It's always hard to find migrants at Girdle Ness. This is the small ash tree in amongst thick conifers in St Fittick's Park where I saw a Red-breasted Flycatcher for ten seconds this afternoon. Other migrants today included Brambling and Spotted Flycatcher. #Birds #BirdingScotland #PatchBirding

My book, Ponies at the Edge of the World, tells the story of Shetland ponies and the people who love them. Based on my PhD research, and my journey to live in Shetland, it reflects on how relationships with landscape and animals can create a sense of place and belonging #Shetland

Very happy to have my 'Sounding migrations: Deep listening and the acoustic phenology of whale song' published in this brilliant collection of audio papers from Seismograf Peer. Do have a listen and let me know what you think! seismograf.org/fokus/sound-...

Tullos Hill was busy airspace today. Two gliding Ravens were my first of the autumn. Buzzards have been scarce this year, but this one has appeared over the past few days. It received inevitable corvine attentions. #Birds #BirdingScotland #PatchBirding

Passerine migrants have been hard to come by at Girdle Ness recently, but this Spotted Flycatcher has been in St Fittick's over the weekend. A classic 'common migrant' but these days often hard to find. #Birds #BIrdingScotland #PatchBirding

Red Squirrels are getting commoner in Aberdeen city but this one at St Fittick's Park today was my first patch record. It seemed to be enjoying the cones. #Mammals #Squirrels #UKWildlife @nesmammals.bsky.social

There should be a name for days when you can hear both house martins and pink-footed geese.

I recently had a very pleasant work visit to Shetland. Birds I encountered included lots of Curlew Sandpipers at Virkie, a Lesser Whitethroat hopping about in the open at Sumburgh in exactly the way they usually don't, and of course plenty of Gannets. #Birds #BirdingScotland

An odd assemblage in the warm, turbulent skies over Girdle Ness today. The first skeins of Pink-footed Geese headed south, passing dozens of Swallows and nine Swifts that cruised the golf course rough for sheltering insects. I can't recall seeing so many so late in the year. #Birds #BirdingScotland

A day of swirling, forceful weather at Girdle Ness. An evening seawatch produced Sooty and Manx Shearwaters, five Little Gulls, an Arctic Skua, 86 Common Terns and two cruise ships. #Birds #BirdingScotland #PatchBirding

Fulmars and Gannets were cruising the tall waves off Girdle Ness today, with most birds heading south. #Birds #BirdingScotland

A Redshank paddling the shallow harbour edge at Girdle Ness this morning. #Birds #BirdingScotland

Still plenty of Common Terns at Girdle Ness. They seem to linger further into autumn these days, particularly when they've had a good breeding season. #Birds #BirdingScotland #PatchBirding

A Whinchat, amidst the gorse and gathering dusk at Girdle Ness this evening. My first of the year and it made me wonder what other migrants were lurking in the bushes. #Birds #BirdingScotland #PatchBirding

Eye-wateringly bad pictures of a sub-adult (2nd calendar year?) Long-tailed Skua that flew north off Girdle Ness this evening. An unusual plumage I'd not seen before. Earlier today, a Balearic Shearwater also went through. #Birds #BirdingScotland #PatchBirding

Seven Sooty Shearwaters on this evening's seawatch from Girdle Ness. Also, Arctic Skua, Puffin, seven Bonxies, 35 Manx Sheatwaters, 123 Fulmars, 16 Arctic Terns, and three Common Scoters. #Birds #BirdingScotland #PatchBirding

Here are two of the 19 Sooty Shearwaters that passed Girdle Ness this evening. Other birds on the go included eight Bonxies, an Arctic Skua, 34 Manx Shearwaters and 20 Arctic Terns. Also my first two Wheatears of the autumn. #Birds #BirdingScotland #PatchBirding

JOB: come work with me @uni-konstanz.de ! We have a junior professorship to fill from 1 April 2026 (6 years, non-tenured, as funding comes from the Centre for Cultural Inquiry). The denomination is very timely: Environmental #Anthropology! Details ⬇️ stellen.uni-konstanz.de/jobposting/2... #academia

I enjoyed a pleasant but hot stay in Croatia recently. The birding was good at Vransko, including an unexpected Broad-billed Sandpiper, as well as Spotted Crake, Caspian Tern and two Temminck's Stint. I finally managed to catch up with Rock Partridge on Pag too. #Birds #Croatia

Dark shapes jumping at the horizon. The sea off Girdle Ness this evening was heaving with White-beaked Dolphins. Dozens were doing fast leaps out of the water, both horizontally and vertically. Most were around 2-3 miles out but some were a few miles more distant. #UKWildlife #Dolphins #Cetaceans

The recent influx of terns into Greyhope Bay gave me hope I might finally encounter a patch tick Roseate Tern. This evening, that hope was realised with this lovely adult. Such an elegant seabird. #Birds #BirdingScotland #PatchBirding

