Didn't see any porpoise along the estuary at high tide today, but it was a lovely day for another walk around Festival Gardens 🌞 The purple toothwort is just emerging as well 💜

Great to spot our 1st two harbour porpoise of the year from Garston jetty this morning - with @birderjack.bsky.social On the way home, I had a recce of Festival Gardens for the next bird walk - the birdsong was amazing, inc. chiffchaff, blackbird, blackcap & song thrush 😍🪶

The Cetti's was singing at the #allotment when I popped there earlier, as were chiffchaff and blackcap 🪶 🎶 The crow was on her nest and a pair of blue tits were in and out of a nestbox on the side of a shed.

Submissions are open! Delighted to be a judge for Natasha Carthew & Octopus Books’ Common Ground Nature Writing Prize, for writers self-identifying as working class. 1,000 words or less, in any form & great prizes! Further details & link to submit, here: www.octopusbooks.co.uk/landing-page...

Took advantage of the better weather today to walk down Within Way, visit Garston shore and spend a few hours on the #allotment; 17 bird species noted around the plot, inc. the nuthatch pair and a singing blackcap 🎶🪶

Duckling season has begun, and DucklingWatch is back for another year! Please submit your mallard brood sightings in GB to citsci.org/projects/ducklingwatch and share this post to spread the word 🦆

More walking today: Otterspool Woods and Prom, and Festival Gardens, where I heard my 1st blackcap of the year 🎶 🪶

Had a lovely day yesterday: new book club (sci-fi theme) in the morning followed by my 1st visit to Speke & Garston Coastal Reserve for ages. Great to see my 1st two wheatear of the year with @birderjack.bsky.social and hear the great-tailed grackle singing as dusk fell 🪶 And managed more walking 😀

A lovely afternoon #patchbirding with @wordsanddeeds.bsky.social Highlight was our 1st 2 wheatear of spring 😍🥳 A pair of treecreeper nest building Great -tailed grackle singing away , just before sunset

"don't worry it's recyclable" is a lie made up to market single-use plastic as something other than a planet altering horror

Lots of bird activity on the #allotment today. Pr of long-tailed tits & pr of goldfinch nesting nearby, & the crow pr, who are back up to 3 again. Last year's young going to help this year, maybe. Other highlights: 4 buzzard, sparrowhawk, raven, jay, GSW, nuthatch, chiffchaff; 24 species in all 🪶

2/ Releasing free data & maps of who owns the vast majority of land will enable greater public scrutiny of what goes on behind the barbed-wire fences that crisscross the countryside. The new Land Use Framework is an ambitious step towards making England a greener, fairer and more pleasant land.

‪ 🌳 Do you want to contribute to research on how humans perceive forests? Take this quick, anonymous 10-min survey 🌲 👉 www.biodiful.org#/forest This will help us explore how people experience forest biodiversity! Please share on 🦋 & tag @biodiful.bsky.social to reach more participants 🙏💚 🌐🌍🦤🦑🪴🍁🧪

Plenty of bird life at the #allotment earlier, with 20 species observed, inc. pair of long-tailed tits that were very interested in a neighbouring shed; think they were looking for insects as they also went to another shed. Other highlights: jay, GSW, nuthatch, sparrowhawk, mistle thrush, siskin 🪶

Wasn't keen on the early start to beat the road closures for the half marathon, but had a nice walk around the farm fields before the heavy rain came. Then I was on indoor duties 😁Kestrel, reed bunting, skylark, lapwing, large flock of fieldfare, goldfinch, robin, wren, RNPs, etc.

Phew! The bird talk and walk at St James Gardens went OK: we only heard/saw 12 species but they included goldcrest and buzzard, and the sun shone 🌞 People went away with new knowledge and seemed to enjoy themselves. Just a shame that the no shows didn't cancel, as there was a long waiting list 🫤

Was going to walk around West Kirby Marine Lake but it was blowing a gale, so I found a walk near my osteopath's instead. Delighted to find a rookery there, too 🖤 🪶

A chiffchaff was singing when I arrived at the #allotment this morning, then a mistle thrush took over, accompanied by a variety of backing singers; 25 bird species noted around the site in total, including 3 GSWs, jay, sparrowhawk, collared dove and a very dapper male chaffinch. #UKbirding

The link to sign: petitions.parliament.scot/petitions/PE...

Doing a recce around Sudley Estate today for a guided bird walk in a couple of weeks, and liked this image of the bare trees of winter framing autumn and spring 🧡🤍

New paper! Bird nests (Wood Warblers) are hubs of invertebrate biodiversity on forest floor, hosting more species/individuals than leaf litter. Probably due to heat & food detritus. Losing Wood Warblers = ecological networks lost. #ornithology resjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

One of the best sounds of spring 💛

Great morning at ditton brook with @wordsanddeeds.bsky.social Gw egret on the way there Yellow hammers singing ,fieldfare,2 kestrel,buzzard, c150 golden plover with lapwings was lovely to see Linnets,Reed buntings Shovelers , coots,gadwall, teal on the pond

After a brilliant morning at Ditton Brook with Jack, I called in at the #allotment and heard my 1st chiffchaff of the year and saw 2 sparrowhawks displaying. Also heard a Cetti's there on Tuesday, although I could hardly believe it at the time, but apparently one was heard at River Oaks recently 🪶

@dfoyliv.bsky.social Hi Dan. I'm sure I heard a Cetti's on my allotment on Tuesday. When did you hear the one at River Oaks?

