Jon Dunn
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dunnjons.bsky.social
Jon Dunn
@dunnjons.bsky.social
Nature writer, photographer, tour leader. FLS.

BSBI Shetland county recorder

Author for Basic Books, Bloomsbury Books, Hachette, Princeton University Press

Rep’d: Peters, Fraser & Dunlop

www.jondunn.com
Pinned
Blimey. There's suddenly a LOT more people here. Hello! For those who weren't on the bird site and don't already know, amongst other things, I write stuff, and with Christmas coming up, maybe a joyful book about orchids, or one about hummingbirds, might be a colourful antidote to winter and Now?
Reposted by Jon Dunn
Huge thanks to our friends @mariposanature.bsky.social, we are delighted to have them as #CorporateSponsors.
Sounds like their Orchids of Tenerife tour was a huge success, congrats to @dunnjons.bsky.social & the team!
We're delighted to have made a donation, to support the superb conservation work of @bsbibotany.bsky.social, less than a week after our Orchids of Tenerife tour ended.

We make such donations after ALL our orchid tours. Our commitment to BSBI is something we and our guests take very seriously.
February 8, 2026 at 8:09 PM
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Apparently, I'm not the only plant geek in town

#WildflowerHour
February 8, 2026 at 8:49 PM
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We're delighted to have made a donation, to support the superb conservation work of @bsbibotany.bsky.social, less than a week after our Orchids of Tenerife tour ended.

We make such donations after ALL our orchid tours. Our commitment to BSBI is something we and our guests take very seriously.
February 8, 2026 at 7:00 PM
To say I’m excited to lead Orchids of Sardinia in 2027 with my good pal and top Italian orchid-hunter, Miki Viganò, would be a *massive* understatement!

Not wanting to wish my life away, but this can’t come soon enough - Sardinia has such a formidable reputation as an orchid-rich island.
Tour news🚨

We're continuing to upload our 2027 tour portfolio to our website, with some more #orchid tours coming online now. We're excited to announce that Orchid Summer author @dunnjons.bsky.social will be leading Orchids of Sardinia with Miki Viganò next year:

mariposanature.com/tours/botani...
February 8, 2026 at 2:16 PM
Another grey day in the UK, but there's the promise of sunshine coming soon...

Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #posted - a bird on a post. And what brighter ray of sunshine could there be than a Rose-coloured Starling basking on a Shetland fencepost?

#birds #EastCoastKin #Stunday #photography
February 8, 2026 at 10:11 AM
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Tour update 🚨

Bookings received overnight for the 2027 editions of our Morocco, Serbia & Romania butterfly tours. Our growing Mariposa family of guests know they can rely on us for our organisation, communication, donations to conservation charity... and butterflies!

mariposanature.com/calendar
February 8, 2026 at 10:04 AM
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Tour news 🚨

We've launched the first tranche of our 2027 butterfly tours on our website today. Lots to choose from, including Andalusia, Morocco, Abruzzo & Serbia, and many more to follow!

All generate donations to support the great work of @europebutterfly.bsky.social

mariposanature.com/calendar
February 7, 2026 at 5:05 PM
FFS.
The Dalmatian pelican may be reintroduced to British wetland landscapes including sites across the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads, and Essex marshes...
Dalmatian pelican could be reintroduced to British wetlands
The Dalmatian pelican, once hunted to extinction, could be reintroduced to wetlands in England.
www.bbc.co.uk
February 7, 2026 at 1:05 PM
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Tour update 🚨

Orchids of Crete has now gone live on our website for 2027, and already has two places snapped up. Crete's an incredible orchid-hunting destination, and with @thenewgalaxy.bsky.social as your leader, you'll see the best the island has to offer.

mariposanature.com/tours/botani...
February 7, 2026 at 10:10 AM
Morning! It's been a fabulous week - hope yours has been good too.

The #BirdOfTheDay theme today is #SmallBirdSaturday, and while smaller hummingbirds than this White-bellied Woodstar in Ecuador are available, there aren't many tinier birds to be seen out there.

#EastCoastKin #birds #hummingbird
February 7, 2026 at 9:34 AM
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Tour update 🚨

As of this evening, Orchids of Tenerife is now a guaranteed departure. With the memory of the longest, greyest, wettest January ever fresh in our collective memories, looking forward to orchids in the warmth of Tenerife next year is a balm.

www.mariposanature.com/tours/botani...
February 6, 2026 at 6:15 PM
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Tour news🚨

With our 2026 tours either full or with just a few places remaining available, we're starting to post our 2027 tours on our website, beginning with the orchid tours. Today, Orchids of Cyprus goes live. Watch this space for more tours in coming days.

mariposanature.com/tours/botani...
February 6, 2026 at 11:05 AM
Good morning everyone. The alt theme for #BirdOfTheDay is #backlitbeauty, an image with sunlight behind the bird.

