Tom Hibbert
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wildlifetom.bsky.social
Tom Hibbert
@wildlifetom.bsky.social
110 followers 46 following 110 posts
Obsessed with wildlife, particularly birds, bugs and beetles! Lucky enough to write about nature for The Wildlife Trusts.
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wildlifetom.bsky.social
I was photographing waders, when a fisherman dumped a box of crab shells onto the rocks in front of me. The waders suddenly came a lot closer!

#Nature #Bird #WildlifePhotography
A redshank standing on a rock, looking up with its head cocked A turnstone peeking around a rock
November 8, 2025 at 7:40 PM
wildlifetom.bsky.social
I spent a lovely late October week in Northumberland. I couldn’t find anything rarer than a Yellow-browed Warbler in the bushes of Holy Island, but there’s nowhere I’d rather be in autumn!

#birds #birding #migration
A meadow pipit perched on a fencepost, with long grass in the foreground A tiny wren clinging to the top of a stem in the sand dunes of Holy Island A stonechat hidden in long grass A female blackcap perched on a branch
November 3, 2025 at 9:16 PM
wildlifetom.bsky.social
A windswept walk around Retford Cemetery yielded six species of shieldbug and six species of ladybird, mostly clinging to metal railings. Eyed Ladybird was a nice surprise!

#Coleoptera #Hemiptera
An eyed ladybird, with pale rings around its black spots, clings to a metal railing A pine ladybird clinging to a railing. It’s an all black ladybird with red markings on the wing cases A parent bug on a laurel leaf. It’s a reddish-brown bug with a black and yellow chequered pattern around the edge of its body A green shieldbug clings to a metal railing, with a few 7-spot ladybirds nearby
October 4, 2025 at 12:57 PM
wildlifetom.bsky.social
Found a thriving colony of Bridge Orb-weavers, unsurprisingly under a bridge! They had been feasting on moths drawn to the lights.

#Spider #Wildlife
A bridge orb-weaver on her web under a bridge.
September 26, 2025 at 7:14 PM
wildlifetom.bsky.social
Delighted to spot this little lizard basking on a fencepost at Minsmere this weekend. Even happier I got to point it out to a young child with their own camera.

#Reptile #Lizard #Wildlife
A common lizard curled up on top of a wooden fencepost
August 27, 2025 at 6:28 PM
wildlifetom.bsky.social
Caught my first Dark Spectacle at the weekend. Handily also caught a Spectacle to see them side by side.

#TeamMoth #Lepidoptera #Moth
Dark Spectacle moth resting on a piece of bark Spectacle moth resting on a piece of bark.
August 13, 2025 at 6:40 PM
wildlifetom.bsky.social
Ran my second moth trap of the year last night in north Notts. Quieter than the first, with 133 moths of 43 species. This beautiful Orange Swift was one of the brightest of the bunch.

#TeamMoth #Lepidoptera
An Orange Swift moth resting on a piece of grey slate. It’s an orange-brown moth with pale-bordered dark markings on the wings
August 10, 2025 at 7:34 PM
wildlifetom.bsky.social
A nice surprise to see a couple of Silver-washed Fritillaries in Gamston Wood at the weekend.

#Butterfly #Lepidoptera #MacroPhotography
A silver-washed fritillary using its long proboscis to sip nectar from a purple flower
July 17, 2025 at 6:03 PM
Reposted by Tom Hibbert
suillia.bsky.social
Cimbex luteus (Willow Clubhorn) on Salix in the Howardian Hills today...there can't be many better looking sawfly larvae in the UK! #yorkshiresawflies #sawflies #symphyta #ukwildlife
July 17, 2025 at 4:36 PM
wildlifetom.bsky.social
One of my last stops in Dorset was Durlston Country Park, always a pleasure to visit. There were beautiful butterflies everywhere, but I was just as excited to see this chunky Iris Weevil, Mononychus punctumalbum.

