If you went down to the woods in May... A short 🧵about how @birdsandbikes.bsky.social and I spent our spare time this spring in Coed Gwydyr and adjacent woodlands in the Afon Conwy catchment, #NorthWales. #BirdingWales

A spritely Madeira Firecrest from our recent voyage to the Macaronesia islands. A millisecond later it was gone. @sophieshrike.bsky.social

Roosting around Hundland this evening #BirdingScotland #RareBirdsUk

A cracking Hummingbird Hawkmoth has been regularly feeding by the visitor centre at #RSPBLakenheathFen lately on its preferred Viper's Bugloss flowers.

4 dorsal fins in a row from a pod of Bottlenose Dolphins seen recently off Madeira. Interesting to see tooth marks on some of the fins. @sophieshrike.bsky.social

Seeing the Western Reef Heron at Morfa Conwy over the weekend with a backdrop of the Great Orme, both places I grew up birding at, was a scene more likely in a dream than reality! @sophieshrike.bsky.social

After a week away finally added the Western Reef Heron to the Conwy list! Now to try and scope it from the Great Orme 😂Bird still present on the Conwy Morfa today (19/06). Good to see @hcbirding.bsky.social and Sophie - thanks for the Orme/WRH pic Henerz ☺️👍 #ukbirding #rarebirdsUK #BirdingWales

Good news! Ministers have finally given green light to new #NaturalHistory GCSE. We’ve campaigned so long for this! Big hats off to tireless advocate Mary Colwell 🙌 Now our young people will have a chance to get to know & love the natural world, to feel awe & wonder, & gain skills to protect it 🌷🌳🦡

My lovely friend Mary Colwell has fought for a Natural History GCSE, supported by many, including Caroline. For it to be proper natural history, we need lots of naturalists to give their opinions on the proposed framework. Please consider visiting the public consultation www.gov.uk/government/c...

📣 Applications are now open for the Martin Garner Spurn Young Birder Competition 2026! If you're aged 16 or under and passionate about birding, this is your chance to compete at #MigFest2026 and win some fantastic prizes. ⏰ Applications close 19 July 🔗 tinyurl.com/MGSYB2026 Please share!

Managed great looks at a Sperm Whale on the approach to the Azores, when it popped up close to our ship. Note the characteristic angled blow from the single blowhole on the left side of the head in this species. @sophieshrike.bsky.social

Incredible views of a migrating Common Quail as it flew past the ship in the English Channel! @sophieshrike.bsky.social

After poor weather in the Azores meant missing out on quite a few whales, things improved in Madeira with Fin Whale, Minke Whale and Sei Whale seen well - the latter shown below. @sophieshrike.bsky.social

The dapper Azores Chaffinch was the other land endemic seen on several of the Azores islands we visited, including Sao Miguel where this photo was taken. @sophieshrike.bsky.social #BirdingAzores

On a brief stop in Sao Miguel, Azores, we hiked up into the hills with resident guide, Gerby, and saw the rare Azores Bullfinch, or Priolo, as it's known locally. @sophieshrike.bsky.social

Chuffed to find a 'flock' of three Barolo Shearwaters in the Azores, between Ilha do Pico and Sao Jorge. @sophieshrike.bsky.social

Sailing out to the Azores - yesterday was an excellent Fin Whale day with 9 confirmed and another 8 probables! Also Striped Dolphins. Excited to be approaching the mid Atlantic ridge soon. @sophieshrike.bsky.social

The Great Glen skua portal opened up today, amazing to see Long-tailed Skuas thermalling over Loch Linnhe like giant Bee-eaters up to 1000m before whizzing northeast towards Inverness! 🪶 #ornithology #highlandbirds

Evening crake survey at RSPB Lakenheath Fen. Sadly no crakes but barn owl, water rail and nightingale were pretty good

Spending all my days on a fine wetland reserve certainly has its advantages! #BeardedReedling #RSPBLakenheathFen

Nothing to see here, just 22,400 Sabine's Gulls in one flock... 🤯🇨🇦😍 ebird.org/checklist/S3...

A striking Puss Moth from the trap at #RSPBLakenheathFen overnight was definitely my highlight #SuffolkMoths #MothsMatter

Sir David Attenborough… on your 100th birthday, we thank you. For a lifetime dedicated to the natural world, and for sharing its story with such grace and wonder. Generations have fallen in love with nature because of you. Happy birthday, Sir. 🎉

It's Swallowtail season soon! I'll be leading walks at the fantastic RSPB Strumpshaw Fen in celebration of it's 50th year of being open to the public, in hope of spotting these plus lots of other scarce wildlife of the area. #UKButterflies #UKBirding ➡️ Book here: events.rspb.org.uk/browse?filte...

