Tom Gale

Yep :)

Adult (2CY+) male Rufous Hummingbird; ringed on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, on Tuesday

Rufous Hummingbirds complete one of the greatest migrations of any bird, if calculated by body length (~3 inches). Their ~3900 mile trip from Alaska to Mexico (one-way) equates to ~80 million body lengths. This puts the Arctic Tern’s migration to shame, at ~50 million body lengths. #birdringing 🇨🇦🧪🌎

Watercolour of the view of Sheep Rock from Buness, Fair Isle

Thanks, cool to see it from a different angle!

Video of one of the WWS at East Wemyss (views were much better than this suggests!)

Stunning views of 3 White-winged and 1 drake Surf Scoter y’day in Fife with @birdingtothemax.bsky.social and Jack Morris #BirdingScotland

The twist was the bit that surprised me, must’ve never paid them enough attention before!

Excuse the poor video skills but does anyone know if this behaviour is common in Robins? Almost doing a snake/wryneck like display! Video taken back in March. #ukbirding

Image of study site Bluemull Sound, Shetland, and a foraging European Shag

1/6 Tidal stream environments are unique marine habitats characterised by fast tidal currents.

Knowledge of how #seabirds use these areas for foraging is scarce.

@tomgale98.bsky.social is at #BOU2025 presenting work on understanding drivers of habitat selection of Shags in these environments...

Our new @adriftlab.bsky.social paper is out, lead by @alixdejersey.bsky.social showing the insidious impacts of plastics on seemingly health birds (1/5)

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Dog-tracking study reveals disturbance to lowland heaths Researchers tracked dogs on heathland sites, showing off-lead walking can reduce conservation value.

A tracking study has found that dogs walked off-lead cause significantly more disturbance on lowland heaths than pets kept on the lead:

Watercolour of one of my favourite moments last year watching a Greenish Warbler feeding amongst the sycamores at Valyie, Unst #birds #birdart #BirdingScotland

Thanks Steph 😁

Watercolour of the Eastern Black Redstart that was present @northronbirdobs.bsky.social in autumn 2022 #birds #birdart #BirdingScotland #RareBirdsUK

Thanks Mark, visiting birders sound recording crossbills, I'm shocked and stunned! :-)

Hope Max doesn't mind, but one of his excitement calls on the left, key ID features of N20/Scottish excitement calls in the centre and to the right the evolution of the shape of these excitement calls 1995-2024

The large leaved plant on the left of my Blue Bird of Paradise painting is thought to be a new species to science, possibly even a new family....no botanists who study New Guinea flora can identify it or put it to a family....that's crazy!!

🚨JOB OPENING🚨
We are looking to employ a housekeeper for the 2025 season! Accommodation at the observatory included. For more information and to apply please contact alison@nrbo.co.uk
Please share!

Nice to see our Harlequin Duck in today’s 2023 BBRC report; accepted as the first for Orkney and first flyby record in Britain. Shows the importance of detailed field notes, particularly in the absence of photos! @georgenorthron.bsky.social @tomgale98.bsky.social #birdingScotland

#addBirder

Thanks Calum, yes it was great NR tick!

Yeah surely, although is there potential for it to have then come from the south east (eg Netherlands) with the redwings, given the conditions it arrived in? Seem to recall a few northern isles “yanks” have been found in easterlies

Yes it doesn’t seem to stopping either… that’s a shame, although sure you’ll get something really big sooner or later (maybe better positioned for something American?). Do wonder how Orkney would do with the same coverage as Shetland!

Thanks Steve, amazingly this was only the first part of October!

American passerines are extremely hard to come by on North Ronaldsay - this was the first I’ve seen despite visiting since 2017, which made seeing one during a day of strong south easterlies even more unexpected.

And finally, during a hotly-anticipated day of south easterlies, the island provided a complete shock when this stunning American Robin appeared amongst a group of Redwings. What a find by Craig, who has just continued his mega run of form by finding an Eyebrowed Thrush today!! 9/

It was nice to reacquaint with the Long-billed Dowitcher at Trolla. This bird originally arrived amongst a group of Snipe in 2022, although has spent most of its time in Sanday before returning earlier this autumn. 8/

This Booted Warbler was initially found at Trolla, before moving to the Senness/Lochend area where it remained until relatively recently. This species is experiencing a good run of form on the island with three records in the last two years. 7/

Whilst Hen Harriers are a frequent sight in North Ronaldsay during the autumn, it is surprisingly rare to see an adult (or near-adult) male, this individual being the first I've seen there 6/

Flycatchers are among my favourite birds to see on the west coast of North Ronaldsay and this Red-breasted Flycatcher at Rift Geo was a nice surprise. It landed within 2 feet of me for a few seconds and we shared a rather bemused moment before it flicked back into the geo. #NorthRonMagic 5/

After a run of poor years, another good Yellow-browed Warbler year was very welcome. Seeing 5 in about as many minutes whilst creeping through the sycamores at Holland was definitely a highlight, along with a bird feeding on the short grass at Torness. #UKBirding 5/