Into West Yorkshire for a visit to RSPB St. Aidan’s today. 45 species including Black Necked Grebe & Little Owl both new for year for me. A good breeding year for the Black headed Gulls. @rspbengland.bsky.social #yorkshirebirding #birding

Guess the White House and the US military will call this collateral damage.😳

Excellent news

Trial due to begin tomorrow for a Scottish gamekeeper accused of killing a Goshawk on a Perthshire shooting estate. NB: Comments turned off as criminal proceedings are live ⚖️ #RaptorResearch #WildlifeCrime 🌍 raptorpersecutionuk.org/2026/03/16/t...

Family birthday celebrations in Norfolk this weekend so little time for birding but did manage to add Common Crane & Glaucous Gull (2w) to my year list, at St. Benet’s Abbey on the banks of the Brue and Horsey Gap respectively. #ornithology #birding #Norfolk

Royd Moor loop from home with Beatrix. 30sp inc. Yellowhammer, Reed bunting, Oystercatcher, Little Owl, Teal, Little Grebe. 7 Brown Hare. @s-yorksbirding.bsky.social @sorbynathissoc.bsky.social @btoengland.bsky.social @rspbengland.bsky.social

It’s #WorldWildlifeDay. Peatlands are home to unique and fascinating wildlife! Thriving #wildlife habitats is one of the many benefits of moorland restoration. Learn more about moorland habitats on our website: www.moorsforthefuture.org.uk/our-purpose/... 📷 Moors for the Future/Sam Willis

Male Crossbill feeding in the Durham Dales from the weekend 👍 #NEbirds #Ukbirds @durhambirdclub.bsky.social @teesbirds.bsky.social

A ringed Bewick's Swan has been recorded in the UK for the first time in 20 years:

March Newsletter is now available to read. www.derbyshirebirdtours.com/post/march-2...

Curlews back on local patch - there are still a few pairs nesting in the fields above Penistone. Skylarks singing, Fieldfare over and a bonus pair of Goosander on Castle Dam. #patchbirding #yorkshirebirding @s-yorksbirding.bsky.social @patchbirding.bsky.social

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... Fascinating new study on passerine migration using @btobirds.bsky.social tracking data. #ornithology

High numbers of gulls at Ingbirchworth Reservoir this morning. 700+ Black Headed & 50+ Common and a handful of Herring Gulls. With over 120 Common at nearby Broadstone Reservoir, numbers building before they head north to their breeding grounds. @s-yorksbirding.bsky.social #ornithology

More signs of spring on an early morning visit to Broadstone Reservoir. 4 Oystercatcher on dam wall, 10 Curlew in surrounding fields, at least 4 singing Reed Bunting and plenty of displaying Skylark. @s-yorksbirding.bsky.social @btoengland.bsky.social #yorkshirebirding #ornithology

Chronic ocean heating fuels ‘staggering’ loss of marine life, study finds - Fish levels fall by 7.2% with as little as 0.1C of warming per decade, northern hemisphere research shows #climatecrisis www.theguardian.com/environment/...

A review of published records has detailed the westward expansion and range increase of Blyth's Reed Warbler:

A truly fabulous reference guide for any birder or naturalist in Sheffield and the surrounding areas. It provides a long-term overview of the state and changing nature of bird life across the city.

Bonus Caspian Gull spot driving to work this morning. Single juv mingling with the Common Gulls on Hoyland football pitches. Then on the way home a mini Starling murmuration at RSPB Old Moor!

4th and last Winter Bird Survey at Scissett/Clayton West BBS square recorded 21 species. @btobirds.bsky.social #yorkshirebirding #ornithology

Final Winter Bird Survey on @btobirds.bsky.social BBS square near Denby Dale yielded 24 species. Signs of spring with Yellowhammer and Skylarks singing on their breeding areas. Interesting pure white leucanistic Jackdaw puzzled me for a moment! #yorkshirebirding #ornithology

In Scotland, no patches of snow from winter 2024/2025 survived to winter 2025/2026 - This is the fourth year in a row that all snow has completely disappeared I miss snow #climatecrisis HT @carbonbrief.org rmets.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

Fascinating post here

Our latest Substack post is out now: open.substack.com/pub/moorsfor... #GreenFinance #Buxton #Derbyshire #Peatlands #Biodiversity #NaturalFloodManagement

I just signed a @theactionnetwork.bsky.social petition: Help Stop the Criminal Killing of Birds of Prey. Sign here: actionnetwork.org/petitions/he...

