There was a tiny moribund Field Mouse outside the back door this evening. It was even covered with fly eggs. We managed to revive it, but we don’t know if it’ll make it through the night. @nesmammals.bsky.social

3 dead Common Crossbills together at the roadside at Tillypronie today. Such a shame. @scottishbirding.bsky.social @btoscotland.bsky.social

Hi mothers - is this a Map-winged Swift (or a Gold Swift), in our garage this evening? Obsidentify seems unsure.

Your daily Avian Hybrids story! An Italian Sparrow in the Netherlands turns out to be a House Sparrow avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2023/07/19/a... #ornithology

200 dead White-lipped #Snails on 150m of verge @ Loirsbank Road. Did ACC spray something #toxic? What else died? #Biodiversity?? I hope none were eaten by the Song Thrushes or Hedgehogs. This seems mindless. @aberdeencc.bsky.social

After last autumn's mega Nathusius' Pipistrelle #bat spike, they have been popping up in the garden through the winter which is most unusual, and have been *much* more common this spring. Graph shows comparison with more typical recs last year. @batconservation.bsky.social @nesmammals.bsky.social

Nightjars are increasing in Shetland. For example in 2024 there were 13, mainly May-June but also one in October. This male at Grutness today wasn’t well-concealed and moved its position twice for no obvious reason. #BirdingScotland

We have another event at Greyhope Bay on Saturday afternoon: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/explore-th...

A quick plug for some sound workshops I'm involved with at Greyhope Bay and St Fittick's Park this week, together with the excellent Rebecca Macklin and Roxane Permar. The first workshop is tomorrow morning: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/greyhope-m...

Hi - @scottishbirding.bsky.social - the excellent Online Scottish Bird Report seems to be inaccessible at the moment. I used it yesterday but can't get at it today. www.the-soc.org.uk/pages/online...

Dozens of Sand Martins nesting between the granite blocks of the old bridge pier, mid-river at Crathes Bridge, Aberdeenshire. Similar to recent note in Scottish Birds 45: 255, but more watery. @scottishbirding.bsky.social @btoscotland.bsky.social #birdingscotland @nickpicozzi.bsky.social

Goosander nest update: not sure all this down on the ground under the nestbox in the garden is a good sign. Looks like probably the Magpies have been at it again. Will check later with the thermal but suspect the worst. @scottishbirding.bsky.social @btoscotland.bsky.social #birdingscotland

Not every day you get to photograph a bat during the daytime. This apparent Daubenton's Bat was flying around @flamboroughbird.bsky.social early afternoon yesterday. Here's a sequence of shots to show it taking insects off the water. Click on images to expand. @batconservation.bsky.social

The female Goosander seems to be incubating at the moment. Thermal image from below the nest box in the garden in Aberdeen - note the hotspot! @scottishbirding.bsky.social @btoscotland.bsky.social #birdingscotland @inchgarthbirding.bsky.social

Today's surprise ... Goosander nest in decaying box in the garden in the Aberdeen 'burbs! Thanks to @inchgarthbirding.bsky.social for holding the ladder ... At least one egg already predated on ground so I thought the box would be empty. @scottishbirding.bsky.social @btoscotland.bsky.social

Also at Inchgarth today - my first Comma #Butterfly of the year, and quite an early one, presumably having overwintered locally, plus about 18 Peacocks. @inchgarthbirding.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social

Did you say Clark's Mining #Bee @inchgarthbirding.bsky.social ? This one at Inchgarth today, along with quite a few others. Did it just pee and turn round to drink it or rub it on its legs/body?? #buglife

Monday 7:30: Dr Mark Bolton talking about the changing fortunes of Scotland's 2 small breeding petrels. @scottishbirding.bsky.social MR1 in University Library, Bedford Road, Aberdeen AB24 3AA. All welcome. #petrelheads Added Bonus: (brief) branch AGM!!

Oooh! Just arrived! Brilliant *new* edition of the best introduction & handbook on bird sounds. Thanks, Mark, Magnus & Arnoud! #bioacoustics #ornithology #nocmig @scottishbirding.bsky.social @fatpaulscholes.bsky.social #birdingscotland

Just outside the window, eating peanuts like there's no tomorrow. @nesmammals.bsky.social @scotsquirrels.bsky.social

A new bird-tracking project using the Motus Wildlife Tracking System has been launched through a partnership between the Scottish Ornithologists’ Club (SOC) and Tay Ringing Group. Read more: britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti... 🥇Subscriber Content 📸 Rock Pipit by SOC

Really looking forward to the #NESBReC Recorders' Forum next weekend - a great opportunity to meet folk with other interests and hear a super programme of interesting (ahem ...) speakers. One of the highlights of the year. nesbrec.org.uk/nesbrec-reco...

