Dartmoor Highlights - and a question of ethics

The Common Redstart (above) may be Britain's most attractive summer visitor, but it's getting increasingly difficult to track one down. In Dorset, where I'm based, they are very scarce breeders, more usually seen passing through the county on migration. Which makes the perfect excuse for a birding excursion over the border into Devon. 

A spring visit to Dartmoor is an annual event in my birding calendar - see this post from a couple of years ago. Two locations take centre stage. My first stop this morning was Yarner Wood, which has the honour of being England's first National Nature Reserve (NNR), established in 1952. Now expanded into the East Dartmoor NNR, the site is managed by Natural England. A leaflet about the reserve can be downloaded here (1.9MB).

The oak woods at Yarner are positively festooned with bird and bat boxes. The first nestboxes that I came across were all occupied by Blue Tits, and the busy comings and goings of the parents showed that nestlings were in residence. But further up the track a dart of black and white revealed the presence of a male Pied Flycatcher (below). He perched conveniently close to the path:

Pied Flycatcher (male) - Yarner Wood, Devon, UK

Nationally, Pied Flycatcher number have decreased massively - a 53% drop between 1995 and 2023 (see the data from the British Trust for Ornithology here), although losses appear to have levelled off - possibly as a result of nestbox provision in places like Yarner Wood. My non-scientific impression this morning was that numbers seem similar to my previous visits.

Unfortunately, the same can't be said for Wood Warblers, which the official NNR leaflet says that Yarner is 'famous' for. Not now, I'm afraid. It's many years since I last saw or heard a Wood Warbler there - and none were apparent this morning.

My second destination of the morning was Emsworthy Mire, a Devon Wildlife Trust reserve at the head a valley just below Haytor. The sun was out, but a sharp wind was blowing.

  

View over Emsworthy Mire, Dartmoor. Haytor in the distance.

I could hear a singing Common Redstart as I entered the reserve, following the path that winds between a network of dry stone walls that mark out the site of this former farm. Some of the fields contained a stunning display of Bluebells - the best that I've seen there.

Bluebells at Emsworthy Mire

On previous visits I have watched Redstarts in the vicinity of the old barn that sits roughly in the centre of the reserve. It is surrounded by mature trees (mostly Sycamore) which contrast markedly with the more windblown Hawthorn and Ash dotted around the fields. As I approached the barn, I saw that a couple of other guys with cameras had beaten me to it. A female Common Redstart hopped onto a stone wall, but speedily disappeared. A male then flew up into a nearby tree ...

... and then descended to perch on an old stone wall right in front of me:

Common Redstart (male) - Emsworthy Mire, Devon

This was fantastic, although I couldn't help but wonder why he had come so close to the path. The answer was soon apparent:

Common Redstart with mealworms (not placed there by me)

Mealworms do not naturally inhabit the top of stone walls, and one of the photographers must have placed them there. My initial feeling was one of disappointment, as I was not observing the bird's natural behaviour. But then again, I was pleased to get such good views and I'm very happy with the resulting images. It's a bit of an ethical dilemma.

To be clear, I would never bait a site in order to obtain a photograph - but then photography has never been my prime motivation when watching birds (or indeed any other wildlife). Having said that, it's always very satisfying to have a nice picture that records the things that I have seen, and in some cases such a photo can also act as a useful identification tool. Before writing this blog post, I had a bit of an online dive into various birding websites and forums and I see that my dilemma is shared by many. A good example is this article by Pete Garrity, which rehearses these arguments (and more) in some detail; I certainly agree with his key take-home message that the welfare of the bird must come first. There is a similar conclusion in a thoughtful blog by Adam Juckes, who emphasises (correctly in my view) that much depends on the particular circumstances of each case.

As it happens, supplementary feeding is in the news at the moment, with the well-publicised change of stance by the RSPB - link here (in summary: feed seasonally, feed safely).  The spread of diseases like trichomonosis is part of the problem, but recent research also has highlighted the potential for ecological harm to arise from the provision of additional food in certain circumstances - for example by giving a competitive advantage to bird-feeder visitors (like Great Tits) over declining insect-feeders (like Pied Flycatchers) (Broughton et al., 2021). I've stopped putting out bird feeders in my garden for this reason. But we have to acknowledge that in the wider world, supplementary feeding is well established - many (if not most) eco-lodges in the Neotropics will have fruit and nectar feeding stations for toucans, tanagers, hummingbirds and the like - and I have spent many happy hours watching (and indeed photographing) the birds that visit them. 

