@reading-buses.co.uk A no. 21 & a no. 20 have just gone past the Market Place bus stop without stopping evening though there were about 20 people waiting. There’s a sign saying it’s closed tomorrow but why aren’t they stopping today???

@norcrosscricket.bsky.social A view of Guwahati from hotel last year prior to visiting Bhutan (photo of Punakha dzong), probably my favourite country in the world. Listening to commentary on my volunteer stint at the sunny Museum of English Rural Life, Reading

Views towards Hay bluff & the Black Mountain from Hergest Ridge

Glorious walk round @nationaltrust.org.uk Croft woods & parkland in north Herefordshire, starting to look quite autumnal

Encouraging use of drone technology for bat surveys of complex buildings, lots of safety considerations but revealing results #NatBatConf

20% of the world’s plant biodiversity is only found on islands. The proportion is even higher for reptiles and bats. #NatBatConf @batconservation.bsky.social

Domestic cats have a significant impact on bats globally and particularly on islands @ricardonature.bsky.social #NatBatConf For advice see www.bats.org.uk/about-bats/t...

New BCT research on public perception of bats - seeing a bat in person makes people more positive towards bats, reinforces importance of public engagement involving educational bats. Look forward to seeing full results soon #NatBatConf

Interesting talk on French work to identify bat migration routes, mostly across France (using citizen science data) but moving into wider Europe. Importance of river valleys, but Nathusius pips may travel across less suitable habitat to avoid wind turbines #NatBatConf

Islands as museums of biodiversity and drivers of evolutionary change - keynote talk by Riccardo Rocha at #NatBatConf

There are estimated to be around a million empty homes in the UK and over a million for which planning permission has been granted but haven't been built. Plus it is estimated that there is space for 1.2 million homes on brownfield sites. Leave our greenspaces alone @teamlabouruk.bsky.social

Artificial light at night means fewer dark habitats, and while it makes our own lives easier and safer, for some of our wild neighbours, it can be more troublesome. The dark is home to nocturnal species, and almost all the living world takes its cue from daily and seasonal changes in daylight.🌙🌆

By supporting the expansion of Heathrow Airport and spreading outright lies about decarbonising flying, Labour has again capitulated to lobbyists. This is its defining characteristic: doing whatever powerful lobbyists ask, regardless of the social, environmental and even political costs.

@tmsproducer.bsky.social James Anderson can’t be at OT - he’s bowling for Lancs at Cheltenham!

🚨 RIGHT NOW opposite Labour Party HQ in London. We’ve turned their street into Jabaliya camp in Gaza. A genocide is happening, but the Labour government is supplying weapons, intelligence and diplomatic cover to the perpetrator. Protesting this is not terrorism.

Couldn’t agree more with @paulsinha.bsky.social on #tms View from the Boundary that it’s so important to be brought up to love cricket - as kids we didn’t get dinner until after close of play in test matches as parents would be watching. Growing up 5 stops down the line from Old Trafford helped!

That is obscene!

@norcrosscricket.bsky.social You don’t see many bats in the UK as we only have 17 species known to breed here. Lots more species where it’s warmer so there are either lots more insects or ripe fruit all year. And they mostly fly when it’s dark and roost hidden during the day to avoid predators

Listen up! It is baby bat season! Please, please, please keep your cat indoors overnight for next few weeks. Seeing multiple cat-damaged or killed bats, some with babies attached.😪 Bats can live >20 years and have just 1 baby/year, so now's a critical time. # bats #cats #conservation #wildlife 🦇

What part of nature emergency does the government not understand? These attacks on nature keep on coming. In a biodiversity crisis, the Govt should be expanding the nature friendly farming programme, not cutting it. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Ran the #mothtrap for the 1st time in several years (other than to catch LYUWs for young long-eared bats in the flight cage). 37 macro moths of 12 species - not as spectacular as those we saw in Bhutan but quite pleased with the great prominent. Records uploaded to iNaturalist

Last evening concluded with traditional folk dancing & singing, including a comedy turn from Norbu the dancing yak

Aaand all the way into the monastery, along with 3 members of our party who are over 80! No photos inside, sadly (though it would have been even more congested if people were taking photos) #TigersNest #Taktshang #Bhutan

And after a restorative cup of decent coffee I made it to the viewpoint! Just 500 steps down and 200 up to go (& the prospect of the reverse on the way back plus the two hours downhill) #TigersNest #Taksang #Bhutan

Well, I made it halfway, to the cafe #TigersNest #Taksang #Bhutan

Wandered round an old nunnery at a slightly lower elevation (3700m asl) - we had to walk up some of the way, seems like my training for the hike up to the Tigers Nest tomorrow has been effective as I didn’t have any difficulty

An early start to a 4 pheasant morning, driving up to Chelela (the highest pass we’ve been over at 4000m asl) - 4 khalij, 3 blood, 1 tragopan & 1 monal. Our last al fresco breakfast with views over the Haa valley #birding #Bhutan

Today started with a scary walk across the longest suspension bridge in Bhutan (180m), the scenic route to Punakha Dzong (fortified administrative and religious complex). Fascinating background stories, historical, mythical & religious, from our guide.

