Happy Birthday Rabbie.
Selkirk Grace
Some hae meat and canna eat,
And some wad eat that want it;
But we hae meat, and we can eat,
Sae let the Lord be thankit.
And time to enjoy the Great chieftain o' the pudding-race! And a wee dram of single malt.
147 Hen Harriers confirmed 'missing' or illegally killed in UK since 2018 - most of them on or close to grouse moors.
Data extracted from reports by Natural England, RSPB, HSE, various Police forces, National Wildlife Crime Unit.
#RaptorResearch 🌍
raptorpersecutionuk.org/2026/01/21/1...
Killdeer at Ripley Farm Reservoir, Hants.
A BoC record shot of a lifer for me.
Credit to the finder on a day like this!
Yet another one...
#RaptorResearch
raptorpersecutionuk.org/2026/01/19/s...
Satellite-tagged Hen Harrier called Edna "suspected illegally killed".
Was she killed & dumped at a windfarm in Northumberland as a ploy to cover up the crime?
New blog ⬇️
#RaptorResearch #WilldifeCrime 🌍
raptorpersecutionuk.org/2026/01/19/s...
Jerry's Point, Studland:
Nice to catch up with the Red-necked Grebe, albeit being distant.
Also 2 Slavonian Grebes, Greenshank, 10 Black-necked Grebes, 2 Sandwich Terns, 4 Goldeneye and
3 Great Northern Divers.
@harbourbirds.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social
River Frome - Wareham, Dorset:
It's not every day that you get to see 15 White-fronted Geese and 10 Glossy Ibis together.
Certainly a first for me. @harbourbirds.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social
Isle of Purbeck:
A Woodlark back on territory and in full song.
A sign spring is only just around the corner. @harbourbirds.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social
WeBS totals
It was a fantastic Poole Harbour BTO @webs-gsmp.bsky.social survey at the end of Dec with our highest total of birds recorded since 2011. Four harbour records were broken and there were high counts of important species. Highlights……..
@dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social
Whilst out on my Christmas Day walk along the Neckar River, Ladenburg. Germany, it was an absolute joy to come across a flock of 7 White-headed Long-tailed Tits (Aegithalos caudatus caudatus). A sub-species I have wanted to see for a long time.
Such cure adorable looking birds.
A lovely Sanderling on the waters edge on Sandbanks Beach.
@harbourbirds.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social
3 Purple Sandpipers on the groynes at Sandbanks beach.
@harbourbirds.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social
One of eight Glossy Ibis at Curlews Pool, Swineham.
@harbourbirds.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social
A Spotted Redshank, Fieldfares and a Firecrest at Middlebere.
@harbourbirds.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social
A dash down to Devon before the high winds & rain for the Lesser Crested Tern.
Generally distant, but i did see it fly around and catch a fish.
A Yellow-browed Warbler on the northern side of the pond was a bonus.
Studland:
Jerry's Point at lunchtime - 2 Great Northern Diver, 2 Black necked Grebe and 1 Slavonian Grebe.
Middle Beach - 4 Black necked Grebe and 1 Great Northern Diver.
@harbourbirds.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social
A Great White Egret, 2 Marsh Harriers, 125 Avocet, A Firecrest a a Snipe and elegant Little Egret were the best of a morning watch at Middlebere.
@harbourbirds.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social
Jerry's pt, Studland:
2 Velvet Scoter, 1 Slavonian Grebe, 8 Black neck Grebes, 12 GC Grebes, 16 Merganser and a Grey Plover.
@harbourbirds.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social
Whilst walking across Godlingstone Heath, Studland we came across these odd egg like organisms. Thanks to @beardybirder.bsky.social for informing us they are Leocarpus slime moulds.
Whilst widespread in Britain, I've not seen it before.
Wareham Two Rivers Walk:
Lower Piddle - 316 Greylag Geese (personal record count here), 1 Red Kite.
Swineham Meadows & Pools -
12 Glossy Ibis, 460 Blackwit, 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Cettis, 1 Firecrest and a male Marsh Harrier.
@harbourbirds.bsky.social
@dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social
Middlebere this morning on a incoming tide: 1 Merlin (f past 3 times), 1 Spotted Redshank, 351 Blackwit, 157 Dunlin, 104 Redshank, 120 Avocet, 8 Grey Plover plus usual mix of wildfowl.
@harbourbirds.bsky.social
@dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social
A packed Lower Piddle Floods Fields, Swineham. That was until this pair decided to cause mayhem.
2 Spotted Redshank, 1 Ruff, 120 Lapwing, 600+ Geese and a mix of ducks.
@harbourbirds.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social
Didn't notice, but most of the time they were in quite long grass.
04.11.2025 12:46 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
5 Cattle Egrets with the cows at Holmebridge this morning.
@harbourbirds.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social
Nice to see the 12 Glossy Ibis at Ridge, nr Wareham.
@harbourbirds.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social
Spotted Redshank was the best of the usual mix of waders and wildfowl at Middlebere during this mornings very high tide.
Although this male kestrel was also nice to see sat in front of the hide. @harbourbirds.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social
Swineham 2 Rivers Walk: A White tailed Eagle scattered everything from Stilt / Curlews Pools, but there in the Lower Piddle flood fields were 2 Red Kites, a Ruff, 2 Green Sandpipers,
and a Greenshank. 3 Marsh Harriers were quartering Arne Moor.
@harbourbirds.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social
30 Cattle Egrets on Marazion Marsh and a female Goldeneye on Longrock Pool.
@cbwps.org.uk
I did see the Sabine's and had on my eBird list but forgot it on the post. Let's see what we get tomorrow.
23.10.2025 17:00 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
A great Pendeen seawatch:
2 Long tail, 3 Great and c30 Arctic Skua.
c140+ Sooty, 3 Great, 3 Balearic and loads Manx Shearwaters.
1 Arctic, 1 Black & 2 Sandwich Terns.
4 Little Auk, 3 Eider, Cm Scoter, Tufted ducks, 2 Teal, 2 Storm Petrel and 14 Chough.
@cbwps.org.uk
