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Andrew Whitehouse

@anthrobirder.bsky.social

3.4K followers 1.2K following 540 posts

Anthropologist at the University of Aberdeen. Likes birds. A lot. Does stuff on environmental anthropology, landscape, conservation, human-bird relations, sound, perceptions of ecological change. https://andrewjwhitehouse.wordpress.com/

andrewjwhitehouse.wordpress.com

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Andrew Whitehouse @anthrobirder.bsky.social · 8h

Thanks! Will definitely be looking tomorrow.

Andrew Whitehouse @anthrobirder.bsky.social · 9h

Regular Moorhen appreciation post. St Fittick's Park, Aberdeen, today.
#Birds #BirdingScotland

A Moorhen is swimming greenish waters, some water weed dripping from its red and yellow bill.

Andrew Whitehouse @anthrobirder.bsky.social · 9h

It was warm, calm and muggy at Girdle Ness today, feeling rather between seasons. Birds included a few Grey Wagtails, my first Little Grebe here this year, lots of Long-tailed Tits and three Stonechats.
#Birds #BirdingScotland #PatchBirding

A Grey Wagtail is walking left to right over a rock, holding its pink foot up as it walks.

A Little Grebe is swimming in calm, grey water just offshore from some rocks.

A Long-tailed Tit is perched in a tangle of bare twigs.

A male Stonechat is perched on top of a dry dock flowerhead.

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Andrew Whitehouse @anthrobirder.bsky.social · 4d

Although I quite like the early bird shows on NTS. The total inability of the presenters to speak coherently matches my mood, as does the off-kilter music.

Andrew Whitehouse @anthrobirder.bsky.social · 4d

Or 'their new one's just dropped'... 6Music is really not that great these days. Always feels like they're trying too hard to be 'cool'.

Andrew Whitehouse @anthrobirder.bsky.social · 5d

Yes! Good comparison, in various ways.

Andrew Whitehouse @anthrobirder.bsky.social · 5d

I was delighted to find this Twite in the field by Girdle Ness lighthouse today. It's my first here for 13 years. They used to be almost annual but have become much less frequent, in common with their decline nationally.
#Birds #BirdingScotland #PatchBirding

A Twite is sitting on a concrete pillar, facing right. A Linnet sits on the other pillar with its back to us. In the background are parts of a ship.

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Andrew Whitehouse @anthrobirder.bsky.social · 6d

A strong Icelandic feeling to the birds at Girdle Ness today:
Juvenile Pomarine Skua
Brent Goose (Pale-bellied!)
2 Great Northern Divers
25 Whooper Swans
33 Red-breasted Mergansers
5 Greylag Geese
440 Pink-footed Geese
2 Little Gulls
3 Golden Plovers
Bar-tailed Godwit
#Birds #BirdingScotland

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Reposted by Andrew Whitehouse

Bruce Taylor @barrabirder.bsky.social · 6d

A freshly stranded By-The-Wind Sailor, one of many pushed ashore by strong winds on the west coast of Barra today. Lots of obvious specimens of 6-8cm scattered over the beaches but also masses of tiny ones down to 5mm in length spread along the strandline. #Beachcombing

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Andrew Whitehouse @anthrobirder.bsky.social · 7d

Also Sooty Shearwater, Black Guillemot and Barnacle Goose out to sea.

Andrew Whitehouse @anthrobirder.bsky.social · 7d

The two Brent Geese were along the shore at Girdle Ness this morning but then headed off high to the south. A mea culpa that these are actually Dark-bellied Brents, which are much rarer here. I should have waited to see them out of the water!
#Birds #BirdingScotland

Two Dark-bellied Brent Geese flying south against a grey sky, looking dark-bellied.

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Andrew Whitehouse @anthrobirder.bsky.social · 7d

This Glaucous Gull appeared on the breakwater at Girdle Ness today, perhaps the same bird that was present earlier in the year. Other birds in the wake of Storm Amy included my first Mediterranean Gull of the year and a lovely pale juvenile Long-tailed Skua.
#Birds #BirdingScotland #PatchBirding

An immature Glaucous Gull is sitting on a concrete breakwater looking very mean.

