Dear Humans, Stop blaming me for all your bullshit. I don’t even exist. Grow up.

Oh, and well done Hannah Spencer. What a beacon of positivity she is. Let’s hope a lot of our media outlets see what’s developing and ensure the *legitimate* environmental concerns many millions of us have begin to get the wall-to-wall coverage that the snivelling racists have enjoyed for so long.

Woke up to a Green Spring arriving, all sorts of hopes spread out from here. Well done @zackpolanski.bsky.social and the Green Party.

Ringers, bit of help needed. Washed up colour ring with no corpse on tideline, three alpha code (SDI), dark green ring white letters, ring diameter 18mm. Options appear to be Great Egret, Herring Gull, White Stork or Griffon Vulture. (HG most likely?) any insight?

A local adventure northdownsandbeyond.blogspot.com/2026/02/old-...

The Blyth White-billed Diver had clearly had enough of the assorted beards and camo today so it decided to steam upriver and took a while to re-find. Fittingly for a bird built like a battleship it was in the aptly named Battleship Wharf.

Brainwashing, 2026 edition. This paper shows how X's algorithmic feed shifts people's views rightwards. It's a sophisticated, highly effective form of reorientation. And it is utterly chilling. If you're still on that platform, unhook yourself now. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Plus ca change..

One of the most striking things we noticed living in New Zealand is that littering and fly-tipping just doesn’t happen. I believe this is because caring for the environment is such an integral part of kids’ school education there.

After an exceptionally wet start to 2026, two climate scientists explain what’s going on.

Loose group of five adult Little Gulls in a short patch seawatch early afternoon.

Last Winter Bird Survey visit for @btobirds.bsky.social was a quiet affair though a flock of 40 Yellowhammers was decent. Strange sight of a large mystery golden orb in the sky, hope it doesn’t result in local airspace closures. #winterbirdsurvey

Dashed out to Newbiggin to catch up with a Bean Goose found earlier in the day. My first Tundra since 2011 there (I’ve missed a few) the wait for Taiga goes on… #nland2025 #lowcarbonbirding

You have to admire Dunnocks, minutes after the rain stops and they’re shagging.

“We’re already experiencing changes in UK winter rainfall that global #climate models predict for the 2040s – we’re 20yrs ahead. @metoffice.gov.uk data show that since the 1980s the UK... has been warming at a rate of ~0.25°C per dec –so we’re seeing almost 9% more rainfall that we did in the ’80s"

We’re letting this guy’s companies into the heart of our government and NHS. fortune.com/2026/02/04/p...

Unprecedented flock of up to 38 Common Cranes in Northumberland this afternoon. From the continent? Cambridgeshire birds flooded out? Only managed 30 of 38 on show, t*at of the day award to landowner who refused permission to park safely off-road on hardcore field entrance.

What looks like a dark morph Lapwing seen at #RSPBGreylake #Somerset this morning. It was very aggressive to any other Lapwing that came to close.

Morning Bluesky.

UK also has massive issue of SGAR poisoning: virtually every barn owl, kite, kestrel ingests rat poison. If invented today they'd never be licensed. But they're not banned because food/hygiene industries can't yet do without them. But to have them available in supermarkets/garden centres is insane.

Lovely dry day walk up at Boulmer/Longhoughton Steel/Sugar Sands today with Suzanne. Quiet bird-wise with a confiding juv Merlin a bonus, lots of Rock Pipits and the ever-evocative sound of calling Curlews whilst picking our way through a Cuttlefish-apocalypse.

Trump still thinks cold weather means climate change is a "hoax." Here's my response... substack.com/@climatehuma...

“For the authoritarian, culture is the enemy. The uncultured and ignorant and tyrannical don’t like it. And they take steps against it, which we see every day.” (Salman Rushdie)

As the 2026 Big Garden Birdwatch begins, why is dedicated birdwatcher David Jobbins staying away? He wonders, what's the point when the government’s growth-at-all-costs policy rides roughshod over our impoverished natural environment. Read his analysis ⤵️ @eastangliabylines.co.uk

First Chinstrap Penguin for Greenland (if it wasn’t AI Junk). President of the supposed greatest country on earth 🤯🤦🏼‍♂️

Help us make hope normal again. Join the Green Party now.

Pick up the nearest book. Turn to page 42, post the second sentence. “I was alive and profoundly inspired.”

