Andy Paton

'Bid to buy Rothbury Estate as divisive as Brexit' Funds are being raised to buy the Northumberland estate - but the plans have split opinion.

Fixed that headline for you:

‘One (1) farmer who farms 1,000 acres doesn’t like rewilding, we’ve made that the basis of our headline in a classic example of false balance.

PS everyone else in the story loves the idea of the Wildlife Trusts buying the Rothbury Estate’

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

#RareBirdsUK

Even better/closer views of Tay White-billed Diver today AM, with @lainy.bsky.social. Bird headed well out on river, few short flights (no flights Fri-Sat) just before ship passed through same area. Bird not seen since (3 hrs worth of looking E/W of castle to Stannergate). #Scottishbirding

Quick walk round Lanark Loch this morning produced 2 BHG darvics only my 2nd and 3rd of the winter at this location, ringed birds way down this year. Red ring is a local Clyde RG bird but blue one looks to be Polish. @clydesoc-grapevine.bsky.social #Scottishbirds #Clydebirds

Courting capercaillies up 50% on Cairngorms reserve Conservationists counted 30 lekking males on the RSPB's Abernethy nature reserve last year.

BBC News - Courting capercaillies up 50% on Cairngorms reserve
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

NATURE'S GYRO

A kingfisher's head stays perfectly still as its perch sways in the breeze. Like a built-in stabilizer, this ability ensures precise fishing.

(🎥BBC Earth)

There are few birds better than a Red-flanked Bluetail & the wintering Crockham Hill bird was a typical (& occasionally showy) stunner this morning. Surprisingly only my 2nd in my old home county of Kent, after my first ever on its eastern extent at Bockhill back in my teens, many moons ago...

One of the 4 probably 5 White-billed Divers off the East Lothian coast today. This one off the Leithies (east of north Berwick) late afternoon. #BirdingLothian #BirdingScotland

Does anyone know what kind of divers there are far off the coast at Musselburgh today? Saw 2 or 3 with black/white spotted backs, grey at the back of the neck and white underneath. Surface time limited to slightly shorter than it took me to focus them. #birdinglothian #birdingscotland.

Out early and managed to see the White-billed Diver found by @lainy.bsky.socialyesterday on the Tay between Stannergate & Douglas Terrace, Broughty Ferry. A few pics below...
If you're local...go and see the bird (VERY RARE!) - you'll likely need binos or a scope though.
#ScottishBirding

White-fronted Geese (5 ad, 1st-w)

Whooper Swan (69)

Distant views of Pintail

Distant views of Shoveler

Feb 14. Bird walk Drem to Prora (36 species) European White-fronted Goose (6), Whooper Swan (69), also nearby Muirton Flood Pintail (m, f), Shoveler (3m, f), Greylag Goose (120+) @btoscotland.bsky.social @birdinglothian.bsky.social #BirdingLothian #BirdingScotland

White-billed Diver (1/2)

Carrion x Hooded Crow

Sanderling (5/15)

Feb 14. Bird walk N Berwick (33 species) highlight White-billed Diver (2), Carrion x Hooded Crow (1), Sanderling (15), also dead Puffin (4), Cormorant (1), Fulmar (1) @btoscotland.bsky.social @birdinglothian.bsky.social #BirdingLothian #BirdingScotland good to see Joe Nichols spotting WBD

romantic 😀

Black-throated Diver at Covenham reservoir. 2 GND, Slav Grebe & circa 15 White-fronted Geese 🪶

Today's twitching/birding was car assisted. My requested Vals/Gals/Pals Day gift was to be chauffeured. It'll never catch on 😅
#LincsBirding

Why not ? ❤️

Apologies should have said the ring reads black on orange 3TD. No history yet

RSPB has good news on Capercaillie numbers at Abernethy and this great footage ⬇️

More information: markavery.info/2026/02/13/r...

A small bird, a male Stonechat on a post that bears the number 16

Male Stonechat cheering up a rainy day. I like the colour of his breast being reflected in the post round the number 16
#LowCarbonBirding 🪶
#SmallBirdSaturday
#BirdOfTheDay
#Portrait

Common Kingfisher by the Pier, Loch Gilp, Argyll

Geese were hard work today,single Russian whitefront in c1000 pinks at Douglas Water was all of note. Spent a while with this 1st winter peregrine near New Lanark after glimpsing the darvic, nearly an hour and a half before it gave it up @clydesoc-grapevine.bsky.social #Scottishbirding #Clydebirding

Common Kingfisher by Loch Fyne, Argyll

GANNET A large sea bird which may be seen fishing off our coasts, cruising about on long wings, and then suddenly falling like an arrowhead, leaving a tall spout of spray as it plunges into the water. Often the fish is swallowed while the bird is submerged, but if the prey is large it will be brought to the surface and swallowed more leisurely. Gannets nest in large colonies, in closely packed masses of dazzling white birds, on lonely islets or on high detached rocks around Britain.

Gannet
A picture card by C F Tunnicliffe.
Watching gannets plunge into the sea is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen

NINE White-billed Diver @ Inverkeithing/St David’s harbour(2), Inchkeith(2), Lower Largo(2, and one of same also from Ruddons Point), Leven(1), Aberdour harbour(1) & Elie(1)
13/02/26

A Siskin, a small yellow-green bird with black streaks, clasps the twig of a tree with its feet and the twig hangs down with the weight of the bird.

Siskins! 2024 was an ‘influx year’ & bird ringers caught & ringed 63,815 across the UK! This was the highest number ever recorded. 😮 Among birds caught in the UK were Siskins previously ringed as far away as Russia & the Czech Republic.

📖 www.bto.org/ringing-...

📷 Siskin by Graham Catley / BTO

Petition: Stop the Guga Hunt Calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to amend Section 16 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 to remove the power to grant licences for taking Gannets on Sula Sgeir.

Please help to end the senseless harvesting of Gannets. It’s a ‘tradition’ that needs stopping.

Please sign the petition which is already over 80,000 and I’m told the highest signed petition ever for a Scottish Parliament petition.

#birdingScotland

A European storm petrel nesting among rocks in Mousa, Shetland.

The RSPB is looking for surveyors to census the UK’s largest Storm Petrel colony on Mousa, Shetland.

We need 2-4 volunteers who are comfortable working and camping in a remote location with limited facilities, to help complete playback surveys during mid-July 2026. 🪺🏝️🏕️

Thank you, Dawn, such stunning birds. I watched this bird perch on 12 different spots in front of me (but not long) over a 2 hour period !. Very special.

Other work of the Ladybird artists.
‘Redshanks Alighting’
Artist: CF Tunnicliffe

Last train to dullsville #PatchBirding
Water levels are high, so no exposed ground. 2 Oycs were cool with that.
River Trent has flooded into the fields so no Geese or Lapwings in view.
Inauspicious year ticks of Red-crested Pochard & Parakeets.
Cetti's moving through the reed bed saved the day 🪶

New post Parkswatchscotland: Forestry grants, tree planting and native woodland (1) – 30 years on in Glen Shiel https://parkswatchscotland.co.uk/?p=32367