Paul French

Super article in December @britishbirds.bsky.social detailing use of passive bioacoustic recorders to detect Lesser Spotted Woodpecker - thanks to @lesserspotnet.bsky.social @simongillings.bsky.social @hosbirding.bsky.social et al

A glimmer of hope? 🙏

Read here:
britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...

Seems worthy of a note to BB. I wonder what she did last winter, and whether illness has stopped her migrating??

Just ask for any left-handed pied fly ringers.

I wonder what part of the range it originated?

Me: 'huh, Oscar Wilde died at age 46, I'm older than that now"

Wife: 'tick-tock muthatrucker'

🤔

25 years of wader declines This article summarises a Bird Study paper arising from a 25-year Scottish study of breeding Lapwing, Oystercatcher, Redshank & Curlew. The story is set against a backdrop of a changing farming…

Birdwatchers who are under 40 will not appreciate just how many breeding waders there were in Scottish farmland back in 1990.
If your benchmark is 2015, look at what happened in the previous 25 years:
wadertales.wordpress.com/2017/11/30/2... 🎂8️⃣
And things have not improved since:
#ornithology

Job Opportunity: We are recruiting -  Bardsey Lodge & Bird Observatory Assistant   Bardsey from the south Location: Bardsey Island (Ynys Enlli), North Wales ...

Above link fails! tinyurl.com/2026-Assista...

Both Kilnsea and Spurn are within the parish of Easington. The revolution starts here!!

The Easington Hume's Wblr showed nicely on Friday, although the unseasonably bright sunshine made it surprisingly difficult to get a shot. Too much light combined with operator incompetence! #spurnbirds

Its probably the best bet to find one of these in Europe, too...

A video from earlier in the autumn during some particularly heavy Pheasant migration in Highland! #highlandbirds

Sun Parakeets

Sun Parakeets

Sun Parakeets

Red Siskins

Sun Parakeets lived up to their name, as did Red Siskin. I'm always amazed when you go to a site for a monster rarity (both rare mainly due to trapping for the cage bird trade), and suddenly there they are, doing their thing as if they're not rare at all.

Plain-bellied Emerald

Glittering-throated Emerald

Plenty of hummers, although perhaps not as gaudy as the more montane species. Still, this Plain-bellied Emerald is rather range restricted, not so the very widespread Glittering-throated Emerald.

Dark phase Crested Eagle, Atta Lodge

Harpy Eagle on nest with young chick

Two of the highlights were this distant Crested Eagle and a nesting Harpy Eagle. Just enthralling and humbling to spend time with the ultimate forest raptor, and we were incredibly lucky to find a Crested Eagle.

Guyana, Nov 2024 (plus Barbados airport) Explore this photo album by Paul French on Flickr!

Its been a long while, but finally finished editing photos from my bucket list trip to Guyana last November. Bird of the trip? Barbados Bullfinch while transiting through there, of course!!

www.flickr.com/photos/38562...

A rollercoaster of emotions in that one! There needs to be a special corner of the Crown reserved for those of us who dipped the Needletail, to drink and contemplate. And drink.

Siberian Chiffchaff

Siberian Chiffchaff

Siberian Chiffchaff

Siberian Chiffchaff

The colours of autumn, a Siberian Chiffchaff on Vicars Lane, Easington shows just how its appearance can change against different backgrounds. Probably the split I'm most hoping for! #Spurnbirds

Well chuffed for @clickbeetle85.bsky.social finding this lovely little Hume's at the Tithe Barn, Easington. Now, if it will only scoot about 200m to the east, i'll be even happier! #Spurnbirds #RareBirdsUK

Given the supporting cast of Eastern Black Redstart and several Hume's Wblrs coming in today, I wouldn't be surprised if this was actually one of the more exciting races like pallidogularis or kobdensis. It adds to the mystery that we shall we never know!!

Cracking photo of South Polar Skua with a Bonxie, the evidence keeps building.

Nice to find a Water Pipit at Outstrays on this mornings WeBS count, plus a PB of 10 Great White Egrets. The pipit was in the north corner of the older realignment, near the new pumping station #Yorkshirebirding

While dipping on Pallid Swift, I was contemplating the future of the gas terminal. I reckon its got 15-20 years at current rates of erosion before the cliff top comes knockin'!

The cover of the November 2025 issue of British Birds, with a Little Ringed Plover sheltering its chicks

The latest report from the RBBP, Rare Breeding Birds in the UK in 2023, is out now in British Birds. It reports on the 104 species and races of rare breeding birds recording breeding, or showing signs of breeding, in 2023. Read the summary at rbbp.org.uk/2023-report-... #ornithology #ukbirds 🧵[1/15]

I didnt look at the toes! The thing i did wonder about was the sharpness of the bill, but I don't know enough woodcreepers. The fact it seems out of focus for the tail end adds to the realism. AI is learning fast.

That woodcreeper would get past me, its incredibly realistic.

Yes, still there: doi.org/10.2173/bow....

a green white and orange flag on a pole ALT: a green white and orange flag on a pole

UK and Ireland.... ;-)

I have 3 spaces available for the 2026 Challenger Expedition to the continental shelf edge in British waters.

See images below for more information, dates and contact details…

#seabirds #UKbirding

Google maps has been updated with new aerials of the Outstrays NR. A nice birds eye view of the developing realignment.

Just two, Yorkshire & Shetland. Although the Shetland list is suffering from a lack of visits in the last few yrs, and the Yorks list suffers from a lack of time & energy!!