Liam Langley

@liamlangley1.bsky.social

Seabird Ecologist interested in movement, foraging ecology, navigation and anthropogenic impacts. Based in Cornwall, UK. Spend an unreasonable amount of time sat on a cliff waiting for birds to fly past. He/Him.

@johnwalterswildife.bsky.socialReposted by @liamlangley1.bsky.social

There has been an influx of Convolvulus Hawks Agrius convolvuli in southern England over the last week. Worth checking Nicotiana plants at dusk for these amazing moths. I often grow these flowers especially to attract them - some photos from previous years.

@c0nc0rdance.bsky.socialReposted by @liamlangley1.bsky.social

Deepak Karra (deepak_karra on IG) captured this shot of a pink robin, native to the forests of South Australia & Tasmania. In technical terms, this is a bird shaped like an orb, or 'BORB'. 🐦🟣 Reminder that this little guy is a direct descendant of theropod dinosaurs like T. rex. (📷: Deepak Karra)

A poof of bright pink belly feathers that looks like one of those fuzzy pencil-toppers is surmounted by a dark grey head in which is a wary dark eye. It's gripping a pink flowering branch that changes from nearly vertical to actually vertical, requiring a sort of death grip by the legs.
@dunnjons.bsky.socialReposted by @liamlangley1.bsky.social

It's been a classic Clouded Yellow year here in the UK, with many autumn insects still on the wing now we're moving into October.

I've seen a lot of other Colias clouded yellows on my travels this year - here are my favourites, starting with Pale Arctic Clouded Yellow in Sweden. #butterflies

Pale Arctic Clouded Yellow (Colias tyche), seen on Butterflies of the European Arctic tour I co-led for Mariposa Nature Tours, © Jon Dunn
@mothyblackburn.bsky.socialReposted by @liamlangley1.bsky.social

Another slightly underwhelming moth trap on Blakeney Point, with just 47:15. Red-line Quaker was my 750th species of the year, but the show was stolen by the two pinkest Vestals I’ve ever seen. Unfortunately the second had fled the trap overnight so couldn’t be properly papped. #TeamMoth

@joewynnbirds.bsky.socialReposted by @liamlangley1.bsky.social

The autumn arrival of yellow-browed warblers is pure magic every year. This season we’ve been on Shetland taking genomic samples from these enigmatic birds, in the hope we can link ’reverse’ migration to underlying genomic factors 🧬🗺️ excited to see what we find!

Yellow-browed warbler in the hand at dusk.Yellow-browed warbler in the hand in front of a van.Yellow-browed warbler in the hand in dull light. Yellow-browed warbler in the hand in front of a grassy verge.
@pauldufour80.bsky.socialReposted by @liamlangley1.bsky.social

The second target species for these Bluetooth tags was the Blue Tit, to test their potential for studying irruptive migratory movements. The first results, after a few days, are just so cool. Still pretty crazy to think that we can follow the migration of such a small bird in (almost) real time! 😎

the migration route and detection points of a blue tit that was tagged in Pape, Latvia. Tagged Eurasian Blue Tit
@marcusrhodes.bsky.socialReposted by @liamlangley1.bsky.social

The Isles of Scilly have their own endemic subspecies of Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria insula). A brilliant day trip out to St Mary's last Saturday, with superb views of Tuna, two pairs of Common Dolphins, a small group of Harbour Porpoises, and a lone Grey Phalarope on the crossings.

A Scilly Speckled Wood butterfly basking amongst leaf litter. This subspecies has brown wings with rich orange spots.A wooden rowing boat with oars, nets, and crab pots resting on the white sands of Porth Hellick: a small, horseshoe-shaped cove. The granite outcrop of Camel Rock lies on the far side of the cove, beneath the heathland of Porth Hellick Down.The white sands and azure waters of St Mary's harbour. Numerous small boats are moored on buoys, with the Scillonian III ferry docked on the quay at the far side of the bay.A pair of Scilly Speckled Wood butterflies mating on a leaf. The female has her wings open, whilst the male's wings are closed.
@alexanderlees.bsky.socialReposted by @liamlangley1.bsky.social

Always the most awaited issue of British Birds each year; managed to maintain a presence in the rarity report for the third year in a row thanks to a family holiday on Scilly.

Composite image of Pallid Swift on Scilly
@pauldufour80.bsky.socialReposted by @liamlangley1.bsky.social

After two calm days of westerlies, migration really kicked off as the wind turned SE in Pape, Latvia. 10,000 Chaffinches passing every half hour and also 100s of Great & Blue Tits and Great Spotted Woodpeckers… quite surreal from a W European perspective. And some nice surprises in the nets!

Northern Nutcracker of the eastern macrorhynchos ssp Eurasian Pygmy-Owl
Older posts