Marc Hughes

Chuffed to bits to find these Creeping Lady’s Tresses in NE Scotland today. After finding these first @OwenPar91687609 and I went on to find several in two locations. A new Orchid for me. Also many Heath Spotted Orchid and several Dark-Green Fritillary today too ☺️👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

It’s officially autumn! First passerine migrants on the Great Orme today. A cracking Juv Yellow Wagtail flew low south, a juvenile Common Redstart at Pink Farm, 12 Swift south, 3 Crossbills over and well as a noisy flock of 12 Chough. The season has started ☺️👍

Not long ago, Northern ‘Borealis’ Eiders were often talked about. The buzz around them seems to have quietened down. This bird on Loch Fleet was certainly interesting. Size of the bill, long pointed lobes, yellow bill, yellow legs + feet stood out. 4th pic comparison with C.Eider

Spent the afternoon watching Skuas harrying terns and stealing their lunch at the mouth of Loch Fleet with @OwenPar91687609 . What a bird! 18 Greenshank, 5 Whimbrel, 4 Barwits, 12 Sanderling, 7 Dunlin, Osprey, 50 Eider hundreds of Tern + Gannets. Also lots of Common + Grey Seals!

Exploring NE Scotland with @OwenPar91687609 All three divers in breeding plumage, Great and Arctic Skuas, lots of Osprey action (including watching juvs practicing to dive!), 100s of Arctic Terns, 1000s of Common Gulls and Kittiwakes, returning waders and amazing scenery! ☺️👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Some superb Butterflies while out exploring the Scottish Highlands. This Northern Brown Argus (spp. artaxerxes) has been the highlight so far. Amazing purple sheen on it and look at those white spots! Small Copper, Grayling and Small Heath also pictures here. @OwenPar91687609

Watching 30+ Bar-tailed Godwits with @OwenPar91687609 when 3 Arctic Skuas flew past, a fourth ‘dark’ bird offshore turned out to be a ringtail Hen Harrier! Suddenly some high pitched calls overhead gave away the 2 Ospreys directly overhead. Yellowhammer + RTDiver too! Wow☺️👍 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿!

What a day! Started with a pair of breeding plumaged Black throated Divers calling and interacting on a Highland Loch. A male Azure Hawker on peatland bog. Several Ospreys, Common Seals, Greenshanks, Whimbrels + summer plumaged Turnstones at Loch Fleet. Awesome 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 ☺️👍

Lucky to be spending a fortnight in the Highlands of Scotland. Only the 2nd day and several Osprey, Hen Harrier, Short-eared Owl, Goldeneyes + flocks of Common Sandpipers so far. A cool herd of Red Deer too. Even catching a Ross County FC match this evening with @OwenPar91687609

A fantastic weekend mothing with @saturdaycatbird and @OwenPar91687609 . Great to see so many friends at Pensychnant today. Highlights - Chestnut-coloured Carpet, Straw Underwing, Orange Footman, Blackneck, Brindled Orche and many more amongst many hundreds of 70+ species ☺️👍

A good day with @Callahanbirder with Crossbills, singing Redstart and Goshawk. Then a short but cracking Med Gulls session with @ArfonWilliams4 with 500 Med Gulls inc. 58 juvs + 6 colour rings read (2 Red, 2 Green and 2 White). Common Sand, Blackwit, Whimbrel too 👍 #Ceredigion

A super-flock of 21 Common Sandpipers in Aberystwyth Harbour this morning making an amazing soundscape as they flew around chasing each other. Eight close Med Gulls; 7 adult summer birds and a Dutch/ Belgium ringed 1st summer. Also several hundred Manx Shearwaters offshore ☺️👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

An excellent catch last night at Maes-y-Fachrell LNR, Great Orme. 2 Chestnut-coloured Carpets were my first ever; real Great Orme speciality as it’s the only site to see these on North Wales. Several Garden Tiger + Drinkers also good to see as was a Lime-speck Pug ☺️👍 @cofnod

Stunning sunset, Butterflies and Dragonflies. Painted Lady, Emperor Dragonfly and Black Darter from above Llanrwst and tonight’s sunset from the Great Orme while setting the moth traps. Looking forward to what awaits in the morning ☺️👍

12 species of Butterfly came to a small stretch of Buddleja on the Great Orme yesterday. Several Grayling, Dark Green Fritillary and Brown Argus amongst the throngs of Common + Sikver Studded Blues, Gatekeepers, Red Admirals etc. Also some superb Humingbird Hawkmoths present☺️👍

Langness Point on the Isle of Man 🇮🇲 was the only place in the UK to find Lesser Mottled Grasshopper, however some have now been found in North Wales and Norfolk! While searching for the Grasshopper there were plenty of Grayling and Small Heath around the headland ☺️👍

What better way than to chill with the Seals on a hot summers day. Langness Point on the Isle of Man 🇮🇲 is a great place to get up close with coastal wildlife. Atlantic Grey Seal, Gannet, Shag and Oystercatcher this week ☺️👍