Borragem (Borago officinalis) Esta espécie é conhecida por afastar a tristeza e dar coragem. O seu nome "borrach", significa bravura e o seu melódico nome galês Llawenlys, traduz-se por "erva de alegria". Durante a época dos cruzados era oferecido um último copo de vinho aos soldados já prontos a partir para a Terra Santa, onde flutuavam flores de borragem, para que a coragem nunca lhes faltasse. Na Idade Média, utilizava-se como antidepressivo. Borage (Borago officinalis) This species is known to drive away sadness and give courage. Its name "borrach", means bravery and its melodic Welsh name Llawenlys, translates as "herb of joy". During the Crusades, soldiers ready to depart for the Holy Land, were offered with a last glass of wine, in which borage flowers floated, so that courage would never fail them. In the Middle Ages, it was used as an antidepressant.

1/X in a series of things you don't expect to find on an interpretation board half way up a Portuguese mountain...

the Welsh translation of Borage. #Cymraeg

A photo of the same beetle from above.

Greeted by this beetle legging it up the garden path in southern Portugal this morning (it's the only suitable verb when you're built like this...)

If my online research is correct, it's Blaps mortisaga (aka Churchyard Beetle) but I'm happy to take better expertise than a popular search engine.

Hoopoe swaps the Med for Flintshire The first Hoopoe of spring was found at an equestrian centre near Gronant on Monday. It’s a bird frequently found by non-birders, so distinctive are its broad black-and-white striped wings and...

Ashy-headed Wagtail, Red-rumped Swallow and White-tailed Eagle... there have been some rare birds around #NorthWales this week, but none as photogenic as this Hoopoe. Read more at @northwaleslive.bsky.social BirdNotes.

📷 Ashley Cohen #BirdingWales

www.birdnotes.wales/blog/hoopoe-...

Stopped in Castro Verde #Portugal this afternoon, a town full of House Martins. There must have been 150 nests on the Post Office alone, stacked up to four deep, with a few House Sparrows among them.

#HouseMartins #NowThatsWhatICallQuiteGood #Niche80sMusicHashtag

🚨NEWS: Here’s what you need to know:

🫸 From 1 May to 31 October, pause feeding seeds and peanuts.

🫧 Keep it clean: wash feeders weekly, change water daily, and move feeding spots regularly to reduce disease risk.

❌ Avoid using bird tables, as they can encourage the spread of infection.

Some excellent events across North Wales arranged on the Cofnod calendar this year. Leech ID course, Rockpooling, Grass ID course, Recorders' Days etc. (many available to book now). @northwaleswt.bsky.social @bsbicymru.bsky.social
www.cofnod.org.uk/events

Very much this...

I spend just a couple of minutes at the end of my walk zipping through the list and adding the highest breeding evidence I can for each species. Find it more efficient and reduces the likelihood of missing the next bird if staring at my phone more than necessary while birding.

Our new study, led by Sergi Herrando (EBCC chair, @ICOcells) published in Conservation Biology, shows that it is possible to create frequent and regular maps showing where farmland birds are disappearing across Europe by using the data from the Pan-European Common Bird Monitoring Scheme (PECBMS).

This is a very interesting development...

I've become slightly addicted to watching near real-time tracking of northern Merlins on @movebank.bsky.social.

Here's another that wandered slowly down from the Faeroes last autumn but has moved quickly north in the last 10 days: short stops to refuel but quickly through #BirdingWales airspace.

Want positive news?

Though social media & certain politicians act like the public don't care about climate change, the evidence is most people in Wales totally get that this is a serious issue.

Polling found supporters of all parties in Wales (except Reform) were concerned about global warming.

Nature in Wales needs urgent action, says RSPB Cymru, ahead of Senedd election RSPB Cymru has set out a series of priorities aimed at reversing nature decline across Wales with the 2026 Senedd election approaching, From farmland and forests to coastlines and communities, decisio...

RSPB Cymru has set out a series of priorities aimed at reversing nature decline across Wales with the 2026 Senedd election approaching

First Cuckoos call as spring migration picks up A brief flow of southerly air last week brought warm weather and an open door for summer migrant birds, although cold wind and rain over the weekend may lead some to question the wisdom of their...

This is my favourite time of year, each day bringing new birds and sounds I've missed over the last eight months.

The week's sightings in #NorthWales wrapped into @northwaleslive.bsky.social BirdNotes.

📷 Michael Thackeray #BirdingWales

www.birdnotes.wales/blog/first-c...

