Casual Birder Podcast

😢Hope it gets better soon!
Still horrible down this way!

Funnily enough I had very close views of a Goldcrest yesterday, and also saw a Bittern - but this one was skulking in the reeds!

Image description: Square graphic, with pale peach background and orange wavy-edged bands at top and bottom. In the upper half of the graphic grey/blue text which reads: #1stBirdOfTheMonth DECEMBER [This word is in orange text and capitals for emphasis] What was the first bird you heard or saw today? In the lower half of the graphic, a line drawing of a generic small bird with question marks to the right of its head.

It’s the 1st of December!
Here in Hampshire it’s a wet and windy morning!

The first bird I heard was a Song Thrush, singing in the darkness.
The first bird I saw was a Robin sitting in a small tree in our windswept garden.

What was your 1st bird of the month?
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Square graphic design. Pale mint green background with blue/grey wavy-edged bands at top and bottom. Landscape format photo in the lower middle with grey/blue text above. Text reads: #Top5Birds What were your best bird moments from the past week? Photo shows: Flock of Golden Plover in flight. It is difficult to see any colour on the birds as they are silhouetted against a blue sky. Caption below the photo reads: Golden Plover

What were your #Top5Birds or bird moments from the past week?

Mine, in Gloucestershire:
1. Enormous cloud of Golden Plover in flight
2. First of year Bewick’s Swan
3. Hand-feeding a Rook
4. First of year White-fronted Goose
5. Male Shoveler looking glorious in evening sunlight
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Square graphic design. Pale mint green background with blue/grey wavy-edged bands at top and bottom. Landscape format photo in the lower middle with grey/blue text above. Text reads: #Top5Birds What were your best bird moments from the past week? Photo shows: Male Northern Pintail on water.The bird has a brown head, grey body and a white band near the tail, with black under the long tail. It has a white breast, with a white strip continuing up the neck to the nape.The bird is facing to the left go the frame. Caption below the photo reads: Northern Pintail

What were your #Top5Birds or bird moments from the past week?

Mine, in Cambridgeshire:
1. Beautiful male Northern Pintail
2. Two Crows bathing at the lake side
3. Great Egret flying low over the water
4. Raven calling
5. Golden Plover flying in a ‘v’ overhead
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Square graphic design. Pale mint green with blue/grey wavy-edged bands at top and bottom. Portrait format photo on the middle left with grey/ blue text to the right. Photo shows: Close up of a Western Cattle Egret. This white bird of the heron family has a yellow beak and black legs, and has a hunched appearance. The bird is facing to the right of the frame and has a blurred brown background. The bird is standing on a cow’s back, although the rest of the cow is out of frame. Caption below the photo reads: Western Cattle Egret Text on the right reads: #Top5Birds What were your best bird moments from the past week?

What were your #Top5Birds or bird moments from the past week?

Mine, in Cambridgeshire:
1. First of year Cattle Egrets
2. Common Cranes flying in towards dusk
3. Big flock of Fieldfare chattering overhead
4. Surprise sighting of a Bittern in flight
5. Huge numbers of Lapwing taking flight
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Episode artwork: Close-up of a white man wearing a dark brown hat and a red-brown T-shirt, facing the camera. The blurred landscape of fields and mountains is in the background. A brown band runs along the bottom of the image, with white text inside a thin white border. The text reads #145 Dale Forbes - Drawing inspiration from the natural world. The logo for the podcast is in the top left of the image, showing a line drawing of a Bullfinch and the name of the show: The Casual Birder Podcast on a white background inside a grey line intended to represent binoculars.

New Episode!
Dale Forbes shares how his curiosity and desire for discovery have shaped his approach to birding.
He also reveals his perspective on enjoying nature, emphasizing the importance of finding your own path to connect with the natural world.
casualbirder.com/episode145

Ooh, Gambia is also on our list!
We’ll have to swap notes! 🙂

Ooh, thank you - great tips.
I'll add this to my planning notes - I suspect we won't manage it for a couple of years though. Zambia will our next adventure! 🙂

This is on my bucket list of species to see - what gorgeous birds!

Wow! Amazing!👏

Another from my Australian vacation last year: a Pacific Gull eating a crab.

This large gull can be identified by a dark back, heavy bill with a red spot on both mandibles, and a black band on the tail.
Seen at Adventure Bay, #tasmania

#wildoz #Ausbirds #australianbirds #ozbirds 🪶

New blog post.

This week, @marycolwell1 gave the eulogy to the Slender-billed Curlew at the AEWA meeting of parties in Bonn.

You can now read the eulogy on our new blog post.

www.curlewaction.org/the-bird-wit...

Wow! A doppelgänger!
Sounds like she’s living my dream!

You lucky thing!
Such a beautiful bird! I remember seeing them in Panama.

It’s almost a year since I visited Australia.
I’ve been rewatching the videos I filmed and will share my faves with you.

