Steve Jackson
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atcherleyons.bsky.social
Steve Jackson
@atcherleyons.bsky.social
2.5K followers 1.2K following 1.5K posts
#Genealogy. #FamilyHistory and #OneNameStudy of the Atcherley family. #OnePlaceStudies of Waters Upton and Fawsley, #HouseHistory of Marton Hall. Green. Vegan. Lover of SciFi; #nature and #WildlifePhotography; countryside; puns. Not here to doomscroll.
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atcherleyons.bsky.social
You have reminded me of the Star Wars character who came to mind when I saw a pic of an Oleander Hawkmoth...
Two photos combined in a single image. On the left, an Oleander Hawkmoth. I have drawn a yellow line around the head and thorax, extending outward to take in a small part of each wing - the area within, to me, looks rather like the face of Star Wars character Admiral Ackbar (on the right), who has a large eye on each side of his face, and a mouth shaped like an upside-down smile.
January 10, 2026 at 11:01 AM
atcherleyons.bsky.social
#BirdOfTheDay folks, I would recommend blocking/reporting this account 👇🏻 as the person behind it is taking other people’s posts and passing the pics and text off as their own. In the example below, a direct copy of a post made by @ronmac11.bsky.social
Screen grab showing a post by @ambemor.bsky.social, with a photo of a Woodcock (bird) in the snow. Both the photo and the text accompanying it were copied from someone else's post.
January 8, 2026 at 9:22 AM
atcherleyons.bsky.social
*David Attenborough voice* Although Nuthatches do occasionally drop food items, they do not make a habit of . . . oh. OK. Let’s see if we can find another bird for this part of the programme.

#BirdOfTheDay #FoodFinds (or #FoodFails!) Part 2. 😂

#Birds #UKWildlife #EastCoastKin #NaturePhotography 🌿
A Eurasian Nuthatch (Sitta europaea) perched on top of a wooden sign, seen from the front with his or her head tilted downward. The feathers of top of the bird's head, the nape, the back, the tail, and most of the wings are a bluish-grey colour; some of the wing feathers are black. On each side of the head, a thick black stripe runs from the base of the beak to the eye (also black), and from the eye to the shoulder. The chest is a rich buff colour, and the short legs, and feet, are brownish or grey. The beak, of which we can only see the upper side, is blackish. The lower part of the face, below the eye stripe, is white. This Nuthatch has just dropped a Sunflower seed from their beak; the seed can be seen in mid-air near the bottom of the centre of the picture.
January 7, 2026 at 9:02 PM
atcherleyons.bsky.social
#FoodFinds is the theme for #BirdOfTheDay today, so here is a pic from Saturday of a Nuthatch at Brandon Marsh who has just picked up a Sunflower seed and . . . oops! Oh well, easy come, easy go... #Birds #UKWildlife #EastCoastKin #NaturePhotography 🌿
A Eurasian Nuthatch (Sitta europaea) perched on top of a wooden sign, seen from the front but with his or her head facing towards the left of the image. The feathers of top of the bird's head, the nape, the back, the tail, and most of the wings are a bluish-grey colour; some of the wing feathers are black. A thick black stripe runs from the base of the beak to the eye (also black), and from the eye to the shoulder. The underparts are a rich buff colour, and the short legs, and feet, are brownish. The upper part of the beak, and the front part of the lower part, is blackish, the rest of the lower part is grey. The lower part of the face, below the eye stripe, is white. This Nuthatch has just dropped a Sunflower seed from their open beak; the seed can be seen in mid-air on the left side of the picture.
January 7, 2026 at 11:42 AM
atcherleyons.bsky.social
The theme for #BirdOfTheDay today is #BlackAndWhite, and with it also being #InternationalUnsolicitedDuckPicDay here is a male Tufted Duck (a.k.a Tufted Pochard) at Brandon Marsh, near Coventry, in February 2024.

