I didn't expect a Pectoral Sandpiper to turn up almost on my doorstep, the UK gets about 100 records a year of this species. The photo was taken with my phone via my telescope so the quality is poor. I've now seen 4 in the UK, two were in the early 1970's #birds #ukbirds #hertsbirds

This is the best comparison map I've seen so far. Comparison of climates in Australia and New Zealand vs North America www.reddit.com/r/MapPorn/co...

A White Admiral butterfly at Bricket Wood Common this afternoon. It flew off after a few seconds.

Quite a few Marbled White butterfClies around on Bricket Wood Common, my first this year #bitterflies

The Heath Spotted-Orchids are giving a fine display locally at the moment.

I had a walk around my local patch at Tyttenhanger GPs which is a mosaic habitat of scrub, rough grassland, gravel pits with reeds, woodland and arable crops. A total of 50 species including Common Tern, Little Egret, Cetti's Warbler, large numbers of Swifts and Sand Martins and a calling Cuckoo

Vegetated shingle now looking a colourful treat, including small patches of the rare Starry Clover #ShorehamBeach @sussexwildlife.bsky.social @plantlifeuk.bsky.social

Plenty of Kidney Vetch in Greenwood Park, Chiswell Green, it's been created to attract the Small Blue butterfly. They aren't that far away and this is its food plant so with luck the numbers should increase.

Renewable energy powering most of the UK at the moment as well as being exported to France and elsewhere.

These two photos show what happens to an arable field that was sold off in lots as a redevelopment scam 20+ years ago. It's now a good mixture of Hawthorn, Ash, Oak and Field Maple although some of the Ash saplings have succumbed to Ash dieback, others look OK, no regimented planting needed. /1

DUCKS: by this time of spring most ducks will have settled at potential breeding sites. So all records of scarce & rare breeding ducks, including Shoveler, Wigeon, Garganey, Pintail, Pochard and Red-breasted Merganser, should be submitted, with breeding evidence, to the relevant county recorder

A Kestrel perched in an Oak at Nomansland Common, Wheathampstead this morning. #hertsbirds #birds

Verulamium Park, St Albans where the River Ver has reclaimed its floodplain forcing the building of a raised walkway. The bike is mine.

A singing Blackcap in Park Wood, St Albans this morning #hertsbirds

My cat liked that earthquake because now we are awake and can feed her. So much for a lie in! #eqnz

This chunky chap was taking an interest in my kitchen this morning

#BlueskyResistance #Voices4Victory #ProudBlur Advertisement at a London bus stop. Ya gotta love the British…

After a half-term week when the traffic has been moving reasonably freely in St Albans, it's now back to its usual term-time near gridlocked status.

🧵"So this is how liberty dies..." Trump’s first 3 weeks have been a relentless flood of actions. It's incredibly hard to keep up. I’ve gone through 69 actions & mapped out the pattern - showing how they fall within 5 broad domains consistent with authoritarian states 1/9

This should be changed asap. If we give someone refugee status, it can't be right to then refuse them route to become a British Citizen. To say they can have a home in our country, but never a place in our society and be forever second class. freemovement.org.uk/good-charact...

"There is no fundamental difference between man and animals in their ability to feel pleasure and pain, happiness, and misery." Charles Darwin.

Too important not to share more regularly.

THIS SATURDAY - join local conservation organisations on Brighton beach to demonstrate against the disposal of harmful sediments in a Marine Protected Area. Rally hosted by Surfers Against Sewage #StopDumpingOnOurReef

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important announcement: there is a new baby capybara at the San Antonio Zoo named Tupi. i would lay down my life for Tupi

A young Grey Heron at the Watercress LNR in St Albans this morning, a very confiding bird and probably one of the young from the heronry in the nearby Verulamium Park #ukbirds #hertsbirds

A winter's morning rainbow in St Albans

I was there a few weekends ago and would have been delighted to see the Eider. I had to make do with a Turnstone.

52% American girls age 14-18 are seriously sad or hopeless such that it impacts their daily functioning and what are we doing about it? Smart phone bans too late the horse has bolted

I spent about 10 minutes watching this Kingfisher fishing at Redbournbury. It's the best shot I could get given the plethora of twigs #birds #hertsbirds

I was looking through my past photos and found this which is the planet Venus transiting the sun on the 08-06-2004. I was on holiday in Polzeath, Cornwall. It's a rare event, the next one is not until 10-11 December 2117,. I've included a photo of the beach at Polzeath near sunset on the 7th🔭🧪

There is a Ring-necked Parakeet roost in the hundreds close to my home. I've had 15 of these in my plum tree near my feeders. It's odd that these and the Red Kite, once a very rare bird in the UK, are the most conspicuous species around the house. #birds #hertsbirds

The temperatures have dropped and the overnight rain has turned to snow

I've made a number of trips to New Zealand in the past, this photo was taken from the beach at Kaiteriteri in the morning on a perfect summer's day

A short walk to my local wood in the sunshine, it's in a large park owned by the parish council

Excellent news

I had a morning birdwatching walk around Tyttenhanger in fine calm weather. The only bird close enough to photograph was this immature Cormorant #hertsbirds #tyttenhanger #autumn

Passed through these two areas on my 20km cycle ride this morning in St Albans.

You need to zoom in on this photo to appreciate the detail. It's a view from Shoreham Beach along the south coast of England to Beachy Head. The Shoreham CCGT power station is obvious, the Brighton i360 observation platform less easy to see

The red Japanese Maple shows its striking autumn colours in my garden.

Oh no biggie… just a 41 million digit prime number discovered. #NerdNews

I haven't been phone scoping for a long time so I practiced on this Grey Heron on the bank of the River Ver a chalk stream. It's in good condition here but polluted by Markyate sewage treatment works near its source.

As a keen birder it's good to know that starting and stopping walking that happens a lot is good exercise as well https:// tinyurl.com/2btyq88y

I did try for the comet this evening, a beautiful clear sky apart from a pesky band of clouds running NW to SW; no chance of a view. I'm tempted to try Dunstable Downs tomorrow if it's fine, excellent views to the WSW from the Chiltern Hills scarp slope.

I was delighted to see the aurora yesterday evening as I wasn't able to view it earlier in the year. It didn't last long, viewable at this intensity for around 30 minutes.

Made a Bluesky Starter Pack filled with Aotearoa NZ journalists. Give them a follow! go.bsky.app/Qf6gCVY #kikorangi #nzpol Thanks @contusion.bsky.social and @nzheretic.bsky.social for the inspo. If there's anyone I've missed, let me know NB* I can't remove myself from this list for some reason?🤷

Did you know that 10% of our GDP is the imagined rent that homeowners would pay for the property they own? The wacky and wonderful world of GDP....

As Kemi Badenoch calls for 50,000 civil servants to be arbitrarily thrown in jail, a reminder that she still hasn't been asked about the time she openly admitted hacking into a Labour MP's website, which was an offence carrying up to five years in prison