Almost like the old cold days: 42 White-fronted Geese arrive in the Lee Valley at Holyfield, in current mass arrival.

"What promotes biodiversity often doesn't align with human perceptions of beauty and order": interesting 🧵on disturbance in grassland. Translate button at bottom of each post.

Some significant Mourning as we left Scilly on our 51st year of visiting. Some Prickly moments until we at Least had Spotted the Shrew.

Migration is starting. My local Peregrines have caught Quail, Golden Plover & Common Snipe over the weekend. It makes a, change from Pigeon.

Frampton Marsh the ideal site for leading a Dynamic Wetland Management training course last week, and probably time for a refresh of this video.

A privilege to assist the Hellenic Ornithological Society/Birdlife Greece (HOS) with design work for a project in the Evros Delta: floodplain restoration and creation of wintering grassland habitat for Lesser White-fronted Goose on land previously used for agriculture.

A 4am start for Bittern surveying at RSPB Ham Wall today. Chilly! But 18 boomers noted by the team. Later, 2 Glossy Ibis, Ring-necked Duck, 2 flyover Cranes and 10 Sand Martin.

The results for the BTO winter gull count on the Chingford rezzers (Girling/KGV) are in: 15,800 BHG, 2490 Common G, 2445 Herring, 2418 LBBG & 62 GBBG. 3 Black-n Grebes, 2 Gt N & B-th Diver as supporting cast.

the negative effects of fireworks on bird are known for long. Dutch researchers have followed birds by radar and you can see quite impressively how many birds are in the air - when will this madness be stopped ? 🪶🦤 vimeo.com/887618127

New paper out in @rsocpublishing.bsky.social! Research from our group shows that males of the polygynous ruff visit many potential breeding sites within a breeding season, travelling up to 9000 km and visiting up to 23 different sites! royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/... 1/7

New Year birding in the Lee Valley recorded 83 species. Undertaken most years since 1985, totals have ranged from 79 to 100. Highlights were Gt N and Bl-th Divers, 2 Jack Snipe (ringed by RMRG) and Smew. The headline story though is the no’s of wintering birds… #UKbirding

Why is Stodmarsh NNR punching above its weight with breeding Bitterns? (7 boomers and 4+ nests in 2024 in 120ha reedbed). After 2 days of intensive electro-fishing we know why. #Ecology #conservationscience

A visit to the Beaver enclosure in Enfield showing their increasing impact on the area. Now seven beavers within the enclosure and they seem to be showing the kits how to use ropes to access trees 😉

The latest movement maps of our @waterbirdcm.bsky.social naturalised Barnacle Goose ringing programme. Here's the annual movements from the 14 UK breeding colonies we've marked birds at. Thanks to everyone who contributes sightings! Map thanks to @stephen8vickers.bsky.social #Monitoring

Update: The final total is 801 Hertfordshire Swift nests in 2024, all with full details of the property address. We are not sure if there has been a bigger county survey anywhere #hertsbirds #ukswifts

Titbit: Marsh Tits love nesting in slit-shaped tree cavities. Many of these seem to be formed by large mammals (Bison, Red Deer, Elk) damaging young trees with horns/antlers, stripping bark and enabling decay. The Marsh Tit and the Willow Tit: www.bloomsbury.com/uk/marsh-tit... #ornithology #forests

A final trip out with Birdlife Cyprus to present the findings of the Hydrology and Ecology plan for the Akrotiri Peninsula. Recommendations on monitoring, protecting and managing key habitats & species, restoring & recreating natural habitat, all presented to local authorities.

Gull roost count on the Rezzers (KGV &Girling) by a top team: 2900 BhG, 1700 Lesser bb Gull & 2000 Herring. 1st w Caspian, Goosander, 350 Tufted Duck, 150 House Martin #UKbirding

This spring we undertook the first full survey of breeding Redshank on north Norfolk saltmarsh, from Holme to Cley. We found just under 600 pairs. Comparison with sample plot surveys in 2011 show a decline from a mean of 68 to 52 pairs/km2 #ornithology #UKbirding

Great boat trip out of Wells, Norfolk, with OrioleBirding today. Close views of 3 Caspian Gulls, many Gannets, Bonxie and Black Terns. #UKbirding

A trip out to Cors Ddyga, a great wetland of reed, fen & wet grass. Created with Bitterns in mind, this is a conservation success: 3 booming Bitterns, loads of wildfowl including 16 Greenland W-f Geese, & all 3 spp of egrets. Fish survey finding abundant Rudd to keep Bitterns well-fed. #UKbirding

The sun is shining The grass has rizz We went to where the Pasque Flowers is…

Plenty of Otter signs at Amwell NR today, footprints, spraint and calling. I think she was shamelessly desperate.