#Birds #UKWildlife #EastCoastKin #NaturePhotography 🌿
Photo of a male Tufted Duck (or Tufted Pochard, Aythya fuligula) on a pool of water, swimming towards the left of the picture, head held high. The head, which has a feathery tuft from which this species gets its name, appears black, but the feathers can reflect green or purple depending on the angle of the light and in this pic, some green can be seen on the side of the head. The eye is yellow with a black pupil, and the beak a pale bluish-grey with a black tip. The neck, chest, wings and rump are black, and the flanks are white.
January 6, 2026 at 11:50 PM
atcherleyons.bsky.social
Of course, she meant a hot chocolate drink ☕ in the visitor centre café, not the group. 🎵❌ Anyway, moving swiftly on to the #BirdOfTheDay theme for today: #snowy. We got very little snow around here, as you can in this pic of a Robin striking a pose at Brandon Marsh yesterday. #Birds #EastCoastKin 🌿
Photo of a European Robin (Erithacus rubecula) perched on a slightly snowy tree stump. We see the bird side-on, facing towards the right side of the image, head cocked slightly towards us. He or she has an orangey-red face, throat and chest. The top and back of the head, the back, the wing and the tail are brown, while the belly is whitish; the flanks are a little brownish. The eye is black, the beak dark grey, and legs and feet pinkish.
January 4, 2026 at 5:22 PM
atcherleyons.bsky.social
Another #Redwing at Brandon Marsh yesterday, feeding on Hawthorn berries by the visitor centre. We met a lady who said she had watched them while enjoying some Hot Chocolate, so we tried singing “You Sexy Thing” to attract them. 😉

#Birds #Plumescrolling #UKWildlife #EastCoastKin #NaturePhotography
Photo of a Redwing (Turdus iliacus, a type of Thrush) perched in a leafless Hawthorn bush, holding a scarlet-coloured Hawthorn berry in his or her beak. The bird is facing towards the right of the image, and slightly towards us, giving us a good view of the whitish throat, chest and belly, which are covered with brown streaks and spots, and the reddish patch under the wing. The upper parts of the bird, and the tail, are brown, with two whitish streaks on the side of the face (one running from the upper beak and over the eye to the back of the head, and the other running from the lower beak, beneath the cheek, to the shoulder). The beak is yellow, with black on the upper side of the upper part, and a black tip to the lower part. Nearly 20 more berries can be seen on the tangled twigs of the bush, and in the background a blue sky can be seen.
January 4, 2026 at 4:08 PM
atcherleyons.bsky.social
So tired after a day out at Brandon Marsh but it was great to spend time in the company of #birds – and my brother @robcamera.bsky.social. I’m going with this pic for #BirdOfTheDay theme #CaughtInMotion (although arguably it’s the berry not the Redwing that’s in motion!). #UKWildlife #EastCoastKin 🌿
Photo of a Redwing (Turdus iliacus, a type of Thrush) who is about the swallow a Hawthorn berry. The Redwing is perched in a Hawthorn bush, and facing towards the left of the image. We can see the front half of the bird. He or she has a dark brown-grey back, a dark red patch under the wing, a white chest and belly with lots of dark streaks and spots, and a head which is dark brown-grey with white markings (including a long white streak running from the beak and over the eye to the back of the head). The beak is dark but with some yellow, and it is open, with the tongue pointing forwards. In mid air between the upper and lower parts of the beak, and at the end of the tongue, is a small, dark red berry.
January 3, 2026 at 7:19 PM
atcherleyons.bsky.social
I will enter 2026 with caution, hoping for better health and all that flows from that, but prepared for a longer haul than I’d like as my post-treatment thyroid meds are sorted out. Here’s to more of the good stuff, and good people, and a lot less of the bad. Happy New Year!
Photo of an Atlantic Puffin coming in to land. The bird is facing towards the right side of the image and looking down, body turned slightly away from us, with wings fully outstretched and 'landing gear' down. That landing gear - short legs and webbed feet - is orange; the rest of the Puffin is mostly black (above) and white (below, and on the side of the face. The beak, roughly triangular in shape when seen side-on, has a blue-grey base and red tip, with some think yellowish lines. The background - cliffs, in shadow and out of focus - is dark with paler patches.
December 31, 2025 at 7:59 PM
atcherleyons.bsky.social
A Grass Snake at RSPB Ham Wall, in May. Tongue out, not looking too happy—representing how I feel about 2025? In part I guess. But this year has had its moments. For quite a few of those—including my Ham Wall visits—I have to thank my brother @robcamera.bsky.social for encouraging me to venture out.
Photo showing the head and part of the neck of a Grass Snake (Natrix natrix); the Snake is facing towards the left side of the image, with his or her long black tongue poking out, forked tip pointing upward. The snake, which is greenish-brown above and yellowish below, with black markings, is emerging from a lair in a gabion wall, so we see stone and heavy-duty wire mesh. This was one of around a dozen or more Grass Snakes emerging from this sleeping place to soak up the warmth of the morning sun before slithering away for a day's hunting.
December 31, 2025 at 7:13 PM
atcherleyons.bsky.social
Working on a family who lived at Waters Upton (my primary #OnePlaceStudy) before they moved to Hodnet parish (for which I now have post-1812 registers, thanks to @ainedonnghaile.bsky.social), and spotted this in my OPS tree/forest at Ancestry...
Screen grab of part of of an Ancestry family tree profile page, showing the person's birth (before 22 July 1807 at Waters Upton, Shropshire) and baptism (22 July 1807 at Waters Upton). A note added for the baptism reads as follows. Abstract: Thomas, s. of Richard & Ann Bellis, privet: [Note: 'privet:' was a reference to a private baptism, not to Thomas being found under a hedge. 😉]
December 27, 2025 at 11:25 PM
atcherleyons.bsky.social
And as the theme for #BirdOfTheDay today is #HolidayRobin, I will add this pic (taken at Brandon Marsh, near Coventry, UK) to the mix!

