Russ Boland
@russboland.bsky.social
Birder, Sketcher, Travel Bug, Runner, Booze, Northumberland, 80's Cheese and Barnsley FC
Reposted by Russ Boland
Researchers share their findings about the effects of tracking devices on survival etc., so that others can learn how to study waders as safely as possible.
1/4
New paper suggests that Kentish Plovers are not affected by tracking devices.
nsojournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1...
BUT ...
1/4
New paper suggests that Kentish Plovers are not affected by tracking devices.
nsojournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1...
BUT ...
December 16, 2025 at 9:04 AM
Researchers share their findings about the effects of tracking devices on survival etc., so that others can learn how to study waders as safely as possible.
1/4
New paper suggests that Kentish Plovers are not affected by tracking devices.
nsojournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1...
BUT ...
1/4
New paper suggests that Kentish Plovers are not affected by tracking devices.
nsojournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1...
BUT ...
Reposted by Russ Boland
The Common Redpoll survives Arctic cold by burrowing into snow ❄️
Snow traps air, making it a powerful insulator against wind and freezing temperatures.
This watercolor comes from my Arctic terrestrial birds poster.
#wildlifeart #scienceart #ArcticBirds #sciart #birdart #bird
Snow traps air, making it a powerful insulator against wind and freezing temperatures.
This watercolor comes from my Arctic terrestrial birds poster.
#wildlifeart #scienceart #ArcticBirds #sciart #birdart #bird
December 15, 2025 at 6:47 PM
The Common Redpoll survives Arctic cold by burrowing into snow ❄️
Snow traps air, making it a powerful insulator against wind and freezing temperatures.
This watercolor comes from my Arctic terrestrial birds poster.
#wildlifeart #scienceart #ArcticBirds #sciart #birdart #bird
Snow traps air, making it a powerful insulator against wind and freezing temperatures.
This watercolor comes from my Arctic terrestrial birds poster.
#wildlifeart #scienceart #ArcticBirds #sciart #birdart #bird
Reposted by Russ Boland
The world's oldest known bird has returned to Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge for the 2025-26 breeding season:
Wisdom the Laysan Albatross returns to nest at Midway Atoll
The world's oldest known bird has returned to Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge for the 2025-26 breeding season. 'Wisdom', a female Laysan Albatross, has reoccupied her regular nest site and is now preparing for another chance at parenthood. Wisdom was at least five years old when ringed in 1956, putting her age at approximately 75 years old.
bit.ly
December 14, 2025 at 9:51 PM
The world's oldest known bird has returned to Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge for the 2025-26 breeding season:
Ring-billed Gull sketches for #SuperSeabirdSunday from a recent trip to Toronto. No interesting imms in this gathering alas. I'm also not sure if anyone can be arsed looking at this stuff anymore but thanks for those who do.🍻
December 14, 2025 at 7:47 AM
Ring-billed Gull sketches for #SuperSeabirdSunday from a recent trip to Toronto. No interesting imms in this gathering alas. I'm also not sure if anyone can be arsed looking at this stuff anymore but thanks for those who do.🍻
Reposted by Russ Boland
Counts carried out this autumn on the Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan border have logged more than 5,000 Sociable Lapwings – one of the largest gatherings of this Critically Endangered species recorded in recent decades:
Bumper Sociable Lapwing count offers hope for global population
More than 5,000 Critically Endangered Sociable Lapwings were counted at a major migration stop-over in Turkmenistan in autumn 2025. The record high offers rare good news for the species and highlights the importance of key staging sites.
bit.ly
December 12, 2025 at 3:56 PM
Counts carried out this autumn on the Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan border have logged more than 5,000 Sociable Lapwings – one of the largest gatherings of this Critically Endangered species recorded in recent decades:
Reposted by Russ Boland
What lessons can we learn from the demise of the Slender-billed Curlew?
Blog published on 12 Dec 2024, based on paper by Graeme Buchanan et al in @bou.org.uk journal IBIS.
wadertales.wordpress.com/2024/12/12/l...
#ornithology
Blog published on 12 Dec 2024, based on paper by Graeme Buchanan et al in @bou.org.uk journal IBIS.
wadertales.wordpress.com/2024/12/12/l...
#ornithology
December 12, 2025 at 7:03 AM
What lessons can we learn from the demise of the Slender-billed Curlew?
Blog published on 12 Dec 2024, based on paper by Graeme Buchanan et al in @bou.org.uk journal IBIS.
wadertales.wordpress.com/2024/12/12/l...