There are no easy answers, and in many cases it will simply be a case of fact and degree. The occasional baiting of a site like Emsworthy is unlikely to cause material harm and may indeed provide some benefit to the bird(s) concerned. The Common Redstart seemed happy enough to accept an easy meal. In an ideal world, photographers using this method should perhaps 'come clean' as to how they obtained their image, but that might be asking too much!

But as soon as a rare and infrequent practice becomes widespread then alarm bells should start to ring. At that point, some thought needs to be given about the likely effect on the species concerned. This becomes particularly important when birds are the subject of conservation concern, a factor that is recognised in the UK by various laws (unnecessarily complicated in my view, but that's a separate discussion) that protect certain species - notably Schedule 1 of the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981 (as amended) (explained here) in respect of breeding birds. As it happens, Common Redstart is not (at time of writing) a Schedule 1 bird, but its range has declined in recent years along with a slight population decrease (information from the BTO on this is here. To me, this suggests that we should think very hard when carrying out actions like supplementary feeding that could affect its natural breeding behaviour. But perhaps I'm being over-cautious. And clearly there are many more pressing problems affecting wild birds such as habitat loss, climate change, pesticide use, agricultural intensification, hunting ... the list goes on.

My visit to Emsworthy finished on a less controversial note. I didn't linger by the barn, heading off instead on the circular route that runs around Emsworthy Mire. I was near to the south-western corner of the reserved when I finally heard the call of a male Cuckoo nearby. He was easy to locate:

Cuckoo male - Emsworthy Mire

  And he wasn't alone. A female was nearby, resting on a fencepost:

Cuckoo female - Emsworthy Mire

Neither of these are great photos, but I was keeping my distance in a landscape that offered very little natural cover. Not that the Cuckoos appeared unduly bothered; they were more occupied with each other - the male calling loudly and flying after the female when she moved further along the fence line. At the same time, both Cuckoos were being repeatedly mobbed by other birds - mostly Meadow Pipits. You can understand why, of course, although what baffles me is that the same birds fail to recognise a giant Cuckoo chick in their own nest. There is much of interest in the life of the Cuckoo. 

My last view of was of both Cuckoos sitting almost side by side further along the fence (below). Note the Meadow Pipit on the middle post. Both birds then flew away across the moor.

Reference

Broughton, R. Shutt, J. and Lees, A. (2021) 'Rethinking bird feeding: are we

putting extra pressure on some struggling woodland birds?' British Birds, 115 (1). pp. 2-6.

 

Enjoying Sand Lizards at Arne

 

Sand Lizards are one of Britain's most spectacular reptiles, and it is always a privilege to get good views of them. One of the advantages of being a reptile surveyor is the opportunity to attend training days to improve survey and identification skills. Today was one such session, held at the RSPB's Arne reserve next to Poole Harbour in Dorset, UK - a site that I know well as a local volunteer. Among its many wildlife attractions, which will be familiar to viewers of past series of BBC's 'Springwatch', the reserve hosts all six of Britain's native reptile species.

The session was led by Gary Powell and Nick Moulton of Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, and was carried out under licence as the Sand Lizard is a protected species. As always, the welfare of the animals comes first.

It is rarely easy to find wild reptiles, especially on very sunny days like today when their activity levels were already high by mid-morning. It is much better to search on cooler and cloudier days when lizards and snakes need longer to warm up before they can start moving around. More basking time means that they should be easier to spot. But you can't guarantee it! 

Even with the many eyes of our group, it took over an hour to locate the first Sand Lizard - the handsome individual pictured at the start of this blog. The green colour shows that he's a breeding male, and we are now well into that season on the Dorset heaths. Sand Lizards have been out of hibernation for a couple of months here (I saw my first of the year back in mid-March). Males emerge a week or so later than females, and their full breeding colour takes a short while to develop. 

A second male this morning, moving through a bundle of dead Gorse, was similarly colourful but less willing to pose for a picture (below).

Sand Lizard (male) - RSPB Arne, Dorset

But what about the females? Unlike Common Lizards, which give birth to live offspring, female Sand Lizards lay their eggs underground, usually one clutch of 4-12 eggs per season. Understandably, the females are quite choosy about where they do it and will dig several (sometimes many) 'test burrows' before deciding that one is suitable to accommodate their future young. 

The presence of these test burrows is a good indication that you have a breeding population of Sand Lizards on site. According to the literature their construction usually takes place in late May. However, we saw a good number on the heathland this morning. Climate change seems to be bringing this activity, and many other natural processes, forward in time.

