Thanks Wayne!

Thanks Alison!!

Thanks Ben! Was trying to work as much as I could when the weather wasn’t too conducive to birding ahah

Thanks Arto!

Thanks Gary! All cake credit goes to @camgoodhead.bsky.social

Thanks Gustavo!

Thanks so much Joe, had a really great time!

Over the moon to pass my viva today with no corrections, couldn’t have done it without the amazing supervision of @jonathanpdrury.bsky.social. Many thanks to @josephtobias.bsky.social and Sally street for examining! 🦜

Great to present my talk and poster at #ICCB2025 in Brisbane today. Great to chat to so many people and appreciate all the lovely comments!

Thanks Nat, glad you enjoyed!

Start page screenshot.

🦅 The new unified global #avian #taxonomy #AviList has just been released at www.avilist.org! Xmas for anyone interested in #birds & checklists... The first version will be followed by annual updates, with decisions and processes aimed to be more transparent than its predecessors'. 🪶🧪

🧵

Dotterel

Great to catch up with the Druridge Dotterel yesterday after dipping the Cinnamon Teal. American Wigeon, Garganey and Spoonbill decent supporting cast.

Lush to be back in Cambridge this week presenting my poster on predicting avian hybridisation at @sccs2025.bsky.social

I’m visiting Brisbane in June for a conference and staying out there for two months afterwards, wondering if anyone had any recommendations for possible ringing opportunities or just birding generally, planning on travelling about a bit and going to NZ as well.

Might be a bit preemptive stocking this in Durham.

New species described! Scientists unveil a fascinating find in Indonesia In a new study, published in the Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club and led by a BirdLife scientist, a colourful honeyeater has been described from the little-known island of Babar in…

New species discovered! 🐦✨

The Banda Myzomela was previously thought to be two subspecies, new research confirms they are in fact three distinct species—differing in plumage, size, and, most importantly, song. 🎶

🔍 Learn more: www.birdlife.org/news/2025/03...

#Biodiversity #Nature

8-year old Blue Tit in the hand

A leucistic Blackbird

A leucistic blackbird

Nuthatch

Great ringing session this morning. An 8-year old Blue Tit, a colour-ringed Bullfinch control, a leucistic Blackbird and 3 Nuthatches.

Definitely in the upper echelons of gulls

Ross’s Gull, South Shields

Ross’s Gull South Shields

Ross’s Gull and Black-headed Gulls South Shields

So Ross’s Gull becomes my 800th bird. I know it’s nothing in the grand scheme of things but v happy to get there.

White-billed Diver

First lifer of 2025. So glad it reappeared after my car was snowed in yesterday.

Martial Eagle

Speckled Pigeon

Vitelline masked weaver nest building

Juvenile Redstart

Absolute highlight of the year was getting back to Kenya, teaching on field course with Uni. Also spent a lot of time ringing at my own site since getting my C. Tripit, breeding spotfly and redstart the best. Plus 200 species exactly in the UK, 12 of them new.

Scary how fast the time goes! I finish PhD in June!

Cheers Tom!

Thanks so much for coming! Glad you enjoyed.

That’s a wrap! Thanks so much to everyone that came!

Predicting avian hybridisation title slide

Looking forward to presenting at #BES2024 tomorrow. Last talk of the conference again!

Only a few notes, heard them before I saw them!

Little auk taking off from water, male and female eider behind

Dead porpoise

7 Little Auk on Holy Island today, 2 flew into the harbour calling and then carried on over the island. The other five hung around the castle for a bit. Plus a porpoise past its best.

Possible Red-winged larks, Laikipia, Kenya sept 2024

Possible Red-winged larks, Laikipia, Kenya sept 2024

Got a few ID mysteries from Kenya (Laikipia) in September if anyone has any ideas? Red-winged Larks? Pipits?

Wisdom's still alive, she's back at her breeding grounds! This season she'll turn at least 74 years old. 🎉🎊💃