A Curlew walks on grassy ground, showing a yellow leg flag and orange ring on its leg. Wording below reads: Please report sightings of Curlew with yellow leg flags. Image credit reads: Rob Robinson.
1/ Spotted a yellow leg flag on a Curlew? Please share the sighting with us, as this could be one of our headstarted birds. 😀 Report via bit.ly/ReportACurlew #Ornithology #WorldCurlewDay
Swift over Wedmore this evening.
#somersetbirding
Managed to save a few feathers from a roadkill Little Owl picked near Bridgwater .
Wheatear, today on Tealham Moor
The graphic displays four images of Puffins showcasing the different recording units for them on SMP surveys. These are IND (individuals on land at the colony), AOB (apparently occupied burrows), SEA (individuals on the sea adjacent to the colony), and AIR (individuals flying over the colony).
Puffin colony count surveys are recommended from April 30th. Multiple survey methods and recording units can be used to monitor them. Take a look at the graphic below to visualise the different units! ⬇️ #seabirds @btobirds.bsky.social @jncc.bsky.social @rspb.bsky.social
Urban dog (l) and vixen (r) Fox, by Garden BirdWatcher Peter Allan
It's National Mammal Week!🐾
Red Foxes are on the rise in urban gardens! These adaptable mammals are now found in around 1 in 4 UK gardens.
Did you know GBW also monitors mammals?
Start your list today and help us find out how they are using your gardens.
📸Peter Allen, Garden BirdWatcher
Channel Wagtail, today on Tealham Moor
Lovely morning in the Quantocks with 3 Wood Warblers, Pied Fly and Cuckoo. Then on to Steart Marshes to see BW Stilt plus 3 LRP, 2+ Yellow Wags and about 10 White Wags @birdguides.bsky.social
An image of a Brown Hare. It has golden brown fur, amber eyes and black tips to its ears. It is standing alert on the ground.
It’s National Mammal Week! We are able to produce trends for nine mammal species across the UK. Find out more about mammal recording on BBS squares: www.bto.org/get-invo... @btobirds.bsky.social JNCC RSPB Science Mammal Society #NationalMammalWeek
Good to see Whimbrel (3) on this morning’s WeBS, along with plenty of Turnstone (11).
At least 3 Yellow Wagtails from Tealham Moor Drove this morning. Flight views only. #somersetbirding
A picture of a male Tufted Duck floating on calm water with the heading 'April WeBS Core Count TODAY!'. Underneath is the WeBS logo and web address www.bto.org/webs
Today is the April WeBS Priority Core Count! WeBS data contributes towards reporting how our wetland birds are faring and the latest WeBS report, Waterbirds in the UK 2024/25, was published this week and can be read here - www.bto.org/wituk!
#ornithology
#birding UK/IRE
Of note in my local area today were singing Lesser Whiethroat on Long Moor drove, 1 Wheatear Mark Moor plus several Whitethroats & Sedge Warblers #Somersetbirding
Around Steart Village / Stert Point this am: Spoonbill (Fenning), first signs of proper wader passage with 21 Barwits and 11 Whimbrel. Single Common Tern. 21 White Wags in ploughed field opposite car park. Grasshopper Warbler reeling Tower Hide field #somersetbirding @birdguides.bsky.social
An image of a Jay is shown. It is a pink bird with a black moustache. It has blue panels on its wings. A map of England is shown. An arrow shows that Jay declined across the country by 11% 1995-2024. A map of Scotland is shown. It states that Jay increased by 479% across the country by 479% 1995-2024. The title says: ‘Jay trends’. The BBS logo also features a drawing of a Goldfinch.
(2/) Both of these species are showing signs of decline across England. However, they are both increasing in Scotland. What could be behind this change in fortunes between the south and the north of the UK?
The graphic displays an image of a Cormorant with the English and Latin names (Phalacrocorax carbo). Key facts about their wingspan, lifespan, diet, number of eggs laid, time of year to see them, and the number of pairs in the UK are included.
At a glance, Cormorants might seem drab, but closer inspection reveals some incredible plumage and facial features!
Learn more about them in the graphic below and by visiting their BTO BirdFacts page: www.bto.org/learn/about-... #seabirds @btobirds.bsky.social @jncc.bsky.social @rspb.bsky.social
Pair (?) GBB Gull at Chard Reservoir, Somerset
My first Sedge Warbler of the year at the Dorset patch, also 2 Common Sandpiper, 3 Reed Warbler, 2 Teal lingering. These GBB Gull were at #ChardRes , Somerset this evening. @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social @somersetbirds.bsky.social
🚨New feature in WeBS Report Online 🚨
You can now look at Roosts that have been entered into WeBS Roosts online. Simply go into WeBS Report Online and click on the roosts tab. Here, you can zoom in and look at roosts in your area.