Here is a magical moment: a female Superb Fairywren bathing in raindrops on a fern.
- Mount Field National Park, Tasmania
#australia #fairywren
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Some lovely moments there! And what a beautiful photo of a Great Egret!

14 Snipe?!!!
Awesome!
Sounds like you had a fab week!

Square graphic design. Pale mint green background with blue/grey wavy-edged bands at top and bottom. Landscape format photo in the lower middle with grey/blue text above. Text reads: #Top5Birds What were your best bird moments from the past week? Photo shows: Eurasian Jay perched in the top of a conifer. A shy member of the Crow family, more often heard than seen. The bird is peachy-brown with a bright blue wing patch and black moustache stripe. Caption below the photo reads: Eurasian Jay

What were your #Top5Birds or bird moments from the past week?

Mine, from my garden:
1. Jay burying an acorn in a flowerbed
2. Hearing migrating Redwings call at night
3. Bullfinch eating rowan berries
4. Robin visiting window feeder
5. Magpie on my windowsill trying to get to the window feeder
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That’s wonderful! What a lovely shared moment!

Square graphic design. Pale mint green with blue/grey wavy-edged bands at top and bottom. Portrait format photo on the middle left with grey/ blue text to the right. Photo shows: Wren standing on a branch. The bird is facing to the right of the frame and has a blurred green background. Caption below the photo reads: Eurasian Wren Text on the right reads: #Top5Birds What were your best bird moments from the past week?

What were your #Top5Birds or bird moments from the past week?

Mine, from my garden:
1. Wren bathing in one of the bird baths
2. Robin singing a sub-song

& in Sussex
3. First of year Corn Bunting
4. Lovely view of 3 Ravens low overhead
5. Heard a Yellow-browed Warbler (now I want to see one!)
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What a wonderful first bird of November!

Image description: Square graphic, with pale peach background and orange wavy-edged bands at top and bottom. In the upper half of the graphic grey/blue text which reads: #1stBirdOfTheMonth NOVEMBER [This word is in orange text and capitals for emphasis] What was the first bird you heard or saw today? In the lower half of the graphic, a line drawing of a generic small bird with question marks to the right of its head.

It’s the 1st of November! Here in Hampshire it’s a calm and dry morning, after a stormy night!

The first bird I heard was a Robin, singing in the first light.

The first bird I saw was a Woodpigeon sitting on a neighbour’s roof.

What was your 1st bird of the month?
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Ooh! A wonderful collection! How lucky that you saw that Waxwing - one of my fave species!

Square graphic design. Pale mint green with blue/grey wavy-edged bands at top and bottom. Portrait format photo on the middle left with grey/ blue text to the right. Photo shows: Peregrine Falcon standing on a white stone cliff outcrop. The bird is facing to the right of the frame. The background shows grey waves. Caption below the photo reads: Peregrine Falcon Text on the right reads: #Top5Birds What were your best bird moments from the past week?

What were your #Top5Birds or bird moments from the past week?

Mine, in East Sussex:
1. Seeing a Peregrine catch a pigeon
2.Song Thrush, Robin, Goldfinch & House Sparrow bathing together in a puddle
3. Ravens
4. First of season Redwing

And in my garden:
5. Robin putting leaves in the nest box
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What a lovely selection of birds!
And great experience with the tits at your window!

I still struggle with identifying Caspian Gulls - I hope I have some opportunities to try this winter

What beautiful birds - and so wonderful to see a Corncrake!

Square graphic design. Pale mint green with blue/grey wavy-edged bands at top and bottom. Portrait format photo on the middle left with grey/ blue text to the right. Text reads: #Top5Birds What were your best bird moments from the past week? Photo shows: Night-time photo of a European Robin standing in a bird bath, taken with a wildlife cam. The bird’s usual plumage of brown back and red-breast cannot be seen in this monochrome photo. The bird is standing in water and facing to the left of the frame. Caption below the photo reads: European Robin

What were your #Top5Birds or bird moments from the past week?

Mine:
1. Robin bathing after dark - seen on wildlife camera

& in Dorset:
2. Swallows appearing to bathe in a calm sea
3. Gannets diving amongst leaping Tuna
4. Flying Buzzard showing talons to a Raven
5. Dust-bathing House Sparrows
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Square graphic design. Pale mint green with blue/grey wavy-edged bands at top and bottom. Portrait format photo on the middle left with grey/ blue text to the right. Photo shows: Little Owl resting among large rocks. A compact owl species, with brown plumage and buff spots. The bird’s body is facing to the left and the bird’s head is looking at the camera Caption below the photo reads: Little Owl Text on the right reads: #Top5Birds What were your best bird moments from the past week?

What were your #Top5Birds or bird moments from the past week?

Mine, in Dorset:
1. A beautiful Little Owl
2. Black Redstart - UK species number 200 of my year!
3. Big flock of Golden Plover
4. Short-eared Owl flying overhead
5. Pelagic birding trip with a fab mix of seabird species
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It is 7 years ago today my first Podcast interview on @casualbirderpod.bsky.social was released, you can listen here casualbirder.com/episode48