🌿 #UKWildlife #Birds (and, as I forgot it in my previous posts) #EastCoastKin
Front view of a European Robin perched on a leafless twig, looking directly at us. The robin's face and chest are an orangey red in colour, with a grey border along the sides. The belly and flanks are whitish, with some darker patches. The crown is brown, what little we can see of the wings and the tail are the same colour. The fairly short beak is dark in colour, and legs and feet pinkish.
December 25, 2025 at 2:37 PM
atcherleyons.bsky.social
Season’s greetings to the #Mammals feed too! (Badger cubs are so easy to buy for. And yes, that’s a very young me on the left. Photo by my brother @robcamera.bsky.social, who was even younger. Santa hat added by me.)
Photo of a young man (me, many moons ago), wearing glasses, a grey jumper with black, diamond-shaped patterns on it, and green outdoor trousers, on his knees on some grass on the left side of the pic, right arm outstretched and hand, with peanuts and raisins, open. Oh, thanks to digital manipulation he is also wearing a red Santa hat trimmed with white. To the right, there are two European Badger cubs who have emerged from the hole under a wire mesh fence; the one closest to the young man almost has his or nose in contact with the hand full of peanuts and raisins. The Badgers have grey-looking body fur, black legs and feet, and white faces with a black stripe running up each side from the nose to the (small, white-tufted) ears.
December 25, 2025 at 2:17 PM
atcherleyons.bsky.social
Recycling this pic from last year to wish everyone the best possible Christmas, and a New Year that is a vast improvement on the one now drawing to a close. Look after yourselves, each other, and our fragile planet. 🙏🏻
Three North Atlantic Puffins standing in a patch of Mayweed (a low-growing plant with green, frond-like leaves and white-petalled flowers with yellow centres), Two of the birds (the one closest to us ans one on the left) are facing towards the left, the third, behind them, is looking away from us. All three have had Santa hats (red, with white fluffy trim) superimposed on their heads. The birds each have black wings, tails, and backs, with the black plumage extending around the neck and across the top of the head; the sides of the head are white as is the chest and belly. The legs, and webbed feet, are orange, and the beaks, almost triangular in shape when viewed from the side, are red and blue, with thin yellow lines.
December 23, 2025 at 6:18 PM
atcherleyons.bsky.social
Comparison with photo found online, of a European Mole skull...
Two images combined into one. Top: Black and white photo of the skull of a European Mole, viewed side-on and facing to the left. The skull is long and slim; the teeth are mostly sharp and pointed. Below: Colour photo of part of the lower jaw bone of a small mammal, found in an Owl pellet; aligned the same way as in the previous photo for comparison.
December 22, 2025 at 7:40 PM
atcherleyons.bsky.social
I have so many favourite Far Side cartoons. Including this one...
A Gary Larson 'Far Side' cartoon on a greetings card. Several wolves are standing (on their hind legs) in a room, chatting with drinks in hands - I mean paws. At a table, one wolf is holding a sheep under their arm while another is also holding a sheep, but by the animal's hind legs - the sheep's head is in a bowl on the table. That wolf is saying to the other: "Well, I'm addicted - have you tried Carol's sheep dip?"
December 12, 2025 at 9:49 PM
atcherleyons.bsky.social
One from Fawsley on Friday for #ThickTrunkTuesday. The removal of most of the #trees on the Horse Pond dam this year means that more of the tall conifer just beyond can be seen when looking across the lake.

