This is great news. Looking forward to it already. Please consider a work-friendly Sunday finish time.

Whatever Rachel Reeves has decided, the conversation at work is solely around tax avoidance by the richest and the absence of a wealth tax. Looks like the next election will be Greens vs Reform.

Enjoyable trip out. Lovely pie in the ground, two Red Kites over and a Sparrowhawk being seen off by the local Starlings. Much better first half than last week. Solid on the right side at the back - Okeke and Farquarson worked well together. Nice bit of Uncle Albert showboating at the end.

A moment, please, to consider the absolute majesty of Daphne Oram's unbelievable score to this. A pitch shifted, time stretched, frequency agile glimpse of the future of music production; a liberty-taking all analogue remix of Sandy Nelson's Teen Beat realised in real time with the visuals.

Highbury Park, Moseley - Song Thrush in full song for an extended period around 7.45am 600+ Woodpigeon heading SW.

Got 2 tickets for anyone who wants them to see the wonderful Širom in Bishops Castle this Thursday (20th). Poor planning on my part means I can’t get there now

Happy 50th anniversary to a classic album

November 16th I know it's a Sunday. It's no bloody excuse! One week from now get off your bum and down to The Kitchen Garden Cafe in Birmingham. www.kitchengardencafe.co.uk/event/gwenif...

Clifton Pits update - drake Ring-necked Duck still present, centre of main pit. #worcsbirds The white goose is a domestic Greylag, obviously.

Clifton Pits - Barnacle Goose and as-yet-unidentified white goose with the enormous Greylag flock. Can't see anything more interesting sadly. Weedy fields to the south are full of finches, including several nice Brambling wheezes. 7 Fieldfare #worcsbirds

Egyptian Vulture on the clifftop (it's there if you look, honest) - Barranc d'Algendar, Menorca this morning. 18 in flight together at 10.20am was a spectacular sight, alongside 6+ Booted Eagle and several Red Kites.

Amazon is helping fund a $300 million build of a ballroom for the White House. Independent bookstores are donating to food banks and organizations that help with food insecurity. They are not the same.

Lidl car park, Ciutadella, Menorca 12.15 pm - Kestrel 2, Red Kite 5, Booted Eagle 8, juv Egyptian Vulture, Crag Martin. Would visit again.

Bartley Reservoir - 3 Common Scoter, found by @stuhares.bsky.social NFY for me.

Highbury Park, Moseley - single Redwing this morning, my first of the autumn.

Reduction in birds visiting our garden. Not sure why.

Ticket sales for Morrissey in Milwaukee seem to be going well

Minor operation today. All fine but a general anaesthetic. How anyone can tut at NHS staff, how anyone can link it negatively with migration things, how anyone can fail to see that it’s the best thing about this place and that they are the best of us. These people are morons. Literally morons.

On the nail.

Clifton Pits - Long-tailed Duck still on northern put #worcsbirds

If you're into birdwatching, the fish restaurant at the edge of playa de fabrica, on the eastern Algarve, is a great spot.

Further proof the #bbc has absolutely lost the plot - Countryfile is giving airtime to second home owners whining about Welsh Government tax policies.

Upper Bittell - Greenshank, 7 Ringed Plover, 2 Common Sandpiper, Snipe, Caspian Gull, Spotted Flycatcher. Plenty of Swallow and Sand Martin. More sailors than water now #worcsbirds

+ WREN'S NEST // LIVE AV SET // TICKETS + The UK premiere of our new AV ghost story project will take place in Birmingham in Nov. Sharing the bill will be the wonderfully talented friends @waysideandwoodland.bsky.social and @swllws.bsky.social. More info and tickets : www.hiddenbritain.co.uk

Many thanks to the 20 sites who participated in yesterday's #westmidsalldayer - 4 sites managed to break the 100 mark with Blithfield narrowly pipping Belvide to the post. I'll pull together a list of all the species seen across the sites (usually c140 species). Well done all 👏

Another fantastic win. Another clean sheet. Excellent start to the season. The ref was definitely his father’s son

Bartley update #WestMidsAllDayer - 57 species by 10.30am Biggest surprise so far - 8 Shoveler Most obvious miss so far - given the nature of the site, it's got to be Ring-necked Parakeet @pmandrews1973.bsky.social

I can

First play. Looking forward to this @prolapseband.bsky.social

Well done Grimsby Town.

Parc de la Bovaque, Abbeville - short walk from Abbeville centre. Series of pools fed by crystal-clear chalk streams. Spotted Flycatcher - 20+ along 100m stretch of one stream. Video doesn't really do it justice. Black Redstart on Saint-Vulfran church. House Martins feeding nests all over town.

Would love to see The Leaf Library, preferably in Birmingham.

A reminder that the autumn edition of the West Midlands All-Day Birdwatch will be on the traditional date of the first Saturday in September (6th). Here's hoping for a good day and lots of sites (new and old) to be participating #westmidsalldayer

WWT Slimbridge - Spoonbill feeding in front of Rushy Hide, one of two seen. 2 Wood Sand, 2 Spotted Redshank, 2 Avocet, 7 Green Sandpiper, RP, Dunlin, Curlew, Whimbrel, Bk-T Godwit, Snipe, Garganey, Cattle Egret, 2 GWE, Marsh Harrier. 75 species.

Great record. @vogonlaundromat.bsky.social

@lastotw.bsky.social @tamebirding.bsky.social

Shustoke Res - Little Tern? at the east end. Small, quiet, restless flickering flight style, constantly dipping to the water. The question mark is observer unfamiliarity with the species, but I don't know what else it can be.

Apparently there were 2 Greenshank, both already flown off south

#middletonlakes so far this morning - Greenshank (canal scrape), Ruff, 8 LRP, Green Sandpiper, Marsh Harrier, 4 Common Tern, 3 GWE. Temperature has shot up in last 15 mins.

Steve Malkmus

Maybe all the sleeping bags could be donated to a worthy cause afterwards?

@thedecliningwinter.bsky.social know anyone who may be interested in this?

London folks, I recommend going to this tonight if you're around. They put on a great show at Centrala in Birmingham on Tuesday night - they have a mesmerising, manic energy which sounds great on record but also makes so much more sense when witnessing them on stage. Don't miss out.

Clifton Pits - Curlew, 3 Oystercatcher, 3 LRP, 2 Common Sandpiper, 2 Yellow Wagtail, Peregrine, Red Kite #worcsbirds

Malvern Hills - f/juv Wheatear and 6 Meadow Pipit on Worcs Beacon. 2 Stonechat, Willow Warbler, 6+ Redstart in Happy Valley #worcsbirds

Have they been hiding under the water?