David Shearan
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iomtosalop.bsky.social
David Shearan
@iomtosalop.bsky.social
260 followers 410 following 150 posts
Website developer for www.corfubutterflyconservation.org

Nature lover, butterfly transect-er, amateurish photographer.

Keen on birds but mad about butterflies in Shropshire and Corfu

See my transect at https://bsky.app/profile/cliffetransect.bsky.social
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iomtosalop.bsky.social
@angbirdnews.bsky.social we finished our holiday on Anglesey today with a final visit to Cors Ddyga. The highlights were a female Hen Harrier, a Great White Egret, a Bullfinch and 10 Black-tailed Godwit (our 85th species of the holiday) plus calling Water Rail and Cetti's Warbler.
October 12, 2025 at 12:37 PM
iomtosalop.bsky.social
And here are the two Chough seen on the descent from Carmel Head to Cemlyn
October 10, 2025 at 4:43 PM
iomtosalop.bsky.social
October 10, 2025 at 3:11 PM
iomtosalop.bsky.social
@angbirdnews.bsky.social Two days into our Anglesey break and 66 species so far. Solitary Greenshanks at Maltraeth 8/10 and Treath Coch 9/10. 3 Egyptian Geese Cors Ddyga 8/10, Wigeon c. 75 at Maltraeth 8/10, 2 Pintail Maltraeth 8/10, 2 Gadwall Cors Ddyga 8/10
Greekshank, medium-sized wader with long green legs, white front and grey back, standing in clear stony river with its long black beak pointing down intent on catching something to eat Rock Pipit, a dark brown sparrow-sized bird with dark streaking on its offwhite chest and underparts. The bird is pecking around among the seaweed and stones searching for insects to eat. Three Egyptian Geese in a wet grassy field. A large flock of roosting Golden Plover on grassy bank alongside water-filled scrapes. The birds are distant but the golden brown of the birds can be easily seen in the evening sunlight.
October 9, 2025 at 1:36 PM
iomtosalop.bsky.social
Highlights of our second day on Anglesey

3 Reed and 2 Sedge Warbler at RSPB Valley, pairs Pochard,2 Great Black-backed Gull, 1 Chough and single boom of a Bittern.

16 Pale-bellied Brent Geese at Penrhyn

Cors Ddyga (7-8pm) two different Bittern, booming constantly.

@angbirdnews.bsky.social
Three Brent geese on sandy beach at Penrhyn. Long heads and necks with white collars and pale bodies. Fulmar settled down on untidy pile of big twigs in a hole on the cliff face at South Stacks. Slate grey back and pure white chest and head with a jet black eye. We watched this bird settle on the nest which had previously been used by ravens. Typical upright stance of a Wheatear in side profile on a heather bank with foreground in focus and background blurred. Grey back, apricot throat and face with a white eye stripe. We saw several pairs at South Stacks as they moved between the tops of bushes, shrubs and rocks showing the distinctive white flash of rump as they flew away.
April 11, 2025 at 6:35 AM
iomtosalop.bsky.social
Highlights of our first day on Anglesey were:

3 Marsh Harrier, 1 Grasshopper Warbler (heard), c. 150 Golden Plover, 1 Snipe all at Cors Ddyga

Red Kite, Osprey over Maltraeth Cob

2 pairs of Eider, 3 Black Guillemot, 10 Sandwich Tern at Benllech

@angbirdnews.bsky.social
Around 50 of the c.150 Golden Plover, dumpy bids squatting down and most of them roosting with their head tucked into the feathers on their backs. Male Eider duck on the sea, Black and white Sea duck with stiff short black taile, sloping forehead and greeny yellow patch on nape of the neck Female Eider duck in the sea. The same sloping forehead as the male but colours completely different. Generally a grey appearance but on closer inspection they are variously coloured, grey, black and rufous brown, streaked on the neck but striped on the back and wings.
April 9, 2025 at 8:45 PM
iomtosalop.bsky.social
My best ever attempt at a BIF (bird in flight). An overflying buzzard near to Sinker's Field at Whixall Moss today.