Two Sand Lizard test burrow entrances - RSPB Arne, Dorset

What makes a successful egg burrow for a female Sand Lizard? Bare ground is favoured, but a balance is needed between soil that is too hard or compacted to excavate and sand that is so loose that the finished burrow will collapse. If rocks or large stones are encountered underground then digging will probably be abandoned. Sunny, south facing sites are preferred, within close proximity to cover such as  deep heather or a gorse bush.

This morning, we were extremely lucky to come across a female Sand Lizard in the process of excavating a burrow (photo below). Only her tail is visible.

Female Sand Lizard digging an egg burrow (tail only visible) - RSPB Arne

The lizard was too busy digging to bother about (or possibly even notice) our presence. We left her to it: will this burrow meet her exacting requirements, I wonder? But when she is finally satisfied, she will emerge from the favoured burrow before reversing back in to lay her eggs. The burrow will then be carefully filled in so that it cannot be detected. Any excavations remaining obviously visible will be discarded test burrows that didn't make the grade.

It will usually take two or three years for Sand Lizards to reach maturity and start breeding. Before that, juvenile lizards will roam the heathland in search of prey; these are markedly smaller than adults, with a similar colouration to adult females (brown or grey with 'ocellated' spots - i.e. black with white centres). We found one of these juveniles a bit further down the track: it was basking on a tree stump but then moved under the cover of some nearby vegetation (below).

Juvenile Sand Lizard in cover - RSPB Arne, Dorset

The presence of breeding Sand Lizards on heathland at Arne is encouraging news for Britain's rarest native lizard. Over the wider Purbeck Heaths National Nature Reserve, of which Arne is only a part, a programme of conservation actions aimed at benefitting the species, supported by co-ordinated monitoring by reptile surveyors, is seeking to turn around the fortunes of this endangered reptile. I am proud to play a very small part in these activities. And it's great to be able to observe these magnificent reptiles in such a beautiful natural setting.

For more information about how to identify Sand Lizards, and other lizards in Britain (both native and non-native), as well as a short list of references, see an earlier blog post - link here. This blog also contains a list of the experts upon who I have relied in gaining understanding of these species: needless to say, any errors in this blog are however my own responsibility.

For more information on conserving Sand Lizards and other reptiles contact Amphibian and Reptile Conservation.

While sightings can never be guaranteed, Sand Lizards are regularly seen from the trails at RSPB Arne. Guided walks can also be booked that will give a more detailed insight into these and other heathland species - contact RSPB Arne Events for more information.

Introducing Common Spring Moths

 

Oak Beauty Biston strataria - Dorset 23.3.26

If you are new to moth recording then Spring is a great time to start. Moth numbers are manageable, so you can proceed at a relaxed pace without the stress that comes with a big summer catch. Mornings are still chilly, so any moths that you do catch are likely to be docile and will wait patiently while you work out what you've got. All in all, Spring mothing provides excellent foundation for the more hectic days that are yet to come.  

A recent run of cold nights has discouraged me from running the moth trap, but yesterday seemed warm enough to give it a go - and I'm pleased that I did. A total of 45 moths from 10 species represents a good return for the garden trap at this time of the year. As it happens, many of Spring's 'usual suspects' turned up, which is a good excuse for a blog post.

Last night I used my normal 125W mercury vapour Robinson trap. We're in a small village about a mile inland from the Dorset coast, which is great for attracting interesting migrant moths in Summer and Autumn (one for a separate blog!), but is notoriously slow at delivering the goods on Spring's colder nights. This may be because the village sits on a cool north-facing slope, a problem amplified by the need to avoid dazzling our neighbours which means that I run the trap in a north-facing rear garden. 

Anyway, that's enough excuses! As I explained on a previous moth identification blog, the UK's larger moths (aka 'macro-moths') are dominated by two main families - the noctuids and the geometrids. I've described the key features of these (and other) families in that blog post (link here), but in essence the noctuids are generally thick-set and chunky, while the geometrids tend to rest more like butterflies, with their wings usually (but not always) spread open like the Oak Beauty pictured at the start of this post. Both are well-represented at this time of year, while other moth families may be harder to track down.

Noctuids

Three species tend to dominate the trap at this time of the year, all noctuids. First, the Hebrew Character (below), which accounted for almost a third of the moths in my trap this morning.

Hebrew Character Orthosia gothica - Dorset 23.3.26

The saddle-shaped black mark on the wings of this moth is the key identification feature. No other Spring-flying moth has this, although if you are using AI identification apps you need to be aware that there is a similar (and also common) moth of Summer and Autumn called the Setaceous Hebrew Character. If you want to know more about moth identification resources then have a look at this blog that I posted a couple of years ago. Hebrew Character moths are found across most of Britain and Ireland; they over-winter in a pupa (cocoon) and emerge to feed on the flowers (catkins) of willows and sallows. 

