Deb

Beautiful.

Really hope this debate starts the beginning of the end for driven grouse shooting.

What a blissful scene Debbie.

Views from the Blorenge, looking southward from the track down to the Punchbowl. Fern and scrub in the foreground. A distant line of trees with the favoured Hawthorn of the Cuckoo circled.

Finally saw my bogey bird yesterday after years of hearing but never seeing one. Walking the slopes of the Blorenge, I watched a GS woody in flight, then suddenly in the distance there it was - Cuckoo! And not just fleeting but good views for several mins @gos-birds.bsky.social #birds #birdingWales

View of the tree-lined canal with yellow iris in the foreground, and stone bridge over in the distance.

Lovely morning and company with @gos-birds.bsky.social at Goytre woods and canal. Year ticks for Stock Dove (heard), Spotted Fly & Tree Creeper + the usual woodland mix. #birds #birdingWales

Phone scope view of a Female Dotterel sat on the limestone pavement area of the grassy slopes, north-east of Cwm Cadlan

Small group of birders viewing three Dotterel on the limestone pavement. A beautiful day with blue skies and gentle breeze.

Sunlit Beech woods in the Nant Llanelen valley.

A fab day yesterday on the Blorenge and around the Nant Llanelen with @hoppy1951.bsky.social; Wheatear, Willow warbler, Tree Pip, Redstart, Pied Fly.
Then 3 of the 4 Dotterel at Cwm Cadlan, Penderyn today. Thank you @rhoswilliams.bsky.social and others for location #birds #birdingWales

Fantastic. Thanks so much 👍

Hi, may I ask whereabouts the Dotterel are at Cwm Cadlan? Would be a lifer for me too. May try for them over the weekend.

Petition: Ban driven grouse shooting Chris Packham, Ruth Tingay and Mark Avery (Wild Justice) believe that driven grouse shooting is bad for people, the environment and wildlife. People; we think grouse shooting is economically insignifi...

100,000 signatures and counting! Please support @wildjustice.bsky.social by adding yours…

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/70...

Almost 100,000 signatures! Petition deadline 22nd May. Please consider signing and sharing. Thanks.

Excellent news ! Well done #waitrose for delivering on your promise and sticking by the #BetterChickenCommitment – frankenchickens off the shelves by August !

View of sloping farmland fields with woodland edge. Blue skies overhead.

Arial map overlaid with transects for a survey square within the BTO breeding birds survey project.

Hello fellow birders. Would anyone fancy conducting this year’s @bbs-birds.bsky.social in my square in Llancillo (10 mins drive from Abergavenny). It’s a lovely two transects with farmland, woodland and river. I’m unable to due to illness. Happy to chat more if you’re interested #birdingWales

Yes very true. And apologies for misspelling your name previously.

…The comparison between spring numbers is valid, but comparing peak pheasant biomass in autumn with the lowest point of the year for resident breeding birds is not.” I emailed WJ (being a supporter) about the Ad’s figures but received no reply. ‘Double’ sounds more punchy but I prefer honesty 3/3

Indeed the source you provided states
…”pheasant biomass is about 0.2 of the total British bird biomass in spring and 1.6-1.7 times the same spring estimate for all birds in the autumn’ and it continues by saying… 2/3

Thanks for your analysis of this Mike. I too broadly agree and welcome the awareness this ad has raised. But the 5th claim - ‘total biomass of released Pheasants is around double that of all native UK birds’, does appear exaggerated. 1/2

85,000 signatures for our ban driven grouse shooting petition – thank you 🙏

Only 15K more to go to trigger a Parliamentary debate. Please keep signing and sharing govpetition.uk/p/700036 ✍️

Views across the flood plain with a flock of White-fronted geese in the foreground and hills in the distance. Blue skies are reflected in the water.

What a lovely day at @slimbridge-wild.bsky.social with @hoppy1951.bsky.social
30+ new species for the year inc: Whoopers (2), Little Stint (2), Cattle Egret (6), Golden eye (1) and a flock of White-fronts dropped in just before we left. #birding #birds

Wow! What a beauty.

Stunning views! 😊

Summary tables of my Garden Bird Watch stats for 2024. Total of 26 bird species over 51 weeks.

Nice to receive this summary of my GBW stats for 2024. On with 2025!
@bto-gbw.bsky.social #GardenBirds

Garden view looking towards bird feeder and a small tree. The Blorenge mountain visible in the distance.

Table of my garden birdwatch tally: 30 species overall, with the most numerous being goldfinch, chaffinch and greenfinch.

Big Garden Birdwatch complete. Average garden numbers this morning but good to see this part of the uk comparing favourably with the national average.
@rspb.bsky.social @rspbcymru.bsky.social
#BigGardenBirdwatch
#birdingwales

Driven grouse shooting - what it is and why it should be banned - a Wild Justice blog wildjustice.org.uk/general/driv...

Please read the blog and sign the petition - many thanks!

I would yes but I’m also no expert! Still getting to grips with my Gulls book.

Lovely composition!

View towards the Prince of Wales bridge at dusk

A lovely (if very cold!) afternoon with @hoppy1951.bsky.social along the estuary south of Aust. A single brief Shortie sighting (which I missed!) but a dozen or so other ticks for the new year.

After last years Siskin irruption, I’ve not had one in the garden this winter. Hoping they might arrive soon.

Signed

Insect populations flourish in restored habitats at solar-energy facilities A recently published study has shown how solar farms planted with native grasses and wildflowers have caused insect populations to flourish.

A recently published study has shown how solar farms planted with native grasses and wildflowers have caused insect populations to flourish:

Views across the Blaenavon moorland

Views across the Blaenavon moorland. Tall grasses in the foreground.

Beautiful morning on the Blaenavon moors. No Short-eared Owl but pairs of Stonechat and Bullfinch were a delight. #birdingwales #ukbirding #ukwildlife #birds