Dawn Balmer

Back with a #WeBSSpeciesSpotlight✨ On the stage today are Avocets💃 These long-legged waders returned from UK-wide extinction in the 1800s, now providing an air of elegance to our wetlands. To learn more about WeBS species, visit BirdFacts➡️ www.bto.org/birdfacts #Ornithology #UKBirding

Lucas Jenni presents the Brambling! Bramblings breed mainly in Fennoscandia and Russia. In autumn, they move across Europe in broad fronts and form huge flocks after a successful breeding season in areas with abundant beech mast. Have you seen them this autumn? eurobirdportal.org/ebp/en/#home...

The deadline for data entry to the SMP is fast approaching! Please get all of your colony counts and breeding success entered by the 31st October!

What a day! Thanks to all the fab speakers, exhibitors & delegates who came along to our joint BTO and Glamorgan Bird Club Conference yesterday! Am ddiwrnod! Diolch i'r holl siaradwyr, arddangoswyr a'r gynulleidfa wych ddaeth i'n cynhadledd BTO a Chlwb Adar Morgannwg ddoe! 📹 @angnatur.bsky.social

Please consider donating if you've been to see the Nutcracker #rarebirds #norfolkbirding www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding...

Thrushes incoming from first light @flamboroughbird.bsky.social so decided to relocate to South Dykes & vismig. Fair to say, watching a Hoopoe tag onto a mixed Redwing & Fieldfare flock and head off west at 0825hrs wasn’t on today’s bingo card! @birdguides.bsky.social @rarebirder.bsky.social

Putting most of 2003/04 into #birdtrack on a wild and wet afternoon with the fire on. Yank Robin in Cornwall was the best. Got to go in the loft to find the rest of my notebooks. Full of dead wasps and old kids toys.

Lively sea at Pendeen today after Storm Austen 0920-1700 2 Leach's Petrel 1 RTD 1 GND 14 Sooty c130 Manx 1 Grey Plover, 5 Ringed Plover 20+ Grey Phal 6 Bonxie 25 Arctic Skua 15+ Little Gull 2 Sandwich Tern 2 C. Scoter 3 Puffin 1600 Kittiwake #CornwallBirding

1/6 Eight talks. Four evenings. 80 years of Spurn! 🎉 Join us online this November and December for stories of legendary birds, spectacular migration, science, conservation and the people behind the Observatory. Here’s what’s coming up 👇

Kenidjack: Yellow-browed Warbler and Sibe Chiff at bottom of valley, over stream. Presumed Siberian Lesser Whitethroat in hedge opposite water treatment works #CornwallBirding

Black Redstart at Sennen on houses south of School @birdguides.bsky.social #CornwallBirding

BTO’s own Louise Bacon temporarily traded the flatlands of Cambridgeshire for the rugged landscape of the Isle of Rum in this week’s featured blog post: www.bto.org/get-invo... She even managed to get there by public transport! @btobirds.bsky.social BTO Scotland #Ornithology

#BirdingWales

Don't all dive in at once... like these Arctic Terns over a dropped sandeel; the SMP data deadline on October 31st is fast approaching! We're missing data for several species, including gulls and terns, so please submit yours ASAP. #Seabirds @btobirds.bsky.social @jncc.bsky.social @rspb.bsky.social

Quiet vismig at Porthgwarra today, perhaphs rain band stopping migration 0730-0930 25 Chaffinch 78 Meadow Pipit 400 Stock Dove 100 Woodpigeon 29 Linnet 21 Goldfinch 11 alba wagtail 5 Greenfinch 2 Reed Bunting 10 Starling 5 Skylark 4 Swallow Also YBW at Trevean #CornwallBirding

Due to some last-minute cancellations we have a few tickets available for this Saturday’s (24 Oct) Glamorgan Bird Club/BTO Conference. Tickets: £15 for GBC members + 23yrs old and under/£20 everyone else. Please contact secretary@glamorganbirds.org.uk asap for more info and to book your place.

Many of us could do with a reason to get outside, connect with nature, and make a difference for conservation, for our own wellbeing as well as our environment's. Here are 5 reasons why WeBS might be your answer 🍂 @rspb.bsky.social @jncc.bsky.social #UKBirding #Ornithology ➡️ www.bto.org/webs

Kittiwake, like a number of SMP recorded species, are pelagic. They'll spend a large duration of the non-breeding season in the high seas of the Atlantic Ocean; quite the difference from other gulls monitored through the programme! #Seabirds @btobirds.bsky.social @jncc.bsky.social @rspb.bsky.social

Kenidjack: Yellow-browed Warbler at bottom of the valley by last house, also Siberian Chiffchaff. 5 Firecrest, Merlin @birdguides.bsky.social #CornwallBirding

The Sunday morning sky was full of birds at #salopobs with totals of 13,550 Woodpigeons SW, 2,200 Redwings (at last), the first 84 Fieldfares, 420 Starlings, 570 Jackdaws, Brambling, 3 Pintail, 8 Wigeon, Great Egret... #ukbirding #vismig #loveautumn

Few more bits and pieces at Porthgwarra today: 16 Red Kites, Yellow-browed Warbler at Trevean Pool, Short-eared Owl, 2 House Martin. Finished on 60 species for #BirdTrack at PG today. #BirdingCornwall