This food source is also the target of the second common Spring noctuid - the Early Grey:

Early Grey Xylocampa areola - Dorset 23.3.26

Early Grey moths have a marbled pattern that can at first appear confusing, but once you have got your eye in then it's easily recognised. Although a few other species appear superficially similar (such as Shears), their flight period usually will not coincide with that of Early Grey - which will be over by May. The Early Grey has a widespread distribution across most of England and Wales, but is more patchy in Scotland (outside the Central Belt) and Ireland.

The third common Spring noctuid needs a bit more thought. This is the Common Quaker:

Common Quaker Orthosia cerasi - Dorset 23.3.26

In many ways, Common Quakers are the classic noctuid moth. I use an image of one in my moth identification course to illustrate some the main wing markings that are so important for getting a successful ID. These are the oval and kidney markings on each wing (in the jargon these are the 'orbicular and reniform stigmata'), which are neatly outlined in white, and the conspicuous white cross-line (the 'postmedian fascia'). Common Quakers are frequent across most of Britain and Ireland, especially in woodland, and regularly turn up in garden traps. But do beware: there is a very similar species (Vine's Rustic) that can easily be confused for Common Quaker; however, Vine's Rustic flies later in the year. By the time that June arrives the Common Quakers should have disappeared.

Less common, but still frequently recorded in England and Wales (less so in Scotland and Ireland) is the Small Quaker:

Small Quaker Orthosia cruda - Dorset 23.3.26

Like its namesake, Small Quaker also has white-lined oval and kidney markings. However, they are smaller and less distinct than on Common Quaker, and there is often a dark splodge within the kidney. Also, the moth is generally lighter in colour and plainer in appearance. It's not really a looker, I'm afraid. As the name suggests, Small Quakers are usually smaller than Common Quakers, although both species are variable in size and there can be an overlap. Here they are side-by-side this morning; while you can make out the size difference, it's not exactly obvious:

Small Quaker (left) and Common Quaker (right) - Dorset 23.3.26

For the sake of completeness here, I'm adding in a moth that didn't appear last night (and in fact hasn't appeared here yet this year) but which is relatively common at this time of year despite experiencing recent declines in both distribution and abundance. This is the Powdered Quaker (the photo is from last year):

Powdered Quaker Orthosia gracilis - Dorset 3.4.25

The key identification feature here is the generally speckled appearance, which is usually obvious despite some variation in the background colour - although most of the ones that I see are the dirty creamy-grey colour shown above. Powdered Quakers are found over most of England and Wales, but in Scotland are more common in the south and west. 

The common English names of the UK's moths are a source of much interest. They can be quirky (for example the Mother Shipton), descriptive (the Silver Y springs to mind) or just plain bizarre (like the Ni Moth). Many are rooted in history, dating back to a wave of moth-naming in the 1600s and 1700s. The various Quakers surely date from this period.

Unfortunately, such names are unreliable when it comes to understanding how moth species are classified and related to each other. If you've noticed the scientific names on this blog's photo captions, you will see that Common and Small Quakers are closely related as well as similar in appearance: they are part of the same genus (Orthosia). But so is the Hebrew Character, which has very different wing markings. The final two noctuids that I'm introducing in this blog underline this confusion. First is the Clouded Drab, which is also in the Orthosia genus:

Clouded Drab Orthosia incerta - Dorset 23.3.26

If it could have a say in the matter, the Clouded Drab would probably be less than chuffed with whoever decided on its common name. Although rather plain, its colour and patterning can have a subtle charm. While its appearance can be variable (the scientific name incerta means 'not fixed'), Clouded Drab can normally be recognised by its large size (bigger than all of the previous moths), rather pointed wing tips and the generally muted oval and kidney markings (although these can be more obvious than in the example pictured above). Two similar species (Lead-coloured Drab and Northern Drab) are much more localised and I have yet to see either in my trap. Clouded Drab has a similar distribution to Common Quaker.

