A male tufted duck on a lake
A female tufted duck on a lake
Pair of Tufted Ducks at Newton Park (Bath Spa University Campus), Newton St Loe, near #Bath #Somerset #UK. The male is black and white, female is brown and white.
#Nature #Wildlife #Bird #Birds #Duck #BirdPhotography #NaturePhotography #WildlifePhotography
A copy of the 2025 issue of the Bath Natural History Society magazine with a photo of a fly agaric mushroom on the cover
My first ever cover photo! A Fly Agaric mushroom I photographed last year on a Bath Natural History Society outing.
#Nature #Wildlife #Fungi #Mushroom #NaturePhotography #WildlifePhotography
Thank you!
A Small Garden Bumblebee queen on a yellow flower
Small Garden Bumblebee (Bombus hortorum) queen, just emerged from hibernation. On a field margin at Wilmington, near #Bath #Somerset #UK.
#Nature #Wildlife #Bee #Insect #Bumblebee #NaturePhotography #WildlifePhotography #Pollinator
Lesser Horseshoe Bat
Lesser Horseshoe Bat
Greater Horseshoe Bat
Lesser and Greater Horseshoe Bats from a site near Bath. These are amongst the rarest bats in Britain, but Bath is a stronghold for both species.
[photos taken with a bat licence and without flash]
#Nature #Wildlife #Bats #Bat #NaturePhotography
A morel mushroom growing on woodchip
Morel mushroom growing on woodchip
Morels (exact species uncertain, but we're working on it!) found growing on woodchip by a busy road in Bath yesterday.
#Nature #Wildlife #Morel #Fungi #NaturePhotography #WildlifePhotography #Mushroom
A Cormorant perched on a tree branch
A rather handsome Cormorant perched on a tree by the lake at Newton Park (Bath Spa University campus), at Newton St Loe, near #Bath #Somerset #UK. Plenty of fish in that lake, which is the main diet of these birds.
#Nature #Wildlife #Bird #Birds #UKWildlife #Birdwatching #UKBirding
A Bloody-nosed Beetle - a large black beetle with metallic blue sheen
Bloody-nosed Beetle (Timarcha tenebricosa) - a large and flightless beetle that can often be seen in early spring, and feed on members of the bedstraw family. Their common name derives from a red liquid they produce when threatened.
#Nature #Wildlife #UKWildlife #Beetle #Insect
I'd love to take a look at some point. I know the area well & could probably give you a few ideas. I've been surveying a few other sites around that way including Watership Farm, on the opposite side of the river. After my spring visit, I'll be writing a report, which I'm sure they'll share with you
I've not had chance to go there yet. But quite likely, I've head they can be found along the river out that way.
A Glow-worm larva on a leaf.
A Glow-worm larva in the outskirts of Bath yesterday. Not a worm, but a beetle larva! The adult females can sometimes be seen in the lanes away from built-up areas, where they emit a green glow in order to attract the winged males.
#Insect #Beetle #Nature #Wildlife #UKWildlife
A group of Marsh Fritillary caterpillars on a web in vegetation.
A group of Marsh Fritillary caterpillars on a web in vegetation.
The Marsh Fritillary butterfly caterpillars have survived the winter at their only site in the Bath area. I found several groups of caterpillars (about 200 in total) sunbathing in their meadow.
#Nature #Wildlife #Butterfly #Caterpillar #Insect #UKWildlife #NaturePhotography #WildlifePhotography
He said "Probably Trichia varia (need microscope to confirm) which will darken slightly as is it ripens. Under the microscope the spores and threads are bright golden yellow. The capillitial threads have spiral thickening so that as they dry they twist and flick the spores away."
Thank you. I'm no expert on slime moulds, but I showed the photo to my former university supervisor, Alan Feest, who is our local expert.
Not many flowers here either. I gave this bee a lift to the only flower I could find in a large meadow.
Queen Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius) I found this morning that had just awoken from hibernation. I gave her a lift to the nearest flower, and she instantly started feeding. In #Bath #Somerset #UK.
#Nature #Wildlife #Insect #Bee #Bumblebee #Spring #Flower
Wow - he's done well to keep that patch for that long! My Robin has had his patch for nearly 3.5 years, although the boundaries of it change slightly every year. He has just got himself a nice patch of willow scrub - it's his favourite spot now.
A slime mould, probably Tricia varia - a common species often found on wet wood. The orange spheres are the sporangia, the fruiting bodies. Despite their appearance and name, they aren't fungi, but a collective of single-celled organisms that can move.
#Nature #Wildlife #SlimeMold
My Robin friend Little Mate singing this afternoon. The most important thing to a Robin is its territory, and he keeps it by singing regularly around the boundaries of it.
In #Bath #Somerset #UK
#nature #wildlife #ukwildlife #bathnature #bird #ukwildlife
Didn't go to the farm shop today, but I often stop by there for a snack and to see the goats.
The larva of a Black-headed Cardinal beetle on a log. The larva is elongata, yellow with numerous segments and with two spines at the rear.
Close-up of the rear spines of a larva of a Black-headed Cardinal beetle on a log.
Larva of a Black-headed Cardinal Beetle (Pyrochroa coccinea) under the bark of a log at Newton St Loe, near #Bath today. Distinguished from the common Red-headed Cardinal by the lack of lateral teeth on the rear spines #nature #wildlife #wildlifephotography #ukwildlife #bathnature #insect #beetle
They get to know people who visit them regularly. It's a wonderful experience. When they really get to know you, they'll stay and chat after eating - sometimes for up to an hour!
My #Robin friend Little Mate taking a snack this evening. We had a good chat and then he had his very important singing to do.
In #Bath #Somerset #UK
#nature #wildlife #ukwildlife #bathnature #bird #ukwildlife
🤣
Thanks! The only good one out of about 200 I took this morning!
Goldcrest - I watched this tiny bird foraging in a willow tree for a good 20 minutes. They rarely stay still, so photographing them is a real challenge, especially on a cloudy February day.
In #Bath #Somerset #UK
#nature #wildlife #ukwildlife #bathnature #bird #ukwildlife #birdphotography
My Robin friend Little Mate singing today. Nesting season is not far off! In #Bath #Somerset #UK
#nature #wildlife #ukwildlife #bathnature #bird #ukwildlife
My Robin friend Little Mate today. He's very chatty at the moment. Breeding season isn't far off, and he's spending most of his time singing, chasing off rivals and turning down potential mates - he already has one. #nature #wildlife #ukwildlife #bathnature #bird #ukwildlife
Scarlet Elf Cup on a woodland floor
Scarlet Elf Cup, brightening up the woodland floors around Newton St Loe right now. Near #Bath #Somerset #UK
#nature #wildlife #wildlifephotography #naturephotography #ukwildlife #bathnature #fungi #mushroom
