Andrew Harrop

www.dutchbirding.nl/dbactueel/20...

Well worth a read and listen if you haven't already. #UKBirding

Here’s the adult male on Isle of May, 2nd October 1954, for comparison. #BirdingScotland

Here it is again yesterday on Bressay at Kirkabister with Greylags. I'd like better views of head and bill, but note faint brown iron staining on head often shown by wild birds (see e.g. Reeber). #BirdingScotland

Over 30 years decline of an iconic farmland bird, Red-backed Shrike Lanius collurio, in a Central European stronghold: meadow loss and shrub succession drive near-local extinction | doi.org/10.1017/S095... | Bird Conservation International | #ornithology 🪶

Band-rumped Storm-petrels in UK waters | British Birds The taxonomy and identification of the Band-rumped Storm-petrel Hydrobates castro/monteiroi/jabejabe complex is very, well, complex, as are their previous occurrences in Britain.

Short news piece on the Challenger expedition and the Band-rumped fiesta: britishbirds.co.uk/news/band-ru...
#RareBirdsUK

6/ Although some native species can also become superabundant & damaging (but only when triggered by disturbance), non-native species are far more likely to be implicated as a cause of global extinction:
t.co/9NUoV81a54

Three decades of breeding bird population changes in a pristine Danish forest: climate-driven shifts and biodiversity loss compared to national trends - Journal of Ornithology Climatic changes are causing general ecosystem changes and species-specific range shifts. To increase our understanding of climate change effects on avian trends and range shifts, this study investigates long-term breeding bird population trends in the pristine Høstemark Forest, Denmark, from 1991 to 2024, in the context of climate change and biodiversity loss. Using territory mapping data from unmanaged pristine forest and national point count data, we examined whether climate-group classifications (leading-edge, neutral, trailing-edge) predict population trends and how a high-quality habitat buffers against climate-driven shifts. Results show significant declines in total bird territories since 1991, while forest-specific bird species abundance remained stable in the Høstemark Forest. Trailing-edge species declined both locally and nationally, while leading-edge species increased locally but not significantly at the national level. Climate-neutral species exhibited local declines despite stable national trends. Species turnover rate appeared to occur more rapidly in the Høstemark Forest compared to the national scale, with both losses of trailing-edge species and gains in leading-edge species. However, despite its ecological quality and stability, the Høstemark Forest experienced a decline in overall bird abundance, suggesting that even pristine habitats can be vulnerable to biodiversity loss, potentially driven by climate change, isolation, and edge effects.

Now online in Journal of #Ornithology

Three decades of breeding bird population changes in a pristine Danish forest: climate-driven shifts and biodiversity loss compared to national trends

Open access

link.springer.com/article/10.1...

#BirdingScotland

It occurred to me that I couldn't think of (m)any photos of Short-toed Larks with other species in the frame for size comparison. So here's one of the recent Yell bird (right) with a Meadow Pipit. #BirdingScotland

They are reported not by random, casual observers but typically by select enthusiasts deeply committed and emotionally attached to the idea of the ivory-billed woodpecker's survival against all odds. These individuals have often dedicated years to the hopeful pursuit of clues supporting the species' continuing existence. Therefore, as one of the former searchers admitted in hindsight, “many searchers may have been subconsciously biased and, as a result, not sufficiently cautious in their identifications under field conditions” (Sykes 2016).

The purported sightings invariably occur in flooded southern swamp forests deemed by the dedicated enthusiasts as the ideal habitat for the species and less often, if at all, frequented by other observers (Hill 2007, Collins 2019). The vastness and inaccessibility in the descriptions tend to be exaggerated: “Alligators, wild boars, and venomous snakes are abundant, and there is a danger of heat stroke during the summer and hypothermia during the winter” (Collins 2019), being a description of an area of less than 100 km2, a mere 40 kilometers (km) away from New Orleans, the most populous city in Louisiana. The LSU Museum of Natural Science in Baton Rouge, historically one of the most vibrant ornithological centers in the Unites States, is about 145 km away. An area of 100 km2 would by no means be vast enough even for a single ivory-billed woodpecker, let alone a breeding population, to hide in for long. Meanwhile, there are abundant eBird reports of other bird species from the same area (Pearl River swamp), with the widest gap between adjacent observations of pileated woodpeckers, as an example, being less than 5 km (figure 3).