My last noctuid is Twin-spotted Quaker (below), which despite its name is not in the Orthosia genus:

Twin-spotted Quaker Anorthoa munda - Dorset 23.3.26

This is also a large moth, similar in size to Clouded Drab, and as its name suggests is usually recognised by the presence of two obvious black dots near to the outer edge ('termen') of the wing. In the example that I caught this morning (above) these dots are actually orange - and not very obvious. But they are there if you look. I should explain at this point that the way that moth wings are described can be confusing to the newcomer. By convention, the base of a moth's wing is the point at which it joins the moth's body (thorax), which is usually at the top of most moth images. The outer edge (or termen) of the wing is therefore the bit that's furthest away from the base, which in this case is at the bottom of the photo. It does make sense, but it also needs a bit of getting used to. Anyway, Twin-spotted Quakers are fairly common in England and Wales and seem to be spreading north in Scotland.

Geometrids

Geometrids (or geometer moths) seem to be much more scarce in the Spring months. Only three species have turned up here so far in 2026, although as I've already said it has been a quiet start to the year. The most spectacular is undoubtedly the Oak Beauty pictured at the start of this blog. Here's another one from a couple of years ago:

Oak Beauty Biston strataria - Dorset 22.1.24 (an early arrival)

Oak Beauty is one of the most sought-after Spring arrivals, and it's always nice to see. The two reddish-brown jagged bands across the wings are found in no other UK moth species. Despite the name, the caterpillars (larvae) of this moth feed on a range of broadleaved trees and shrubs - not just Oaks. They are widely distributed across England and Wales but may be spreading into Scotland. It is one of several moth species that are showing a curious trend: while overall abundance is decreasing, their distribution is widening.  (There is more about this in my blog post on insect decline - link here.)

Similar in shape, but not markings and colouration, is Brindled Beauty (below). Unfortunately I'm still waiting for this one in 2026, so here's an example from last year:

Brindled Beauty Lycia hirtaria - Dorset 3.4.25

Brindled Beauty is widespread across Wales, southern and central England and the Scottish Highland, but appears less common in northern England and southern Scotland - a curiously scattered distribution. Its dark markings separate it from the male Pale Brindled Beauty (below - another one from last year):

Pale Brindled Beauty (male) Phigalia pilosaria - Dorset 14.1.25

Pale Brindled Beauty is distributed more widely than its darker namesake, but both species have suffered significant declines in abundance (83% and 78% respectively). One significant difference between the two species is that Pale Brindled Beauty females are flightless; the females have no wings and therefore have very limited mobility, a characteristic that is shared by a number of other early-flying species including the March Moth (see below). 

One of the most distinctive Spring geometrids is Early Thorn (below), pictured last month. The Thorns are some of the few UK moths that hold their wings vertically when resting.

Early Thorn Selenia dentaria - Dorset 23.2.26

There are eight UK Thorn species of which only two appear in the Spring months. Early Thorn is the most common and widespread, although it is even more frequent during its later second generation in July and August. The formal term for such double-brooded species is 'bivoltine'. The other Spring-flying species is the arguably more spectacular Purple Thorn (below); I don't see many of those here, so have had to dig into the archives for an image from 2022.

Purple Thorn Selenia tetralunaria - Dorset 16.4.22

The coloured banding on the underside of Purple Thorn's wings is strikingly different to that of Early Thorn. If you compare the two images you will see that small white crescent 'moons' can be seen on the underside of each of Purple Thorn's four wings (hence tetralunaria) while only two (on the hindwings) are seen on Early Thorn. (The much rarer Lunar Thorn also has four 'moons', but flies a bit later in the year.) But the key distinction is that Early Thorn is the only UK Thorn species that holds its wings pressed together; in Purple Thorn, and the others, a gap is maintained.

Very different in appearance from most other geometrids is the March Moth (below), which despite its name can appear as early as January. The first male of the year turned up here at the end of February, but this image is from one observed last year. Like the Pale Brindled Beauty (see above) the females of this species cannot fly.

March Moth male Alsophila aescularia - Dorset 23.2.25

Erebidae

All but one of the larger (macro-) moths that I have trapped this year belong to the two main families described above. The exception is the beautiful Herald (below), which I discovered sitting on a garden chair next to the moth trap this morning. Fortunately it had escaped the attention of the local Robin. 

Herald Scoliopteryx libatrix - Dorset 23.3.26

Claiming this as a Spring moth is a bit of a cheat, as the Herald flies during most months of the year. However, unlike all of the species described above, it overwinters as an adult, finding cover in a quiet location such as a natural cave or somebody's garden shed before emerging around March. Historical data shows that the average time of emergence has moved forward several weeks since the 1970s, yet another climate change-related effect.  

That concludes my brief run-through of the most commonly-seen Spring moths. Numbers of species, and of individual moths, will start to rise as the year progresses, so I doubt whether I can attempt another seasonal survey. But more moth blogs will be coming. In the meantime, happy mothing!

