat, willow tit
- At Blithfield Res this morning were 3 Greenshank, 4 redshank, 8 ruff, 4 blackwit, 2 common sand, snipe, 2 ruddy shelduck, spot fly, ylg and peregrine
- What I assume is scrobipalpa ocellatella is a new moth for me and small ranunculus always welcome in my Stoke trap from last night #teammoth
- Twin-spotted wainscot undoubtedly the highlight my Stoke trap this morning - lifer and nfg. Maybe on the increase in Staffs? Also a vapourer, 2 ruby tiger and a record 17 vine’s rustic amongst 45 species #teammoth
- Highlights from trapping at Gun Hill yesterday: neglected rustic, mirifcarma mulinella (gorse streak), dotted clay, light knotgrass. Also plenty of chevron and epinotia ramella
