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| 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. Again, this is not a diary. The absence of images for other days does not mean absence of visits or images on those days. |
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| Last (of the month) but not least. this pristine Birch Polypore (Fomitopsis betulina), on a Birch log of course: October 31st. 2026 |
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| This specimen tank contains the first of the nests I removed from the Goyt early in September. This one has not been frozen first but it had been contained in a sealed plastic bag outisde. The nest box was used by Great Tits and no eggs were found when the box was 'serviced'. The box was serviced in September 2025 so it was clean when the birds arrived. In this case a piece of flannelette fabric has been stretched over the top under the lid to prevent any minute creatures from escaping via the air slots provided. The tank has been brought indoors and a bunch of wee beetles emerged very quickly. What I really want to know is whether there are any ticks lurking and waiting to be discovered. Time will tell: October 31st. 2026 |
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Absolutely delightful and warm day, the first dry day for several days in the Goyt, even when it is dry elsewhere. Forecast good for a couple of more days. Still plenty of Fungi about including this new-to-me Hohenbuehelia petaloides species: October 28th. 2026
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| These are of course waxcaps of one Hygrocybe species or another. There were plenty in pristine condition: October 28th. 2026 |
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| The intrepid and omnipresent Oak Eggar Moth Caterpillar which can be seen 365 days a year in the Goyt. This one close to full grown (70mm) but not quite there yet: October 28th. 2026 |
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| Never say die. The Yarrow which seems to be with us all year round. I know a guy who harvests this plant and the delicate leaves for his salad in the warm weather. I do not as I know nothing about it: October 28th. 2026 |
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| Pleasant enough yesterday and today but too cold. I fleetingly saw one Butterfly close to the Wildmoorstone bridge yesterday but could not pin it down. Absolutely nothing today aside from this lone Buttercup, fresh as paint, along the old railway: October 18th. 2026 |
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| Back to Wildmoorstone but I did not progress beyond the bridge up to the old railway. A wee bit windy although not the gale we had yesterday. No chance of any straggler Butterflies, so back to the woods. As the Friday forecast is bad I may chance it again tomorrow. More Funghi today and I ask one and all to take my suggested species names with a pinch of salt. Do not rely on them. This one possibly the Spring Fieldcap (Agrocybe praecox complex): October 14th. 2026 |
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| Delightfully in the hollow of a tree well above ground level this could be the Common Bonnet (Mycena galericulata): October 14th. 2026 |
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I initially though these were the Scarlet Elf Cup well passed their best (like me) but they appear to be Bay Cups (Peziza badia): October 14th. 2026
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| But for a gale blowing it would have been a charming day. We had the temperature and the sun. Unheard of, even the Bilberry Bees were absent except in a couple of tiny very sheltered pockets en-route (Route 10A). No Butterflies seen at all. That did not affect this delightful Brown Rollrim (Paxillus involutus), which was on the forest margins close to the Errwood: October 13th. 2026 |
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| New to this website (I will add it later), I found some Common Milkwort (Polygala vulgaris) lurking in the undergrowth. There appear to be patches on the old railway trail as well but I will double check that: October 13th. 2026 |
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Three interesting Fungi on the forest margins. I cannot pin down the exact species of this one though it is of the Russula genus (brittlegills): October 11th. 2026
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| Looks similar to the Birch Bolete but it is an Orange Grisette (Amanita crocea). With Amanita some are a tasty delicacy and some are deadly. I'll stick to a punnet from the supermarket: October 11th. 2026 |
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Finally an old favourite, the Scarlet Waxcap (Hygrocybe coccinea). Not seen one for a while: October 11th. 2026
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| An unidentified Hover Fly which kept landing on my thermometer I was using to sample air temp: October 11th. 2026 |
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| Still seeing the small copper (only) and these two images of the same Butterfly on the only remaining nectar source along the old railway, the insect fall back and favourite, Ragwort: October 11th. 2026 |
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| The forecast suggests I can return Wednesday, possibly Tuesday as well: October 11th. 2026 |