Here's a Swallow-tailed Hummingbird in Brazil, stretching at sunset after a long day of fury and feeding.

#birds #photography #EastCoastKin #hummingbird #naturephotography
February 6, 2026 at 8:09 AM
Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #Pigeons&Doves, so for something a little quirky and different, here's a couple of quail-doves from Cuba - Grey-fronted & Blue-headed. Hope you feel the dove love that I do for these charismatic birds.

#EastCoastKin #birds #NaturePhotography #Cuba #Caribbean
February 5, 2026 at 2:19 PM
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Tour update 🚨

Next year's Orchids of Tenerife is already taking bookings, with 2 places booked. If this year's tour is anything to go by, it'll fill quickly. Join a dream team of @thenewgalaxy.bsky.social & Dave Fairhurst for a feast of orchids & other wildlife:

mariposanature.com/tours/botani...
February 5, 2026 at 11:35 AM
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I’m delighted that the #orchid tour of #Tenerife went as planned. Well, nearly - I had to drop out at the last minute because my wife decided to have a baby, and not quite when we expected him to arrive either! Our guests had a great time, expertly led by @dunnjons.bsky.social and Dave Fairhurst
February 3, 2026 at 9:54 PM
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That's a wrap on our Orchids of Tenerife tour - with all our orchid targets found and enjoyed, plus much further bonus wildlife including all endemic bird species possible.

The 2027 tour, with @thenewgalaxy.bsky.social & Dave Fairhurst, is now available to book:

mariposanature.com/tours/botani...
February 3, 2026 at 4:23 PM
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New tour alert 🚨

And it's an exciting one! We're delighted to announce that our popular leader Dave Fairhurst is leading a long weekend tour to the Netherlands this coming late autumn to look for Wolf on 12-16 November. Places available to join him:

mariposanature.com/tours/mammal...
February 3, 2026 at 7:20 AM
There have been lots of non-orchid wildlife highlights in the past few days here on Tenerife, including two species I particularly enjoyed seeing - Canary Bellflower, and Tenerife Blue Chaffinch. After a January that seemed 331 days long, this @mariposanature.bsky.social tour's been a welcome tonic!
February 3, 2026 at 6:50 AM
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Up in the clouds, hanging out with the rainbows that dropped hundreds of feet below us, our Orchids of Tenerife tour found a pot of gold today - Canary Orchid (Orchis canariensis). Sharp eyes from leader Dave Fairhurst, and superb tour preparation from @thenewgalaxy.bsky.social. Much joy!
February 2, 2026 at 6:10 PM
I just couldn't resist another dose of the island endemic Tenerife Giant Orchid (Himantoglossum metlesicsianum) today with my @mariposanature.bsky.social Orchids of Tenerife group. What an outrageous species this is!

#orchid #NaturePhotography #EastCoastKin
February 2, 2026 at 6:20 PM
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The array of butterflies possible to see during the week is truly enticing, and guests will be in the best of hands with Mariposa founder David Moore, and European butterfly expert Martin Davies leading the holiday. Full tour details on our website: (2/2)

mariposanature.com/tours/butter...
February 2, 2026 at 7:34 AM
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Good morning & welcome to a new week!

Just 3 places remain available on our featured tour this week, Butterflies of North Greece. And naturally, like all our butterfly holidays, it's a tour that generates a donation to support
@europebutterfly.bsky.social. (1/2)

mariposanature.com/tours/butter...
February 2, 2026 at 7:30 AM
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Green with envy... we've spent today exploring the wooded areas and forest margins of Tenerife, in search of two special green orchids - Canarian endemic Habenaria tridactylites, and shy Mediterranean & Macaronesian specialty Gennaria diphylla. Both seen very well indeed! 💚
February 1, 2026 at 6:05 PM
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A few shots of Tenerife Giant Orchid (Himantoglossum metlesicsianum), taken by @dunnjons.bsky.social on the first day of our Orchids of Tenerife tour - we're straight into the outstanding orchids thanks to the thorough pre-tour preparation undertaken by @thenewgalaxy.bsky.social.
January 31, 2026 at 6:09 PM