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Arto Maatta @artom.bsky.social · 11h

Belated photos of the best moths (out of 10 sp) trapped on Thursday night. Feathered Thorn and November Moth agg. were nfy and we also got the 2nd Merveille du Jour and 3rd Rusty Dot Pearl of the autumn. Durham VC66. #TeamMoth @teesbirds.bsky.social

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Arto Maatta @artom.bsky.social · 11h

Fingers crossed it will get found again tomorrow. St Mary’s would do nicely!

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Jonathan Pomroy @jonathanpomroy.bsky.social · 13h

White-throated needletail at Scarborough castle yesterday.

A blog at

jonathanpomroy.wordpress.com

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Arto Maatta @artom.bsky.social · 15h

Thanks, you sent the link last year - a nice story!

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Arto Maatta @artom.bsky.social · 15h

Lunchtime dog walk at Crossgate Moor, Durham: Red Kite drifting SW, 3 Buzzards, Kestrel & Dipper - all showing nicely in good light, but I hadn’t my big camera with, so only 🐶 pics to show. #NEbirding #labrador @durhambirdclub.bsky.social

A yellow Labrador Retriever looking at right on a path along the edge of a field.

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Arto Maatta @artom.bsky.social · 15h

That’s a great photo. Someone should write a book about the social history of nature photography (though such books probably exist already).

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Arto Maatta @artom.bsky.social · 1d

Thanks - there was yet another round of very agreeable VSS packages available 😉. White-throated Needletail is an asiatic swift, but even faster flyer than our common ones (use the Bluesky search tool to find posts with stunning photos).

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Arto Maatta @artom.bsky.social · 1d

Hartlepool tomorrow evening or Sunday morning🤞(on a serious note, cloud cover and colder breeze might have pushed it further out over the sea after Long Nab).

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Arto Maatta @artom.bsky.social · 1d

It’s really unpredictable one - but maybe it is now making its way up the coast and turns up closer to home tomorrow 🤞.

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Arto Maatta @artom.bsky.social · 1d

Well, that’s then the first proper dip of my retirement era done and dusted as the Needletail refused to play ball at Scarborough this afternoon 😔.

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Steve Dudley @stevedudley.bsky.social · 1d

As a county bird recorder I can honestly say that the best and easiest way for you to make your birding count, is to upload them to either eBird or BirdTrack. Doing so contributes directly to #ornithology and bird #conservation at both local and national levels.

#birdingScotland #birdingWales

The remarkable rise of eBird – the world’s biggest citizen science project

In 2002, an online database was set up allowing birdwatchers to record their species observations. It is now a vast resource, shaping scientific research.

theconversation.com

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Ben Sheldon @sheldonbirds.bsky.social · 2d

Fascinating, while at the same time somewhat nightmarish:

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Greater noctule bats prey on and consume passerines in flight

Despite billions of passerines seasonally migrating during the night at high altitudes, only three bat species have been found to consistently tap into this rich prey resource. However, it remains unk...

www.science.org

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Arto Maatta @artom.bsky.social · 2d

A couple of record shots of the Hooded Crow at Saltholme today. It was initially noticed flying past us by a birder sitting next to me at the Haverton Viewpoint and I managed to get a few quick photos of it. #NEbirding @teesbirds.bsky.social

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Arto Maatta @artom.bsky.social · 2d

Hooded Crow flew east at Haverton Viewpoint, Saltholme. #NEbirding @teesbirds.bsky.social

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Arto Maatta @artom.bsky.social · 3d

Seen at Bempton Cliffs RSBP flying north (5:02 pm)!!

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Arto Maatta @artom.bsky.social · 3d

For what it is worth, I would record this as a Spruce Carpet, too. Sometimes the ID apps can give different opinions on the same photo depending on how tightly the image is cropped.

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Arto Maatta @artom.bsky.social · 4d

I guess we are lucky to have quite a few Oaks near our garden.

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Arto Maatta @artom.bsky.social · 4d

The first Merveille du Jour of the year in our garden this morning 🤩. Durham, VC66. #TeamMoth #invertebrates @teesbirds.bsky.social

Merveille du Jour (Griposia aprilina) resting on a red autumn leaf.

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Arto Maatta @artom.bsky.social · 4d

Thanks, Rob!

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Arto Maatta @artom.bsky.social · 4d

Similar up here in NZ24, 14:6, though a Merveille rescued the effort!

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Doug Hitchcox @dhitchcox.bsky.social · 5d

Iceland is on a hot streak!! 🔥 Huge congrats to Björn Arnarson for the new finds!

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Arto Maatta @artom.bsky.social · 5d

Good numbers of Whooper Swans in the county today. These 8 were resting in the afternoon at Rainton Meadows (thanks to Chris Cummings for the info). #NEbirding @durhambirdclub.bsky.social @teesbirds.bsky.social 🪶

Whhoper Swans resting at the edge of a pond

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Brian Groom @groomb.bsky.social · 5d

Durham Station Road, painting by Eric Thompson (b.1947). #NorthernArt

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Jan Wilczur @janwilczur.bsky.social · 6d

‘Turkestan Shrike, adult male’

acrylic, 13 x 18 cms.

Turkestan Shrike, also known as Red-tailed Shrike, is a very rare visitor from Central Asia to the UK. Along with the closely related Daurian Shrike it was once considered one of the sub-species of Isabelline Shrike.
#turkestanshrike
#birdart

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Alex von Tunzelmann @alexvont.bsky.social · 6d

Probably the loveliest thread you will read today, full of beauty and kindness and improvised owl physio

Dr Delyth Badder @folklorewales.com · 6d

Six weeks ago, I picked up a year-old tawny owl with a broken leg off the main road near our home and dropped him off at our nearest vet.

After a few days, I received one of the most bizarre phone calls I’ve ever had, asking “So when are you coming to pick up your owl?” 🧵

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