An immature Glaucous Gull with its wings outstretched as it lands on a concrete breakwater. A juvenile Herring Gull is to the right, cowering.

An immature Glaucous Gull is standing on a concrete breakwater with a Herring Gull behind it. Look how totally massive it is compared to the Herring Gull.

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Andrew Whitehouse @anthrobirder.bsky.social · 8d

Yes, one of my favourite goose calls.

Andrew Whitehouse @anthrobirder.bsky.social · 8d

This Merlin skimmed through Greyhope Bay today, just ahead of Storm Amy. Autumn is the peak time for them here.
#Birds #BirdingScotland #PatchBirding

A Merlin is flying low over a grey sea. Some thick streaking is visible on its underparts.

A Merlin dashing over a grey, dappled sea, with waves crashing on dark rocks in the background.

Andrew Whitehouse @anthrobirder.bsky.social · 8d

Some closer photos of the two Pale-bellied Brent Geese from Girdle Ness today. They seem to be finding some tasty seaweed in the harbour waters. Such delicate geese.
#Birds #BirdingScotland #UKWildlife

A Pale-bellied Brent Goose is swimming and eating some bright green seaweed.

Two Brent Geese swimming left to right on greyish waters.

Two Brent Geese swimming close together in grey water flecked with seaweed.

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Andrew Whitehouse @anthrobirder.bsky.social · 9d

I was pleased to catch up with the two Pale-bellied Brent Geese that have been frequenting the harbour at Girdle Ness recently. These will be resting on their way from Svalbard to Northumberland.
#Birds #BirdingScotland #PatchBirding

Andrew Whitehouse @anthrobirder.bsky.social · 10d

Good luck! Certainly looks like there might be some weather for Yanks.

Andrew Whitehouse @anthrobirder.bsky.social · 10d

I think Islay's really underrated for American waders. One of my favourite birding memories is of a period in September 99 when two Semipalmated Sands and a Baird's Sand turned up on Loch Gruinart. We probably missed stuff in that period too, as only two of us were really looking.

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Andrew Whitehouse @anthrobirder.bsky.social · 13d

It's always hard to find migrants at Girdle Ness. This is the small ash tree in amongst thick conifers in St Fittick's Park where I saw a Red-breasted Flycatcher for ten seconds this afternoon. Other migrants today included Brambling and Spotted Flycatcher.
#Birds #BirdingScotland #PatchBirding

A mass of trees including a small ash tree in the middle of the shot.

Reposted by Andrew Whitehouse

Catherine Munro @catherinemmunro.bsky.social · 13d

My book, Ponies at the Edge of the World, tells the story of Shetland ponies and the people who love them. Based on my PhD research, and my journey to live in Shetland, it reflects on how relationships with landscape and animals can create a sense of place and belonging #Shetland

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Reposted by Andrew Whitehouse

Alex South @amsouth.bsky.social · 15d

Very happy to have my 'Sounding migrations: Deep listening and the acoustic phenology of whale song' published in this brilliant collection of audio papers from Seismograf Peer. Do have a listen and let me know what you think!
seismograf.org/fokus/sound-...

Sound and the More-Than-Human Worlds

19 audio papers on sound, technology, and listening beyond the human

seismograf.org

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Andrew Whitehouse @anthrobirder.bsky.social · 19d

Wonder if it's the one that was hanging around the harbour earlier in the year.

Andrew Whitehouse @anthrobirder.bsky.social · 20d

That's a bit better than fairly quiet Alan! Me and @fatpaulscholes.bsky.social were just discussing today that neither of us have ever seen Grey Phalarope here.

Andrew Whitehouse @anthrobirder.bsky.social · 20d

Tullos Hill was busy airspace today. Two gliding Ravens were my first of the autumn. Buzzards have been scarce this year, but this one has appeared over the past few days. It received inevitable corvine attentions.
#Birds #BirdingScotland #PatchBirding

Two Ravens are flying against a pale sky.

Two Ravens are flying against a grey sky.

A Buzzard is flying against a grey sky over a grassy hill, pursued by a crow.

Andrew Whitehouse @anthrobirder.bsky.social · 20d

Thanks Helen. I was really happy to notice it.

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