WTF is this wizardry ?!

A pair of Pintail on the scrapes at Low Newton today, quite a scarce bird here. #NEbirding #Lowcarbonbirding

Volume up! A newly-arrived Grey-headed Lapwing (Vanellus cinereus 灰头麦鸡 Huī tóu mài jī) staking out his territory at the weekend. #birds #birdoftheday

Thank you @dsnorthnorth.bsky.social for highlighting the lack of an NHS care pathway for EDS/CCI patients like Olivia. A minor correction, we had to fundraise £100k not £250k, was still A LOT of money to find tho. @sedsconnective.org @ehlersdanlos.bsky.social @achronicvoice.com #EDS #CCI

Banning dogs off leads in Beadnell Bay. I see this as an opportunity to offer wildlife a voice and better protection. The last couple of years I've been bitten and also had to pull out of control dogs off a seal pup. Then there's disturbance to birds. I will be emailing my opinion. #NEbirding

Thank you @joshnewburymp.bsky.social for leading this debate on the lack of an NHS care pathway for Ehlers Danlos Syndrome patients with Craniocervical Instability. Everything he describes, Olivia has been through and is still going through. #EDS #CCI @achronicvoice.com @ehlersdanlos.bsky.social

A large flock of Pinkfeet at Low Newton today, spread across 4 fields near the scrapes. In amongst them 1 Tundra Bean Goose and 4 Russian White-fronted Geese. Heavily cropped image, distant, 2 fields over, through some sheep netting, etc ! #NEbirding #Lowcarbonbirding

🚀 Incredible movement alert! Our @PulsarWild sponsored CTT-tagged Jack Snipe has just completed an astonishing journey reaching Belgium from Staffordshire in just 7 hours 9 minutes! 🇬🇧➡️🇧🇪 That’s an average speed of 30+ mph for one of our most elusive and secretive species. 🤯

A few thrushes on the coast here the last few days, mainly Redwings and Blackbirds with a couple of Fieldfare. This morning there was a flock of 5 Song Thrushes and 7 Blackbirds at Newton Pool. The Song Thrushes all had grey toned upperparts with browner wings/tail. #NEbirding #DepartureLounge

Good news - High Court rules parts of Dartmoor have been mismanaged! Overgrazing has been damaging protected sites on Dartmoor. Read the Press Release about our latest legal challenge: wildjustice.org.uk?p=52680&prev...

Brilliant result from our legal challenge about overgrazing on Dartmoor ⚖️ Now the Dartmoor Commoners' Council must fulfil its statutory duty & urgently make appropriate assessments of stocking densities & reduce the number of sheep where overgrazing is apparent. wildjustice.org.uk/dartmoor/wil...

6 Rock Pipits ringed at Low Newton this morning, some quite scruffy in moult + a range of plumage variation. New colour rings to look out for... all green with white letters, AZ, DV, FC, FT, CL and BA. #NEbirding #Lowcarbonbirding #Birdringing

12 littoralis Rock Pipits at Low Newton today. #NEbirding #Lowcarbonbirding

Some Whooper Swans moving today, 29 up at the Long Nanny this afternoon and 32 north over Embleton this evening. #NEbirding #Lowcarbonbirding

At least 7 littoralis Rock Pipits at Low Newton this morning and 2 new colour rings to look out for, Green HK and Green DF. #NEbirding #Lowcarbonbirding #Birdringing

Leucistic (?) Black-headed Gull in fields south of the Long Nanny today. Very distant so heavy crops. #NEbirding #Lowcarbonbirding

Purple Sandpiper showing a glint of purple at Low Newton. 70+ here the last 2 days, it's the largest count for a while. A marked increase in visitor disturbance/dogs at Low Newton corresponds with a reduction in these and other shorebirds over the last 20 years. 😞 #NEbirding #Lowcarbonbirding

You'd think that the photo of the year from a National Park might be of some, er, wildlife, or maybe an impressive geological feature. Not so in the UK, where National Parks are just glorified sheep ranches.

While climate collapse or war seem to be the greatest problems of our time, the loss of darkness is a subtle yet consequential issue. By losing our access to the starry skies, we are losing a piece of Us that has been with us since forever.

Still a large goose flock at the Long Nanny today. A large part of the flock remained hidden in big dips, managed to count 119 Russian White-fronted Geese, it's likely there were more. #NEbirding

I'll always have a soft spot for Mediterranean Gulls. As a yoof, in the 1980s, I used to sift through the gull roost at Chasewater dreaming of finding one. Not so rare nowadays, but still very special ! This beauty was feeding in the surf at Low Newton today. #NEbirding #Lowcarbonbirding

I'm very impressed with this. I'm so sick of dealing with entitled dog owners disturbing wildlife and I have been bitten too when the owner was nowhere in sight ! 👏 @wildlifebcn.org . PS - I'm a dog lover, just some of the owner’s attitudes I struggle with.