#shropshirebirds
A soaring Buzzard with wings outstretched and feet tucked back under the spread tail feathers.
March 31, 2025 at 4:51 PM
iomtosalop.bsky.social
Another week of BTO #gardenbirdwatch and 16 species again. It's only a small garden in North Shropshire but we frequently attract this number of species and these maximum counts.

Brambling and Nuthatch were welcome visitors this week.
Page from a notebook with February 2025 total showing columns of bird species in the garden, and a tally per species per week. The 16 species last week were Blackbird, Blue Tit, Brambling, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Collared Dove, Dunnock, Goldfinch, Great Tit, Greenfinch, House Sparrow, Nuthatch, Robin, Siskin, Starling, Wood Pigeon
February 16, 2025 at 2:14 PM
iomtosalop.bsky.social
I was inspired by your post and others to go out looking this morning on the site where our local #butterflytransect is here in North Shropshire.

It didn’t take too long to find one but getting a half-decent photo took longer.
A single tiny white egg nestling in the brown plump oak buds. The background is deliberately blurred
January 14, 2025 at 5:18 PM
iomtosalop.bsky.social
Another week of BTO #gardenwatch in our small garden in North Shropshire. This was one of the best ever weeks in terms of the number of species.

I added a new feeder this morning and so far Coal Tits and Robins have been taking advantage.

#shropshirebirds
Ground bird feeder table in a home made cage using chicken wire to stop the larger birds from devouring the food. A page from an exercise book with the month and year as the heading, columns for each week starting on a Sunday and a first column that lists the species. Each week a tally is kept of the maximum number of each species seen in the garden. Last week there were a total of 18 species seen. 4 Blackbird, 4 Blue Tit, 2 Chaffinch, 2 Coal Tit, 1 Dunnock, 5 Goldfinch, 1 Great Tit, 8 Greenfinch, 3 House Sparrow, 3 Jackdaw, 10 Long-tailed Tit, 1 Robin, 1 Siskin, 10 Starling, 9 Wood Pigeon, 1 Wren, 1 Brambling, 1 Collared Dove
January 12, 2025 at 10:13 AM
iomtosalop.bsky.social
I was thrilled to see my article about our #butterflytransect published in the winter edition of the Comma magazine. Thank you to @bc-westmids.bsky.social and here's hoping for a better butterfly year in 2025

#ukbutterflies
Photo of the double-page article which had pictures of the transect site, an Essex Skipper butterfly and statistics for butterflies recorded throughout the years of the survey
December 24, 2024 at 12:36 PM
iomtosalop.bsky.social
My Family, Friends and Butterflies

This is the theme of the Corfu Butterfly Conservation photographic competition for 2025.

Full details can be found on our website corfubutterflyconservation.org/article.php....

#butterf
A young boy looking in wonder at a butterfly that has landed on his finger. The boy is completely focused on the insect
December 23, 2024 at 1:30 PM
iomtosalop.bsky.social
Another week of BTO Garden Birdwatch in our small back garden in the UK. A flock of 8-10 long-tailed tits were briefly on our feeders and I managed this quick shot through the back door.Not long until the end of the year and that will be two full years of recording.

#shropshirebirding
Three long-tailed tits are feeding together on a peanut feeder. These delicate pink, white and black birds with their very long tails move around together in the winter in small flocks
December 22, 2024 at 9:29 AM
iomtosalop.bsky.social
This screenshot is from the Facebook group for Corfu Butterfly Conservation @butterflycorfu.bsky.social

It is a request for help in terms of any information you can share about the Oleander Hawkmoth or the plant it is feeding on.

