June 2024

24th-26th. Wageningen, The Netherlands for a PhD viva. I had little time for birding, though did see a white stork on a streetlight.

20th. Screaming party of 5 common swift over St Ives.

19th. Marazion to look for St Piran's hermit crabs. We only found common hermit crabs, and also saw crystal jellies, and a chiton Lepidochitona cinerea.

Common hermit crab

Common hermit crab

Netted periwinkle

Crystal jelly

8th. Great to see a new rewilding scheme near my former abode in Flax Bourton. There was a yellowhammer calling in a hedgerow.

Watercress Farm

3rd-7th. The annual field trip to Dale Fort, Pembrokeshire with a superb group of students and staff. Bird highlights were a hobby flying close to Castlebeach Bay, and 44 choughs around the West Dale/ airfield area.

Hemlock water dropwort alongside the stream feeding onto Castlebeach Bay. the most toxic plant in Britain that almost killed 8 campers in Scotland when they thought they were making wild parsnip curry.

Hemlock water dropwort

One of the students found 3 sea hares.

Sea hare

Light bulb ascidians photographed underwater with Rose's Olympus Tough camera.

Light bulb ascidians

Twin fan worm showing the characteristic shape of the closed tube.

Twin fan worm

Gem anemones

Gem anemones

Quite a large comb jelly off Skomer - blue jellyfish here too.

Comb jelly

Another great day on Skomer Island on 5th.

Dale Queen

Puffin

Puffin

Puffin

Puffin

Puffin

Puffin

Puffin

Puffin

Puffin

Puffin

Puffin

Puffin

Puffin

Razorbill

2nd: A pair of peregrines flew low over the house in Bishopston, one carrying a prey item. First swifts (2) of the year here too.

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