Author | Lightnews

Reposted by Jamie Hicken

Breeding Bird Surveys (BBS) @bbs-birds.bsky.social · 3d

2025 has been a record year for BBS coverage! 4,054 visits to BBS squares have been made this year. This beats the 2018 record of 4,048. Thanks so much to all of the BBS volunteers across the UK who have contributed to this! @btobirds.bsky.social @jncc.bsky.social @rspbscience.bsky.social

Graph and image showing the best year of BBS coverage across the UK yet.

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Dave Annal Lifelines Research @davelifelines.bsky.social · 20h

County boundaries weren't always as neat as we'd like them to be. The area around Meppershall in Bedfordshire was particularly complicated giving rise to this cartographical equivalent of a shrug of the shoulders:

HARTFORD SHIRE intermixed with BEDFORD SHIRE
The Limits uncertain

#MappyMonday

HARTFORD SHIRE intermixed with BEDFORD SHIRE
The Limits uncertain

Mapmaker: Jefferys, Thomas, -1771.
Title: The County of Bedford, surveyed anno 1765 and engraved / by Thomas Jefferys.
Date: 1765

https://maps.nls.uk/view/262718874

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UK Seabird Monitoring Programme @smp-seabirds.bsky.social · 4d

Today, October 31st, is the final day to submit your breeding seabird data to the Seabird Monitoring Programme! #seabirds @btobirds.bsky.social @jncc.bsky.social @rspb.bsky.social

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Chris Millward @chris4patches.bsky.social · 8d

Pure #PatchGold!
10 Crossbill @bibbeyswildfarms.bsky.social this morning!

It is so energising, inspiring and uplifting to fall in love with nature every day!

Every experience feels just as powerful as the first.

I would highly recommend that you fall in love with nature too! 😎

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Jamie Hicken @jamiehicken.bsky.social · 13d

@nickpom9.bsky.social 2 Black Redstarts in my garden in Streethay, Lichfield today @Staffsbirdnews Last saw one here in December 2022!! :) @staffsbirdnews.bsky.social

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Phil Andrews @pmandrews1973.bsky.social · Sep 7

Many thanks to the 20 sites who participated in yesterday's #westmidsalldayer - 4 sites managed to break the 100 mark with Blithfield narrowly pipping Belvide to the post. I'll pull together a list of all the species seen across the sites (usually c140 species). Well done all 👏

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Jamie Hicken @jamiehicken.bsky.social · Sep 7

That makes a combined total of 73 species for Chasewater and Cuckoo Bank. Let me know if you’d be interested in joining the Chasewater Wildlife WhatsApp group :)

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Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS) | Goose & Swan Monitoring (GSMP) @webs-gsmp.bsky.social · Sep 1

If you are a WeBS counter and would like to take part in ISC at your WeBS site during your WeBS Core Count, email [email protected]. You can then take part without creating a GSMP account.

Photo: Sarah Kelman/BTO

@btobirds.bsky.social @jncc.bsky.social @naturescot.bsky.social

#UKBirding

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Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS) | Goose & Swan Monitoring (GSMP) @webs-gsmp.bsky.social · Sep 1

🦢The International Swan Census involves counters to carry out a one-off count on the weekend of 17th-18th January 2026.

This involves counting Whooper and Bewick’s Swans, as well as recording age assessments and habitat.

Visit the vacant site map⬇️
app.bto.org/gsmp/public/...

#Ornithology

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Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS) | Goose & Swan Monitoring (GSMP) @webs-gsmp.bsky.social · Aug 19

Next up for #WeBSSpeciesSpotlight ...🥁 Teal

The Teal is our smallest duck, with WeBS results showing peak numbers between October and February ❄️

Keep an eye out, as we have just seen our first Autumn arrival at the @btobirds.bsky.social reserve in Norfolk today!

#ornithology

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Jamie Hicken @jamiehicken.bsky.social · Jul 19

Great Egret still present on Forge Mill Lake this am. 3 Tufted Duck broods, 2 Gadwall broods @ecorecord.bsky.social

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Jamie Hicken @jamiehicken.bsky.social · Jul 16

Whereabouts at Blithfield was it? :)

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Jamie Hicken @jamiehicken.bsky.social · Jun 29

Drake Garganey still present on FML this am. Also 1 Common Sand + Kingfisher

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Jamie Hicken @jamiehicken.bsky.social · Jun 28

Barnacle Goose at Wyndley Pool, Sutton Park this am. Also good views of Kingfishers.