#Scape #Nature #EastCoastKin #LandscapePhotography
Photo of the view looking East over Horse Pond, a small lake at Fawsley in Northamptonshire. The upper half of this portrait-format picture shows the trees growing by and beyond the lake's dam with a blue sky above; the dominant tree, in the centre, is a tall coniferous tree. The lower half of the picture shows the above scene reflected on the surface of the lake, with a few reeds emerging from the water in the foreground.
November 25, 2025 at 8:10 PM
atcherleyons.bsky.social
The alternative #BirdOfTheDay theme for today is #YellowEyes, so here is a Tufted #Duck who I photographed at Brandon Marsh back in February 2024.

#Birds #UKWildlife #BirdPhotography #EastCoastKin 🌿
Photo of a male Tufted Duck (or Tufted Pochard, Aythya fuligula) on a pool of water, swimming towards the left of the picture. The head, which has a feathery tuft from which this species gets its name, appears black, but the feathers can reflect green or purple depending on the angle of the light. The eye is yellow with a black pupil, and the beak a pale bluish-grey with a black tip. The neck, chest, wings and rump are black, and the flanks are white.
November 24, 2025 at 9:03 PM
atcherleyons.bsky.social
#Warblers are the theme for #BirdOfTheDay today. Here’s a Reed Warbler at Brandon Marsh, in May 2024. He was thrown out of the Guild of Reed, Sedge and Cetti’s Warblers for singing in a spot where he could be seen and photographed, contrary to Guild rules. 😉

#Birds #UKWildlife #EastCoastKin 🌿
A Common or Eurasian Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus), perched on the brown stem of a reed, and almost surrounded by other reed stems. We see him from the back here; his back, wings, tail, and most of his head are brown in colour. The bird's head is turned to the right, beak open in song; there is a pale, faint eye-stripe, and the throat is white.
November 24, 2025 at 3:32 PM
atcherleyons.bsky.social
Just one example of land use change. This is a hay-meadow, not too far from my home. In recent years, packed with wildflowers and insects. I remember it from the 1980s as an unremarkable grassy field. But when the Land Utilisation Survey was carried out around the 1960s, it was a barley field!
Photo of a hay-meadow, a field of grass and herbage (with lots of flowering Ladies Bedstraw adding yellow to the scene, especially on the lower left side of the image), photographed in July before the cutting of the hay. The field slopes, being higher to the left and from the spot where photographed, and there is woodland on the far side. Above, there is a blue sky. I have added three circular images depicting some of the insects living in the meadow: a Marbled White Butterfly with its black and white, chequerboard-patterned wings; a black and yellow Long-horn Beetle on white Cow Parsley flowers; and a green- and brown-coloured Grasshopper nymph.
November 24, 2025 at 2:28 PM
atcherleyons.bsky.social
Another pic from Friday’s Fawsley foray.