References

Identification references used are set out in more detail in a separate blog - link here.

Distribution and abundance information is from the excellent Atlas of Britain and Ireland's Larger Moths (Randle et al, 2019). 

  

Portland Miscellany - Wheatears, Wall Lizards and a Grey Seal

(Northern) Wheatear - Portland Bill, Dorset, UK

 A visit to Portland Bill rarely disappoints, and today's sunny weather was enough to lure the family down for a walk, lunch and some wildlife watching. Reports of good numbers of Wheatears on the Portland Bird Observatory website (link) meant that this neat migrant was top of my wish list. And it didn't take long to spot one, perched on a roadside boulder near the Bill car park. I would have to wait a little bit longer for a decent image, however; the above photo was taken on the coast path heading up the east side of the 'island' (actually not an island, but that's what everyone calls it) just north of the beach huts. It was one of an estimated 10-15 that I saw on the fields and in the nearby quarries. This is good news: the Spring migration is up and running.

One of Portland's great selling points is the diversity of wildlife that can turn up. Whilst enjoying the background chatter of Skylark song and watching Rock Pipits flit along the shoreline we noticed a Grey Seal's muzzle sticking out of the water, close in to the shore (below). A fine set of whiskers were on display.

Grey Seal 'bottling' - Portland Bill, Dorset, UK

This common behaviour is known as 'bottling' - as it apparently resembles a floating bottle - and it allows the seal to rest, and even sleep, with minimal exertion. Its eyes (not visible in this photo) were near to the waterline, and may even have been shut. It may have heard us, as it raised its head up and gave us a rather penetrating stare (below) before diving. 

Grey Seal 'bottling' - Portland Bill, Dorset, UK

I've written before about Portland's Wall Lizards (see a blog about recent sightings here and a more detailed one about identifying British lizards here). These non-native reptiles are a charming and visible addition to the local fauna, and it's always great to have an encounter. The jury remains out as to whether they have a harmful effect on native reptiles, by the way; this certainly can't be ruled out. But, as I've previously commented, they appear to occupy a distinctly different 'niche' to Common (or Viviparous) Lizards their nearest likely competitor, while their colonies on the south coast of England are well-separated from the heathland domain of the threatened Sand Lizard.

Anyway, we went looking for Wall Lizards in one of the quarries next to the coast path on the eastern side of the island, a place with several previous sightings. Although the day was sunny, a cool easterly breeze wasn't ideal for these ectothermic creatures - ectothermic meaning that they rely on external heat sources. On that point: reptiles are commonly called 'cold-blooded' - I've done it myself - but this isn't fully accurate. To be properly active, they need to reach a certain blood temperature, which in Britain is around 25-30 degrees Celsius (Inns, 2009). Obviously, such temperatures cannot be guaranteed in our chilly latitudes, even sometimes during the British summer. Today on Portland it was considerably colder, perhaps 15 degrees at the most. However, reptiles are very good at extracting what heat they can from the surrounding environment, mainly by basking in the sunshine but also by flattening themselves against warm surfaces. This morning, the best place to look for Wall Lizards was therefore in a sunny but crucially sheltered corner of the quarry. And that's where we found a couple:

Common Wall Lizard - Portland, Dorset, UK

Common Wall Lizard - Portland, Dorset, UK

The mottled pattern on the back suggests that both lizards are males, although only the second one was showing the characteristic yellow-green colour that accompanies the breeding season. Wall Lizards, and indeed Common Lizards, are relatively quick off the mark in that regard compared to Sand Lizards which will usually not begin to mate until April at the earliest. (As it happens, I saw my first Sand Lizard of the year while surveying on the Purbeck Heaths this week; it was a male without any evidence of green colouration.)

Before leaving the island we revisited the Wall Lizard colony at Cheyne Weares (further up the island's east side) that was the subject of my previous blog. By now, the sun had moved into the western sky and much of the roadside wall was in shadow. But we still found eight individuals making the most of the sunshine, including these two:

 

Common Wall Lizard - Cheyne Weares, Portland, Dorset, UK

Common Wall Lizard - Cheyne Weares, Portland, Dorset, UK

The obvious stripes on the back of each individual suggest that they are both females - although please let me know if you disagree. Also present in this colony were several much smaller lizards, likely last year's juveniles that have successfully overwintered.

As ever, Portland delivered on the wildlife front - and we had an excellent lunch at the Lobster Pot, too. With Spring now getting into gear, it won't be long before I'm back.

