Image updates only refers to wildlife images. Some of the most recent additions will be posted on this page. Older images will ultimately drop off the page. Images presented here will not necessarily make it into the permanent pages.
Turkeytail Funghi (Trametes versicolor) on Route 2A detour 1: December 19th. 2025
November 30th. 2025
November 30th. 2025
I returned to Route 2 and it was not quite as cold. Fewer birdies about in plain sight but that is the nature of the task. We win some and we lose some. Today was not as bountiful: November 25th. 2025
Sporting my camera equipment I am often approached by complete strangers (usually from afar) and asked where all the birds are. From that perspective the Goyt is a relative large area where birds can easily hide and long may that be the case. Today I saw plenty but the cold drew them out into the open more, hunting for food. I would have preferred a different lens and will return to this Route 2 with another lens on Tuesday (according to the forecast). I will also be carrying lots of bird food to scatter: November 21st. 2025
November 21st. 2025
A Chaffinch ?: November 21st. 2025
The Dunnock: November 21st. 2025
Perennial sow-thistle (Sonchus arvensis) flowering in abundance: November 6th. 2025
The well known and common 7-spot Ladybird mooching on the latter: November 6th. 2025
Last but not least the Peacock, bearing in mind it was a stifling 14 degrees (too hot for me) and very muggy which made for a laboured journey on the modest (but saturated) Route 6. I said I was going ouit chasing Butterflies but did not expect one really. This one in a very awkward spot which would have involved a steep and slippy climb by which time it would have vanished: November 6th. 2025
An unusual (to me anyway) fungi: November 2nd. 2025
The stem:
A chilly Dunnock: November 1st. 2025
The same one has spotted me. I must have moved slightly: November 1st. 2025
Delicious (to look at). Fresh as paint fungi on a dead tree. Field testing a new macro lens: November 1st. 2025
Out road testing a new mini-macro lens today and homed in on the now well known (here) Cross-leaved Heath. A bit breezy there today but seem to have managed ok. Not a lot of time to spare anyway and only saw one fly on the wing. The forecast was sunny but we only got a glimpse of sun later on. No Butterflies seen: October 25th. 2025
Reed Bunting again buried in the dark and dense canopy making shooting difficult: October 18th. 2025
What an expression: October 18th. 2025
Is that a scowl of disapproval for invading its territory. It dove into the undergrowth and I saw the vegetation moving unnaturally so I waited and sure enough it emerged again. The editing jpeg images are very dark so I will look through the others tiomorrow when rain stops play: October 18th. 2025
Perfectly formed, perfectly deadly: October 18th. 2025
Forever my favourite birdie. A rare opportunity as they are usually buried in the undergrowth: October 18th. 2025
October 18th. 2025
From mapping of Route 10 for GPX today. This young Meadow Pipit being nosey. I can now go silent again unless something unusual happens: October 16th. 2025
Buxton welcomes visitors from all over the UK. On Sunday (12.10.2025) two visitors to the area had travelled 150 miles to Buxton and were enjoying the delights of Wildmoorstone. This was at the same time I spotted that lone Green Hairstreak, which seemed to me an impossible sighting. As one was carrying a camera, I prevailed on them to take shots of the Green Hairstreak, given the rarity of the event and the importance of obtaining independent impartial evidence. They kindly took photographs, with no notice and no time to prepare as we normally would. They also subsequently kindly supplied me with an original image, which they have already now shared directly with the Ken Orpe, the Derbyshire Recorder. I have their permission to share that image with everyone. I have cropped the image to suit the format of this website and added a copyright attribution to show correct credit. That image has been added below in the October 12th. folder as well as the permanent pages: October 15th. 2025
Another curious 'growth' close to the end of the old railway: October 15th. 2025
I believe I have images of these from pastsightings: October 15th. 2025
October 15th. 2025
New (to me) I believe this one: October 15th. 2025
This is the spot where we saw the Green Hairstreak on Sunday, where I returned today. It is actually an area of limited growth. Though there is the same diversity as elsewhere, it is somewhat sparse. Extreme left of the image includes some evidence of Gorse with its pretty yellow flowers (like Broom). Also favoured by the Green Hairstreak which is not host-specific. Cross the iron bridge round the hairpin and that side is wall to wall dense vegetation of approved type. I was fortunate to meet a Lady with botanical expertise: October 14th. 2025
A close up of the plant we found the Green Hairstreak feeding on. A Lady with botanical expertise was passing and described that as Cross-leaved heath (Erica tetralix), which the Woodland Trust later described as "a type of heather that likes bogs, heathland and moorland. It has distinctive pink, bell-shaped flowers that attract all kinds of nectar-loving insects" (including the Green Hairstreak it seems). Other nearby Heather (Calluna vulgaris) also known as Ling according to the botanist. The Green Hairstreak is invisible on Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) which is ubiquitous in the Goyt and related to Vaccinium corymbosum which forms part of my breakfast without fail each morning (Blueberries):October 14th. 2025
These three fungi do not form part of my breakfast. I would never know what is safe. But nice to observe: October 14. 2025
When I told my neighbour on Sunday that it was like sunny Spain all day in the Goyt he immediately saddled up and shot off there with a bag for these and other fungi. He had been stuck in here all day in the mist: October 14th. 2025
Fascinating. This seems to be some sort of slime mould or fungi. New to me: October 14th. 2025
Much to my surprise I snapped a lone Green Hairstreak today at Wildmoorstone. Initial images for now until I get more time later but I have already emailed Ken Orpe the County Recorder (more expert than me), for comment. I shot some video but it got stage-fright and hardly moved. I'll be returning Tuesday to see if I can do better. Amongst other things my monopod had a tantrum. Now sorted. This Butterfly is one of the first in any year and usually disappears (I thought) before the Dragonflies emerge: October 12th. 2025
Addendum 17.15: I have had a much appreciated email off Ken already which includes the following "Amazing sighting Les - the latest G H record that I have is the 31st of July 2007 which I assumed was a second brood individual at the time. I will forward your email on to a colleague at Butterfly Conservation who reports to British Wildlife as this is an amazing record for Derbyshire - Regards, Ken.