#ornithology
Blog published on 12 Dec 2024, based on paper by Graeme Buchanan et al in @bou.org.uk journal IBIS.
wadertales.wordpress.com/2024/12/12/l...
#ornithology
Reposted by Russ Boland
Not a field sketch that's for sure, but just pencilling out a top nice thing from the Stour today- wind lifting the nape of a Black-throated Diver enough to make a white crescent from the underlay. #BirdArt
December 11, 2025 at 10:22 PM
Not a field sketch that's for sure, but just pencilling out a top nice thing from the Stour today- wind lifting the nape of a Black-throated Diver enough to make a white crescent from the underlay. #BirdArt
Reposted by Russ Boland
The annual post-breeding moult of a shorebird lasts about three months - that's as long as a successful breeding season.
Monitoring moult using digital cameras: wadertales.wordpress.com/2025/10/09/m...
#ornithology
Monitoring moult using digital cameras: wadertales.wordpress.com/2025/10/09/m...
#ornithology
December 11, 2025 at 7:14 AM
The annual post-breeding moult of a shorebird lasts about three months - that's as long as a successful breeding season.
Monitoring moult using digital cameras: wadertales.wordpress.com/2025/10/09/m...
#ornithology
Monitoring moult using digital cameras: wadertales.wordpress.com/2025/10/09/m...
#ornithology
Reposted by Russ Boland
Quick for information post... Sorry if folk have messaged me etc and haven't heard back, I haven't felt like dealing with work and art at all due to illness still and not knowing what's going on. I will try to start getting back to people soon🙏
December 8, 2025 at 8:01 PM
Quick for information post... Sorry if folk have messaged me etc and haven't heard back, I haven't felt like dealing with work and art at all due to illness still and not knowing what's going on. I will try to start getting back to people soon🙏
Reposted by Russ Boland
Counts carried out this autumn on the Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan border have logged more than 5,000 Sociable Lapwings – one of the largest gatherings of this Critically Endangered species recorded in recent decades:
Bumper Sociable Lapwing count offers hope for global population
More than 5,000 Critically Endangered Sociable Lapwings were counted at a major migration stop-over in Turkmenistan in autumn 2025. The record high offers rare good news for the species and highlights the importance of key staging sites.
bit.ly
December 7, 2025 at 10:02 AM
Counts carried out this autumn on the Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan border have logged more than 5,000 Sociable Lapwings – one of the largest gatherings of this Critically Endangered species recorded in recent decades:
A few days in Toronto last week produced a couple of lifers. White-winged Scoter was one of 'em. Drawn from memory due to very blustery conditions. Trumpeter Swan the other. 100's of Long-tailed Ducks to sift thru, too, for #SuperSeabirdSunday Cheers
December 7, 2025 at 11:01 AM
A few days in Toronto last week produced a couple of lifers. White-winged Scoter was one of 'em. Drawn from memory due to very blustery conditions. Trumpeter Swan the other. 100's of Long-tailed Ducks to sift thru, too, for #SuperSeabirdSunday Cheers
Reposted by Russ Boland
Not everyone relies on AI ...
So far this year, over 19,000 people in 139 countries have read at least one WaderTales blog.
wadertales.wordpress.com/about/
The most popular of this year's blogs is "Making full use of tracking data".
wadertales.wordpress.com/2025/05/06/m...
#ornithology
So far this year, over 19,000 people in 139 countries have read at least one WaderTales blog.
wadertales.wordpress.com/about/
The most popular of this year's blogs is "Making full use of tracking data".
wadertales.wordpress.com/2025/05/06/m...
#ornithology
December 4, 2025 at 1:52 PM
Not everyone relies on AI ...
So far this year, over 19,000 people in 139 countries have read at least one WaderTales blog.
wadertales.wordpress.com/about/
The most popular of this year's blogs is "Making full use of tracking data".
wadertales.wordpress.com/2025/05/06/m...
#ornithology
So far this year, over 19,000 people in 139 countries have read at least one WaderTales blog.
wadertales.wordpress.com/about/
The most popular of this year's blogs is "Making full use of tracking data".
wadertales.wordpress.com/2025/05/06/m...
