Christopher Blakey Photography

Flounced Chestnut flies in September and October and is suitably autumnal in colouration. Here’s one from last year.

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I was sitting hidden, waiting for this Short-eared Owl to appear again, when it surprised me by flying directly overhead! It was quite something to look through my camera’s viewfinder and see its piercing yellow eyes staring straight back at me.

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Autumnal Rustic is a classy-looking moth of late summer/early autumn. I’ve had good numbers of them whilst trapping on the heather moorlands of Durham this year.

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Common Lizard, peeking through the metal wire of a boardwalk in the North Pennines. I found a good number of these sunning themselves on the wooden planks.

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Autumn is coming, which tends to mean an increase of colour in my mothtrap. I look forward to Merveille du Jour every year– I’ve not yet had one in 2023, so here’s one from 2022.

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I spotted this Bronze Shieldbug on a patch of heather the other week, shining brightly in the early morning sun. This is actually the final instar nymph– the full adult has a somewhat more understated appearance.

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Grey Seal, taken in Pembrokeshire during the late summer of 2020. It often isn’t possible to get close shots of beached seals without disturbing them: this forces a more creative photographic approach which places the animal in its surroundings more obviously.

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I love the glowing orange and distinctive shape of the Herald moth. They are a rather curious species: they overwinter as adults and can be found in large numbers in caves and tunnels. This one came to my trap earlier in the year.

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Short-eared Owl in the Northumbrian Pennines, returning to chicks with prey. I stayed for a few days in Northumberland this summer, and we had the pleasure of watching these majestic moorland hunters most evenings.

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©️ Christopher Blakey Photography

Pebble Hook-tip is the commonest Hook-tip moth. I had them in my traps in May this year and then again in August for their second brood. I love the distinctive shape of these moths!

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©️ Christopher Blakey Photography

I added a new butterfly species to the garden list this year– the rather pretty Holly Blue. I found adults flying around the ivy on our fence earlier in May, and watched one as it laid its eggs. These emerged successfully in August: hopefully, the next generation will appear again in the spring!

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The usual garden Hedgehogs have been thin on the ground this year. I had a lovely view of this one as it wandered through my garden in early spring, but I’ve barely seen any since.

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My favourite common butterfly is the Comma. I associate them with Autumn, but they can be seen throughout the year– I found this individual patrolling a sunlight glade full of bracken earlier this year.

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©️ Christopher Blakey Photography

Noble False-widow Spider are not often seen where I live in the North East, but their population is increasing rapidly in the south. An impressive but controversial spider: they are an invasive species, being introduced accidentally from the Canaries and Madeira many years ago probably through maritime trade. They outbreed other native spiders, and may pose a threat to some of these species. I found this individual in the roof of a shed in a family garden last year.

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Bar-tailed Godwit, taken in Pembrokeshire at this time of year in 2021. These large, elegant waders breed in Arctic and spend their winters in various places across the world. One subspecies breeds in Alaska and winters in New Zealand– a bird on this journey with a satellite tag set the world record for longest non-stop migratory flight at 8435 miles!

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Ethmia quadrillella is a pretty little moth– I found my first last year whilst trapping in a family garden.

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Small Copper butterfly feeding on heather. Taken a few years ago in the Durham Pennines.

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Late summer is a great time to see waders. I found this Sanderling feeding on a beach in Pembrokeshire a few years ago and spent a happy few hours watching it, waiting for the sun to set over the sea.

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It seems to have been a good year for Short-eared Owls in the North Pennines AONB. I’ve encountered at least six pairs in upland areas across Durham, Cumbria, and Northumberland. I found this one very high up in the Cumbrian Pennines towards the end of a long hike– it seemed to spot me quite a way off, but then flew in close to investigate!

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I found several Common Lizards sunning themselves on a boardwalk in the North Pennines last week. This one was particularly well-marked, and tolerated me crouching down beside the boardwalk to get an eye-level view.

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Last year I recorded my favourite moth – Beautiful Snout – at a new site in Durham, more than 25km from its known range. I was delighted to find it again at the same site this year a few weeks ago!

Juvenile and female Red Grouse feeding in young heather. Taken in the Durham Dales earlier this year.

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Green Tiger Beetles can be found in large numbers on Durham’s moors. On one very warm day this year, I found hundreds along a short stretch of path! They are fast runners and fly often, but their stunning colours make waiting for them to pause worthwhile.

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Drinker moths are common around me; I find caterpillars whilst out walking far more often than I record adults in my trap. Earlier in the year, however, a male and a female found their way to a trap I ran in local ancient woodland. The females are larger and paler than the males, but both feature a distinctive and prominent "snout".

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The longhorn beetle Pachytodes cerambyciformis is a striking insect. I’ve recorded various species of longhorn beetle in Durham before, but this one was new to me this year. I found it early one morning sitting on bracken on the edge of a large forest.

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A beautiful Sallow Kitten graced my garden trap for the first time this year. This intricately-patterned species is one of my absolute favourites!

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I found several Swollen-thighed Beetles in a family garden earlier in the year. Both sexes are a brilliant shining green colour, but only the males have the odd leg shape that gives the species its name.

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The frankly ludicrous micro moth Alabonia geofrella (known affectionately as "Geoff" to moth-ers) was new to me this year. Most of my mothing has been done whilst living in Durham, and this weirdly-shaped, sparkly thing sadly hasn’t yet been recorded up here yet.

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I found this stunning Crab Spider (Misumena vatia) on a lily in a family garden earlier in the year. They can change colour to match the flower they’re sitting on in order to hide from prey!

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Here’s a female Adder, sunning herself from the shelter of a dry stone wall. Taken earlier this year in the Durham Dales.

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©️ Christopher Blakey Photography