Steve Blain

I’ve been burnt by similar before so yesterday spent all day with the recorder running just in case. It certainly paid off!

We then followed the calling bird along the hedgerow for over 100m piecing together the bird from snatched views often on the ground. It was a Dusky! A fitting end to a brilliant day. And I see the Hume's has been confirmed this morning, well done @jamesrmccallum1.bsky.social!

We headed back along the coast path towards the car only to stop near the bench for a scan over the saltmarsh. Andy picked up the Glossy Ibis flying around but while we were chatting a warbler started tacking in the hedge behind us.

We then spent some time looking for the Yellow-brows at Garden Drove. A lovely Firecrest showed nicely here too. After a while @jamesrmccallum1.bsky.social popped up and said he'd got an interesting warbler which was calling like a Hume's. We all got on to it but the light was already going.

No sooner had we got on to the coast path when a Red-throated Pipit went over calling! We then had it three more times before losing it near Garden Drove. Unfortunately only seen in flight but at least we had the recording gear running.

An amble along Gypsy Lane near Titchwell got us a flyover Woodlark and Crossbill but the sea was rather quiet. We then spent all afternoon wandering from North Point Pools to Warham Greens and back. Here's where it got really interesting.

Some vismig at Hunstanton with @sconebirding.bsky.social and @norfolkbirding.bsky.social produced some good passage with lots of Chaffinches heading north, unusually. A walk to the beach at Holme produced a ringtail Hen Harrier over and plenty of Blackbirds and Robins for company.

A day in north Norfolk yesterday with Matt Burgess and @agrimsey.bsky.social . And what a day! We started at South Wootton for the Lesser Yellowlegs in its bizarre location on the edge of a new housing estate.

#BedfordshireBirding

Unfortunately I didn’t get a view or any video of the upper wing so couldn’t check for other things like any black on P4. If the only view you had of this bird was at distance in a roost it would certainly look the part and pique interest. It is certainly unusual. I wonder where it’s from?

On reviewing the video the head streaking wasn’t dense enough and looked rather sparse around the lores and forehead, with the fine streaking also going down the nape. Also the amount of black on P8 didn’t make it to the edge of the primary coverts.

This gave me a shock last night at Broom GP. Superficially an Azorean Gull (hate the name Azores Gull!). However despite the hooded appearance, dark blue-grey mantle, stocky appearance, and mucky bill it didn’t quite stand up to scrutiny.

St Agnes today - pale / albino / leucistic Rock Pipit on Periglis and and a cracking Wheatear on Wingletang

A panoramic view from the Pinnacle, Sandy overlooking the Ivel valley

The first Redwings of the autumn dashed west over the Pinnacle this morning. Just five but it’s a start. Looking forward to more. #vismig #BedsBirding

I think a lot of birders need to read this!

Says phones up to 95mm wide so I would think so Bill. Best to check though!

Have to say the Hawke is the best phonescope adapter I’ve tried, and for 25 quid what is not to love! This one just seems to work. Highly recommend. #digiscoping

A top-down image of 12 various moths on a green egg carton.

Do you do moth trapping in the UK? We'd love your help! 💡

At @ukceh.bsky.social we're training & testing AI to detect multiple moths in a single image.

Send us top-down photos of multiple moths on egg trays to support this work.

More info & form: forms.gle/e3HzBPEd7RVV...

#mothsmatter #TeamMoth

You can’t beat a Dotterel. It’s even better when there are four of ‘em. Today at Nanjizal #CornwallBirding

NGT XPR Chair Key FeaturesSturdy, two tone chair with armrests four fully adjustable legs with mud feet Great chair for both long and short sessions Velcro strap for rod support Adjustable Legs and Arm Rests

Go for a fishing chair. Very comfy, and because of the adjustable legs you can get nice and level. Something like this: www.anglingdirect.co.uk/ngt-xpr-chair

Try Arge ochropus, one of the sawflies: www.sawflies.org.uk/arge-ochropus/

@astrokev.bsky.social Hi Kevin, would you mind following me so I can PM you about a photo I believe you took a few years ago of a melanistic Montagu’s Harrier near Broom in Bedfordshire? Many thanks, Steve

Slide shows the number of bird records (not including those from structured surveys) contributed by birdwatchers in Wales to the national record through a variety of channels in 2024. Of 637,636 records, 67% were collected through BirdTrack, 27% through eBird, 4% directly to county bird recorders, 2% through the four Local Environmental Records Centres and the LERC Wales mobile app, and <1% through iRecord (figures are rounded). It is estimated that around 4000 people contributed records, making counts equivalent to 5.6 million birds. A map - produced by the British Trust for Ornithology - shows all the locations in Wales from which BirdTrack and eBird records were submitted. There was almost complete coverage around the coast and in the main river valleys but far fewer in the uplands of mid, west and north Wales. In total, records came from 277 of the 282 (96%) 10-km squares. The two main recording apps provided 26,089 complete lists which is the most useful way of providing records, during 49,573 hours of recording effort. Massive thanks to everyone who contributes, even bigger thanks to county recorders who manage all this data. My thanks to Simon Gillings at BTO, Sarah Woodcock at BIS on behalf of LERC Wales and all the county recorders who provided estimates.

How many people contribute records to county and local bird reports in Wales?

How much data do those county recorders manage and through which channels?

How wide is the coverage? More detail in Alt Text.

Number-wrangling while I'm writing the @birdsinwales.bsky.social 2024 report.

#BirdingWales

A view over some heather dominated lowland heathland in Bedfordshire

A view of an open tree planted area amongst pine woods in near Woburn, Bedfordshire

Have done a couple of Woodlark surveys in the last couple of days in Bedfordshire. No Woodlarks or Dartfords but habitats have been decent and the weather lovely. Bumped in to a few Woodcocks including four this morning at the Lodge. @btobirds.bsky.social @rspb.bsky.social

Pleased to find a pair of vocal Marsh Tits in my local woods this morning. #BedsBirding

You can do it all on the mobile app if you wish 👍

You can use @birdtrack.bsky.social to record worldwide, and have done for at least ten years!

"Interesting" Magpie at Perranuthnoe on Monday. Picture courtesy of @paganbirder.bsky.social

Ooof this might be one of the most terrifying things I've ever read. The damage from climate change is already in effect and not even the pristine Amazon is escaping it. The fact that we are still talking about it as a future problem is wildly misguided.

A view over Gypsy Lane East pits from the south at dusk

A bright dusk sky with the moon and Venus showing

A short visit to GLE this afternoon, with 36 Pochards, the long-staying Goldeneye and around 100 Greenfinches roosting in a roadside bramble. Then 11 Woodcocks heading in to the arable at dusk nearby #BedsBirding #ukbirdinf