Portland Bill, Dorset, UK

References

Beebee, T. & Griffith, R. (2000) Amphibians and Reptiles (New Naturalist Series) London: HarperCollins.

Inns, H. (2009) Britain's Reptiles and Amphibians Wildguides

Text and images (c) Mike Hetherington

 

Crossbills at Affpuddle

Common Crossbill male - Affpuddle Heath, Dorset UK 16.3.26

2026 is looking like being a good year for Crossbills here in Dorset, UK. The Common Crossbill is a scarce breeder in the county, but can occur in greater numbers during 'irruption' years. It's a species that I have had little luck with. Despite regular reports of the birds being present at a particular site near Affpuddle, three previous visits all drew blanks.  So I wasn't too hopeful about this morning's trip - but it turns out that my fortunes had changed.

Affpuddle forest - Crossbill country

Affpuddle Forest (strictly Affpuddle and Moreton Forest) sits on a low ridge separating the valleys of the Rivers Piddle and Frome in West Dorset. Formerly heathland, the area has been extensively planted with conifers, mostly Scots Pine. Several open areas remain, largely grassland dotted with Gorse bushes. Part of the land is managed by Forestry England, and has open access, while other areas are crossed by public footpaths and bridleways. Car parks are provided at Culpepper's Dish, a surprisingly large sinkhole of some geological interest, and on the B3390 south of Affpuddle village. 

I parked at the second of these and started walking eastwards towards Culpepper's Dish. It was about 0830 in the morning, and there was sporadic birdsong in the woodland: mostly Robins and Siskins along with a distant lone Yellowhammer. A small group of Long-tailed Tits flicked past.

Reaching the stand of trees pictured above I noticed some movement high in the canopy. Several birds were feeding on pine cones while others flew between the tree tops in small groups of two or three. Even at some distance I could see that they were Crossbills: rather chunkier than most other finches and showing flashes of red (males) and a dull yellow (females). Every now and again a larger movement would see ten or more birds flying to another tree. They were very mobile, but never went more than around 50 metres from my original sighting. 

It was a dull morning with a light drizzle, and the light wasn't great. I was resigned to only getting distant treetop views, when a small group flew down and sat obligingly in a smaller pine tree , dotted like Christmas decorations (below).

Common Crossbill group - Affpuddle Heath, Dorset UK 16.3.26

Even better, one male flew even closer and perched on the top of a leading shoot right next to the road (below). Despite the gloomy conditions, his brick-red colour stood out.  

Common Crossbill male - Affpuddle Heath, Dorset UK 16.3.26

The lack of cones on these smaller trees suggested that the birds had flown down to get a drink, so I  stationed myself at a respectful distance from a suitable puddle (below). There are no shortage of these at the moment; Dorset has had a memorably wet winter.

Crossbill refreshment opportunity

It worked - and I'd picked the right puddle. Around 15 Crossbills dropped down into a couple of Silver Birch trees next to the track, visible at first only as silhouttes (below).

Common Crossbills in Silver Birch

It wasn't long before they began to drop down for a quick drink. Both males ...

... and the rather less showy females:

All in all, I estimated that there were at least 20 individuals present, although there could have been more. I never saw the entire group at once. This is a good number: the most recent Dorset Bird Report (2024) lists 'significant counts' as being 10 individuals or over, and there are only three records of as many as 20 for that year. It looks likely that 2026 will be rather better - we shall wait and see.

Reference

Dorset Bird Report 2024 - Dorset Bird Club (published December 2025)

Searching for Early Spring Reptiles (and more)

Common Wall Lizard (male) sunbathing - Portland, Dorset, UK - 25 February 2026

After what has seemed like an endless succession of miserable, rain-sodden days, the sun has finally put in an appearance down here in Dorset. Spring is on its way, and this means that it's time to start looking for wildlife that has been hiding away over the winter months. The moth trap has been out (that's one for a separate blog), the first butterflies have been sighted and the hunt for reptiles has begun.

My searches for our cold-blooded friends have comprised both casual wanderings around likely sites in my corner of Dorset and structured survey work for the RSPB and Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (ARC) on the Poole Harbour basin heathlands carried out under licence, given the presence of protected reptile species in those areas. 

In terms of casual sightings, a walk around the Isle of Portland (not strictly an island, but that's how it's usually known) a few days ago was especially productive. I have written before about Common Wall Lizards (usually just called Wall Lizards in the UK) - here's a link to my blog. They are not native to Great Britain but appear to be thriving in a number of small colonies along the south coast, one of which can be found at Cheyne Weares on the eastern side of Portland. We have seen Wall Lizards here before in late February, and as it was a warm and sunny day, the chances of sightings seemed good.

