Hugh Venables

Ship searchlights on a glacier front while ITV News go live

When the ITV team were filming, there were radio discussions on where the searchlights should be to avoid too much glare.

We have half-hourly seal and bird counts (and sighting-by-sighting cetacean records). 5 species recorded. Limited to when we were moving in "day"light (about 4 hours a day). Didn't split between hauled out or in water (but most Crabbies were swimming, rest mostly on ice or islands). Can send data

Need to find someone who has pictures of a Sarnie on that buoy!

Looks quite dark backed. What is it like in the field?

Possibly a genuine set of Crestie photos with "add another bird the other side to balance the photo" prompt to add the "Willow" Tit (doesn't explain the Crestie's foot though)

Comic. [Two people transferring cargo between a dock and a ship on a cart. A box has fallen off of it into the water labeled “EPIRB: Water-Activated Distress Beacons, 1600 ct”] [caption] “Hello, Coast Guard? We’d like to apologize once again for the 1,600 simultaneous false alarms this morning...”

EPIRBs

xkcd.com/3169/

Collecting penguin eyes is hard, as they get scavenged quickly. Team at Bird Island had to watch them die, then get in there first with a teaspoon. Didn't dare ask if they had a dedicated spoon for the job.

Northern Wheatear an interesting one for migration. Breeds Greenland, Europe, Russia to Alaska, but all winter in Africa. Surely there must be habitat in America they haven't found yet. In contrast, Iceland and Scotland RN Phalaropes winter in the Pacific while Norwegian birds winter in Indian Ocean

Arizona: group of quail and doves at a feeding station. Hummingbird came out of a bush, hovered above them, gave an alarm call and they scattered. Prairie Falcon then went over. Falcon wasn't a risk to the hummingbird, but it went out of its way to give an alarm, which was very clearly understood.

How about building the first primary school a year early, move the neighbouring school in so that can be redeveloped, have the school there as first residents move in and use the spare space as a community centre from the start as well. Sound good? (because that's what Northstowe did).

For most current residents the Longstanton GP surgery (shut every afternoon) is closer than the Northstowe surgery will be once built. Closest building-to-building gap between the two settlements is 75m. Also Nursery, 2x Primary, SEND, 2ndary school, 6th Form, Sports pavilion, community centre + pub

Common Darter, Eddington

A bit of a "last dragonfly of the year" feel to the weather (and forecast). Good to see a few Common Darters still out at lunchtime in Cambridge

maps.app.goo.gl/iv8HV1x9bkbg... in Liverpool

Whooper Swan sick with bird flu in a field, photograph by Kane Brides

Worrying reports of bird flu (avian influenza) are coming in, including an outbreak in Whooper Swans in the Fens. Other waterbirds are also being affected, and cases are rising.

📷 Sick Whooper Swan by Kane Brides

#UKBirding #BirdingWales #BirdingScotland

Still there today, can't be many November records

A south coast influx in October 1963 involved several hundred birds, with "about 100" as the largest individual flock, so anything in 3 figures should count I guess

Saw one do that on Blakeney Point many years ago. Did look like play/practice

Pectoral Sandpiper on Arnold' Marsh

Pectoral Sandpiper on Arnold's Marsh briefly just before lunch

Can you make sure you separate "Nature activists" with "activists using nature". The former really do know what nature is, the latter I agree often have a fairly laughable grasp of it (to the distinct annoyance of the former, as it makes genuine concerns harder to get across, as per your conflation)

Not necessarily. Problem at Northstowe is that buses have been arriving full from St Ives (recent T1 addition aside). If usage from St Ives drops, bus to the Science Park could become much more viable option, and only a few minutes longer. Houses in Northstowe selling way better than Waterbeach...

Goshawk diet in East Anglia, https://www.bto.org/sites/default/files/publications/jbsvol12017_pp20to28.pdf

They'll likely go for squirrels first in UK. So could have an impact, but unlikely to be the planned one initially. They'll probably learn to move into more urban areas as populations grow anyway. South Wales first I'd guess. London Peregrines go for parakeets, so that's another food option

Looking forward to it. Will be intereresting to see how things go, GPS positioning is now ubiquitous, but I suspect OS map reading skills have declined. Are there going to be changes to account for seasons shifting - mid March to mid July?

Northstowe got a 6th form same time as Cambourne despite starting >15 years later. 2x primary, SEN and secondary school. GP is within a mile (Longstanton is extremely closeby) and closed every afternoon. We can also get places safely by bike, including in the dark. Cambourne is mostly a car island

A Tree Sparrow perches on a branch showing its chestnut crown as snow falls. Wording over the image reads we need your help across the UK for the Winter Bird Survey starting in mid-September!

1/ Calling UK birders! 📢 We need your vital help to fill data gaps for bird populations outside the breeding season via the Winter Bird Survey ➡️www.bto.org/winbs #Ornithology #UKBirding

Line graph time series of global ocean heat content for the 0-700 m layer for 3-month averages (red line), yearly averages (black line), and five years averages from the late 1950s to 2025 (blue line). There is a long-term warming trend. Ocean heat content is measured in 10^22 Joules with a y-axis range from nearly -10 to 35.

Upper ocean heat content (0 to 700 m depth) also set a new record high with the latest June data update (see my earlier post). Yikes! 🌊

Graphic/data (anomalies) from www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/globa...

Winterton dunes and sea wall

The dunes now extend a long way seaward of the sea wall north of Winterton

Sand dunes doing sand dune things. They all wax and wane, few have so many buildings in them.

I'm not sure they mean they are all self sustaining (Tree Sparrow probably is) rather that there are still enough to spread again if drivers of the decline reversed (and, as said, no sign of that anyway)

Stirling Fields, Northstowe CB24, Retail premises to let, £60,000 pa - Zoopla Retail premises to let in Stirling Fields, Northstowe CB24, letting for £60,000 pa from Carter Jonas. See property details on Zoopla or browse all our range of properties in Stirling Fields, Northstow...

See also www.zoopla.co.uk/to-rent/comm...

Plus another local centre in the Phase 3 plans, plus Lidl looking at a site on the B1050.

Yes, it would be good to have something now, but with Longstanton and Bar Hill close and a larger town centre store planned, it's a hard business case

Sorry, but just look at the plans. There is an area set aside near the community centre for shops and a larger area for the town centre opposite the secondary school. If you think a business opportunity has been missed, open a shop. Longstanton branch prepared for Northstowe and is doing fine.