Thanks for the heads-up that the tagged Icelandic Merlin, that wintered around @bardseybirdobs.bsky.social and Uwchmynydd, made its first step north on Thursday and is now on @isleofmanofficial.bsky.social

#BirdingWales

A group photo of 2025 award winners and staff as they smile at the camera, with the Society of Wildlife Artists Natural Eye exhibition artwork on the wall in the background.

Know an inspiring ornithologist or birder? 🐦 Nominate them for a BTO or Marsh Award via www.bto.org/medals-awards

Whether a local group, individual, young person or dedicated BTO volunteer, these awards celebrate the incredible contributions that have been made to #ornithology. 🪶

📷Anthony Sajdler

A Robin perched on a branch, its beak full of food and other material.

To reduce disease, we all need to make some urgent but simple changes to how we feed our garden birds.

See our website for the latest guidance: brnw.ch/21x1t4w

Some of Wales’ most familiar birds are increasing in number, according to new data, but conservationists warn the overall picture remains one of long-term decline

Construction firm destroyed bat roosts on Caernarfon industrial estate 'The demolition caused irreversible harm to a protected species'

'The demolition caused irreversible harm to a protected species'

I'll be talking about this on BBC Radio Wales in the next half hour

Bloody hell. Researchers invented a disease, published two fake papers to see if LLM’s would ingest them and kick them up as fact — and then it broke containment and all the major AI’s bought in. Information pollution.

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

The 2025 BBS Report is out now! It was a record breaking year for coverage across the country, the best ever since the survey began in 1994. In Wales, the report showed Yellowhammer declined by three quarters, whereas Great Spotted Woodpecker increased by 248% from 1995 to 2024. #BirdingWales

Emperor Penguin now Endangered!🐧

Our new IUCN Red List assessment reveals the shocking impact of climate change.🌍

Drastic declines and erratic changes in sea ice in Antarctica are projected to cause the Emperor Penguin population to halve by the 2080s.📉

Read more👉 www.birdlife.org/emperorpenguin

#BirdingWales

BBS is one of the most significant contributions that any of us can make to knowledge of bird trends in Wales. If you're part of the #BirdingWales community, can identify birds by sight and sound, please do consider helping: www.bto.org/get-involved...

@btocymru.bsky.social @rspbcymru.bsky.social

Brilliant news that a record number of sites and volunteers contributed to @bbs-birds.bsky.social in #Wales last year. More sobering that half of our most abundant species are declining (as are others that are already too scarce to be monitored by the scheme)

www.birdnotes.wales/blog/record-...

Screengrab from Wrexham Birdwatchers' Facebook page: What to expect Our last talk of the Autumn/Winter programme will be on Friday 10th April starting at 7:30pm at Gresford Trust Memorial Hall and it is called BIRDS IN WALES IN 2025 given by Julian Hughes. Julian works for the RSPB and is a member of The Welsh Ornithological Society so it should be a very interesting talk. We will have the usual refreshments and raffle and 50 club anyone who would like to hear this talk and is not a member of the club is welcome to join us for a £3 fee which helps towards the cost of the hall. Look forward to seeing you there.

If you're in the #Wrexham area tomorrow (Friday) evening, my talk on Birds in Wales 2025 gets its last outing at Gresford Memorial Hall at 7.30pm. Look forward to speaking with Wrexham Birdwatchers again.

#BirdingWales

maps.app.goo.gl/8SsFZ1bXpYvE...

Consumers urged to ‘completely avoid’ UK-caught cod as population plunges Marine Conservation Society warns that fish numbers have reached dangerous point of decline Consumers should “completely avoid” buying UK-caught cod, the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) has said, as it warned that populations have reached a dangerous point of decline despite zero-catch recommendations. The MCS, an environmental charity, publishes a Good Fish Guide to help consumers and businesses make sustainable seafood choices. Continue reading...

Consumers urged to ‘completely avoid’ UK-caught cod as population plunges

Great work by @rspbcymru.bsky.social, @plantlifeuk.bsky.social and @natreswales.bsky.social, working with @chesterzoo.bsky.social as part of @naturambyth.bsky.social

Anglesey's Newborough Forest helping save one of world's rarest coastal plants Work at Newborough has focused on restoring habitats – through measures such as scrub clearance, grazing and improving freshwater conditions

Work at Newborough has focused on restoring habitats – through measures such as scrub clearance, grazing and improving freshwater conditions