Jill Orme

A Eurasian Nuthatch stands on the rail of a barrier in a nature reserve, facing leftwards in three-quarter profile. This is a small bird with a blue grey back and wings, black flight feathers, orange underparts shading up to a white throat, and a broad black stripe running backwards from the base of the bill through the eye. The long, sharp bill is also black, and the legs and feet are orange.

A Eurasian Nuthatch at Brandon Marsh, Warks.
#birds #UKBirds #BritishBirds #nuthatch #SittaEuropaea #BrandonMarsh #WarwickshireWildlifeTrust #rspb #bbcspringwatch #birding #UKWildlife #NaturePhotography 🪶

Today, I fettled this board of ceramic birds. Once dry, they'll be bisque fired. Then, when cool, they'll be painted with underglaze colours and glaze fired. They're a labour intensive make. Available in my shop crownstudiogallery.myshopify.com

Two people stand at the end of Aberystwyth's Royal Pier looking at the post-sunset sky in February.

February twilight over Cardigan Bay, seen from Aberystwyth...

Thanks. 😊

A Marsh Tit picking up seed that's been placed on top of a barrier at a nature reserve. This is a small passerine bird with a grey-brown back and wings, buff underparts, white cheeks, a white throat, and a shiny black cap and bib. The photo shows it in profile, facing towards the right of frame.

A Marsh Tit with food in its bill, standing on top of a barrier at a nature reserve. This is a small passerine bird with a grey-brown back and wings, buff underparts, white cheeks, a white throat, and a shiny black cap and bib. The photo shows it in half-profile, facing towards the right of frame.

A Marsh Tit with food in its bill, standing on top of a barrier at a nature reserve. This is a small passerine bird with a grey-brown back and wings, buff underparts, white cheeks, a white throat, and a shiny black cap and bib. The photo shows it from behind, with its head turned towards the right of frame.

A Marsh Tit with food in its bill, standing on top of a barrier at a nature reserve. This is a small passerine bird with a grey-brown back and wings, buff underparts, white cheeks, a white throat, and a shiny black cap and bib. The photo shows it in front view, but with its head partly turned towards the right of frame.

Marsh Tit at Brandon Marsh in Warwickshire.
#birds #MarshTit #PoecilePalustris #BrandonMarsh #WarwickshireWildlifeTrust #UKBirds #BritishBirds #birding #UKWildlife #NaturePhotography 🪶

Rare Iron Age Hoard Found In Norfolk | Historic England A remarkable collection of Iron Age objects has been discovered in West Norfolk.

historicengland.org.uk/whats-new/in...

Brutal. I've read that the female doesn't always survive these gang bangs. ☹️

Snow-covered Mount Etna erupts spewing lava and ash – video Italy's most active volcano erupted on Saturday, prompting scientists to issue a red Volcano Observatory notice for aviation, signalling a potential risk for aircraft

www.theguardian.com/world/video/...

Cheers Rob!

Thank you. 😊

A female Mute Swan swimming towards the camera in partial right-side profile. Her neck is bent and her head lowered because she has just taken a drink - there are water droplets dripping from the end of her bill and bouncing on the surface of the water. The river surface all around her is bright orange, reflecting the setting sun.

A Mute Swan drinking from blazing sunset water on the River Avon at Stratford, for Rob Crank's (@robcrank68.bsky.social) alternative #birdoftheday theme of #drinkers.
#birds #swan #MuteSwan #CygnusOlor #UKBirds #BritishBirds #EastCoastKin #BirdLife #UKWildlife #NaturePhotography 🪶

A Canada Goose flies low over a river, moving from right to left through the frame with both wings angled downwards. This is a large goose with a black head and neck, a creamy white chin and breast, and mottled brown back and wing feathers, darkening towards the flight feathers. Its bill and legs are black.

Tension:
www.blipfoto.com/entry/344514...

#birds #goose #CanadaGoose #BrantaCanadensis #flight #StratfordUponAvon #UKBirds #BritishBirds #birding #UKWildlife #NaturePhotography #NatureWriting 🪶

Great culture can save lives. Literally.

Amazing letter in today’s @thetimes.com about Tom Stoppard

The picture shows six needles of different sizes. They were made of bone resemble their modern descendants with an eye at one end and a tapered end.

Things used in everyday life are the real archaeological treasures! These sewing #needles were made from animal bone some 15,000 years ago. Some designs simply don't need to be improved, because form and functions were perfectly matched from the start. Form follows function! 🧵1/2

🏺

It's the satirists I feel sorriest for.