#Coleoptera #Beetle #MacroPhotography #InvertOdyssey
An iris weevil preparing to plunge its long proboscis into a green iris
July 16, 2025 at 6:09 PM
Reposted by Tom Hibbert
vc40ladybirds.bsky.social
The 14-spot's little smiley face is always endearing, but this one's pronotum pattern, which looks like ears, made it look even 'cuter' I think! 🥰 #VC40Ladybirds
July 15, 2025 at 2:19 PM
wildlifetom.bsky.social
Enjoyed a rare opportunity to put out a moth trap on Saturday night. It kept me busy, with 206 moths of 70 species to a Nottinghamshire garden! Several Ruby Tigers brought a beautiful splash of colour.

#TeamMoth #Lepidoptera
A ruby tiger moth resting on a piece of bark. It’s a bright red moth with a fluffy body.
July 15, 2025 at 7:28 PM
wildlifetom.bsky.social
Whilst in Dorset, I couldn’t resist visiting Crossways to see the Scarlet Darters. Such dazzling dragonflies!

Scarlet is a pretty fitting name, but even that doesn’t do them justice. They were radiant.

#Odonata #dragonfly #insect #MacroPhotography #InvertOdyssey
A scarlet darter, clinging to a plant stem with its wings held forward. It’s an intensely red dragonfly
July 14, 2025 at 7:21 PM
wildlifetom.bsky.social
The highlight of my recent holiday came at Studland (1/7), where I finally saw Heath Tiger Beetle! My third year of trying, but the weather finally cooperated.

Heath Bee-fly was a great bonus.

#Coleoptera #insect #MacroPhotography #Diptera #InvertOdyssey
Heath Tiger Beetle, black with pale markings on the wing cases, lifts itself high off the sand with its long legs. Heath Bee-fly, fuzzy and sandy brown, with a long dark proboscis, sunning itself on the sand
July 13, 2025 at 6:33 PM
wildlifetom.bsky.social
The final part of my holiday was spent in Dorset. First stop, RSPB Arne (30/6).

I spent a long time captivated by the Beewolves and Green-eyed Flower Bees.

#wildlife #Hymenoptera #MacroPhotography #InvertOdyssey
A European beewolf, a slender wasp with black and yellow markings and a large yellow patch on the face, standing on bare ground looking into its burrow. A green-eyed flower bee emerging from its burrow in sandy ground. It’s small, cute and fluffy with large green eyes
July 12, 2025 at 7:01 PM
wildlifetom.bsky.social
The next stop on my holiday was Furzey Gardens, Hampshire. Sadly too late for Scarlet Malachite Beetles, but I did see my first Rhododendron Leafhoppers, amongst some other new bugs and beetles.

#wildlife #bug #Hemiptera #InvertOdyssey
A rhododendron leafhopper, bright green with streaks of reddish-brown, rests on a green leaf.
July 11, 2025 at 5:40 PM
Reposted by Tom Hibbert
ajcann.bsky.social
Adonis Ladybird, Hippodamia variegata.

#Beetles #Coleoptera #VC55 #macrophotography #macro #OMSystem
Adonis Ladybird, Hippodamia variegata
July 11, 2025 at 3:57 PM
wildlifetom.bsky.social
After Kent, the next stop of my #InvertOdyssey was White Down in Surrey. I saw four species of Cryptocephalus, including two nitidulus!

Neither posed for a photo, unlike this Omaloplia ruricola and Crab Spider.

Saw one of the green Cryptos laying an egg, but not sure on species.

#beetle #spider
Omaloplia ruricola, a black chafer beetle with brown wing cases, separated by a thick black line, standing on a leaf A crab spider with hoverfly prey in its clutches. The spider is yellow, camouflaging perfectly against yellow flowers A shiny green and copper Cryptocephalus beetle standing on a leaf, holding an egg between its back legs as it coats it with faeces - creating the pot that gives these beetles their name.
July 10, 2025 at 6:34 PM
Reposted by Tom Hibbert
vc40orthops.bsky.social
A Purple-bordered Gold, attracted to light at Whixall Moss NNR recently. One of the strongholds for this notable species, it was a 1st for me.
July 9, 2025 at 8:07 PM
wildlifetom.bsky.social
Spent my last day in Kent (27/6) at RSPB Dungeness.

Took an hour to leave the car park! Too captivated with the Map Weevils around Viper’s Bugloss and Geotomus petiti under Stork’s-bill.

Other highlights were Cryptocephalus labiatus and Silis ruficollis.