Fantastic #goosing in North Norfolk today: 1,000 Russian Whitefronts (570 Holkham, 310 Overy, 114 Titchwell), 570 Barnacles, 8,000+ Pinks and 💥32💥 Tundra Beans (19 Bircham, 8 Burnham Market, 3 Holkham, 1 Overy, 1 Titchwell) #beanfeast #norfolkbirding

Royd Moor: first Curlew of the year seen. Stonechat, Redwing, Fieldfare, Skylark and Grey Partridge. #curlew #ornithology #wildlife #birding @rspbengland.bsky.social @btobirds.bsky.social @curlewaction.bsky.social @s-yorksbirding.bsky.social

Greenshanks will soon be returning to Scottish breeding sites. Unlike their cousins that breed in eastern Russia, they won't have flown far. Research by Highland Ringing Group, supported with £ from @scottishbirding.bsky.social. wadertales.wordpress.com/2020/03/23/m... #BirdingScotland

Three-year General Licence restriction imposed on Raeshaw Estate (again), this time relating to the shooting of Golden Eagle Merrick. Statement from NatureScot & commentary from me ⬇️ #RaptorResearch #WildlifeCrime 🌍 raptorpersecutionuk.org/2026/02/10/t...

NERF commentary is absolutely spot on. Sadly, there’s no sign of the current loopholes being closed any time soon.

Sunlight really is the greatest disinfectant.

Hear hear

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... Extremely disappointing is a masterly understatement (I hope).

Just a reminder to report all dead birds - to Defra in England, Wales and Scotland for possible testing. Also add the record to BirdTrack if you can for monitoring purposes #ukbirding

Let’s hope this gets speedily chucked out!

Dunlin needed some good news - @rspbscience.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/environment/... Red-listed in UK: wadertales.wordpress.com/2022/10/04/u... Rapid decline in Iceland: wadertales.wordpress.com/2025/02/20/i... Really bad in the Baltic: wadertales.wordpress.com/2021/06/20/d... #ornithology

Pulled up to scan a goose flock at North Duffield, could hear WFronts as I was setting up the scope, only to realise whole flock was WFronts, at least 307 with some out of view, also 2 Barnacle Geese, best viewed from along path to Garganey Hide @birdguides.bsky.social @yorkbirding.bsky.social

Great Bustard nests have been discovered at Cranborne Chase for the first time, providing further evidence of the species' gradual recovery and expansion in southern England:

A fantastic sight if you’re lucky enough to live by the coast.

You can also report dead birds for possible testing for avian influenza: 📌In England, Wales & Scotland: gov.uk/guidance/rep... 📌In Northern Ireland: daera-ni.gov.uk/services/dae... 📌In Republic of Ireland: aviancheck.apps.services.agriculture.gov.ie/report

We are receiving increased reports of dead auks, including Puffins, particularly in North East Scotland. It's quick and easy to report any dead or sick birds you find through the 'Deceased bird' function on the home page of the BirdTrack app Photo: Puffin by Richard Selman / BTO #ukbirding

The plans to release White Storks in East London have been rubber-stamped by the local council, with the birds set to arrive later this year:

A 'mega-roost' of Stock Doves has been recorded in western France – a figure that is believed to be a national record for an autumn or winter roost of this species:

Wombwell Ings this afternoon. Damp & chilly but 25 species including an hour of birding. Highlights 1 Shelduck, lots of Wigeon, Stonechat, & Yellowhammer #yorkshirebirding @s-yorksbirding.bsky.social @rspbengland.bsky.social

Broomhill Flash 1.30-2pm Female Goldeneye, 7m,4f Pochard, 1m,4f Goosander, plenty of Gadwall, Shoveler, Tufted & Teal #yorkshirebirding @s-yorksbirding.bsky.social

Thrybergh Country Park this morning. 36 species including 2 pairs of Goldeneye #yorkshirebirding @s-yorksbirding.bsky.social @donnybirding.bsky.social

Just had my 2025 Garden BirdWatch report from @bto-gbw.bsky.social 29 bird species, 2 mammals, 1 amphibians, 17 insect species recorded last year, the 4th year I’ve been doing it in South Yorkshire #yorkshirebirding

Great news

1/ Spotted Flycatchers are in trouble, declining by 92% in the UK between 1967 and 2020. New work led by @cateden91.bsky.social & involving BTO has revealed the importance of rivers for the survival of this Red-listed migratory species. ⬇️ #Ornithology 📖 www.bto.org/Spotted-Flyc...

Well done @rspbinvestigations.bsky.social

Gamekeeper pleads guilty in England's first ever Hen Harrier persecution case (RSPB press release). #RaptorResearch #WildlifeCrime #SeriousCrime raptorpersecutionuk.org/2026/01/29/g...