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Jamie Hicken @jamiehicken.bsky.social · Jun 24

First time birding in Yorkshire! Greenshank, Spotted Redshank and Green Sandpiper all lined up within 10 mins of arriving @rspbblacktoftsands.bsky.social

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West Midlands Ringing Group @westmidlandsrg.bsky.social · Jun 22

🌟Tern up the good news!
We visited @SthStaffsWater Blithfield today to check on our Common Terns after early concerns about low adult numbers & we’re delighted to report a tern-around💚
✅ Active nests spotted
🐣 Chicks already hatching
Natures bouncing back🤩

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Jamie Hicken @jamiehicken.bsky.social · Jun 19

4 Common Sandpipers at Forge Mill Lake this am @ecorecord.bsky.social

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Jamie Hicken @jamiehicken.bsky.social · Jun 18

Saw this ringed Lesser Black-Backed Gull at Stubbers Green on Monday. Ringed as a chick in Worcester in 2023, next reported in A Coruña, Spain on April 24th this year, and now living the dream in Walsall this summer! @ecorecord.bsky.social

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Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS) | Goose & Swan Monitoring (GSMP) @webs-gsmp.bsky.social · Jun 13

This Sunday is the last Priority Core Count date of the 2024/25 WeBS year! 🎉

Please ensure that you input your data for the whole year ASAP, so that our Local Organisers can carry out the annual job of data validation! 💻

@btobirds.bsky.social @rspbscience.bsky.social @jncc.bsky.social

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Jamie Hicken @jamiehicken.bsky.social · Jun 11

Red Kite and 5 LRPs at Whitemoor Haye this afternoon. Lots of ground works being done on the field opp. Roadside pit, with the sound of singing Skylarks directly above them! :( @staffsbirdnews.bsky.social

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Jamie Hicken @jamiehicken.bsky.social · Jun 10

We are looking for a @WeBS_UK counter for Edgbaston Reservoir - an accessible site close to the centre of Birmingham. If you think you can help please contact me via DM or via the "Contact the Local Organiser" button at bit.ly/4de8cHb

#WeBSSiteInsight #YourWeBSJourney

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Birmingham Open Spaces Forum @bosfonline.bsky.social · Jun 9

“Nature holds the answers to so many of today’s problems.” 🌿💚 - @chris4patches.bsky.social

Check out Chris Millward's new piece for the West Midlands news - he connects the dots between Brum’s 600+ green spaces, our mental health, and the city’s future. A powerful read!

Chris Millward @chris4patches.bsky.social · Jun 3

“Brum’s economy is ultimately built by the productivity of its people. And the productivity of Brummies is determined heavily by their state of mind,”

My piece for West Midlands News:
westmidlands.news/nature-happi...
@naturallybham.bsky.social @bosfonline.bsky.social
@bbcwildlifetrust.bsky.social

Nature = happiness = productivity

It’s quite easy to see how you can create a thriving city by embracing nature, if you start by considering the people of Birmingham. Brum’s economy is ultimately built by the productivity of its peopl...

westmidlands.news

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Jamie Hicken @jamiehicken.bsky.social · Jun 5

Pair of Med Gulls and 4 LRPs at Marsh Lane NR yesterday

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Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS) | Goose & Swan Monitoring (GSMP) @webs-gsmp.bsky.social · Jun 2

This week is national Volunteers’ Week! So we’ll be taking the opportunity all week to celebrate and thank our amazing volunteers who fuel WeBS and GSMP and make the work that we do possible. #volunteersweek

Image showing the title 'It's time to celebrate! #volunteersweek'. Below are the WeBS and GMP logos with the web address www.bto.org/webs and www.bto.org/gsmp.

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Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS) | Goose & Swan Monitoring (GSMP) @webs-gsmp.bsky.social · May 30

Some more positive news from the #WITUK report 🎉📈

To see trends of non-breeding waterbirds in the UK, go to page 11 of the report linked below, or go to WeBS Report Online and search for individual species 🦆

@btobirds.bsky.social @jncc.bsky.social @rspbscience.bsky.social @naturescot.bsky.social

Image of a Gadwall (Credit: Edmund Fellowes)

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