Paul French
@nomadbirder.bsky.social
940 followers 710 following 220 posts
Birder, purveyor of aerial bird identification wizardry & secretary of British Birds Rarities Committee
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nomadbirder.bsky.social
And 6 there tonight, on Old Channel Marshes, Outstrays NR. @birdguides.bsky.social
Reposted by Paul French
nomadbirder.bsky.social
Possibly the worst picture of Glossy Ibis taken this year, but theres 11 of them and they're on patch.
nomadbirder.bsky.social
Harrison probably kept a French list....
nomadbirder.bsky.social
110-120 nautical miles (c.125 miles) SSW of Scilly is well into French waters and almost on the Biscay shelf edge!!
nomadbirder.bsky.social
The Wilsons triangle was, AFAIK, not far beyond Scilly. Certainly doable in a day trip from Penzance on the Scillonian. To get to the canyons would be 12 hours solid steaming at 15 knots from Penzance, regardless of weather.
nomadbirder.bsky.social
I was discussing that very fact with Richard Johnson today. Often like a small shearwater, other times like a bow-winged big-headed prion sp coming at you over the waves, they really are quite distinctive.
nomadbirder.bsky.social
and if you never knew what utter b*stards Long-tailed Skuas were, take note that they attempt to nab storm-petrels on a regular basis. Just another day in the office for the petrels though, they simply dance out the way ebird.org/checklist/S2...
eBird Checklist - 18 Sep 2025 - Dangaard Canyon - 14 species
Submitted by Paul French.
ebird.org
nomadbirder.bsky.social
I'd put a fiver on Flamborough.
nomadbirder.bsky.social
Cheers Dougie! Worth being tossed around, battered and bruised for, and only the one minor chunder event on my part 🤣
nomadbirder.bsky.social
...counted moving past the boat, into the slick and then away. It was enough to move some to a stunned silence! Still more questions than answers, but at least the importance of the area for seabirds is becoming apparent.
nomadbirder.bsky.social
Fresh off the Challenger expedition to the Canyons MPA along the shelf edge at the limits of UK territory, we seem to have broken new ground with the status of Band-rumped Storm-petrels. A handful on the first two days were great, but on the third day, the cup truly runneth over, and 84 were...
nomadbirder.bsky.social
Memories of last weekends Scilly pelagics still in the mind, and a mountain of photos to go through. I like this one, giving a sense of the big seas and a Cory's in wave rider mode #ukbirding
Cory's Shearwater cresting a wave.
nomadbirder.bsky.social
I'll settle for village 2nd, suspect 3rd is more likely!
nomadbirder.bsky.social
Its hotting up for 2nd place in the eBird garden year list as we head into what could be a very productive period for several participants. I aim to get 100 sp per year, hopefully on track for that. A certain Spurn birder is aiming for 200 from his garden this year, the difference a Humber can make!
nomadbirder.bsky.social
But it will still be an identifiable form, regardless of the current taxonomic winds.
nomadbirder.bsky.social
Another good tip is to make sure your exposure compensation is alterable by moving the front wheel - its perfectly situated for quick use while you're photograhing. Overexpose birds in the sky for example. Cos its a digital viewfinder, what you are seeing is roughly what it will be like.
nomadbirder.bsky.social
..is set to auto. The grain is not a problem, its generally ok as it is but can also be cleaned in various programs. You need sharp pics, otherwise whats the point!? If you want more depth of field you can start playing with Apertures, but being a micro 4/3rd cam it has a wider depth of field.
nomadbirder.bsky.social
I have 2 very simple setups i can flick between easily. One for birds in flight, the other for birds in a bush. The only difference is the size of the focal area - large for flight and small for bush. I use shutter priority set to at least 1000/sec (preferably 2000/sec), apperture is auto and ISO..