Has anyone got our Med Gulls? North Kent has seen a major decline in breeding Med Gulls last two years. From 850 pairs in 2024, to about 150 last year and now none (so far) this year? Any other sites missing birds?, or with greatly increased numbers? @smp-seabirds.bsky.social @ukrbbp.bsky.social

Busy couple of days in Kent. Three WeBS counts & Redshank survey in N Kent and Bittern survey at Stodmarsh on Friday evening. Great to “put in”💪 Still found time for scope-filling views of the Crane at Seasalter RSPB!😂 @rspbengland.bsky.social @naturalengland.bsky.social @btobirds.bsky.social

Medway Islands WeBS. First returning Little Terns, but no activity at Sandwich Tern site - beach looks scoured/abandoned🙁- just 7 birds in estuary. B/H Gulls in low nos, mostly one main island. Very few Meds, but 3 prs GBBG? Lots of Brents! Pics by @bobknight.bsky.social @smp-seabirds.bsky.social

Happy Easter! Bright but cold & windy! - did a couple of local greenspace surveys. My first use of the App in the field (the 17/3 was a test run). Just so quick and simple! Good to provide data for assessing our public greenspaces. Singing Greenfinches at both sites👍😊 @btobirds.bsky.social

Stop Royal Caribbean from Bulldozing the Maya Jungle! action.eko.org/a/stop-royal...

Great BTO Conference yesterday in Northampton. Packed programme of talks from Nightjars, Bird Atlas 2027-31, results of WinGS and Blackbirds/Usutu virus to tracking seabirds & Birds in Greenspaces 2026. Good networking with staff/attendees and good catering. Thanks BTO! @_BTO

Bribery!😉 My contribution for Seabird Sunday. Sandwich Terns in the Medway (Kent) earlier this year. Pic by Bob Knight. #SuperSeabirdSunday @smp-seabirds.bsky.social

Very enjoyable Naturalists Picnic Lunch at Upper Mystole Park Farm, hosted by Keith & Jenny Dugmore. Nice to say hello to long time birding colleagues and have tour of new wetland habitats. A drive through Denge Woods afterwards produced a flock of 14 Crossbills. @kentwildlife.bsky.social

The current position of Natural England is that (re)introduction of White Storks should not be supported. Evidence for their historical presence here is sketchy and it is difficult to rule out historical remains as not pertaining to regular vagrancy. Cultural evidence is weak at best #UKbirding 1/2

Enjoyable visit to Dover White Cliffs on Thurs despite the sea fret. A few nice flowers, a Chalk Hill Blue, pair of Stonechats, then the superb path down to the beach. A Black Redstart & Rock Pipits on the cliffs on way down. Ended with Raven flying over into the mist. @whitecliffsdover.bsky.social

Donald Trump wants to open the spectacular deep Pacific Ocean to drilling and mining. It's a global emergency: resistors in the government say we need to flood the public comment process before it’s too late! action.eko.org/a/trump-atta...

Did my annual farm walk around Braughing/Bozen Green N Herts to check local Corn Bunts. Four pairs, plus 3 R/Bunt, 13 YH, Linnet, lots of Skylarks and a juv Y/Wagtail. Been like this for 20+years. Farmer/s here getting it right👏 In one 50m stretch got CB, RB, Y. S. LI & YW!😊 @hertsbirds.bsky.social

A collection of pics from Anglesey last week for Super Seabird Sunday😊 #SuperSeabirdSunday @smp-seabirds.bsky.social

🌳 Dame Judi Dench is calling for the return of ancient woodlands. Will you sign the petition to help restore the Ghost Woods and protect our green spaces for future generations? you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/br...