9 littoralis Rock Pipits at Low Newton today + a flock of 70+ Purple Sandpipers, both great counts ! There used to be regular 100+ purp flocks here years ago, these days the beach is way too disturbed to hold many birds. 😞 7 Avocets and 2 Russian White-fronted Geese on the scrapes. #NEbirding

A friend sent me this clip from Low Newton this morning. A near full ermine Stoat 😍. I've seen white stoats here before but not for a few years now. #UKmammals

232 Russian Whitefronts at The Long Nanny - Tughall this a.m. Only countable when down in the flooded area. There was a possible 2cy Greenland with Pinks in the flooded area, but I couldn't find it (or even see most of the birds) when they moved to the fields @gary-woodburn.bsky.social

A large flock of geese in the Long Nanny/Tughall area again today but many were hidden, I counted 134 Russian White-fronted Geese. At Low Newton, 2 Russian White-fronted Geese, 3 Avocets and the male Scaup still. #NEbirding

33 Russian White-fronted Geese dropped in to the scrapes at Low Newton this afternoon + the Scaup was still in the Haven. Around in Beadnell Bay there was a Slavonian Grebe and 2 Mediterranean Gulls. #NEbirding

Some pics of today's goose flock at the Long Nanny... 3 Tundra Bean, 2 Barnacle, 1 Pale-bellied Brent and an impressive 237 Russian White-fronted Geese ! There could easily have been more, some of the flock remained out of view from the road. #NEbirding

The first Avocet of the spring on the scrapes today, alongside a flock of 15 Whooper Swans. The male Scaup was still in Newton Haven. #NEbirding

Newlyn: yesterday’s young Ross’s Gull on Tolcarne beach.

Back to the Long Nanny today, where the goose flock was spread over a few different fields. Still 2 Tundra Bean and 70+ Russian White-fronted Geese amongst the Pinkfeet, also 2 Barnacle Geese. The male Scaup was still at Low Newton, in the haven. #NEbirding

This is an absolute abomination. The comment process is a little kludgy, but the link below is a great guide. It took me under a half hour to respond to both (hideous) proposals. If you've ever looked up at the night sky in wonder, do this.

A small part of a huge goose flock in the Long Nanny/Tughall area today. 2 Tundra Bean & 173 (min) Russian White-fronted Geese amongst the Pinkfeet. A fair part of the mega-flock was out of site so could easily be more. Some White-fronts were arriving from the south inc 1 flock of 97. #NEbirding

A Scaup on the scrapes at Low Newton today was unexpected. Strange that the scrapes gets more diving duck action than Newton Pool these days. Over at the Long Nanny the 2K+ Pinkfeet flock contained at least 2 Tundra Beans and 20 Russian White-fronts. #NEbirding

Something the Government want you to forget...

Some more pics of today's geese near the Long Nanny...

Back with the Long Nanny geese today. Very difficult viewing here, lots of hedges and no gaps ! I parked by a gateway but could only see maybe 1/4 of the flock. 1 Tundra Bean and 33 Russian White-fronts amongst the birds I could see, I'm sure there will be others lurking. #NEbirding

I've been watching a flock of Pinkfeet in the Long Nanny area the last few weeks. There's been quite a few Russian White-fronted Geese amongst them and the odd Tundra Bean Goose too. Today there was 5 Tundra Beans, 22 Russian White-fronts, a single PB Brent and an adult Med Gull ! #NEbirding

I don't look at bird news much these days. I would have driven past these on my way home from Alnwick if I hadn't spotted @alantilmouth.bsky.social stood on the roadside with a telescope. Presumed it would be geese or gulls, was quite a shock when he said 'a flock of cranes' ! 😍

🚨 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)

Well worth ten minutes of your time. Some of the Spoon-billed Sandpiper footage is simply phenomenal, with some rarely documented behaviour. Talk about up close and personal. youtu.be/s0zZpbo1Jbg

At least 3 colour ringed Rock Pipits still at Low Newton yesterday, CK, CP and BH. If you see any Rock Pipits please check them for colour rings, the Low Newton/Coquet Island rings are green with white lettering. #NEbirding #Lowcarbonbirding

5 CR Rock Pipits at Newton today. Ringing site/dates below. Green CP - Low Newton, March 2023 Green VP - Coquet Island, Aug 2025 Green BH - Low Newton, Nov 2025 Green CK - Low Newton, March 2023 Green HF - Low Newton Jan 2026 ..also here recently: Green SX - Coquet Island, Sept 2024 #NEbirding

Been a small increase in thrushes at Low Newton the last week or so, including singles of Redwing and Fieldfare appearing to come in off the sea. There have been three Song Thrushes feeding on the beach alongside the pipits, this one is greyer toned compared to the other two. #NEbirding

8 Russian White-fronted Geese at Low Newton this morning. #NEbirding

Chris Redfern has sent me some photos of a Water Pipit at Low Newton, he saw it on Thursday. A rare bird here ! #NEbirding

A quick half hour at Low Newton this afternoon, there were 10 Russian White-fronted Geese with Pinkfeet at the scrapes. #NEbirding #Lowcarbonbirding

Quite a lot of Common Gulls feeding in the surf at Beadnell today, a couple of Mediterranean Gulls amongst them too. #NEbirding

An hour at Beadnell Point today certainly blew away the cobwebs ! Not a lot of birds moving but still some quality. 1 Black Guillemot 1 Little Auk 1 Long-tailed Duck 4 Common Scoter 2 Red-throated Divers 2 Mediterranean Gulls 34 Purple Sandpipers #NEbirding