Beautiful morning at Porthgwarra 0730-1100 Woodlark 17 Skylark 113 Chaffinch 543 Meadow Pipit 40 Rock/Water Pipit 1 Stock Dove 1265 Woodpigeon 432 Fieldfare 5 Redwing 4 Song Thrush 4 Blackbird 2 Brambling 5 Alba wagtail 32 Linnet 80 Goldfinch 40 Siskin 1 Merlin 1 Turtle Dove 1 #BirdingCornwall

Hooded Crow at Porthgwarra by coastguards 0800 @birdguides.bsky.social #BirdingCornwall

Leucistic Eurasian Wigeon flew west past Holme-next-the-Sea last weekend. Surely it will be found in a flock somewhere soon. Have you seen it? #NorfolkBirding

Two days in Cornwall and hit 100 species for #BirdTrack Pendeen, Drift, Boscathnoe Res and Hayle yesterday. Marazion, Drift and a few spots further west today. Lap Bunt, Bearded Tit, Hooded Crow, Hen Harrier, 2 Merlin, Dartford Warbler today #BirdingCornwall

@birdguides.bsky.social note that you have the wrong Carn Brae pinned for Snow Bunting in Cornwall. It's not Chapel Carn Brae that you have as the site but one nr Redruth i believe.

#BirdingScotland Welcome Penny

1/ Nature is in peril. Drastic declines and specialist species struggling is what the Wild Bird Indicators, using BTO data & published by Defra, show. Here’s what we know ⬇️ The All Bird Species Index shows 19% declines in the UK since 1970. This comprises 132 species. 📉 #Ornithology

Please look out for Golden Plover this weekend and add any you see to BirdTrack. A flock of around 80 are currently on the Long Mynd between Shooting Box and the trig point, along with 3 Brambling 🙂 #ShropshireBirds

If you're heading to the coast this Winter we'd love your help with our Non-Estuarine Waterbird Survey! To sign up and view available sectors near you then follow the link below ⬇️ #BirdingEngland

Out birding this weekend? If you spot any Golden Plover, don't forget to log them in BirdTrack to contribute to the international census 👉 www.the-soc.org.uk/pages/birdtr...

Migweek update Saturday events Vismigging will be taking place at Bridlington links golf course 7.30-9.30 The ringing at South Landing is going ahead 8am-12pm The ringing at RSPB Bempton is postponed until Sunday The walk for those booked on it will go ahead from the lighthouse at 10am

Our ethos for Migweek is it has always been free for all to enjoy the miracle of migration but if you can support FBO by either donating or becoming a Friend of FBO then it would be greatly appreciated as we move forward in the future flamboroughbirdobs.org.uk/donate/

#BirdingWales #BirdingScotland

This weekend, 17-18 October, is the International Golden Plover Census. WeBS data will be included in the census, but if you see any flocks of Golden Plover away from wetlands and are able to record a count, we would be very grateful if you could enter this to BirdTrack. Photo: Liz Cutting / BTO

PoMS FIT Counts reveal Common Ivy as the most popular flower for pollinating insects! Read more in today’s news story from our partners at @savebutterflies.bsky.social ⬇️

We have only 13 sectors left in our region requiring volunteers for this important and highly enjoyable survey. Request a sector asap to avoid disappointment! #BirdingWales

Ever see these species? We’re looking for volunteers for the Non-Estuarine Waterbird Survey this winter. Sign up➡️ www.bto.org/webs-news All you need to do is walk your chosen survey sector along the coastline once between 1 December & 31 January & count the birds you see. #UKBirding

Several priority sections are still available on the Somerset coast, including Hinckley (where there is a regular small flock of Purple Sandpiper), either side of Watchet, and west of Minehead.

Lots of vacant sectors in Norfolk too! #NorfolkBirding

We’re looking for volunteers for the Non-Estuarine Waterbird Survey between Whiteford Point and Mumbles West Glamorgan. Sign up ➡️ www.bto.org/webs-news All you need to do is walk your chosen survey sector along the coast once between 1 December & 31 January & count the birds you see. #UKBirding 

Holme is one of my favourite places. Gorgeous day to be out birding. Totted up 77 species for my #BirdTrack list including Lapland Bunting flying west, 2 Grey Phalaropes and three close Poms (2 ad, juv), all west #NorfolkBirding

Decent gull roost at Titchwell this evening with 600 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 16 Yellow-legged Gulls, 6 Caspian Gulls (5ad, 3cy). Possible adult Baltic Gull - looked the part. #NorfolkBirding

Pink-footed Geese coming into Titchwell this evening. Volume up! #NorfolkBirding

Nutrackers building up in the low countries. Occurrences in pink, counts in blue for week 1-7 Oct www.eurobirdportal.org/ebp/en/#home...

We've got some great opportunities to join us at BTO! Discover more and apply for our jobs and voluntary roles online at www.bto.org/jobs #Ornithology

Lots of Redwings going over Thetford this evening! Nice reward stepping outside after a couple of hours helping with a swimming gala #norfolkbirding #migration

Small sandpipers can be a complex challenge, but structure and plumage hold the clues. 1984 paper; ‘Identification of Stints and Peeps’ gives readers a complete run-through of autumnal wader ID. Read more: britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti... 📸Thomas Willoughby 🔑Subscriber content