The Ross's Gull at Thurrock Thameside Nature Park, Essex, today was a little beauty and with patience it performed brilliantly! #RareBirdsUK #UKBirding #EssexBirding @sophieshrike.bsky.social

Blue Tits are a problem for Willow Tits, often taking over WT nest cavities by aggressive eviction. With 6 WT eggs inside, these BTs spent an entire day removing nesting material! The second day was full on warfare, ending in successful WTs. Now a full clutch of 8 eggs safely under incubation. Phew!

Birds in a bush including Nightingale. Tunnel Copse RSPB Lakenheath #Suffolk #SuffokBirds 🪶

Tawny pipit @ 14:50 today at Languard, Suffolk. Just a quick record shot before it quickly ran back out of view ✅️ #RareBirdsUK #UKBirding

The sound of Spring in Suffolk for me is the Nightingale. Great to have them back within walking distance of home. #SuffolkBirding

David Attenborough takes on PHEASANTS! “Native to Asia, but now released into our countryside on an industrial scale, over 30 million every year… eating vast numbers of insects, reptiles and amphibians every day.” Time for the Government to regulate this out-of-control industry #SecretGarden

Common Crane enjoyed a record breeding season in the UK in 2025, with 87 pairs raising 37 chicks and bringing the total population to some 250 individuals:

It's boom time at #RSPBLakenheathFen #SuffolkBirding

Spring is in full flow at #RSPBLakenheathFen with the first Grasshopper Warbler back this morning, alongside a plethora of other migrants

On my 5th attempt, managed to finally see a Hooded Merganser in the UK, a female at Alvecote Pools, Warwickshire. 🥳 @sophieshrike.bsky.social

A new bird atlas for Britain and Ireland has been announced by five conservation organisations:

Can't remember the last time a Goldcrest perched nicely for the camera. I'll take it! #UKBirding #SuffolkBirding

This is excellent opportunity for 14(!) young birders to visit Lundy, boat and board included -- lundybirdobs.org.uk/news-and-sig... Additional funding for young people to get out to a bird obs. through the BTO here -- www.bto.org/our-work/you... 🪶

Sat at my desk at #RSPBLakenheathFen and can hear Curlews bubbling, Peacock butterflies floating past the window, Long-tailed Tits are nest-building and Marsh Tits are singing. Love Spring!

In 2024, nearly half of the world’s migratory species were in decline. Just two years later, new data shows the crisis is accelerating. An interim report from @cms.int reveals that 49% of CMS-listed species are now imperiled. Learn more in this story by @gloriadickie.bsky.social for #Mongabay.

“Development poses a severe threat to biodiversity [&] regulations are insufficient & poorly enforced As one of the most nature-depleted nations globally, we need a huge amount more spent on conservation & the profits reported by many developers suggest they could spare some change to help” 2/2

My letter in the Guardian countering an article by a pro-growth lobbyist from Britain Remade attacking environmental legislation “Ecologists & conservationists would be surprised by his claim that the UK doesn’t & never will build enough to drive nature loss” 1/2 www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Hundreds of Fieldfares in a roving flock this afternoon at my brecks site. A nice hurrah before they leave for Scandinavia #UKBirding #SuffolkBirding

1/ Five leading charities forge partnership for bird conservation for the Bird Atlas 2027–31! 🐦 But what is the Bird Atlas? ⬇️🧵 #Ornithology @btobirds.bsky.social @birdwatchireland.bsky.social @rspb.bsky.social @rspbscience.bsky.social @scottishbirding.bsky.social @birdsinwales.bsky.social

I've taken action for our wild places! The UK Government is proposing changes to the National Planning Policy Framework. Help it work for nature. action.rspb.org.uk/page/187254/...

Wessex Stone-curlew Project Officer - RSPB - environmentjob.co.uk/jobs/109267-...

Please download these signs, share them on social media and put them up near you to protect your local wintering birds. If you would like A4, laminated copies of these signs please e-mail [email protected], all you need to do is donate for postage. www.curlewaction.org/wintering-wa...

Tears of joy! SCOTLAND HAS JUST PASSED SWIFT BRICKS INTO LAW unanimously! 4 years of asking England & Scotland sorts it in a month led by ACE ⁦‪ MARK RUSKELL MSP‬⁩ ♥️The RELIEF is unreal! Tell England to follow 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿by emailing [email protected] now!WOOP!

Our new paper led by Madson Freitas shows that global demand for Açaí, a dietary staple for Amazonian people, now marketed as a superfood, is driving widespread estuarine forest degradation leading to impoverishment of their bird communities www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... #ornithology 🌎🍴🪶🌴

Whilst some birds were incredibly hard to see at Danum, on the other hand the Whiskered Treeswifts were a delight. #BorneoBirding @sophieshrike.bsky.social

Utterly damning report from Office for Environmental Protection - the Govt’s not only missing its targets to protect wildlife in England, it’s also failing on *almost all* environmental measures - and in some cases actively destroying the natural world through its obsession with growth at all costs