A long, long drive down Punakha river to try & find rare white-bellied heron (<100 left in the wild). Where there aren’t big hydroelectric projects (which help Bhutan be carbon negative & are the country’s main source of foreign currency as they sell electricity to India) it’s very beautiful

Finally able to see some snow-capped mountains this morning on way up to Pelela (pass). Sadly the last remaining cranes had departed Phobjikha valley so we just visited the excellent information centre - the annual crane festival in November looks amazing

Hope this doesn’t get me thrown off BS! Widespread house decoration in Bhutan, originated with the Divine Madman, traditionally to ward off the evil eye and depicting male energy!

Over two passes today as we continue west, low cloud & occasional drizzle meant no views of snow capped peaks but the birding was surprisingly good - minlas, fulvettas, grosbeaks plus a collared owlet mobbed by all the small birds. Trongsa dzong & Chendebji Chorten, a Nepalese stupa & monastery

After lunch in Bumthang, considered the Buddhist heart of Bhutan, we visited a really ancient monastery, founded in 1501. A very different feel - small & dark, with old hangings & wall paintings in an internal kora (circumambulation).

We subsequently found some of the monks down in the village at a festival celebrating a particularly auspicious lunar month end. We were invited for tea by the villagers and shown round the temple (& unusually allowed to take photos)

Early start up to Tharpaling monastery where we found the monks all absent and the amazing multicolour Himalayan monals much easier to see (photo from Merlin), great views also of normally skulking spotted laughing thrushes

Long travelling day, from warm lowlands at 750m asl, chilly lunch at 3700m, now at 3000m asl. Waterfalls & little forktails up to Thrumsingla (pass), then 3 species of pheasant - 14 blood pheasants (some great views, photo from Merlin again), 7 satyr tragopans (most tricky/brief) & 1 female monal

Some amazing moths where we’re staying!

Enjoyed solo walk from al fresco breakfast spot back to hotel (barely 3 miles). Identified most of the birds, sometimes with Merlin’s help - great views of rufous-cheeked scimitar-babbler, white-crested laughingthrush, fire-breasted flowerpecker. Found tiny old stupa in woods & many prayer flags

A miserable morning weather wise, distinctly chilly with low cloud making it impossible to see far, drizzle at breakfast in the field. But we got great views of our target bird, Ward’s trogon (photo from Merlin again!) & a few other new species. And I’ve changed rooms so am much happier!

After lunch some roadside birding in Phrumsengla national park, the highlight being good views of the target bird, the well-named Beautiful nuthatch (photo from Merlin!)

Shorter journey today, started with backtracking to Korela (pass) thru atmospheric low cloud (no trogons but lots of smaller birds), then west over Mongar river to birders hotel at Yongkhola (less said about my noisy ground floor room, which everyone peers into, the better - hotel is full so stuck)

Drove from our monastery guest house to Mongar town. Lots of stops for spectacular small birds on the journey - minlas, sunbirds, laughingthrushes, fulvettas, yuhinas, cutia, barwings & a leiothrix. Plus various stupas & dzongs

Today started with a duvet & 2 blankets and then all my layers at breakfast & the guided tour of the monastery, by midday it was too hot to be out in the sun for more than a few minutes, making for a swift al fresco lunch. And we arrived at our next hotel as low cloud came down & it was cool again

Long travelling day on the wiggliest mountain roads. Lots of new birds with great views of golden babbler, striated bulbul, black-throated tit, Siberian rubythroat. Now staying at amazing monastery, this is my cell!

Crossed into SE Bhutan from Assam, quite a contrast from busy towns & flat empty rice paddies immediately into steep mountainous forest on quiet road. Our 1st dzong (traditional semi-fortified local government/temple complex) in Samdrup Jongkhar

Tomorrow we set off for Bhutan via land border at Samdrup Jongkhar. Expect it to continue to be hot & humid for first week before we reach higher elevations

Bonus day birding Garbhanga forest reserve, Guwahati. Great views of great slaty woodpecker family, black-backed dwarf kingfisher, brown fish owl. Found this fledgling probable drongo cuckoo, wonder if its hosts (probably pin-striped tit-babbler) will continue to feed it?

The government’s new Planning and Infrastructure Bill could give businesses the green light to trash habitats and threaten wildlife. Say no to attacks on nature! If you agree – join me and add your name with @friends-earth.bsky.social👇 foe.uk/tffac

Removing reference to BCT’s guidelines on bat surveys in the Planning & Infrastructure bill shows Labour don’t care about good practice for wildlife - the guidelines don’t stop development but provide advice on how to avoid or mitigate for negative impacts on #bats https://tinyurl.com/3ce529na