I had missed this well written rebuttal on the purported Ivory-billed Woodpecker rediscoveries; these passages in particular are gold:🪶
academic.oup.com/bioscience/a... #Ornithology

Just published: Conservation genomics of two
endangered buntings reveal genetic diversity
before and after severe population declines. doi.org/10.1186/s129... Despite severe population declines, both species retained high genetic diversity but experienced increased inbreeding. #ornithology #birds

Late September has brought the usual heady mix of brief rarities, misidentifications, and some scarce migrants. Numbers of many 'common' migrants have been low, the only real exceptions to date being Sky Lark and Meadow Pipit. #BirdingScotland

The Long Black Veil; Uncovering the Secret World of Tengmalm's Owl

open.spotify.com/episode/1dlD...
Uncovering the migration patterns of Tengmalm’s Owl in Northern Sweden.
Wild Bird Acoustics brings you the penultimate episode of season 2.

Now Live!

Striking variation, including leg colour (from bright yellow to dull olive). I've even heard the odd call during this influx, though to date I've failed to record any.

Gosh. That Nathusius' Pipistrelle #bat spike just got a heck of a lot spikier! Not seen anything like this in several years of recording.

@nesmammals.bsky.social @batconservation.bsky.social @mammalsociety.bsky.social

No they aren’t normal - they were indeed as they appear in the photo taken this morning (in good light).

For those interested in these things, another variant, this time a ‘brown’ Starling near Cunningsburgh. Said to be quite a common variant, but perhaps overlooked. #BirdingScotland #ornithology

The last two days have brought a surge of migrants through south Mainland, Shetland. Personal highlights have included 124 Ruffs at Spiggie (the largest number I’ve seen for years), and a healthy scattering of Wrynecks like this one at Quendale. #BirdingScotland

6th September There used to be such certainties in life: England were always contenders for a World Cup, you'd marvel at the oratory of the titans of Labo...

www.portlandbirdobs.com/2025/09/6th-september.html

Nice to see this white morph Gyr Falcon on North Ronaldsay today. But it seemed to be bearing a ring on its leg. Still nice to see and hopefully a wild one will turn up one day…

#BirdingScotland
#OrkneyBirding

I understand the reasons for print delays, but the August issue still hasn't been uploaded online for those with a digital subscription. This presumably isn't directly to do with print issues - can you let subscribers know what is happening please? #UKBirding

Artificial light has essentially lengthened birds' day Millions of audio recordings of hundreds of bird species have revealed that artificial light is making the birds wake up earlier and go to bed later.

A sweeping new analysis of birdsong recordings from around the globe shows that light pollution is causing birds worldwide to start singing earlier and keep singing later. #ornithology www.npr.org/2025/08/21/n...

A nice comparison between Black-throated (left) and Red-throated Divers at Quendale this morning. Black-throated has been regular in August at this site in recent years. #BirdingScotland

Living the dream working on the Cairngorm Plateau as part of the 2025 Montane Bird Survey. It was also very saddening - walking for days over swathes of beautiful habitat to find no Dotterel where there were once many... #BirdingScotland

#BirdingScotland

July has mainly been about waders, but by far my most important discovery has been a breeding pair of Red-backed Shrikes in south Mainland (Shetland) which have now fledged young. You can listen to a recording here: xeno-canto.org/1019697 and others will follow in due course.

This white Starling which has been around Spiggie recently appears to be a true albino (most ‘white’ birds are leucistic). Albinos have poor eyesight, so it will be interesting to see how long it survives. #BirdingScotland #ornithology

The Fruits of 2024; The Sound Identification of migrating Buntings Wild Bird Acoustics · Episode

open.spotify.com/episode/4hMi...
Wild Bird Acoustics
Season 2; Ep. 15
Now Live!

Another identification feature here, Buntings by sound, for anyone interested in diurnal migration. Delighted to finally release this, complimented by some wonderful Spring audio for listeners….

The beginning and the end for two Arctic Terns at Scatness yesterday evening. The adult may have become prey for a Peregrine; if so it was unlucky, given how few Peregrines are in Shetland. #BirdingScotland

A paper describing the history of AviList and how the new unified global bird checklist was created has now been published - free to download until 1 September: rdcu.be/euZjH