A few birds from wonderful northwest Argentina, in this case from the highlands of Cuesta del Obispo. Here are Black-billed Shrike Tyrant, Bare-eyed Ground Dove, Grey-hooded Parakeet and Rufous-bellied Mountain Tanager. The latter was a fortunate sighting of this tricky bird. #Birds #Argentina

A silver sea for seawatching this evening at Girdle Ness. My first two Sooty Shearwaters of the headed north, along with 56 Manx Shearwaters. #Birds #BirdingScotland

Magellanic Plover was a hugely pleasing bird to see in southern Buenos Aires province. These photos from Balneario Orense show off its odd pigeon-like countenance and oversized orange feet nicely. #Birds #Argentina

Southern Screamer is an Argentinian bird you wouldn't want to mess around with, particularly once you notice the two spurs protruding from each forewing. Photos from near San Clemente del Tuyú. #Birds #Argentina

A bird I encountered more easily than expected in eastern Argentina was Hudson's Canastero, a scarce bird of rushy marshes. I love the subtle colours and shapes on the back. Taken in San Clemente del Tuyú. #Birds #Argentina

Winter goose watching South American style, from last week in southern Buenos Aires province. I saw large numbers of Ashy-headed and Upland Goose and smaller numbers of the rarer Ruddy-headed Goose. #Birds #Argentina

It was a good day for butterflies at St Fittick's Park today, with nine species including just my second ever Comma here. This species is still scarce in Aberdeen but seems to be getting more frequent. #Butterflies #UKWildlife

Arctic tern are currently hanging round at Girdle Ness in un(recently)precedented numbers. I counted 460 today. Still plenty to come from the local breeding colony too. Lovely to see this species have a good year

GLITCH ENVIRONMENTALISM is freely accessible for two weeks... make sure to download it soon!! we think with Legacy Russell's Glitch Feminism (2020) to examine digitally-mediated activism challenging birding's hegemonic, exclusionary histories and cultures w/ Naomi Parker and @jonnyjjt.bsky.social

Just a few days left in Argentina but still time for the bird of the trip. After trudging for miles along a beach, I thought I'd missed this Magellanic Plover. It was a total joy when it finally appeared. #Birds #Argentina

Am now in coastal eastern Argentina. Gull enthusiasts, of whom I know there are many, will enjoy the thick brown tones of this immature Olrog's Gull. #Birds #Argentina

Lots of secretive brown birds to look for in NW Argentina, including this Steinbach's Canastero, endemic to Monte Desert scrub. #Birds #Argentina

One of my favourite birds so far in Argentina has been the endemic White-browed Tapaculo. This one near Tafi del Valle was giving me one of its hard stares. #Birds #Argentina

Dippers: completed it. The last species to see in my favourite family didn't disappoint. I had a wonderful time watching Rufous-throated Dippers at Quebrada los Sosa. Endlessly characterful birds. #Birds #Argentina

Am in northwest Argentina now. Here's a Condor moment. #Birds

A Blond-crested Woodpecker in Peruibe. They really like bananas. #Birds #Brazil

It's good to see the Bananaquits form an orderly queue for the feeder. The bees show no such niceties. #Birds #Brazil

A White-winged Swallow in motion over the lake waters at Intervales. #Birds #Brazil

A Solitary Tinamou close-up from Intervales, giving full living dinosaur vibes. #Birds

Some owling from around Intervales. I had wonderful views of Long-tufted Screech-Owl and also saw Rusty-barred Owl nicely, although it didn't want to look down at the camera. #Birds

A few birds from Intervales, Sao Paulo. The endangered Black-fronted Piping-Guan was seen nicely, as were Red-ruffed Fruitcrow and Red-and-White Crake. Three-striped Flycatcher was another new one. #Birds

Continuing our series on implausibly close birds in Brazil, here's a phone video of a Solitary Tinamou at Intervales, Sao Paulo today. #Birds

Toucan play at that game. #Birds

A timely reminder that not all birds like being filmed. #Birds

Currently in southeast Brazil where we had an interesting dinner guest last night.

Good to meet @anthrobirder.bsky.social and show him the delights of Titchfield Haven in June! Noticeable arrival of Mediterranean Gulls, Spoonbill, multiple Marsh Harriers including a juv 😄, Avocets with chicks, Kittiwake etc. #LowCarbonBirding #PWC2025

This was a pleasure and privilege on the wonderful Berkshire Downs.

Casual patch birding research in Oxford today. It was quite hot! Thanks to Tom and everyone else I've met during the project.

This Iceland Gull has been at Girdle Ness for two months now and is the first one to summer here that I can recall. It often seems to keep to itself. The throng of other gulls feeding offshore were interrupted by a Minke Whale rising through the waves. #Birds #BirdingScotland #UKWildlife