#ornithology
Reposted by Russ Boland
#Birding #Beljarica, #Belgrade, a spacious flood retention basin of seasonally inundated riparian forests of willow and poplar, had a great observation of Black Woodpeckers, Great White Egret, 📷 White-tailed Eagle, Mistle Thrush, Meadow Pipit, Water Pipit, Hawfinch
🌳 #ForlandLeveObaleDunava NR 🌳
🌳 #ForlandLeveObaleDunava NR 🌳
December 3, 2025 at 8:33 AM
#Birding #Beljarica, #Belgrade, a spacious flood retention basin of seasonally inundated riparian forests of willow and poplar, had a great observation of Black Woodpeckers, Great White Egret, 📷 White-tailed Eagle, Mistle Thrush, Meadow Pipit, Water Pipit, Hawfinch
🌳 #ForlandLeveObaleDunava NR 🌳
🌳 #ForlandLeveObaleDunava NR 🌳
Reposted by Russ Boland
#Colombia 🇨🇴 is one of those countries my dreams are made of, and Hilty’s "#Birds of Colombia" is a stunning book with beautiful artwork, authoritative, if concise texts and easy to navigate maps. Highly recommended!
▶️ 10000birds.com/hiltys-birds...
#birding
#lynxnaturebooks
#birdbooks
#fieldguides
▶️ 10000birds.com/hiltys-birds...
#birding
#lynxnaturebooks
#birdbooks
#fieldguides
Hilty’s Birds of Colombia field guide review
Birds of Colombia (Lynx and BirdLife International Field Guides) by Steven L. Hilty “Sadly, a few specimens, salvaged from these shipments, were so rare that they have never been found in the wild”…
10000birds.com
November 30, 2025 at 7:38 AM
#Colombia 🇨🇴 is one of those countries my dreams are made of, and Hilty’s "#Birds of Colombia" is a stunning book with beautiful artwork, authoritative, if concise texts and easy to navigate maps. Highly recommended!
▶️ 10000birds.com/hiltys-birds...
#birding
#lynxnaturebooks
#birdbooks
#fieldguides
▶️ 10000birds.com/hiltys-birds...
#birding
#lynxnaturebooks
#birdbooks
#fieldguides
Reposted by Russ Boland
Those wild landscapes that I know, love and study: #birding #DeliblatoSands Reserve, 1hr east of #Belgrade
www.youtube.com/watch?v=TM0e...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=TM0e...
CiROCCO Serbia Use Case - Deliblato Sands
YouTube video by CiROCCO EU Project
www.youtube.com
November 28, 2025 at 7:12 AM
Those wild landscapes that I know, love and study: #birding #DeliblatoSands Reserve, 1hr east of #Belgrade
www.youtube.com/watch?v=TM0e...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=TM0e...
Reposted by Russ Boland
Earlier in the autumn a stunning Red-breasted Goose appeared along the north coast. It was a bit early to be considered a genuine vagrant, but it was a stunning looking bird. It was my first time to see the species anywhere, and I was glad to spend a bit of time sketching it.
November 28, 2025 at 10:21 AM
Earlier in the autumn a stunning Red-breasted Goose appeared along the north coast. It was a bit early to be considered a genuine vagrant, but it was a stunning looking bird. It was my first time to see the species anywhere, and I was glad to spend a bit of time sketching it.
Reposted by Russ Boland
Late November #birding #DeliblatoSands Reserve, 1hr east of #Belgrade, #Serbia – 350 km2 of forest (40%), scrub (30%) and grassland (20%) in the largest inland dune system of Europe: Lesser Spotted, and Syrian Woodpecker, Mistle Thrush, Meadow Pipit, Hawfinch, Common Linnet, European Serin
November 27, 2025 at 8:28 AM
Late November #birding #DeliblatoSands Reserve, 1hr east of #Belgrade, #Serbia – 350 km2 of forest (40%), scrub (30%) and grassland (20%) in the largest inland dune system of Europe: Lesser Spotted, and Syrian Woodpecker, Mistle Thrush, Meadow Pipit, Hawfinch, Common Linnet, European Serin
Big gull studies for #SuperSeabirdSunday at Old Moor RSPB recently. Herrings (Inc a nice 'argentatus' candidate, Lesser and Great Black-backed Gulls. At the site's quietest times there's always the larids to sketch! Cheers
November 23, 2025 at 7:01 AM
Big gull studies for #SuperSeabirdSunday at Old Moor RSPB recently. Herrings (Inc a nice 'argentatus' candidate, Lesser and Great Black-backed Gulls. At the site's quietest times there's always the larids to sketch! Cheers
Reposted by Russ Boland