Neighbour spotted TWO kingfishers at Liverpool Marina yesterday early evening 🩵🩵 One was on top of the canoe enclosure - I would never have looked up there for it! 🪶

Had to go over the water for an appointment today, so called in at Hoylake just before the big high tide. Plenty of dunlin, oystercatcher, redshank, blackwit, curlew and shelduck near the shore, and a few common scoter further out 🪶 Lovely blue sky as well 🌞

Spent three great days volunteering at the farm. The sun even came out on Saturday afternoon 🌞 Many apple and other heritage fruit trees were planted - my contribution was a quince last month. A robin building her nest high up in the wall in the main barn kept me company one day 😍

Gannets are fabulous. But they've had it tough lately. Marine pollution's a constant problem, and avian influenza hit them hard. The last thing they need is an annual hunt, even a small one in the name of tradition. Please consider signing to stop the hunt: petitions.parliament.scot/petitions/PE...

Another brilliant bird-filled morning on the #allotment 🪶 Highlights: male and female GSW, goldcrest and chiffchaff (not singing) in next door's tree - all the birds love that tree! - sparrowhawk and jay. 21 species seen and/or heard.

Maya’s journey: rescue ➡️ rehab ➡️ release. Maya was found orphaned at 12 weeks old in Nottinghamshire, weighing just 1kg when she arrived at the UKWOT rehab centre. After around a year with us, she was released in Spring last year 🌱. #otters #wildliferehab #wildliferescue

Have you heard a Little Owl recently? 👂 At this time of year, males can be especially vocal as they establish territories ahead of the breeding season 🦉 In the UK, territories are at their largest just before breeding, sometimes covering nearly 40 hectares... (1/2)

IT'S WEDNESDAY! It's #buyastrangerabook day! The grooviest day of all. I'll give out TWO books. FOR FREE. If you'd like one, let me know. Also, if you'd like to #BuyAStrangerABook too, let me know. It's a thing! Look. www.biggreenbookshop.com/stuff-you-mi... UK only.

Had a recce of Festival Gardens for another possible bird walk; 18 species seen/heard, including siskin, stock dove and coal tit. Plus a bonus bullfinch on the #allotment 😀🪶 Am a bit concerned about the amount of habitat 'tidying' by the FG friends group, though 🫤

Escaped sheep, nuclear warheads, fractured memories of road protests and this year's damp February days. Just part of the many lives of Britain's common lands open.substack.com/pub/commonpl... helenbaczkowska.com

Spent a perfect 4 hours on the #allotment today. I thought the #bird highlight had to be the 3 siskin, then a female house sparrow popped out of the next plot's hedge - a ✅ for our end 😀 17 other species noted, inc. 2 nuthatch, m GSW, goldfinch, greenfinch, chaffinch, blackbird, robin, RNPs, etc.

Signs of spring on the #allotment this morning🌷 Pair of ravens over the site, and all the usual suspects singing away 🎶

New post/ substack on missing the snow, the Bloomsbury lot at home, a doodlebug, a rallying winter ghost of 1947 (& when the snow buried a train & 1,000 people.) It took me an age to write, & is free. Tho' if you'd like to, there is a Ko-Fi button. Love & thanks x nicolachester.com/2026/02/21/g...

It looks like there might be two friendly #allotment robins soon 😍 The second one is watching from the oil drum at the beginning of the video, then it flew around calling softly while the other ate 🪶

These two shots leave a lot to be desired as photographs—but I want to share them with you anyway as a perfect moment in time where something magical is occurring on a tiny island off the shore of New Zealand and somehow I was blessed to be there. 🪶

Some photos taken around the Albert Dock the other night for #ChineseNewYear 🐴 and #Valentine'sDay ❤️

Went on a recce to St James Gardens, Liverpool Cathedral, for a bird walk in March. Only 12 species heard/seen on a cold, dull morning, but I can guarantee that one was *not* a little egret (it was a carrion crow)! And that's why I'm always cautious about recommending Merlin to new birders 🪶

Actually going out on #Valentine's evening, to do an open mic with 60 other people 😱 Wish me luck...

The public could not be clearer: 76 per cent of people want stronger hunting laws and an end to so-called ‘trail’ hunting. Sign the open letter to Keir Starmer asking him to tell government to launch the consultation without further delay. https://leagueacs.co.uk/Q432l

River Stiffkey, Norfolk, eastern England showing what looks like a fairly natural chalk stream meander pattern in a snowdrop garden. This pattern is a good benchmark for re-meandering straightened bits of river locally. Always go with what the river is telling you :)

Spent a lovely couple of hours around Stockton's Wood and Speke Hall meadows with @birderjack.bsky.social today. Highlights were the dog violets and snowdrops, a noisy flock of siskin, a pale buzzard, kestrel, singing song thrush, and later seeing the marina kingfisher for the first time in ages 🪶

We've got the perfect gift for your significant 'otter' or for yourself 💕🦦🌹 Gift an otter adoption this Valentine's Day and spread the love to rescued otters ... with a special message to mark the occasion. ➡️ ukwildottertrust.org/shop/ #valentinesday #valentines #valentinesgift #otters

Writing up your #thesis and need some #proofreading support? I'd be happy to help 😊 Check out wordsanddeeds.co.uk/words/academ... and send me an email. #PhDSky #AcademicSky

Can you find, identify & record 100 wild plants in 2026? BSBI is confident that (with our support) yes, you can! Beginner botanists, will you accept the challenge? Sign up today for #100Plants2026 challenge: bsbi.org/take-part/ac... Check out the webinars & #WildFlowerID help we've prep'd for you!

"Every time you plant a seed, you are declaring independence. Every time you repair a toaster, you are voting against disposable culture. Every time you generate a kilowatt-hour on your roof, you are disarming a dictator." The Radish Rebellion www.resilience.org/stories/2026...