Steve Percival

Behavioural responses of the Little Tern (Sternula albifrons) to different human disturbances - Journal of Ornithology Human disturbances can have large impacts on wildlife and their behaviour. The extent of the effects of different kind of disturbances during different seasons is, however, less well known. Here, we a...

Now online in Journal of #Ornithology

Behavioural responses of the Little Tern (Sternula albifrons) to different human disturbances

link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Pink-footed Geese on the move over Old Cassop, Durham, again today. Three skeins totalling 220 heading SE in an hour. @durhambirdclub.bsky.social

A section of a large flock of migrant Woodpigeons

5 Egyptian Geese coming in high from the west

More high-flying migrant Woodpigeons

My clicker counter, still hot from counting 44,110 Woodpigeons, 290 Fieldfares and 620 Starlings

A flood of 44,110 Woodpigeons past #salopobs this morning was a new site and county record, and almost overwhelming at times. 5 Egyptian Geese high east were a bit of a surprise #vismig #ukbirding

Longevity record!
Last night, @washwader.bsky.social recaught this Black-tailed Godwit, first caught and ringed 29 years ago.
The metal ring was wearing thin (and was replaced) but the bird is still going strong.
Blog about longevity of waders:
wadertales.wordpress.com/2018/01/16/w...
#ornithology

Finnish Focus On...Taiga And Tundra Bean Geese Have been meaning to write a post on Tundra and Taiga Bean Goose identification for a while now. Wildfowl are my guilty pleasure. I've alway...

I think bluesky needs a #BirdID feed. So I built one.
To start it off, and topical to the #irishrarebirds feed, a blog post on Tundra and Taiga Bean Goose identification.
helhathnobirdies.blogspot.com/2021/04/finn...

Why track waders?
This blog has two aims – to share important scientific and conservation stories revealed through shorebird tracking work and to encourage scientists to make their data available via the Global Wader platform.
wadertales.wordpress.com/2025/05/06/m...
#ornithology
Whimbrel tracks 👇

Ring on a dead Whooper Swan. Photo by David Tough

Ring on a dead Whooper Swan. Photo by David Tough

Advice from BTO on checking a dead bird for rings

We're now starting to get reports of dead Whooper Swans with rings. If you find a dead bird & feel comfortable doing so - check for rings using the below @btobirds.bsky.social advice 👇🏻 Collecting information on ringed birds helps better understand the impact on different age groups.

Here’s the on from @oceancare.bsky.social: www.oceancare.org/en/stories_a...

Red-breasted Goose at RSPB Loch Gruinart this morning brightening up a dull damp day

Cackling Goose at Nerabus, Islay this afternoon. Very dark brown and nice little gular stripe fits tavernii?

With HPAI bird flu resurging in UK and Western Europe, here's the link to the 2 recent special issues of #BirdStudy on avian influenza: 20 papers on impacts, mitigation, patterns and control. Part 1/2:
#ornithology #seabirds #raptors #birdflu

The parvipes type Lesser Canada Goose was at Ballinaby, Islay this morning showing well in the wind and rain

out to greet the newly returned barnacle geese, present in number (1 leucistic member) - right to the horizon, wavering in heathaze, line upon line of geese (mostly pink footed)

Front cover of the European Butterfly Red List, showing Polyommatus humedasae. The report can be downloaded at https://www.bc-europe.eu/webpage.php?name=red-list-butterflies-2025

The new European Butterfly Red List is published today, with worrying findings. Over 1/4 (28%) of Europe’s 442 species are threatened with extinction or are close to being so. The situation is far worse for our 148 endemic species, 40% are now threatened or nearly so www.bc-europe.eu/webpage.php?...

Whooper swans migrating over Old Cassop, Durham this morning- 14 heading south @durhambirdclub.bsky.social

One of the best sounds of the Autumn - Barnacle Geese, yapping like a flock of airborne Yorkshire terriers, arriving at Lindisfarne #NEbirding #birds

The 2 Pectoral Sandpipers were still at Newton Pool this afternoon. Interesting to see the differences in size and plumage, one bird is smaller and paler (presumably female ?), the other is noticeably larger and warmer toned.