Satisfyingly, this particular colony occupies a wall - in this case, a wall that is backed by thick scrub along a quarry edge that provides both shelter and foraging opportunities for the lizards. The first that we spotted is pictured at the top this blog, its body flattened out against the rock to maximise heat gain. The relatively thick head and mottled pattern on the back suggests that this is a male (but do let me know if you disagree). He remained quite still, apparently unbothered by our attention, and we left him to his basking.

As we walked on next to the wall, more lizards began to appear, beginning with another male:

Common Wall Lizard (male) - Portland, Dorset, UK - 25 February 2026 

This lizard had just emerged from a crevice between the stones and was clearly more alert to potential danger. Just after I took this photo, he beat a hasty retreat and vanished into cover.

Nearby, a nice group of three was rather more relaxed, allowing us to observe from a suitable distance:

Common Wall Lizards (female, male, juvenile) - Portland, Dorset, UK - 25 February 2026 

These are (from left to right) a female, a male and a juvenile; the difference between the mottled back of the male and the plainer, striped colouration of the female is easily seen. In total we saw 11 Wall Lizards along this stretch of wall, easily our highest number here. All of the males had the brownish background colour shown in the above photographs. As you'll see from my other Wall Lizard blog, males from this population can develop greener colours and a blue underside during the breeding season in April and May. What we were seeing here might have been one of the colony's first excursions into the outside world after the chilly (and wet) winter period. 

Formal transect surveys under ARC's National Reptile Survey are not due to begin until later this month. However, both ARC and RSPB organise early season visits to look for Adders that have emerged from their over-wintering sites (or hibernacula). These take place on lowland heathland around Poole Harbour, a superb place for reptiles which hosts all six native British species:

Lowland heathland at RSPB Arne, Dorset, UK - prime reptile habitat

One of the key aims of an Adder emergence survey is to find the locations of any over-wintering sites to ensure that they are not inadvertently damaged by heathland management operations. Unfortunately, despite two half-day searches - at Arne and Grange Heath respectively - no Adders were sighted. We know from previous records that they will be around, but it seems that conditions on the day(s) weren't right for them to show themselves. 

One compensation was my first Slow Worm sighting of the year (below). 

Slow Worm (female) - Grange Heath, Dorset, UK - 5 March 2026

Slow Worms are legless lizards that, at first sight, might be mistaken for a snake. Here's a link to my British lizard identification blog. The slightly darker striping on the sides of this Slow Worm suggests that she's a female.

A couple of magnificent beetles were also out and about at Arne. This marvellous three-'horned' Minotaur Beetle (below) is one of the dung beetle family (Geotrupidae). They dig burrows which they fill with rabbit (or other) droppings, making an ideal place to lay eggs. The 'horns', which are absent from females, must have an aggressive function, allowing males to defend resources such as dung piles or burrows (or even females) from their rivals. 

Minotaur Beetle (male) Typhaeus typhoeus - Arne, Dorset, UK - 26 February 2026

Also wandering along the heathland floor was this Bloody-nosed Beetle (below), another early emerging species. This is perhaps an atypical member of the leaf beetle family (Chrysomelidae), as it is usually found bumbling slowly along the ground rather than sitting higher up in the foliage. Unlike most beetles it's flightless, its larvae feeding on bedstraws (Galium sp). The dramatic-sounding name comes from its habit of exuding an unpleasant reddish liquid from its mouth to discourage would-be predators. We didn't aggravate it though, and it went safely on its way.

Bloody-nosed Beetle Timarcha tenebricosa - Arne, Dorset, UK - 26 February 2026

So, despite the absence of Adders (for the time-being - more surveys are planned) there was much to see on the Dorset heathlands. There usually is: these places are full of welcome wildlife distractions. And on that theme, I'll leave you with another over-wintering heathland resident - this Peacock butterfly (below) that we found on a pile of logs at Grange Heath, its colours especially vivid in the afternoon sunshine.

Peacock Aglais io - Grange Heath, Dorset, UK - 5 March 2026

References

Beebee, T. & Griffith, R. (2000) Amphibians and Reptiles (New Naturalist Series) London: HarperCollins.

Inns, H. (2009) Britain's Reptiles and Amphibians Wildguides

Jones, R (2018) Beetles (New Naturalist Series) London: HarperCollins. 

Speybroeck, J. et al. (2016) Field Guide to the Amphibians & Reptiles of Europe (British Wildlife Field Guides) London: Bloomsbury.

Text and images (c) Mike Hetherington