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Jake Gearty @jakegearty.bsky.social · 18d

Already made the blood sacrifice to join 🙏

Jake Gearty @jakegearty.bsky.social · 18d

Does anyone know if there's a local WhatsApp for Hanningfield Res? Had a Casp there this afternoon and a couple other bits. Be useful to contribute as will checking it more regularly! #ukbirding #essexbirding

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Jake Gearty @jakegearty.bsky.social · Sep 9

Aye sure but a bit boring if I did it that way!

Jake Gearty @jakegearty.bsky.social · Sep 9

Will be @ @spurnbirdobs.bsky.social for Migfest this weekend and would like to giveaway my old scope and tripod. If there's any young birders looking for a used but well loved scope that's seen plenty of rare birds please either point them in my direction or come find me over the weekend! #ukbirding

Viking ED Pro 80mm, Velbon tripod head and Manfrotto tripod

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Jake Gearty @jakegearty.bsky.social · Aug 31

Nae bad birding back in the old haunts of Suffolk birding. Red necked Phal, Barred Warbler, 10+ Reed Warbler, 10+ Sedge Warbler, Whinchat, Yellow Wagtail and 3 Wheatear. Also 2 Wood Sand, Spotshank, 4 Greenshank, 3 Ruff, 2 Common Sand, 4 Blackwit, 6 GWE and 3 Spoonbill #ukbirding

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Jake Gearty @jakegearty.bsky.social · Aug 12

Just returned from a very successful visit to India, my first time visiting this country so lots of new birds seen! A few stand out highlights - Orange Bullfinch, Indian Courser, Kashmir Nutcracker and the critically endangered Lesser (Leaping) Florican. More pics here - ebird.org/tripreport/3...

Orange Bullfinch feeding at 3600m elevation!

Indian Courser - two birds seen very well feeding in the dry edges of the plains of Rajasthan

Lesser Florican - A bittersweet sighting. Incredible to watch this bird display with a fantastic jump and song flight style performance. Alas it appears to be the only one present in the area with no obvious signs of any females this year. A bird struggling to adapt to an ever changing landscape around it.

Very cool to catch up with a few of these local Kashmir endemics and like all Nutcracker performed very well once tracked down!

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Jake Gearty @jakegearty.bsky.social · Jun 26

Also a big thank you to @stevedudley.bsky.social for being so helpful with lifts and gen especially for our time spent on Westray!

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Jake Gearty @jakegearty.bsky.social · Jun 26

I took far too many images and to save this being any longer than it already is, I'll end with these images. Killer Whale or Orca whatever you want to call them. Absolutely incredible and a thrill to watch them for a prolonged period!

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Jake Gearty @jakegearty.bsky.social · Jun 26

Did see a few locals along the way including many Golden Plover hanging out with their Dunlin (plovers page) friends, breeding Goldcrest(!), singing Wheatears and oh so much more.

Golden Plover calling from the cotton grass

Managed to avoid stepping on this Golden Plover chick, quick picture then gave it a wide berth and left the parents too it.

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Jake Gearty @jakegearty.bsky.social · Jun 26

Otherwise I spent my days counting the many thousands of Auks, Fulmar and Kittiwakes along the cliff edges by boat and foot. Couldn't ask for a more enjoyable experience!

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Jake Gearty @jakegearty.bsky.social · Jun 26

I also spent my time looking for Arctic Skua territories, a species I've only really seen at significant range during sea watches. Pretty thin on the ground but a few populations on the outlying islands

Arctic Skuas ruining a Sandwich Terns day

Intermediate Arctic Skua chilling in the heather

Dark morph Arctic Skua no doubt on his way to ruin a Terns day

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Jake Gearty @jakegearty.bsky.social · Jun 26

Recently returned from fieldwork in Orkney counting seabirds. My days were largely spent attempting to avoid being murdered by Great Skua. Despite their unwelcoming energy it was wonderful to see so many after everything that has happened with the population since birdflu.

Great Skua thinking about ruining my day

Great Skua ruining the days of some Arctic Terns

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Reposted by Jake Gearty

Drew Lyness @djlbirding.bsky.social · Jun 19

Going to #GlobalBirdfair?
➡️ Sat 12 July (10am) - Plover Lecture Stage - 'Scarcities & Swallowtails: Celebrating 50 years of RSPB Strumpshaw Fen'.
✅ Learn about this amazing reserve, now in its 50th year, from the perspective of its most addicted patch-birder... me! #birds #NorfolkBirding 😎

Swallowtail Butterfly feeding on pink flowers.

Honey Buzzard gliding through blue skies.

Fen Raft Spider stood on small lily pads while holding an egg sac.

A landscape view of Strumpshaw Fen with lush green reeds, blue shimmering water and blue skies with fluffy clouds.

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Jake Gearty @jakegearty.bsky.social · Jun 22

Enjoyable morning yesterday watching this bachelor male Honey Buzzard displaying in classic butterfly-esq fashion, often right above my head. One of at least three birds in East Sussex. #UKbirding

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Reposted by Jake Gearty

Joe Nichols @itssjoenichols.bsky.social · Jun 15

Very pleased to find this cracking male Marsh Warbler on my Costessey patch earlier this month. A singing adult male, present for a week on private land. Some superb mimicry, and the last thing I expected on my 20+ miles inland Norfolk patch! Patch gold #norfolkbirding

📷 @henrywynjones.bsky.social

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Jake Gearty @jakegearty.bsky.social · Jun 14

Nice find Sophie

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Jake Gearty @jakegearty.bsky.social · Jun 12

Nice views of Guillemot off Hoy this morning #ukbirding

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Jake Gearty @jakegearty.bsky.social · May 7

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Jake Gearty @jakegearty.bsky.social · May 6

Nice to meet you on Saturday btw!

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Jake Gearty @jakegearty.bsky.social · May 6

Thanks :)

Jake Gearty @jakegearty.bsky.social · May 5

:)

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Jake Gearty @jakegearty.bsky.social · May 5

💁‍♂️

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Jake Gearty @jakegearty.bsky.social · May 5

Amazingly abundant in Texas and seemingly only Texas with a slight bleed into neighbouring states. But saw them daily!

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Jake Gearty @jakegearty.bsky.social · May 5

A pleasingly common bird, think we recorded it basically every day? But yeah incredible species!

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Jake Gearty @jakegearty.bsky.social · May 5

Another hugely successful Gearty Tours™, this time to Texas. 13 days, 303 species and a few miles cover (hire me tour companies). Will be some pictures here on bluesky as well as updating our trip report on ebird here - ebird.org/tripreport/3.... A fantastic trip and I couldn't recommend it more.

Cerulean Warbler - My absolutely most wanted migratory warbler and we were fortunate enough to see a stunning male down on high island, during a few days of fantastic 'mini' fallout conditions.

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