Any birding plumbers out there who can advise please? We have oil central heating via a combi boiler. There has been a burst main in a field nearby so our water is off. Can we still use the heating tonight? Google gives conflicting replies? Cheers

Death's Head Hawk-moth to light Cot Valley, Cornwall, last night. @migrantmothuk.bsky.social #TeamMoth

Ostriches, emus and other flightless birds weren’t always grounded. 56 million years ago, their ancestors were globe-trotting fliers capable of crossing oceans – and one fossil bone helps explain how this (mostly) flightless family spread across the world.

More NFY autumn moths in our garden: Green-brindled Crescent and Blair’s Shoulder-knot in the trap this morning. Durham VC66. #TeamMoth @teesbirds.bsky.social

Check out our new website, packed with new features, including updated project and EU policy pages + butterfly species pages with all known hostplants courtesy of Harry Clarke and downloadable country lists. Big thanks to Peter Eeles @ukbutterflies.bsky.social for all his help www.bc-europe.eu

Only a few days to go… please share!!!

Devil’s-bit Scabious still in flower at Blackhall Rocks, County Durham. #WildflowerHour

Sunny day walking from Blackhall Rocks to Castle Eden Dene, but not many birds around. 62 P-f Geese, 6 Chiffchaffs, 5 Stonechats, R-t Diver and 10 Tree Sparrows were the highlights, so we were distracted to harvest some sloes for sloe gin 🍷. #NEbirding @teesbirds.bsky.social 🪶

This might be my best ever Vestal - from the garden moth-trap last night 😍 #teammoth

Little Bittern sound recorded over Weymouth last night at 1:06am - that ones blown my mind a bit! macaulaylibrary.org/asset/642530...

Surprised to find a Light Emerald on the moth sheet last night as we do not usually get 2nd generation up here. Pale Mottled Willow was a year ✅ (due to being away large part of July). Also, 5 Red-green Carpets and a Dark Sword-grass. Durham VC66. #TeamMoth @teesbirds.bsky.social

Seems a good time to remind people of this great resource from the sound approach team #ukbirding soundapproach.co.uk/blogs/blog/f...

Siberian Stonechat at Hawthorn Dene today early afternoon. A great find by Neil Parker! #NEbirding #RareBirdsUK @teesbirds.bsky.social @durhambirdclub.bsky.social 🪶

Baltic Gull (juv) vs Caspian Gull (juv). Compare and contrast. There are times actually where juv Baltics can approach the appearance of Caspian (though Baltic always feels dinkier). But there is this coldness & contrast to Baltics that always strikes me. #birds #birding #gulls #seabirds #finland

Here’s how I sometimes start a new project. First I buy a fancy new notebook. Second I write some very well-ordered notes in my best handwriting on the first page. Third I never look at it again.

News of an Isabelline Wheatear at Whitburn this morning made me to abandon surprisingly quiet Hartlepool very quickly. Many thanks to @birds-and-me.bsky.social ! @teesbirds.bsky.social #NEbirding #RareBirdsUK 🪶

KABOOM. Just found Isabelline Wheatear at Whitburn Bents. BOC thanks to Dave Foster #NEBirding #UKBirding

A Least Bittern kicks cattails out of the way as he takes flight to another part of the lake.

I didn't post these before but I think I will after all. The Hickling Black-winged Kite.

Moth numbers (6 of 4 sp) in our garden are plummeting hand-in-hand with night temperatures, but we anyway managed to get a nfy, a smart Pink-barred Sallow. Durham VC66. #TeamMoth @teesbirds.bsky.social

Irruption.

A nice spell of easterlies forecast Wednesday onwards to come off the back of the high pressure drifting over us currently, nice southerly element to it could bring some interesting migrants with it?

Coming to the UK this autumn? The 3 WP records of Dark-sided Flycatcher make a triangle with a blank area with the Northern Isles at its centre that needs filling! All 3 records between 1-6 Oct; all since 2012. Interestingly mainland USA 1st record in California 4 days ago ebird.org/checklist/S2...

A major influx of Curlew Sandpiper has taken place across Britain and Ireland during September 2025, with the arrival considered the most significant for many years:

Just back from a pelagic trip out to the Whittard Canyon area on the continental shelf edge with @scillypelagics.bsky.social @scottinscilly.bsky.social @nomadbirder.bsky.social Madeiran Storm Petrel reclassified from MEGA!!! to scarce summer visitor in one evening with 84 counted last night! 😂

Horden news Brief sighting in thick willow cover of Greenish Warbler Called a few times before rain started again #NEbirding

It’s been real raptor-y lately! 🪶🌿 A composite of a few of my recent shots.

Really cool story about long-distance pollen transport by migratory hoverflies. The actual research paper is here: doi.org/10.1111/1365...