Thanks to another photographer and hiis Wife for also taking images to back up my sighting.
Several Small Coppers seen. No surprise there. Plenty of Peacocks as well like the one below from yesterday: October 12th. 2025
Bad as it is and it is bad, I magaged to salvage a bit of video, sufficient to prove the wee creature is alive as of this date. You will see what normally happens before the actual video is usually shot. The bit that is edited out. My monopod collapsed where the video ends. As I have said I will be revisiting (although the forecast is poor) to see if I can see any more. This particular Green Hairstreak is a wee bit jaded, but they all do that. It is too important a sighting not to post it. Ken Orpe has confirmed he has posted an alert to other spotters better qualified than me to see if there are any more broods. Multiple broods are not uncommon but three for this species unheard of apparently up to now: October 12th. 2025
A poor image but it will remain the first when I transfer everything to the permanent pages later. I am keeping it for reasons of nostalgia as that was my first image on this date. Experience tells you not to be too fusyy about camera settings. The record is what matters on this website and this is unmistakably the Green Hairstreak. Nothing else comes close. It appears to be attached to something tasty in an area where vegetation looks past its best, like me.
Ordinarily in spring the Green Hairstreak is the most well hidden species I know and a nightmare to pin down. Almost invisible unless it moves (good training). When they do lift off on the wing, they appear to be brown and are easily confused with the several small brown moths also on the wing. This one stood out but I was first drawn to the area by the several conspicuous Small Copper butterflies (check the image numbers). Whether I would have spotted this lone GH on its own I do not know.
Green Hairstreaks will be found in every part of the Goyt at all elevations but there is one area I know where they are usually abundant, undisturbed by human activity, where I will be looking further this week. Highly unlikely to succeed as the weather does not look promising. I almost did not visit Sunday as where I live in Bollington it was dense mist all day apparently and only 7 degrees. Well below the Buitterfly threshold temperature (14). But I went anyway to trample Route 6, a very popular route and the sunny climate completely different all day: Chores today: October 13th. 2025
The original large image supplied by Christopher contains important context information, illustrating the 'tired' appearance of the background vegetation, which would be expected at this late date. The situation has given me an interesting idea for a project next year on the subject of the Green Hairstreak. My aim is to discover whether this situation is actually as rare as is being suggested. I doubt it myself and I will explain why then but we will see. I will announce details of that in due course and set up the pages. Image date: October 12th. 2025
I would not have posted this normally but it was seen at over 530 metres elevation (Stakeside), though it had warmed up a bit. Probably in double figures the temperature. The third time up that climb in the last seven days and there was no gale today for a change. Mapping Route 11 for GPX purposes and I like that route anyway. A bit late in the year hence the interest in the target: October 11th. 2025
This was also catching a few rays hence the pose and close by the Peacock Butterfly above. Nice specimen with a 100% complete tail, which they often lose to predators: October 11th. 2025
Meeting a whole bunch of Reed Buntings on the climb to Stakeside in that veritable zoo on the right as you climb. Snapped a couple and able to produce a useful context image as well. Beautiful setting. NB: Spotted Grouse feeding but too far away: October 8th. 2025
A bit of context: October 8th. 2025
I am used to seeing these waiting for the early Teneral (immature and poor flyers) Darter Dragonflies in spring: October 8th. 2025
This really is what it is all about for me and made it a very special day. The hard work (for me anyway) of Route 12 mapping the next GPX file and I pause at the Goytsclough Quarry brook, always hoping to meet something. And today I did. A young Dipper (Cinclus cinclus) but usefully out of the water. Dippers (and Grey Wagtails) are invariably standing where there is a poor background to the shot. This is different. I have enough to produce a nice portrait and perhaps more important a context shot. Two more are offered in this special case: October 2nd. 2025
