Anthony Swindells

Had to interrupt a team meeting earlier in the year when we had our first Blackcap of the year in the garden

You mean I’m supposed to work when there are birds out there who aren’t being watched?

I can see this was republished in 2020, do you have any thoughts or experience with the 2020 version and whether it's an upgrade to its 2010 predecessor?

Ah fantastic, thank you. I'm not sure I've come across Ian Newton so I'll definitely check this out!

Thanks Tom, this was on my radar, so I appreciate the recommendation. I'll check it out!

Would love to understand more about bird migration and vagrancy and what influences it and changes it. Any good book recommendations for beginners on where to start? #UKBirding

This gets me itching to start drawing again 😁😁😁

Holy shit, the Crab Museum went HARD

Digiscoped picture of Short-Eared Owl perched on fence

@spurnbirdobs.bsky.social Short-Eared Owl showing well from Kilnsea Wetlands car park #UKBirds

There's no greater pleasure or privilege for me than seeing one of these incredibly graceful, beautiful raptors in the wild. The UK would be a much richer place if they were allowed to grow and thrive.

I'll have to do some research and digging then! Thank you for taking the time to respond with your insight 😊

That's really interesting. Are there particular factors in Germany or in German culture / views on raptors which contributes to this lack of persecution that you know of / have experienced?

Hi Mark, following on from your colleague Richard's brilliant safari in NY and your recent Berlin trip, I wondered if you had any insight as to what makes the Goshawks in Berlin so successful and so numerous in urban environments that our Goshawks don't have here in the UK?

So let’s have a little look at the Right wing media feeding off its own ecosystem.

Here’s
@TiceRichard
claiming NET ZERO caused the Heathrow shut down, while sharing a Telegraph article that appears to back up his claim

Must be true then, right??

🧐you know the drill…

🧵
1/

What initially started as quite an unpromising roost thankfully built up quite nicely in the last hour of light at RSPB Old Moor for my first ever #WinGS. Ended with 16 BHG, 1 Common, 14 LBB, 100 GBB, 375 Herring, 3 Caspian (plus one Caspian hybrid) and a single Yellow-Legged.

A cormorant in the water of a lake with a large fish in its mouth

Personal highlight today was this incredibly optimistic Cormorant at RSPB St Aidan's #UKBirding

Hi there, your second picture is of a Herring Gull 😊

Can't tell you how gutted I was when I watched that Iceland Gull build up to that huge call for then nothing to come out, even knowing there was no sound the disappointment was palpable 😂

That's really interesting, I hope it survives the Winter after all this! Do you know where I might find more information on records of wintering Turtle Doves?

Fascinating, it's amazing they can survive. Do we have any idea why they are overwintering?

I'm assuming this is particularly unusual for Turtle Doves or is this a common occurrence in the area?

Farage attending the launch of a new staunch climate denial group in the UK that has taken funds from oil giant ExxonMobil ? Not particularly out of character , since Dec 2019 92% of donations to Reform UK were from fossil fuel interest groups or climate deniers , per @desmog.bsky.social .

That is a very good looking gull!

Ah thank you for responding so quickly! I can assume mine isn't a team site as it's a small site, thank you for clarifying though!

What site had 51?! I saw good numbers at Clumber and Rufford but not even half of 51 that's incredible!

Is there any way of knowing if there are any others who are participating at my chosen site?

These things write themselves

That would be one hell of a tree topper!

White-morph Snow Goose feeding surrounded by other geese and ducks.

White-morph Snow Goose standing tall looking towards the camera surrounded by other geese and ducks.

A pair of white-morph Snow Geese swimming left on the water of a moor, one behind the other, surrounded by other geese and ducks.

The colder, stronger winds and the distance didn't help, but nonetheless please enjoy the worst digiscoped pictures of the long-staying Snow Geese at Swine Moor, Beverley. #UKBirding

A really interesting read and a fun citizen science opportunity for any bird nerds out there 😁