Dark Sword-grass and a late Archips podana were the most interesting moths this morning (of 43:12), while yesterday’s even smaller catch included Rusty-dot Pearl and nfy Lunar Underwing. Durham, VC66. #TesmMoth @teesbirds.bsky.social

While I was cleaning up the moth trap this morning a male southern small white was already flying around in the garden. See how the discal spot touches the surrounding veins over a few mm, in male small white this spot is smaller and does not or only barely touch the veins. #butterflyID

Third British record of Sorcerer (Aedia leucomelas), to light at Sandwich Bay Bird Observatory, Kent on 16/9 - SBBOT @Sandwichbirdobs SORCERER to light last night. Third British record. Moth will be available for viewing at the Observatory until this evening. #teammoth

Fungi season is here! 🍄 Join #WaxcapWatch — our citizen science project to help protect ancient meadows by recording waxcap fungi. No ID skills needed!

New paper out! 🤩 "Shrinking to bird size with dinosaur-level cancer defences: Evolution of cancer suppression over macroevolutionary time" with @kokkonut.bsky.social and @marcanthonytollis.bsky.social. doi.org/10.1371/jour... A short thread:

Very sad news about Teesmouth seals @teesbirds.bsky.social www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Common Redstart and a distant Whinchat were still present at RSBP Saltholme late morning today and a Hobby flew past me near Paddy’s Pool hide. @teesbirds.bsky.social #NEbirding

Great White Egret at RSBP Saltholme earlier this week. #NEbirding @teesbirds.bsky.social @durhambirdclub.bsky.social 🪶

A couple of young Oystercatchers on Redcar beach, practicing that weird walk they do whilst making loud peeps. It’s clearly a very serious and important business, but I always find it funny to watch. (Watercolour painting.) 🪶🐡 #birdingNorthEast

Leaves from three species of endemic whitebeam, all from Arran. Top left is Arran Whitebeam, top right is Arran Service-tree, bottom is Catacol Whitebeam, arguably one of the rarest trees on the planet with only a single mature individual left in the wild. Plant Atlas: share.google/1KLV7i0QyxC7...

Another new one for #VC66 i think with these records of Coleophora atriplicis on Grass-leaved Orache from some of the restored saltmarsh on Teesside. It seems to be doing pretty well with several cases found @teesbirds.bsky.social #teammoth

The mysterious Jerdon's Courser has been rediscovered outside its known range for the first time in more than a century:

One of the @ldvnnr.bsky.social reintroduced Corncrakes has pinged our MOTUS Tower! On 24th August at 21:32 it was picked up migrating over Spurn for 6 minutes! Amazingly, the same bird was detected just 90 minutes later at Weybourne, Norfolk! More info here www.facebook.com/share/p/1Arw...

Excellent views of the long-staying Marsh Sandpiper at Musselburgh Lagoons today. Supporting cast included 2 Spotted Redshanks, Pectoral Sandpiper (on the new lagoon), Little Stint, 14 Curlew Sandpipers & 6 Greenshanks. @birdinglothian.bsky.social #RareBirdsUK, @teesbirds.bsky.social 🪶

Marsh Sandpiper still showing well currently at Musselburgh Lagoons. #BirdingLothian #RareBirdsUK

This month, WaderTales will be ten years old. I'm going to create a thread that highlights some of the research findings that have surprised me. Plenty of "Wow!" & "I didn't know that!" moments. Here's a link to the catalogue of 150 blogs wadertales.wordpress.com/about/ #ornithology

Icterine Warbler at Whitburn Coastal Park this afternoon. It showed well a few times while I was there, but was mostly skulking in brambles. Thanks to the finder! #NEbirding #RareBirdsUK @teesbirds.bsky.social 🪶

Golden Twin-spot found to be breeding at Skelton today with several larvae, empty pupal cases and an adult moth found on tomato plants @bcyorkshire.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social @teesbirds.bsky.social @nybirdnews.bsky.social @northyorksbirds.bsky.social

Looking at Spanish eBird data there has been a huge push of Glossy Ibis through the region in recent days - see e.g. totals from Galicia below. UK record total currently being broken on a daily basis... #UKBirding

Latest watercolour - a male Amur Stonechat (Saxicola stejnegeri 东亚石䳭 Dōng yà shí jí). September is the peak time for these charismatic birds to pass through Beijing, often perching prominently as they hunt for insects. They love scrub and grassland. #birds #beijing #migration

Moth trap was transformed to a wasp disco this morning but luckily I avoided getting stung. Otherwise, the trap was quiet (77:14) though Rosy Rustic was a garden year ✅ and Orange Sallow our 2nd ever record. VC66, Durham. #TeamMoth @teesbirds.bsky.social