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| 8 degrees when I arrived and 12 when I left, with a slight breeze along the old railway. A full grown Oak Eggar Moth Caterpillar snaking across the footpath and these can be seen 365 days a year in the Goyt. Something I am often asked about. I once watched a Wheatear wrestling one of these but the Caterpillar worn. NB: Too dodgy to eat: October 8th. 2026 |
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| The Brown Birch Boletes I snapped yeaterday have gone. No doubt in a kitchen pantry now. A couple of smaller ones remained for the delight of visitors, as they all should. This Common Hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium) surprised me. Clearly fresh as paint with delightful two tone flower heads and seed pods developing. A food source for many insects therefore it gets a like from me, just as Ragwort does. Quiet day for the camera but not for me walking. NB Still seeing Small Coppers: October 8th. 2026 |
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| Delightful Toad: Octopber 7th. 2026 |
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| Brown Birch Bolete (Leccinum scabrum): October 7th. 2026 |
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| A fresher specimen of a Small Copper feeding on Bell Heather: Octopber 7th. 2026 |
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| Meadow Grasshopper (Pseudochorthippus parallelus): October 7th. 2026 |
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| Probably another from the Amanita genus: October 7th. 2026 |
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| Clearly another Bolete but species not certain: October 7th. 2026 |
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| Grey Wagtails at/on my garden pond foraging. They have been visiting for more than a year: October 6th. 2026 |
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| There were a pair of them: October 6th. 2026 |
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| A busy day picking mushroom images but not mushrooms themselves. It is not illegal to pick mushrooms for personal consumption in some parts of the Goyt but that denies others the pleasure of witnessing nature's bounty, which is usually short-lived. I treat the Goyt as a zoo, not a supermarket. I have never picked mushrooms for consumption as I would not know where to start. I cannot identify mushrooms here but I do know some are harmful to health. I have the reference books but not the time. I once studied 'domestic' saprophytic fungi in my younger days. Identification requires detailed aanalysis. This one appears to be of the genus Pholiota: October 4th. 2026 |
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| Believed to be genus Amanita: October 4th. 2026 |
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| Believed to be genus Pluteus: October 4th. 2026 |
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| Believed to be of the order Agaricales: October 4th. 2026 |
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| Unknown: October 4th. 2026 |
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| This one appears to be of the genus Hebeloma: October 4th. 2026 |
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| A bee on the Bilberry bell flower or blossom. I watched this for a while. It ignored the plentiful Gorse, Ling and Bell Heather blossoms, choosing always the more difficult to access Bilberry: October 4th. 2026 |
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| Close up of the Bilberry blossoms: October 4th. 2026 |
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| Another (somewhat jaded) Small Copper Butterfly (still a few thistle along the old railway): October 4th. 2026 |
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| The day started a wee bit cool for the Butterfly threshold (14), though a few Small Coppers were seen and feeding on the Bell Heather facing South in front of Wildmoorstone. I climbed up to the old steam pond track but nothing seen there. There is the odd thistle head but rare: October 3rd. 2026 |
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| The Bell Heather: October 3rd. 2026 |
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| On the South facing bank at Wildlmoorstone, a surprising amount of Bell Heather is in bloom on what was a warm and sunny day, when elsewhere the crop is largely exhausted. The same bank also includes a lot of Gorse which is also in bloom. Just that particular elevation which catches the sun: October 1st. 2026 |
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| Also in bloom, Tormentil (Potentilla erecta) playing host to the popular-with-photographers, hover fly
Eupeodes luniger. Although they look a bit like wasps, they are harmless and are true flies (one pair of wings): October 1st. 2026 |
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| Problems with the camera yesterday and had to reset the settings. Restored back to normal last night then off to Lightwood as the Goyt en-route was shrouded in mist. The Butterflies have gone and the popular thistles are now swamped with endless small snails, reaping that bounty while the atmosphere is wet: September 29th. 2026 |
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| Visit anywhere after the morning dew and marvel at the sea of spider webs waiting for victims. Only in the dew do you realise how dense is the mass of webs and the danger that lurks for passing insects: September 29th. 2026 |
