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Tom Lowe

@saloplarus.bsky.social

1.1K followers 650 following 6.2K posts

Gulls, Geese, Goshawks, Aurora, Astronomy and everything else in the sky. #lookup #salopobs - the unofficial bird observatory in the heart of Shropshire 😏

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Tom Lowe @saloplarus.bsky.social · Apr 19

Wow. Went out hoping the damp easterlies might produce a Black Tern, and found a BLACK KITE 💥 The first for #shropshirebirding hanging over Wood Lane landfill with 5 Red Kites, on view constantly for 2hrs! Absolutely awesome

Black Kite showing very well soaring over Wood Lane landfill

Black Kite (centre) soaring over Wood Lane landfill with a Red Kite and a Crow

Black Kite being chased by a Red Kite over Wood Lane landfill. The Black always looked smaller and more compact than the range Reds

Black Kite soaring over Wood Lane landfill with constantly attendant Crows

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Tom Lowe @saloplarus.bsky.social · 18h

It does look transatlantically exhausted in your pics! You and I both know there's masses never gets seen there. You have it Dan 😉

Tom Lowe @saloplarus.bsky.social · 19h

And this one's been ranging up and down the Kintyre coast since I found it years ago, so... 😜

Tom Lowe @saloplarus.bsky.social · 1d

Screenshot of a WhatsApped photo lifted from X and posted on BlueSky

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Tom Lowe @saloplarus.bsky.social · 1d

Cheers Dave. After grilling the 1100 GPs on Banks for an hour, I started to figure it mustn't have actually been with them! 5 juv Curlew Sands and a Wheatear the best I could manage

Tom Lowe @saloplarus.bsky.social · 2d

115 canadensis with the Pinks in that field after the news came out but I couldn't find a Todd's. I hadn't seen your post Dave 😕

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Tom Lowe @saloplarus.bsky.social · 2d

Caught up with the delightful little adult Ross's Goose at Marshside RSPB, sleeping the afternoon away with Canadas and Greylags... No sign of the reported Todd's nearby, just 115 canadensis with the Pinks. Wheatear and Whoopers on Banks Marsh but no AGP for me... #lancsbirding #ukbirding #goosing

Adult Ross's Goose with Lapwing and Wigeon

Adult Ross's Goose with a Canada and a Greylag Goose

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Tom Lowe @saloplarus.bsky.social · 3d

That's a stunner. And it seems to think it's February! Wonder how far it has come

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Tom Lowe @saloplarus.bsky.social · 4d

I will always remember answering the phone at RBA that day:
"Rare Bird Alert, Tom speaking"
"Hi Tom, it's Eric. There's a Blue-winged Warbler on Cape"
"W...... b...... th..... mmph"
"I know."
I saw it the next day. What a bird

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Tom Lowe @saloplarus.bsky.social · 4d

Found your caravan yet?!

Tom Lowe @saloplarus.bsky.social · 4d

You might find there's a lag, and then they appear. Shropshirebirding currently not showing anything newer than 4 days. Same happens with them making it onto the ukbirding feed. @bsky.app mysteries 🤷‍♂️