#moths #invertebrates #teammoth #mothsmatter
The Facebook post shows photos of the amazing Oleander Hawkmoth caterpillar, a large brown chunky individual with startling false blue eyes. It was found at the Capodistrias Museum in Corfu on a plant where it hasn't been recorded before. The author of the post is expressing surprise at the colour of the caterpillar because it is usually green. She is also interested in the plant and wants information from anyone who can share their knowledge about the plant or the moth.
December 19, 2024 at 9:10 PM
iomtosalop.bsky.social
It seems like they feel compelled to write about these ‘hooligans’ every year. It must be a repeating calendar entry.
Google search for Daily Express advice about magpies shows an article every year with the advice changing every year. Previous years have at least suggested natural deterrents
December 9, 2024 at 12:52 PM
iomtosalop.bsky.social
Wow that’s a beautiful bird and photo.

We only saw one Swainson’s Thrush when we visited our daughter in Manitoba last year. Our equivalent bird in the UK is the Song Thrush.

Great alt text by the way.
A Song Thrush perched on a wooden fence. It is sideways on with its speckled chest facing right and its head turned slightly towards the camera.
December 9, 2024 at 7:16 AM
iomtosalop.bsky.social
After Storm Darragh and in the two hours since sunrise we have seen 11 species of birds and over 50 individuals in our small back garden in North Shropshire.

#birds #shropshirebirds
View of the back garden, patio and plant tubs in the foreground, a square of lawn surrounded by mature shrubs and panel fences.
December 8, 2024 at 10:33 AM
iomtosalop.bsky.social
A great day at Parkgate and Burton Mere Wetlands today. Marsh Harriers and male Hen Harrier at Parkgate and a total of 58 species across the sites. As we left we found a small group of Whooper Swans, Canada Geese and Greylag Goose feeding in a flooded stubble field

#birds #ukbirds #ukwildlife #rspb
Four birds feeding in a flooded stubble field, one Canada Goose facing away and three white swans, two clearly showing the yellow and black beak markings that distinguish the Whooper Swans
November 29, 2024 at 8:41 PM
iomtosalop.bsky.social
I photographed this Lulworth Skipper in Corfu in May 2023. They are very common in the spring and early summer.

corfubutterflyconservation.org/species.php?...

#corfu #corfubutterflies #butterflies
Lulworth Skipper butterfly on a small yellow flower standing out in relief because the background was deliberately blurred. Very similar to other yellowish-brown skippers but the female has a distinctive pale orange crescent on the forewings as this image shows clearly.
November 26, 2024 at 5:12 PM
iomtosalop.bsky.social
I do the BTO Garden Birdwatch, recording birds seen in my back garden each week. This is my tally sheet for November 2024.

I keep the records in an exercise book which helps me answer questions like 'when might we start seeing Siskins again?'

#shropshirebirds
Hand-written tally sheet for each week of November showing species seen in the garden
November 24, 2024 at 11:18 AM
iomtosalop.bsky.social
I love the fact that you are seeing Essex Skippers in Essex. I was thrilled to find one for the very first time on my local patch in Shropshire
Essex Skipper butterfly showing the fully black antennae tips that distinguish it from the Small Skipper
November 22, 2024 at 7:54 AM
iomtosalop.bsky.social
Beautiful photo and butterfly. Here is a Swallowtail from Corfu for comparison
A Swallowtail butterfly in Corfu, one of four members of the Papillionidae family that can be found there
November 20, 2024 at 5:49 PM
iomtosalop.bsky.social
We saw fewer Small here in Shropshire as well. This is an extract from a spreadsheet I use to track our transect data.

And yes we have snow here this morning as well

#transect #butterflies
November 19, 2024 at 7:40 AM
iomtosalop.bsky.social
Butterflies flying every day of the year in Corfu.

#butterflies #corfu

corfubutterflyconservation.org/stats_specie...
November 18, 2024 at 10:04 AM
iomtosalop.bsky.social
This is the Cliffe, close to where I live in North Shropshire. It’s the lowland heath where our butterfly transect is.

A group of us have begun conservation work for the autumn/winter.

Loads of people know about our work with butterflies but it’s a struggle finding volunteers to help.
November 18, 2024 at 9:40 AM