Lovely morning for Late BBS visit to TL3336, Therfield, N Herts. Pleased to get singing Corn Bunting and Willow Warbler, both present on Early visit too. A surprise fly past Grey Partridge, L/Whitethroat, several Skylarks, Linnets & Yellowhammers. Song Thrush on the up? @bbs-birds.bsky.social

Medway Islands WeBS/SMP count 26/5. Count of adults - B/H Gull 3,443, Med Gull 336, Sandwich Tern 155, Little Tern 25, but virtually no Com Terns. Sandwich Tern nesting beach deserted…although some birds have moved elsewhere. Effect of the earlier cold NE winds? Pics by @Bknight_3 @smp_seabirds

Really sad to have to announce that Steve Blake @blakey9.bsky.social passed away last night after a long battle with illness. He will be greatly missed, not least as a good friend to many, a great birder and the man behind Herts Bird News @hertsbirds #hertsbirds #londonbirds 😢

Another very long seawatch today, with plenty of gaps between birds but by the end of the over 15hr watch, a decent total of birds had passed, including the joint second highest spring Grey Plover count, as well as 45 Pomarine Skuas amongst a very good variety of species. #kentbirding

Vast numbers of pheasants are released for shooting in Ireland too. Each one survives by constantly devouring native wildlife alive. They artificially boost fox/mink populations, impacting vanishing native ground-nesting birds. They help spread Lyme disease to people, etc. This madness MUST end.

Medway Islands WeBS - great to see 50 Sandwich Terns back at colony. Also 3 Com Tern & pr of GBB Gull on territory! Only 7 Med Gulls in the Estuary, but record 1,150 later at Cliffe Pools! Disturbance remains an issue. Pics by Bob Knight & me. @birdwise.bsky.social @theseabirdgroup.bsky.social

Mexico: save vaquitas! action.eko.org/a/mexico-sav...

HOS are here! Details of the upcoming AGM and Members' Day below, with lots of interesting talks: #HantsBirds

Sad to find this pristine 3cy Common Gull dead on my patch this morning. Reported to Defra for possible collection and testing for HPAI and to @birdtrack.bsky.social for monitoring. Please report all dead birds you find to Defra/Daera AND to BirdTrack. #UKBirding

All action in the garden this morning. Mrs Blackbird building a nest in our ivy hedge (Mr Blackbird having a bath), a couple of Rooks down for scraps, with a Jackdaw, 3 Magpies (still waiting for a girl to appear🤔) and 5 Starlings, plus Robin chasing a Dunnock! A few bees too😊 @bto-gbw.bsky.social

Salt Fleet Flats managed retreat, Cooling, Thames. WeBS count 16/3 - highlight 1,040 Avocets roosting then swim-feeding across bay on ebbing tide. Also 2,000 Dunlin roosted, plus 147 Oystercatcher, 72 Curlew and 30 Grey Plover. Group of 7 Corn Buntings on drive back. @WeBS_UK

N Herts: Puckeridge Pleased to see five Rooks nests in our village Oaks. A former regular site, the number of nests dwindled from 7 to none a few years ago. Nice to have them back!😊 @hertsbirds.bsky.social @grahamknight10.bsky.social

Great couple of days in Kent, staying at Red Lion, Stodmarsh. Talk to Thanet RSPB Mon night, day around Stodmarsh & Gorsley Wood Tuesday (checking for NJ habitat) and brilliant talk by Dave Lodge on Bitterns at Stodmarsh (in the pub) last night. More in Alt text. @kentishplover.bsky.social

A packed programme of talks at today’s Annual BTO Conference in Manchester, from problems for our wintering Nightingales, to the effects of Avian Flu and an impassioned talk on breeding English Dotterels. Wonderful to meet & chat with staff and attendees😊 Thanks for organising👏 @btobirds.bsky.social

Finally joined this winter’s Hawfinch party!😊 Headed to Holbrook Church in Suffolk, where 2-3 seen. Met up with @stuttonsparrows.bsky.social and enjoyed some birding chat over a beer at his favourite pub! Mark, I finally made it over!👍

Volunteer Opportunity!! The Landmark Trust are recruiting residential volunteers for the Bird Observatory Assistant Warden role on Lundy Island! 📆 Deadline: 9th Feb www.landmarktrust.org.uk/lundyisland/... 🦤🌍 #ExeterCEC #Seabirds #LundyIsland #BirdResearch #BirdConservation #Volunteer

We are pleased to be working with Simon Gillings at BTO on this exciting project to use acoustic monitoring to help detect the presence of elusive Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers.