🚨 BREAKING 🚨 The UK Govt has quietly published - without announcement - the Joint Intelligence Committee/DEFRA report it suppressed last October. They tried to sneak it out in the midst of crisis. Read and share: “Global Biodiversity Loss, Ecosystem Collapse & National Security.” (link below)

It’s the little things. A female or juvenile Goldeneye late afternoon as I plodged about the E end of Northumberland’s new massive habitat bank in heavy mist was the 101st species I’ve recorded on the site. Looking forward to see how the site develops and what else might occur.

It just goes on, and on! Satellite-tagged Hen Harrier Edna "suspected illegally killed". Was she killed & dumped at a windfarm in Northumberland? raptorpersecutionuk.org/2026/01/19/s...

What may be the world's longest continuous annual breeding bird survey can reveal some interesting population trends for Grey Heron over the past 98 years, and recently its scope has increased to cover other species. The BTO's Ian Woodward explains:

Late afternoon post-work trip out to do my bit for the International Swan Census produced 26 Whoopers mid-county at one of the few Northumberland wintering sites left. #nland2026

@rspb.bsky.social sites pulling their X accounts this morning. Long overdue but well done 👏🏻👏🏻

Vote Reform get 2010-24 Tories by stealth..

Day 10 - Another day of not birding saved by some drive-by Waxwings down the A1 in Durham en-route to a boring but necessary job at Suzanne’s old property, two singing Dunnocks by the Tynemouth Metro Line as we headed to the Indoor Market and 200 odd Pink-feet in fields at Blyth Links. #nland2026

Western Canada glaciers suffered 2nd-greatest ice loss on record in 2025 #Canada B.C. researcher estimates some 30 gigatonnes of ice melted last year, warns "glaciers are going to disappear" www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Brambling. Coloured pencils on paper

Day 9 - Almost a non-birding day but a short outing to QEII CP to test Suzanne’s new dongle for remote working from the van offered a quick scan of the ever-present gull melee - 3 adult Med Gulls and some canus-grilling later we headed home. #lowcarbonbirding #nland2026

Day 8 - Cold with some welcome still air and sunshine. Auditioned for Dancing on Ice through the local woods but delighted to jam into a Marsh Tit in roving tit flock, pick-up Kingfisher, singing Dipper, Nuthatch, Treecreeper, Jay and Goldcrest for the year. #lowcarbonbirding #nland2026

Ironic that we’re on the right side of a 4-3 on the day they announce KK has cancer. Doubly ironic that it’s against Leeds given that his most famous quote came after a game against Leeds. Need to lie down #nufc

Day 6 - Headed out West with ADMc to search for the Bean Geese reported y’day at Whittle Dene. After a few scans through the Greylag flock we picked up three in a field dip just before we were joined by @philopus.bsky.social. We concluded these were Tundra based on head/bill shape and short necks.

There is, to my mind, no justification for the continued use by the UK Government of X as a platform for official comms. There hasn't been for some time, in fact, but if the latest developments around AI-generated image abuse and CSAM don't change the policy I really don't know what will.

Grok's new "feature" that allows users to undress women in photos posted to X is a new low for the platform. If you're somehow still active over there, I urge you to let this be your final straw.

Gentle start to 2026 clearing the fog of two bottles of French Sauvignon last night. Suzanne and I did c8km along Ulgham Lane noting eight Russian White-fronted Geese and a Canada x Greylag hybrid in mixed flock with a bonus Willow Tit on house feeders at Crowden Hill. #lowcarbonbirding #nland2026

Wishing our members and all birders visiting Northumberland a bird-filled 2026. If you have outstanding records for 2025 please submit to our county recorder Tim Dean as soon as possible ([email protected]). NTBC are supporting the International Swan Census in Jan - details on website.

I told Sting he had a parking ticket in Keswick in 1982.

Greenshank, Lesser Black-backed Gull and flowering Hawthorn on my wander down the Wansbeck this morning. #timestheyareachanging

Second Winter Bird Survey visit to my Northumberland square this morning for @btobirds.bsky.social was a quiet affair with 20 species recorded but lifted by my first singing Mistle Thrush of ‘Spring’

Marco Gabbiadini has aged a bit..#NUFC

Cruise-ship stowaway owls set for US return after living it up at Spanish resort