#NEbirding #Lowcarbonbirding

The cover of British Birds, November 2024, with a Glossy Ibis illustration

Our most recent report, Rare Breeding Birds in the UK in 2022, is now available open access on our website at tinyurl.com/2xf23keu
All reports dating back to 1973 can be found at rbbp.org.uk/annual-repor....
Our next report, for 2023, will be published in @britishbirds.bsky.social in November

This is a game changer for marine conservation. Now we need to build on the momentum and designate high seas marine protected areas to conserve Key Biodiversity Areas @keybiodiversity.bsky.social

First pinkfeet of the winter heading south over Old Cassop, Durham this morning. 270 in 4 skeins in just 30 minutes @durhambirdclub.bsky.social

This month, WaderTales will be ten years old.
I'm going to create a thread that highlights some of the research findings that have surprised me.
Plenty of "Wow!" & "I didn't know that!" moments.
Here's a link to the catalogue of 150 blogs
wadertales.wordpress.com/about/
#ornithology

Natal philopatry, dispersal and age of first breeding in relation to size and sex of Arctic Terns (Sterna paradisaea) Many seabird species are in decline and population demographic models are important for revealing the causes and developing conservation strategies. Natal and breeding dispersal are key parameters of...

The ringing of chicks and nesting Arctic Terns in Northumberland reveals high natal philopatry but dispersal to non-natal sites is mainly by females. Recruitment is not affected by the presence of public visitors and females breed at an earlier age than males.
doi.org/10.1111/ibi....

A dead Black-headed Gull at a colony in Norfolk, UK, photographed by Dawn Balmer / BTO, and likely a victim of high pathogenicity avian influenza.

22 papers across two issues document the impact of #AvianInfluenza and assess effectiveness of management responses. They show the unprecedented scale of the outbreak, decimating populations across Europe, Africa, North and South America to the South Atlantic.
📚 bit.ly/bird-study-h...
#Ornithology

We've just launched AviList! - the new unified global taxonomic checklist for the world's birds, developed through the Working Group on Avian Classification, including BirdLife, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, IOC and others @birdlifeglobal.bsky.social @birdsoftheworld.bsky.social www.avilist.org

Comparison of Bayesian Models to Estimate Survival From Dead‐Recovery Alone and Together With Live‐Encounter Data: Challenges and Opportunities Different models in the Bayesian framework for analyzing dead-recovery data, either alone or together with live-encounter data to estimate survival, are presented and compared. Although all but one o...

nice paper by Michael #Schaub & @jaumebadiaboher.bsky.social @vogelwarte.bsky.social in @ecol-evol.bsky.social on #CMR models in #bayesian framework to estimate #survival #rstat #ecology 🧪🌍
#openaccess !
doi.org/10.1002/ece3...

Screenshot of a Guardian news article with the headline: “Wildlife charities urge Labour to scrap ‘licence to kill nature’ in planning bill.” The subheading reads: “Conservationists say part of bill allowing developers to avoid environmental laws by paying into nature fund should be ditched.” Below, a protest photo shows handmade signs in woodland. One reads “BAT FACTS – 14 species of bat in Buckinghamshire. Bats are the only mammals that can fly.” Another says “FAT CATS KILL BATS” in bold letters. The image underscores public anger and the scale of opposition to the proposed Planning Bill.

Labour promised to restore nature. ❌

Instead, their Planning Bill contains a licence to destroy it.

We offered solutions. We’re done waiting.

Part 3 of the Bill would gut the laws protecting our most precious habitats & species.

Without significant change, it must be scrapped.

A flock of Common Swifts flying into the wind and rain in front of a pylon and powerlines

Brilliant to watch packs of Swifts charging into the wind and rain in NE Lincs this morning. 177 in total #vismig #lincsbirding

Revealed: 5,000 English nature sites at risk under Labour’s planning proposals Exclusive: Planning bill includes mechanism for developers to ‘pay to pollute’ valuable ecosystems, experts warn

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

A Curlew, a brown wading bird with a long thin bill, walks along the edge of the waves on a beach

New report on UK Special Protection Areas for birds published

Special Protection Areas (SPAs) are important to support the conservation of rare and vulnerable birds and other regularly occurring migratory birds.

Applied Solutions to Balance Conservation Need With Practical Applications: A Case Study With Eagles Movement Models and Wind Energy Development | doi.org/10.1002/ece3... | Ecology and Evolution | #ornithology #RaptorResearch 🪶