First Daubenton's #Bat in the garden in Aberdeen this year on 10 March. @nesmammals.bsky.social @batconservation.bsky.social

A new report from wildlife charity Buglife reveals that pesticides from common flea and tick treatments are now widespread in rivers across Britain and may be contributing to major declines in freshwater invertebrates bit.ly/4b1Pu50

Does not bring much credit to the journal or their refereeing of the original paper.

It will be useful to see how widespread they are on the hills there and how numerous.

You need to get a poo sample… 💩🙄

Field #Mouse doing what mice do. @nesmammals.bsky.social

Or, rather, not distinguishing the subspecies! tidsskrift.dk/Wildfowl/art...

Excellent advice here. It is much harder to get a good audio recording than a good photograph, although Alan makes it seem easy. #bioacoustics #ornithology

As if anyone in #Aberdeen needed confirmation that it's been wet recently. Grim if you wanted to go birding, and no sign of it letting up. #climatechange #birdingscotland

Field #Mouse and Bank #Voles in the garden in Aberdeen today. First voles seen here for many years. Dull day, and photographed through the window ... @nesmammals.bsky.social @mammalsociety.bsky.social

Orkney waders! Leah Gray talking about her work to help understand & conserve waders on the islands. Tonight @ 7:30 in University Library (top floor), Bedford Road All welcome. @scottishbirding.bsky.social

And I should add that #farmers and any other landowners who try to prevent this happening should also be liable for consequential problems. They have no grounds to moan when #Beavers disagree with their actions.

A useful reminder to #PropertyDevelopers that this is what #floodplains are actually for. River Dee at #Cults this afternoon. You should be held liable in perpetuity for consequential problems.

New #ladybird for me, from the garden this evening - 10-spot, black variety. Cute little beast. #buglife

Snow's gone - time to get out! Six short talks tonight about local bird ringing by Grampian Ringing Group, for anyone interested. 7:30pm, Monday 12 Jan, top floor University Library, Bedford Road All welcome @scottishbirding.bsky.social

A bit soggy, but the squirrels are back now the snow is going. @scotsquirrels.bsky.social @nesmammals.bsky.social

News from @scottishbirding.bsky.social / Tay Ringing Group Motus project! First Rock Pipits tagged & 1st foreign bird picked up by the Fife receivers! Great news. Looking forward to further results. @btoscotland.bsky.social #birdingscotland www.birdguides.com/news/pioneer...

Emerging from the heavy snow today. Great to see a bit of colour. #ChristmasCheer #rhododendron

Turned colder last night - though only just on freezing & calm with a bit of snow. Wow! Let's party! 110 Soprano Pipistrelle clips, 38 Commons and 1 Nathusius' on night of 1-2 Jan in Aberdeen. Happy New Year everyone! @nesmammals.bsky.social @batconservation.bsky.social

2025 #bat closing scores in Aberdeen: Soprano Pip 16 Dec nights, last on 30th Common Pip 11 nights, last 31st Nathusius' Pip 8 nights, last 23rd (only a couple of prev Dec recs in NE Scotland) Last Daubenton's: 18 Oct; Brown Long-eared: 31 Oct @nesmammals.bsky.social @batconservation.bsky.social

Christmas can be an expensive time of year, so how about something for free? The @scottishbirding.bsky.social and Scottish Birds Records Committee are hosting a FREE online conference over the evenings of February 24th to the 26th. Three talks per night and some real belters among them.

How do we tackle the substantial and growing threat to sensitive habitats from Sitka Spruce? Useful commentary on key issues...

Research and Survey Grant applications The Endowment Fund supports amateur research projects which further the knowledge of the birds of Scotland. The deadline to submit your application is 31st January. For more details and to apply, please visit: www.the-soc.org.uk/pages/resear... #ornithology

I’ve AviListed the North-east Scotland checklist, available as a free Excel download (v10 January 2026) from the SOC site below. Don’t shoot the messenger (!) #birdingscotland www.the-soc.org.uk/pages/local-...

Still getting Nathusius' Pipistrelle #bats in the garden - the latest ever here in NE Scotland. Several last night. @nesmammals.bsky.social @batconservation.bsky.social

Picked up an unwelcome passenger today. A #tick while outdoors in the suburbs. Even in December. There doesn't seem to be any 'safe' time of the year any more. With so much more #LymeDisease around, a constant need for vigilance. @scottishbirding.bsky.social @btoscotland.bsky.social #birdingscotland

One week remaining. Applications need to include two references, so don't leave it too late to apply for this @srucnews.bsky.social CASE partnership with @ptes-org.bsky.social. Details: www.findaphd.com/phds/project...

Want to hear about #Aberdeenshire's newest/largest nature reserve on the outskirts of the city? Talk by David Hunter for the SOC @scottishbirding.bsky.social on Monday 8 Dec @ 7:30, top floor, Abdn Univ Library, Bedford Road. Free car park. All welcome. @btoscotland.bsky.social