Here’s my garden data. Not the most amazing results/species list, but long term data is so valuable in any survey! I recommend all to do it. So easy and you don’t have to feed birds! @bto-gbw.bsky.social

Job done!👍 Unfortunately, no show for Dunnock and Blue Tit☹️, although the latter has been quite scarce of late. First two birds seen this morning?..Yep, 2 Dunnocks!🙄 @bto-gbw.bsky.social

Ahead of Storm Eowyn, I thought I’d catch up with a few things in Kent yesterday. The 3 B/N Grebes showed well on Alpha Pool, Cliffe, plus the Spot Red by the Creek. At Dunge RSPB, the L/T Duck & 6 W/f Geese, then finally the 48 Bewick’s on Walland Marsh, with another W/f Goose & 2,000 Golden Plover

Trip along South Medway at low tide, from Horrid Hill to Bedlams Bottom. Totals inc.- 3 R/B Merganser, 1 Goldeneye, 600 Pintail, 2,490 Teal, 550+ Wigeon, 775+ Shelduck, 350 Shoveler, 1,590 Knot, 386 Avocet, Greenshank, Peregrine & Marsh Harrier. WeBS this weekend! @btobirds.bsky.social

Puckeridge (Herts). Nice walk around outskirts of village with the dogs this afternoon. Grey, calm and peaceful, but very quiet on the bird front too! A couple of Kites, Green Woodpecker and 2 L/Egrets best - including one perched up by A10/River Rib bridge. Appropriate sign across the road😊

It’s that time of year already! The village Rooks are starting to plan ahead!😉

Well, that’s the wrap on a crazy day. A tale of five trees….four Alders and an Oak! Tickable views of Yellow Warbler at New Hythe near its favoured Alders, and illuminating views of the Scops in a foggy Oak at Broadstairs! Bonkers! (not so near to Xmas next time please!😬) @kentishplover.bsky.social

Enjoyable walk from Sharps Green to end of Horrid Hill on the Medway this morning. Dull but calm with low/rising tide. A B/N Grebe in Bartlett Creek with 31 G/C Grebes. Also in area - 595 Shelduck, 156 Pintail, 135 Shoveler, 140 Bl/T Godwit, 43 Avocet…and 41 Carrion Crows feeding on the mud.

Look at this map. Look at it! This is what Amur Falcons do! Their migration is jaw-dropping. You do not want to miss Suresh Kumar's @birdsoftheworld.bsky.social webinar next week! birdsoftheworld.org/bow/news/amu...

Starlings returning to roost for the night, Shapwick Heath, Somerset @stormhour.bsky.social @mybirdcards.com #ukbirding #wildlife #birds

Exciting #seabird opportunity working with Manxies on Skomer, Rum, and Copeland! #seabirds #ornithology

There's still time to apply to be our new Farmland Research Manager➡️ bto.org.uk/jobs #Ornithology

2023 was a stellar year for Sandwich Bay Bird Obs with record 239sp. 1st Lesser Scaup & Ring-necked Duck bring the Bay list up to 349. Many other avian highlights esp. 1st successful breeding Black-winged Stilts. Biodiversity-wise: 327sp macro & 321sp micromoths, 29sp butterfly & 27sp dragonflies 😅

Popped by “the office” to catch up with a few emails on way back from shopping today!😊 (Check out the little fireside cupboard😮) - The Brown Bear @ Braughing👍

Delighted to attend Marine Internships 2024 Final Presentations at @TheCrownEstate. Superb work by great bunch of young folk, inc Kent Coast Explorers - Emmie Bowlt (Brent Geese @WeBS_UK), Linn Wiberg (fisherman/seal interactions) & Max Renton (Conyer restoration). @KentWildlife

Job vacancy! 📢 Join BTO as Farmland Research Manager➡️ www.bto.org.uk/jobs This role sits in the Terrestrial #Ecology Team and manages farmland-focused field survey, review and analytical projects. 📝Closing date: 5 January 2025. #ConservationJobs #ConservationCareers #Ornithology

Norfolk: Brief walk along Brancaster Beach to check the channel before dusk - flock of 28 Goldeneye (8 drakes), a drake R/B Merganser and 3 imm drake Eiders. Been a nice break😊

HELP! A free-range poultry farm with 128,000 hens on the banks of a SSSI river. Will veterinary pharmaceuticals in run-off threaten land or riverine condition? Pointers to research please as the operator refuses to provide info about hen welfare or medication. @ukceh.bsky.social ?