#Birding #Morocco 510sp, 210 breeding in the country, 190sp/12days; regions: Atlas mountains #Ouarzazate (📷 #HôtelLeFintOuarzazate) and #BoumaleneDades; Sahara Erfoud temporary lake of #Merzouga & dunes of #ErgChebbi (📷 #MerzougaDesertGlamping); Agadir coast Souss & Massa estuaries; late Apr-May🌴🌴
November 21, 2025 at 5:25 PM
#Birding #Morocco 510sp, 210 breeding in the country, 190sp/12days; regions: Atlas mountains #Ouarzazate (📷 #HôtelLeFintOuarzazate) and #BoumaleneDades; Sahara Erfoud temporary lake of #Merzouga & dunes of #ErgChebbi (📷 #MerzougaDesertGlamping); Agadir coast Souss & Massa estuaries; late Apr-May🌴🌴
Reposted by Russ Boland
A small selection of the Christmas cards that are available on my website. You can see the full range at www.robertvaughanillustrations.com
November 21, 2025 at 11:44 AM
A small selection of the Christmas cards that are available on my website. You can see the full range at www.robertvaughanillustrations.com
Reposted by Russ Boland
November 18, 2025 at 8:18 AM
Reposted by Russ Boland
#Birding #Panama: the #CanopyCamp in #Darien lowland rainforest, safari-style tents with wooden floors, beds, fans &private bathrooms: 250sp/5days: Harpy, & Crested Eagle, White-eared Conebill, Red-billed Scythebill, Royal Flycatcher, Pied Puffbird; five-hour-drive from Panama City; Sep to early Nov
November 18, 2025 at 9:54 AM
#Birding #Panama: the #CanopyCamp in #Darien lowland rainforest, safari-style tents with wooden floors, beds, fans &private bathrooms: 250sp/5days: Harpy, & Crested Eagle, White-eared Conebill, Red-billed Scythebill, Royal Flycatcher, Pied Puffbird; five-hour-drive from Panama City; Sep to early Nov
Reposted by Russ Boland
#Birding the saline desert of #LittleRann which floods every monsoon, #Dasada, #Gujarat, #India: 250sp 🦩🦩🦩, MacQueen’s Bustard, Indian Courser, Long-legged Buzzard, Greater Hoopoe-Lark, Sykes’s Nightjar, Pallid Scops Owl, Variable Wheatear; #RannRiders Lodge, 2.5hrs by road from Ahmedabad ✈️; Dec-Feb
November 15, 2025 at 2:13 PM
#Birding the saline desert of #LittleRann which floods every monsoon, #Dasada, #Gujarat, #India: 250sp 🦩🦩🦩, MacQueen’s Bustard, Indian Courser, Long-legged Buzzard, Greater Hoopoe-Lark, Sykes’s Nightjar, Pallid Scops Owl, Variable Wheatear; #RannRiders Lodge, 2.5hrs by road from Ahmedabad ✈️; Dec-Feb
Reposted by Russ Boland
Each spring, shorebirds gather in Delaware Bay to feast on the eggs of horseshoe crabs. What happens when this food is not available?
Red Knot suffer more than flexible Ruddy Turnstones.
wadertales.wordpress.com/2019/11/15/r...
Blog from 15 Nov 2019 🎂
Paper by Anna Tucker et al
#ConservationScience🌎
Red Knot suffer more than flexible Ruddy Turnstones.
wadertales.wordpress.com/2019/11/15/r...
Blog from 15 Nov 2019 🎂
Paper by Anna Tucker et al
#ConservationScience🌎
Red Knot pay the price for being fussy eaters!
In a fascinating comparison of weight gained by Red Knot and Ruddy Turnstone during spring migration in Delaware Bay, on America’s east-coast flyway, Anna Tucker and colleagues show that Knot are f…
wadertales.wordpress.com
November 15, 2025 at 6:06 PM
Each spring, shorebirds gather in Delaware Bay to feast on the eggs of horseshoe crabs. What happens when this food is not available?
Red Knot suffer more than flexible Ruddy Turnstones.
wadertales.wordpress.com/2019/11/15/r...
Blog from 15 Nov 2019 🎂
Paper by Anna Tucker et al
#ConservationScience🌎
Red Knot suffer more than flexible Ruddy Turnstones.
wadertales.wordpress.com/2019/11/15/r...
Blog from 15 Nov 2019 🎂
Paper by Anna Tucker et al
#ConservationScience🌎
Reposted by Russ Boland
White-tailed Eagles are becoming an increasingly regular sight in Donegal, and can almost be guaranteed at a few favoured locations. This was a rough study from a few years ago to help me age the birds I was seeing.
November 15, 2025 at 10:47 AM
White-tailed Eagles are becoming an increasingly regular sight in Donegal, and can almost be guaranteed at a few favoured locations. This was a rough study from a few years ago to help me age the birds I was seeing.