#Scape #Landscape #Stunday #BlueSkyMonday #EastCoastKin #Northamptonshire
Photo of the view looking North across The Canal lake at Fawsley. Some lakeside grasses can be seen at the bottom of the image, and on the other side of the water there are several trees at the bottom of the gently rising grassy slope, on top of which sits Fawsley Hall on the left and Fawsley St Mary's church on the right. More trees can be seen on the skyline between the hall and the church. The blue sky above and the trees and buildings just described, are all reflected in the still water of the lake.
November 23, 2025 at 6:19 PM
atcherleyons.bsky.social
Giving us a nice view of his or her underwing and forked tail, the Red Kite continues to fly, against the backdrop of a beautiful blue sky. [3/3]

#FlyDay #Birds #BirdPhotography #UKWildlife #EastCoastKin 🌿
Photo of a Red Kite (Milvus milvus) in flight, heading towards the right side of the image. We see the right side of the bird's head and body, and the underside of the right wing, which is raised up, almost fully outstretched, above the bird. The Red Kite has a hooked bill, yellow at the base and dark at the tip; a greyish head with black streaks; yellow eyes with black pupils; and reddish-brown plumage over much of the rest of the body. The tail feathers are blackish, and there both blackish and whitish patches on the underside of the wing.
November 21, 2025 at 8:33 PM
atcherleyons.bsky.social
We have lift off! The Red Kite takes to the air. [2/3]

#FlyDay #Birds #BirdPhotography #UKWildlife #EastCoastKin 🌿
Photo of a Red Kite (Milvus milvus) who has just taken off from his or her perch in a leafless Oak tree. The bird is heading towards us and slightly to the right side of the image, wings outstretched on either side and legs dangling below. The Red Kite has a hooked bill, yellow at the base and dark at the tip; a greyish head with black streaks; yellow eyes with black pupils; and reddish-brown plumage over much of the rest of the body. The tail feathers are blackish, and there are blackish patches on the underside of the wings; the legs and talons are yellow.
November 21, 2025 at 8:33 PM
atcherleyons.bsky.social
A 3-part thread for #FlyDay featuring more pics taken at Fawsley earlier today. Now, this Red Kite (one of four who were sitting in an Oak tree close to the Knightley Way) is not flying. But he or she soon will be... [1/3]

#Birds #BirdPhotography #UKWildlife #EastCoastKin 🌿
Photo of a Red Kite (Milvus milvus) perched on a small branch in a leafless Oak tree. The bird is facing towards the left side of the image, with wings closed. The Red Kite has a hooked bill, yellow at the base and dark at the tip; a greyish head with black streaks; yellow eyes with black pupils; and reddish-brown plumage over much of the rest of the body. The tail, in this image, is in shadow. The feathers on the upper parts of the wing are reddish-brown with blackish markings; towards the wing tip they are largely blackish in colour.
November 21, 2025 at 8:33 PM
atcherleyons.bsky.social
One week on from my radioactive iodine treatment. It has not been a brilliant week. Tempted by the sunshine today however, I got myself over to Fawsley for a meander with my camera. Very, very tired now but what a joy it was to be out there again!

#OnePlaceStudy #Scape #EastCoastKin #StormHour
Photo of the view looking across a small lake (Horse Pond, by Fawsley Hall in Northamptonshire). Most of the trees around the lake are without leaves now, but two coniferous trees (including a Cedar of Lebanon) with their evergreen foliage stand out. The sky above is a beautiful shade of blue, with hints of thin, white cloud. The sky and the trees are reflected in water of the lake.
November 21, 2025 at 7:45 PM