Hanging around at Chew waiting for… Arctic Tern, 1, just appeared, stunning. Equally beautiful yesterday was an elusive female Garganey at Catcott. @birdguides.bsky.social
1/ The latest 2024/25 Waterbirds in the UK report has just been published and can be viewed online www.bto.org/wituk 🎉
Physical copies will be reaching your doorsteps very soon! 🗞️
To view the updated numbers and trends, visit www.bto.org/webs-reporting
#Ornithology #CitSci
At this time of year when I'm out birding I really try to make an effort to add breeding evidence to my records. It's really quick and easy in @birdtrack.bsky.social and adds value to my records, especially for @ukrbbp.bsky.social species. Added P for pair in suitable habitat.
#ornithology
The 2025 Bird Census News is out - entirely dedicated to acoustic monitoring. From the introduction to the EBCC Acoustic Monitoring Group, survey results on the role of acoustic monitoring in bird research, national case studies from Europe, and discussions on technical challenges: shorturl.at/jdTfy
An image of a Great Spotted Woodpecker is shown. It is a mainly black and white bird with a creamy white breast. It has a red belly. It has two white spots on its back. A map of the UK is shown. The text says: Woodpeckers: Great Spotted Woodpecker 124% increase 1995-2024 UK. The BBS logo also features a drawing of a Goldfinch.
(1/) It’s hammer time! Great Spotted Woodpeckers continue to increase across the UK. This distinctive species is even being seen more regularly in Northern Ireland, where it used to be very scarce. @btobirds.bsky.social @jncc.bsky.social @rspbscience.bsky.social #Ornithology #CitizenScience
The graphic shows a Puffin with its English and Latin names (Fratercula arctica). There is a key facts box on the graphic that covers their wingspan, lifespan, diet, breeding behaviour, seasonality, and UK breeding abundance.
Perhaps our most familiar and charismatic auks, these bright-billed burrow nesters certainly catch the eye!
Find out more about Puffins in the graphic below and by visiting their BTO BirdFacts page: www.bto.org/learn/about-... #seabirds @btobirds.bsky.social @jncc.bsky.social @rspb.bsky.social
Back of camera image of cuckoo in foggy conditions. ID mainly on call.
Cuckoo in the mist, Ramscombe Mire, Quantock Hills today. Calling occasionally, mobile and easily lost as visibility worsened. #somersetbirding
A map showing the migration of Cuckoo Arthur from the UK to Africa and back again is shown, with his current location in Suffolk. A headshot of Cuckoo Arthur features, alongside the wording: He’s made it to the UK! After arriving in Spain, Arthur headed across the Bay of Biscay and into France. Then he powered on, eventually crossed London overnight, and headed straight for Suffolk.
Where are the BTO Cuckoos? 🌍 One has touched down in the UK, another arrived but returned to France and the rest of our tagged birds are on their way!
Follow their migrations on our interactive map at www.bto.org/cuckoos #Ornithology
(1/) According to the 2025 BBS Report, finches are fluctuating in England. The fortunes of 3 familiar species that regularly visit gardens, Greenfinch, Chaffinch & Goldfinch are changing. @btobirds.bsky.social @jncc.bsky.social @rspbscience.bsky.social #Ornithology #CitizenScience
The graphic displays a Puffin covering half the page and a Cormorant covering the other half. The title reads 'Survey Start Dates' with the dates '30th of April' for Puffins and '1st of May' for Cormorants, the start dates of the recommended colony count survey periods for these species in SMP.
Some important SMP dates are approaching!
Soon, the recommended colony count period for Puffins and Cormorants starts. Keep an eye out for more posts over the next couple of weeks looking at these species and their survey methods! #seabirds @btobirds.bsky.social @jncc.bsky.social @rspb.bsky.social
A walk along a local drove near Burtle produced plenty of warblers including 6 Whitethroat, 4 Sedge Warbler, 4 Willow Warbler , 6 Blackcap & 4 Chiff Chaff. #Somersetbirding
Sunny couple of hours at Ham Wall. Reed, Sedge, Willow Warblers and House Martin all NFY. Blackcaps in every bush. Showy Cetti's. Ring N Duck, Spotshank from VP1. Kingfisher between VP1 and 2. #somersetbirding