Tony Blake

A Ring Ouzel, a brown thrush like bird in a ploughed field.

A Ring Ouzel, a brown thrush like bird in a ploughed field.

A Ring Ouzel (brown thrush like bird) running away from a Blackbird, its bigger cousin.

Loved watching this unusually confiding Ring Ouzel on St Mary’s, Scilly, today. I so rarely see them, let alone like this. Third shot shows it having been chased by its Blackbird cousin - what a size difference! #scillybirding

Long-billed wading birds - Snipe - at the edge of some boggy ground.

After yesterday’s Jack Snipe, here are some Common Snipe on St Mary’s, Isles of Scilly. Wonderful to see these birds so close up. #scillybirding

Small wading bird - a Jack Snipe - feeding in water.

Small wading bird - a Jack Snipe - feeding at water’s edge.

Two small wading birds - Jack Snipe - feeding in water.

Three small wading birds resting and preceding at water’s edge.

It wouldn’t be October on Scilly without a Jack Snipe… and this year there are lots of them, some showing incredibly well. These three were later joined by another that flew in while I was watching them. #scillybirding

Mourning Dove on the ground.

Hoopoe - exotic bird - on a beach.

Spotted Sandpiper, a wading bird, catching flies among seaweed.

Small brown bird in a grassy field - Buff-bellied Pipit.

What a day on St Agnes, Scilly. Starting with an 8am boat and brief flight views, all came good with the Mourning Dove. Then Hoopoe, Spotted Sandpiper and American Buff-bellied Pipit to savour on a beautiful island. Thanks to the landowner and St Agnes birders for making the Dove show possible.

Thank you. Will be focusing on local birding once back from here (2 weeks).

Yes! Laptop handed back at 5pm on Friday, so celebrating with some birding!

Dolphin leaping in a calm sea.

Wonderful to be back on the Isles of Scilly. A smooth crossing on the Scillonian this morning was enlivened by delightful Common Dolphins. No joy with the Mourning Dove once here, but there’s always tomorrow and hopefully a lot more to be found!

Fantastic- seeing your messages, I did break away from my laptop for a few mins at 10.10 to go outside. There was a steady trickle east over the house, which was great to see but your counts really sound spectacular.

Small bird (a Chiffchaff) in a hedge with autumn leaves and berries.

A Chiffchaff with autumn leaves and berries - a wonderful autumn sight. This was at Canons Farm in Surrey earlier today.

Thank you. Will keep digging!

Looks great` Any tips for battling the weeds? I’m 1 year plus into a new garden - winter spent trying to dig out the bindweed etc. Large potato crop has helped but losing battle after holiday in late spring. Still runner beans + onions seem to have pushed through so may just be an aesthetic issue.

Small butterfly- Silver Spotted Skipper.

Bright butterfly - Clouded Yellow.

Upperside of bright butterfly - Clouded Yellow.

Great views of Silver-spotted Skippers at Colley Hill in Surrey this afternoon - though hard work on hands and knees to photograph! Thanks to @stevewg.bsky.social who showed me the exact spot for them last October. Less expected and very welcome was this Clouded Yellow.

That’s superb. Well done and so well deserved.

What an excellent, disturbing and important piece. Along with the macabre aspect, it conveys so succinctly the extra pressure pheasant releases create on our environment. I read it in the paper (on paper) and wanted to find you on social media to say how good it was. Thank you.

Trug with recently harvested home grown potatoes. First earlies.

Never grown potatoes before and I have this harvest from the first two plants I dug up! Beginner’s luck or it’s a good year generally. Only growing them as I’ve heard it’s a good way to control weeds in a new plot!

A young Song Thrush perched in a tree, bill open in hot weather.

While I was working today, this juvenile Song Thrush landed in the tree opposite my study window. It checked things out long enough for me to get the camera. So pleased to know that Song Thrushes have bred in or near the garden. Photo through window. #surreybirding

Very exciting. We moved house last year. I thought nothing of the cherry tree, but earlier this week noticed the fruit. I will be checking it out.

And are you hoping to tick anything there tomorrow? Am guessing you saw the Somerset one…

Fantastic counts and observations. I keep checking the Banstead churchyard hoping one will pop up with other finches. But I think not enough yew and presumably anyway they gravitate to the hotspots a few km away.

It reads as a very civil service standard lines response, and that those standard lines haven’t been updated recently. Which is why getting the petition to 100,000 signatures is important so a debate can force public scrutiny of what is currently a cut and paste view of the matter.

Bird of prey perched in a tree, facing away from camera.

Yes, here's one from Hilfield Reservoir in Hertfordshire from 2008. According to the ID Handbook of European Birds (the new bible for feather detail): "multiple white feather bases in all plumages, but sometimes mainly hidden". It's a really interesting feature to note. #ukbirding

A bird looking directly at the camera from a twig in a tree.

A rather stern looking Jay near Banstead in Surrey a couple of days ago. It had just been eating a slug… #surreybirding

Museum exhibit of modern chicken bones and its wild ancestor equivalent.

Fossil of the first bird!

Finally went to the Birds Brilliant and Bizarre exhibition at @nhm-london.Baku.social today. This stuck in my mind - comparison of modern bred chicken and wild ancestor leg bones.
Oh and you get to see Archaeopteryx too. Open till 6 Jan.

Small yellow bird (Yellow Warbler) in tree

Small yellow bird (Yellow Warbler) in flight

Small yellow bird (Yellow Warbler) in tree

Small yellow bird (Yellow Warbler) in tree

Couldn’t resist a short trip to Kent for the Yellow Warbler. Very active and calling frequently, and what a Christmas Eve surprise twitch. A medium sized and very friendly crowd there too #ukbirding

Thank you these thoughts. So much to digest in the WP. I keep remembering how my mum used to complain that the 1974 borough we lived in in Herts was remote compared to the old urban district, focused on one town. That community connection is so important.

Yes, it’s terrible. Not new (my mum used to complain about the “hedge wrecker” in the 80s) but getting worse given how squeezed habitat is generally.

So often in birding lately I note a dearth of finches. But today, I’ve looked up from my laptop in NE Surrey to see 11 Greenfinches, 29 Goldfinches and 2 Chaffinches. Must be something they like in the trees I can see - and it’s been a pleasure to watch. Important to note the positives! #ukbirding

Small bird perched on damp vegetation.

Small bird perched on damp vegetation.

Pleasing views of the Water Pipit in the Holmethorpe Sandpits area in Surrey at lunchtime today.

Spur-winged Plover, Stodmarsh, June 1997 was pretty smart.

Photo of part of a tree with bright red fruit.

A glowing tree in Southwark… One of the fascinating Strawberry Trees (Arbutus unedo) at lunchtime today near London Bridge.