Good on you Martyn

Kids on holiday + fine dry weather + 🔥 is not a good mix and sadly happens year after year

🥲

Aye it was repeatedly chasing a Redshank from the favoured feeding spot. Thought it might have moved on last night but presumably the cloud helped keep it for another day. Good local arrival of WWs BCs yesterday but not managed Swallow or Wheatear yet.

Glad it hung around for you (and everyone else of course including me!)

Portland had first Redstart and Gropper of year this morning and there was a Tree Pipit at Boulby so stuff is on the way.

There was 300 WWs at Portland Bill few days ago. Looking at pressure map and forecast then tomorrow and Wednesday ought to see a big surge in summer visitors taking advantage of conditions to move north.

A lot of early Songys like to nest in ivy. You finding that?

Early season lack of leaf cover a major problem for some nests. Those in thick gorse have a better chance.

Amazing record

Every year without fail 🙄

It’s a fabulous place to go birding and very underwatched. You can go virtually anywhere all day and barely see another person let alone another birder.

Hope you and the seabirds and passage migrants enjoy a good season. Oh ….and The Heed continue their recent revival and avoid the drop. Doubly happy here after yesterday!

Using thermal?

Aye very pleasant but not quite as warm as yesterday. Great conditions for migrants arriving but nowt to drop them at coast so straight in to breeding grounds for most. Should think there’ll be the odd Wheatear and RingO up west today but got to remember it’s still only 18 March.

Birds also in Northumberland yesterday and today but remember the old adage “one Swallow does not a summer make”. March and early April is a notoriously fickle period for weather. Average max temperatures are about 9-10c so there’s a huge difference between days that are 5c above and below average.

Great stuff lads

Great stuff lads

Stunning birds

Hopefully breed in the BHGull colony this year.

Splendid. They’re still my favourite birds and l’ve seen many 100s of species home and abroad. Sit outside with a glass of wine and enjoy watching them all day. Heavenly!

It’s wonderful seeing new birds isn’t it? Mind you it gets progressively harder the longer you watch birds. It’s still fantastic l find when seeing my first Swallow or Wheatear of the spring or hearing my first Willow Warbler (and that’s after 50+ years).
There’s always something to enjoy seeing.

Really sorry to hear that Martyn. Best wishes for a speedy and full recovery.

I remember being ecstatic at finding THREE together at Farlington marshes. There’s well over 1000 pairs breed on the islands in Langstone Harbour 45 years later!

Wonderfully uplifting isn’t it!

Yip l Northumberland ticked that bird too just 3 weeks after life ticking one on a very small river in Lincolnshire

What an absolute mess!

Not just Wilti mate. That area at Salterfen was lovely scrub lots of Mipits Skylarks plus breeding Whitethroat Gropper Sedgie Linnet Reed Bunting and 3 pairs of Stonechat. Great for Kes odd SEO in winter. Loads of invertebrate diversity. Now just short grass holding nothing but dog shit! 🤬

Thought you would find it interesting. Certainly seems to back up our understanding of just how valuable the overgrown scrubby mineral line networks are in terms not only of habitat but also crucially in the importance of linking local populations together.

@lymnocryptes.bsky.social