Charles Gunn

A mad first few days on North Ronaldsay!

Highlights being a FEA’s type Petrel this evening (brilliantly picked out by @cgunnnat.bsky.social) and finding the returning Long-billed Dowitcher.

Other lifers being Great Shearwater, LT Skua, RN Phalarope and AGP.

All photos taken by Charles.

19.08.2025 21:12 — 👍 18    🔁 1    💬 1    📌 0

Franklin’s Gull on North Ronaldsay!

A brilliant find by @cgunnnat.bsky.social!

The bird came within 10m of us at some points.

#BirdingScotland

26.08.2025 13:40 — 👍 76    🔁 4    💬 1    📌 1

Screenshot of a BBC Politics tweet shows Chancellor Rachel Reeves speaking at a podium during a live broadcast of her speech. The quote at the top reads, “We are reducing the environmental requirements placed on developers when they pay into a nature restoration fund… they can focus on getting things built and stop worrying about the bats and the newts,” as she addresses the audience. In the background, there are large screens displaying the live stream of the speech, with a banner at the bottom reading “Kickstarting Economic Growth.”

Stop worrying about bats and newts? No Rachel Reeves MP – start worrying about the future of our economy if we tear down the nature it depends on.

Nature isn’t a blocker; it’s the foundation of growth.

29.01.2025 15:16 — 👍 1466    🔁 515    💬 73    📌 79

The case for subspecies – the neglected unit of conservation | Aeon Essays To lump or to split? Deciding whether an animal is a species or subspecies profoundly influences our conservation priorities

"What even are subspecies, these neither-this-nor-that intermediates, these creatures caught between binomials, like actors surprised mid-costume change?" I wrote about Noah's ark, wrens, ruddy ducks and Booming Ben, for @aeon.co. aeon.co/essays/the-c...

29.01.2025 09:27 — 👍 93    🔁 29    💬 9    📌 5

Red-necked grebe leeshaw res

Ring-necked duck, Gouthwaite res

Started the year off well with a rather neck based theme. The grebe showed really well early on before drifting further out. The same can't be said for the pair of rnds which played hide and seek on the other side of the reservoir. #ukbirding #yorksbirding #yorkshirebirding

02.01.2025 19:30 — 👍 6    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

Cool to see the Scottish ecomorph of Red Crossbill last week in Highland. N20 call type recorded (if I’ve interpreted the literature correctly!); note excitement calls with short middle line and longer, descending bottom line. #birdingScotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

16.12.2024 12:24 — 👍 21    🔁 3    💬 2    📌 0

BOSH! Grey-headed Lapwing this morning at East Chevington, Northumberland. @cgunnnat.bsky.social #NEbirding #rarebirdsUK

10.12.2024 12:24 — 👍 89    🔁 3    💬 0    📌 0

a computer screen with a lot of numbers and symbols ALT: a computer screen with a lot of numbers and symbols

A reminder for county bird recorders and other data providers… please submit your rare breeding bird data by the end of November. Many thanks to those that have done so already 👍 #UKbirding #ornithology

17.11.2024 17:41 — 👍 24    🔁 9    💬 0    📌 0

#ukbirding

12.11.2024 11:31 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

Firecrest

American robin

Red-flanked bluetail

Black-faced bunting

What a month october was, with good numbers of migrants and a nice spread of rares throughout the month to keep energy high. Close friends Dan Beadle and Jack Morris picked their visits well producing a bluetail and the bunting respectively.

12.11.2024 11:30 — 👍 4    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0

My first month on @northronbirdobs.bsky.social has been successful, 5 lifers and 3 self found rarities (booted, lancey and brown shrike). #ukbirding #rarebirdsUK

04.10.2024 19:30 — 👍 24    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0

Lanceolated Warbler @northronbirdobs.bsky.social today. Another top find for @cgunnnat.bsky.social and his crocs! #ukbirding #birdingscotland #rarebirdsuk

24.09.2024 19:01 — 👍 56    🔁 2    💬 0    📌 0