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Reposted by Phil Saunders

Peter Moore @moorebirdsbybike.bsky.social · 11h

Yellow-browed Warbler at Trondavoe, Shetland - one of the commoner species on the islands at the moment
@dbradnum.bsky.social @jameslowenwild.bsky.social @beardybirder.bsky.social

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Reposted by Phil Saunders

Peter Moore @moorebirdsbybike.bsky.social · 11h

Bird of the day on Shetland day 3 was a Great Tit - rare in these parts - at Gluss, to where we were spirited by @dbradnum.bsky.social so he could add it to his archipelago list @jameslowenwild.bsky.social @beardybirder.bsky.social

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Phil Saunders @beardybirder.bsky.social · 1d

Thanks Andy/Peter from me & @jameslowenwild.bsky.social. That was our thinking re: pre-split records, but good to get confirmation!

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Reposted by Phil Saunders

Peter Moore @moorebirdsbybike.bsky.social · 1d

Otter at Hillswick, Shetland today with @beardybirder.bsky.social @jameslowenwild.bsky.social @dbradnum.bsky.social

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Reposted by Phil Saunders

Peter Moore @moorebirdsbybike.bsky.social · 1d

Team find of Red-breasted Flycatcher today at Hamnavoe (nr Eshaness) was the highlight of day 2 on Shetland with @dbradnum.bsky.social @jameslowenwild.bsky.social @beardybirder.bsky.social

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Phil Saunders @beardybirder.bsky.social · 1d

Cheers Peter. We're literatureless up here and seemed the best fit. What would you suggest? A.emargana?

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Phil Saunders @beardybirder.bsky.social · 1d

A couple of moth lifers in Shetland last night/today included an unexpected Brindled Ochre (courtesy of @jameslowenwild.bsky.social portable trap, alongside a brace of Dark Sword-grass) & several day-flying Acleris effractana, with single Silver Y & RDP also seen #TeamMoth

A Brindled Ochre rests on a pale-grained wooden tabletop.

$An Acleris effractana rests on a bright green grass blade, against a backdrop of blurred grass.$

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Phil Saunders @beardybirder.bsky.social · 1d

Actual footage of the moment a Parula makes landfall on Shetland... #WeCanButHope

A rainbow arches across cloudy upland scenery, with a loch in the foreground to the left.

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Phil Saunders @beardybirder.bsky.social · 2d

Our first day on Shetland was rather tasty... #geokichlatastic

Peter Moore @moorebirdsbybike.bsky.social · 2d

Shetland 2025 trip off to a flyer: Siberian Thrush with @beardybirder.bsky.social @dbradnum.bsky.social and @jameslowenwild.bsky.social

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Phil Saunders @beardybirder.bsky.social · 2d

The 2nd leg of our journey Shetlandwards y'day took in the fab long-staying Marsh Sand' at Musselburgh & an adult WR Sand' on the Eden Estuary, finishing with a great seawatch off the Northlink ferry, incl'g 2 apiece of Leach's & Storm Petrel, Bonxie, 3 Arctic Skuas & double figures of Sooty Shear's

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Phil Saunders @beardybirder.bsky.social · 3d

Aww, thanks Sarah!

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Phil Saunders @beardybirder.bsky.social · 4d

We started our long wend up to Shetland yday with a slight detour to Suffolk to take in the absolutely stunning male Turkestan Shrike at Dunwich - the best example of any "Issy" Shrike I've seen in the UK, watched intently pursuing a number of six-legged prey items in the blustery wind

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Reposted by Phil Saunders

Alexander Lees @alexanderlees.bsky.social · 5d

More ill thought out 'conservation' translocations 🌍
www.theguardian.com/environment/... - so much to unpack here #Ornithology #UKBirding 🧵

‘It proves this can be done’: Berlin the blueprint to bring goshawks to UK cities

Conservationist plans release of 15 each of the apex predators sourced as chicks into Chester and London

www.theguardian.com

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Phil Saunders @beardybirder.bsky.social · 6d

A surprising 37/16 in a cold & soggy Upton garden trap this morning incl'd a few new spp for the yr, with a beautiful Green-brindled Crescent (one of my favourites) & a striking Barred Sallow the best. Another Caloptilia azaleella was also notable, plus a lone RDP #TeamMoth @dorsetmoths.bsky.social

A Green-brindled Crescent rests on a grey egg box.

A Barred Sallow rests on the pale wooden floor of a moth trap.

A Caloptilia azaleella (Azalea Leaf-miner) rests on a grey egg box.

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Phil Saunders @beardybirder.bsky.social · 9d

Ooof!

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Phil Saunders @beardybirder.bsky.social · 10d

Wow. I had no idea they'd become so numerous locally. Certainly never seen anything like those numbers at any of my usual coastal haunts.

Phil Saunders @beardybirder.bsky.social · 10d

A welcome 88/22 in the Upton garden trap incl'd my 4th Golden Twin-spot of 2025 (a sp that's surely bred locally), 2 Silver Y, 3 RDP, Clancy's Rustic, 9 Angle Shades, Blair's Shoulder-knot, Brindled Green, Beaded Chestnut, Caloptilia azalella & a late Endotricha flammealis @dorsetmoths.bsky.social

A tatty Golden Twin-spot rests on a yellow egg box.