#Coleoptera #Beetle #Bug #InvertOdyssey
A map weevil, with a long snout and intricate white patterns all over its brown body, clings to the hairy leaf of viper’s bugloss Geotomus petiti, a tiny black shieldbug with spiny legs, stands on sandy ground surrounded by detritus Cryptocephalus labiatus, a black pot beetle with paler legs and antennae, clings to the edge of a bramble leaf Silis ruficollis, a slender black beetle with a red pronotum and long antennae, stands on a leaf
July 9, 2025 at 5:37 PM
wildlifetom.bsky.social
So excited to visit Sandwich Bay for the first time (25/6). Too many highlights to list, but searching Stork’s-bill revealed Lesser Streaked Shieldbug and Fallen’s Leatherbug.

Lots of Lepidoptera too, including Bright Wave and this incredible Emperor caterpillar

#Bug #TeamMoth #InvertOdyssey
Lesser streaked Shieldbug, a small, round brown bug with silver streaks, in a pot lid surrounded by detritus Fallen’s Leatherbug, a mottled brown bug with a distinctive backwards v on the pronotum, walking across sand, surrounded by detritus An emperor moth caterpillar resting on a leaf. It’s a bright green caterpillar with yellow bumps and long white hairs
July 8, 2025 at 6:35 PM
wildlifetom.bsky.social
Enjoyed a visit to the fantastic West Blean Wood on my trip to Kent (24/6).So many bugs, beetles and butterflies, including plenty of Heath Fritillaries.

Thrilled to see lots of Clytra quadripunctata and my first Cow-wheat Shieldbug.

#Bug #Beetle #Coleoptera #MacroPhotography #InvertOdyssey
Clytra quadripunctata, a black beetle with orange-red wing cases sporting black dots, clings to a leaf. Clytra quadripunctata, a black beetle with orange-red wing cases sporting black dots, clings to a leaf, looking straight towards the camera. Clytra quadripunctata, a black beetle with orange-red wing cases sporting black dots, clings to a leaf. A cow-wheat shieldbug, black with a white border and two white dots, clinging to the leaf of a cow-wheat plant.
July 6, 2025 at 6:41 PM
wildlifetom.bsky.social
I spent another day on the North Kent Coast (23/6), with another frustratingly brief glimpse of Fiery Clearwing.

These young Swallows were much more cooperative, landing close enough for my 100mm macro lens!

#Wildlife #Bird #InvertOdyssey
Two young swallows perched in a bush, surrounded by green leaves, with blue sky behind them
July 5, 2025 at 5:09 PM
wildlifetom.bsky.social
The second day of my trip (22/6) found me on the North Kent Coast.

A brief glimpse of a Fiery Clearwing was a highlight, before spending time in the darkness with Yellow-tailed Scorpions and Green-fanged Tube Web Spiders.

#Scorpion #Arachnid #Spider #Wildlife #InvertOdyssey
A yellow-tailed scorpion, Euscorpius flavicaudis, glowing blue beneath a UV torch as it runs across a brick wall A yellow-tailed scorpion, Euscorpius flavicaudis, running up a brick wall A yellow-tailed scorpion, Euscorpius flavicaudis, peeking out from a crack in a brick wall, holding its claws out A green-fanged tube web spider, Segestria florentina, peeking out from a crack in a brick wall
July 5, 2025 at 4:22 PM
wildlifetom.bsky.social
Just back from a two-week invertebrate odyssey across southern England. The first stop was Rainham Marshes (21/6), where I saw my first Trichius gallicus and found a pair of Red-belted Clearwings!

#Beetles #TeamMoth #MacroPhotography #Clearwing #Coleoptera #InvertOdyssey
Southern bee chafer, Trichius gallicus, a fuzzy yellow beetle with black markings on its yellow wing cases, mimicking a bee. Southern bee chafer, Trichius gallicus, a fuzzy yellow beetle with black markings on its yellow wing cases, mimicking a bee. It’s peeking out of a pink blushed bramble flower A red-belted clearwing resting on a leaf. It’s a dark bluish-black moth with a thick red band around its body and clear wings. A pair of red-belted clearwings joined as they mate. They are slender bluish-black moths with a thick reddish-orange band around their body and clear wings.
July 4, 2025 at 6:05 PM