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| At my local nature reserve, the Shaggy ink cap fungus (Coprinus comatus), which I would not want on my full-english: September 29th. 2026 |
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| This Forest Bug (Pentatoma rufipes) landed on someone I happened to be talking to at the time. There are many delightful variations with these shield bugs that all have a similar profile and adults (only) are capable of flight at certain times: September 29th. 2026 |
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| A niche for Mosses and Lichens in the top of a rotting fence post: September 28th. 2026 |
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| The famous (or infamous) Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria) are bursting out all over the Goyt. Other mushrooms seem to be being taken by visitors yet they are needed by nature to be where they are. The fly Agaric is never taken: September 28th. 2026 |
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| Update on September 10th. 2026 |
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| When I snapped the relatively rare Migrant Hawker on September 10th. 2026, a pair of Damselflies gate-crashed my shooting. They nearly landed on the Migrant Hawker (a bit risky). I have since recognised that the mating pair are actually also Willow Emerald Damselflies. Those were my first Willow Emeralds at Jackson's Local Nature Reserve. |
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| A beautiful 'spring' day in Autumn at last, where I spent some time at the local nature reserve (Jacksons). I have snapped the Willow Emerald Damselfly for the first time, having been alerted to it in the recent passed by other site visitors. Note well the wing spots are NOT dark and the eyes have no significant colour. This is diagnostic. Also diagnostic it was leaping about in the Goat Willow bushes and tall grasses, which the regular Emerald does not do. The latter remain close to water, just above the water: September 22nd. 2026 |
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| A closer look. I'll bounce these to the BDS later: September 22nd. 2026 |
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| For comparison only. This is an Emerald Damselfly but not a Willow Emerald Damselfly (also from Jacksons as it happens) but dated July 10th. 2026 |
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| Not the best setting but beggars can't be choosers. Not seen many lone female Common Darters like this delightful specimen. There are plenty of males about and also plenty of Southern Hawkers on the wing: September 22nd. 2026 |
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| This clearly the Ruddy Darter (male), which is much rarer than the similar looking Common Darter (male). The swollen abdomen and redder (ruddy) colour is diagnostic: September 22nd. 2026 |
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| NOTE: Ewrin Lane, Rainow is now shown on the CEC highway map as being open again, allowing access to the Goyt Valley tomorrow. Been closed for two weeks for road repairs (pothole fixing I hope). I want to get back ASAP to try to catch the last of the season's Butterflies if I can. I'll use the E-bike when I get there so I can cover more ground quickly and pick up the hot-spots. |
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| I have been visiting my local nature reserve as the motor is in for maintenance. Lower elevation than the Goyt and much warmer today than yesterday. I was surprised and delighted to catch this somewhat rare Migrant Hawker Dragonfly (Aeshna mixta) at one of the very overgrown ponds (SJ 94820 84502 - Elevation: 144). I will have to call this in to the British Dragonfly Society and will bounce a copy to the Ranger: September 10th. 2026 |
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| A pair of mating Emerald Damselflies arrived on the scene and almost landed on the Migrant Hawker, then thought better of it and shifted higher up. They did not stay long. I have seen Emperor Dragonflies make Damselflies into a quick lunch before today. There were also a lot of Common Darter male Dragonflies on the wing. If Friday is sunny this site would be worth another trip: September 10th. 2026
NB: I strongly now suspect (with hindsight) the mating pair is actually the Willow Emerald again. I will zoom in on the originals and take it from there. |
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| Busy 'servicing' bird boxes. This starts after September 1st in any year. Any box containing nest material is replaced with a fresh sterlised box on the spot. The utilised boxes can then be sterlised for next year. If necessary re-treated with Barrettine then left ouitside under cover for 11 months so there is no residue. I only maintain this style of box. Complete nests were bagged and sealed ready for freezing for a minimum of 72 hours to kill ticks. Nests can then be examined for parasites on a rainy day indoors. The illustrated nest box was heaving with earwigs: September 3rd. 2026 |
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| Boxes are also utilised by Wasps. This size seems typical though in houses I usually expect Wasps' Nests to be the size of medicine balls. That said there are 9 species of nest building wasps in the UK. These are scraped clean and re-used. One box was fitted with a camera but the lens was covered with Spider webs: September 3rd. 2026 |
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