A Clancy's Rustic, viewed from above, rests on a pale wooden surface.

A Blair's Shoulder-knot rests, head downward, on a grey egg box.

A Brindled Green rests on a grey egg box.

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Reposted by Phil Saunders

Richard K Broughton @richardkbroughton.bsky.social · 14d

UK is well on course for losing Willow Tit, Spotted Flycatcher & Wood Warbler as breeding species in our lifetime. Wood Warbler already virtually gone from England. I think Willow Tit would be first extinction of a resident bird since Capercaillie in 1700s or White-tailed Eagle in 1918. #ornithology

Breeding Bird Surveys (BBS) @bbs-birds.bsky.social · 14d

3. The Woodland indicator has shown worrying recent short-term declines, but shows signs of stabilising. Favourable climatic conditions may explain this, favouring species like Blackcap. Nightingale too is shows a recent increase. But Willow Tit and migrants like Spotted Flycatcher are in decline.

Adpated image from the Defra official statistics for specialist woodland birds showing the long-term changes in percentage change - 1970-2023 on the left and short term changes (2018-2023) on the right. Species are ordered by the value of the long term change, with the largest declines at the top (in red/orange) to largest increases in green/blue). Species with no detectable change are in grey. Willow Tit and Wood Warbler are highlighted as species in trouble, Nightingale as species which have experienced big long term declines are showing some signs of improvement and Chiffchaff as a species with huge increases over both time periods

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Phil Saunders @beardybirder.bsky.social · 11d

Memories of my teenage years at Cliffe whilst birding Swineham GPs this afternoon, with a trio each of Curlew Sandpiper & Little Stint enjoyed between Curlew's & Stilt Pools, alongside a brace of Ruff, Green Sand', & 40+(!) Egyptian Geese @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social @harbourbirds.bsky.social

View across the Curlew's Pool at Swineham GPs, viewed from the river wall looking SW towards Swineham.

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Phil Saunders @beardybirder.bsky.social · 11d

Initially promising conditions for VisMig soon petered out in the face of the increas'ly strong SW wind @ St Aldhelm's Head this morning, with 2 Spotted Flycatchers, my 1st Merlin of the autumn, & 600+ Linnet the highlights, alongside a smattering of Chiffchaff & Blackcap @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

St Aldhelm's Head not long after daybreak, looking east from Bonvils towards Durlston.

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Phil Saunders @beardybirder.bsky.social · 12d

I thought I may have had my chips re: catching a Clifden Nonpareil this year, so I was extra pleased to find one of these hulking beauties clinging to the underside of the Cold Harbour office moth trap funnel this morning #TeamMoth @dorsetmoths.bsky.social

A Clifden Nonpareil, showing a small flash of blue underwing, clings to a black and grey flecked surface.

Close up of the face of a Clifden Nonpareil.

A Clifden Nonpareil rests on a partially gloved hand, with a bench set amongst heathland vegetation in the background.

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Phil Saunders @beardybirder.bsky.social · 12d

A measly 60/15 in the Cold Harbour office trap after a cold night still incl'd some nice seasonal fare, with multiple Sallow & Pink-barred Sallow, Deep-brown Dart, Heath & Black Rustics, & a nicely marked Delicate, plus a stonking stand-out Clifden Nonpareil #TeamMoth @dorsetmoths.bsky.social

A Pink-barred Sallow moth rests on a grey egg box.

A Deep-brown Dart rests on a green windowsill.

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Reposted by Phil Saunders

Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat @irbio-ub.bsky.social · Aug 28

#ArticleIRBio
Pervasive and recurrent hybridization prevents inbreeding in Europe’s most threatened seabird
Authors: Guillem Izquierdo-Arànega, Cristian Cuevas-Caballé, et al.
@jrozasub.bsky.social @seabirdecology.bsky.social
@pnas.org
doi.org/10.1073/pnas...

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Phil Saunders @beardybirder.bsky.social · 18d

Pretty pleased to stumble across this day-roosting Convolvulus Hawkmoth on a fencepost at Gramborough Hill on the North Norfolk coast earlier today; the 2nd year in a row I've found one like this & a species I'm still yet to catch in a moth trap! #TeamMoth @migrantmothuk.bsky.social

A Convolvulus Hawkmoth rests on a yellow lichen-encrusted fencepost, with blurred wire fencing and vegetation viewable to the right.

Close up of the head and forebody of a Convolvulus Hawkmoth, resting on a grey fencepost speckled with yellow lichen.

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Phil Saunders @beardybirder.bsky.social · 19d

This female Tawny Cockroach (one of our three native species) was an irregular visitor to the Upton garden moth trap last night, bringing her egg-laden ootheca with her #blattodea

A female Tawny Cockroach, viewed from above and behind, perches on the edge of a pale wooden moth trap wall set against a blurred dark backdrop. A black ootheca (egg case) is visible extending from beneath the end of her abdomen.

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