Rob and Alan’s #Birdoftheday is #Gannet which I’ve not yet seen as we have none on the west coast of North America. But we do have Tufted Puffins, so I’m hoping a substitution will be allowed in this case.

Fine with me because we don’t have them and I’ve never seen one before! Thanks for sharing. 😊

A Mute Swan bathing on the River Avon at Stratford. As part of the bathing routine they thrash their wings down alternately onto the surface of the water, to drive it up into their feathers. The twisting of the bird and the splashing they generate give good photo opportunities.

A Mute Swan bathing on the River Avon at Stratford. As part of the bathing routine they thrash their wings down alternately onto the surface of the water, to drive it up into their feathers. The twisting of the bird and the splashing they generate give good photo opportunities.

A Mute Swan bathing on the River Avon at Stratford. As part of the bathing routine they thrash their wings down alternately onto the surface of the water, to drive it up into their feathers. The twisting of the bird and the splashing they generate give good photo opportunities.

A Mute Swan bathing on the River Avon at Stratford. As part of the bathing routine they thrash their wings down alternately onto the surface of the water, to drive it up into their feathers. The twisting of the bird and the splashing they generate give good photo opportunities.

I love the absolute abandon with which Mute Swans take a bath. River Avon, Stratford, 23/11/25.

#birds #UKBirds #BritishBirds #swan #MuteSwan #CygnusOlor #StratfordUpnAvon #birding #UKWildlife #NaturePhotography #NatureWriting 🪶

I haven't seen a Kent Shore Lark since Jan 2022 but found one today at Sandwich Bay

A cheery alpaca, drawn in Brazil by Dutch artist Frans Post. He was born in Haarlem on this day in 1612.

Pelican captured in flight from above over a beach

Beach fly-by captured from balcony

#BirdOfTheDay #shadesofgrey

#NaturePhotography #BirdWatching #Wildlife #NatureIsBeautiful #WildlifePhotography #ExploreNature #Birds #Photography #Nature #Canon #photography #photos #photoart #EastCoastKin

Ah why not? Here's another Barn Owl picture I have taken. This beauty was flying right towards me.

#birds #birdphotography #photography #wildlifephotography #wildlife

Old fishing nets from France become vital protection against Russian drones in Ukraine Fishers from the Brittany coast are sending horse-hair nets to catch weapons and shield civilians and soldiers

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...

SUPERB and angrily unvarnished response, by former BBC chairman, Lord Patten.

"I don't think that we should allow ourselves to be bullied into thinking that the BBC is only any good, if it reflects the prejudice of the last person who shouted at it." ~AA

As I can't measure the 96 unread ebooks currently on my Kindle in proper book inches, they simply don't count.

Why doctors fear this winter's flu crisis will be the worst in years An aggressive strain of flu causing record-breaking cases in Australia has been an early warning sign for the UK

The signs from Australia (their worst flu season on record), Japan (where they’ve had to close schools) and India indicate that this could be a long, drawn out flu season here with hospitals at capacity

If you haven’t had your flu vax get it

Covid as well if possible

inews.co.uk/news/doctors...

On the other hand, my purchase of cookbooks now operates to a strict "one in, one out" policy. (My OH tells me he works the same way with guitars, but I have my doubts about that.)

😳😬😫

I've no idea if it's even actually a thing, but I tell myself that the pile of unread books in the bedroom - currently about 2 feet deep - is evidence of my mastery of the Japanese art of tsundoku. When I'm too old and tired to do anything else, I WILL read them all.

Africa's natural wildlife 'power' has nearly collapsed Scientists warn that losing Africa’s large animals is draining ecosystem energy and reshaping the continent’s biodiversity.

Catastrophic nature loss is at least as serious a problem as climate breakdown, but only gets a fraction of the (woefully inadequate) attention.

THE most critical tasks of our time are:
• Protect what remains of wild ecosystems
• Mass rewilding where damaged or lost
www.earth.com/news/africas...

Dead Whooper Swan on the bank of a watercourse. Photo by Kane Brides.

If you're out doing your @webs-gsmp.bsky.social counts this weekend, remember to record & report any dead or sick birds you find (info in the link). Bird flu cases are rising.

www.bto.org/our-work/new...

📷 Dead Whooper Swan, by Kane Brides

#UKbirding