Jamie Dunning

CIEEM has finally published the competency framework for commercial bird surveys - this has been a mammoth project for the bird survey and assessment group (including Skopeo) and can only be a good thing for birds 🪶 cieem.net/wp-content/u...

New job alert🪶 Bird Atlas 2027–31 Organiser with @btobirds.bsky.social Deadline: 4/11/26 Apply here: britishtrustforornithology.postingpanda.uk/job/964525 Read more about the Bird Atlas 2027–31 Partnership: www.rspb.org.uk/whats-happen...

Another excellent morning of #vismig at Aust Highlights inc. Goosander Marsh Harrier Red Kite 12912 Redwing 656 Fieldfare 1099 chaffinch 9 Brambling 16 Redpoll 357 Goldfinch 38 Siskin 12 Reed Bunting @severnsidebirds.bsky.social @matthall95.bsky.social @oscardewhurst.bsky.social @j-dunning.net

Today’s update of the official Wild Bird Populations Indicator for the UK and England depressingly reveals continued declines across habitats, both in the short and long term Read on for more www.gov.uk/government/s...

Early Iceland gull at Portmellon bay, moving towards Mev at high tide, last Sunday #cornwallbirds

A very tame House Bunting in Marrakech, Morocco 🇲🇦

Arctic is a top tier phyllosc

Congratulations Rufus, a deserving recipient 🎉

As it says in the blog... "It doesn’t really matter if there is one species of Whimbrel or two, because conservation action needs to be targeted at the local and subspecies levels"

Almost constant calls of high meadow pipit over East Bristol this morning.

EARLY VIEW in IBIS A longitudinal study of avian pox in a small passerine, the Dunnock (Prunella modularis) | onlinelibrary.wiley.... Denise C. Wawman, Steven R. Fiddaman, Becki Lawson, Maria D. Christodoulou, Ben C. Sheldon, Adrian L. Smith | #ornithology 🪶

Our first 50+ bird ringing day at Aust of the year, a shift from sub-Saharan migrants to autumnal chiffchaff and blackcap. Despite the south winds, good hirundine passage (+++) more meadow than tree pipit, 3 hobby and osprey (1/3 today) over. Most effort spent on a patch-tick wasp spider.

Appreciating the avian world up close Millie Burdett reflects on her recent foray into the fascinating world of ringing and how it has brought her closer to birds:

Remember the summer heatwaves in the UK in 2026? The late May heatwave was exceptional: an event +4.3 sd above mean - likely to occur only once every few decades under normal conditions. It was also unusual in being early and coinciding with tit breeding season. What consequences did it have? 🧵1/n

My first sea(estuary)watch of the autumn was quiet, bar a common scorer, with wind cutting off passage up the channel. Waders at new passage were more interesting- 2 Sanderling, 3+ Curlew sand and Spotted Redshank the best of it. Otherwise hobby and a small push of wheatear through.

📢 Nominate for a BOU Award Godman Salvin Prize - awarded by BOU Council to an individual as a signal honour for distinguished ornithological work bou.org.uk/about-the... Deadline: 15 September #ornithology 🪶

New paper in @bou.org.uk's Ibis: there is still no comprehensive database of bird type specimens. Many major collections have no published type catalogue at all. Where they exist, they're often print-only, partial, or decades out of date. 🧵

I've made some small edits to the UKBirding feed - just to tighten its signal-to-noise ratio. Let me know what its missing. 📡

Juvenile twite in the Pennines. #birds #birding #wildlife #nature #photography #PhotographersOfBluesky @j-dunning.net @yorkswildlife.bsky.social

Despite slow migration over, Aust finally delivered migrants on the ground this morning, including Willow and Garden Warbler, Common and Lesser Whitethroat, Redstart and Tree Pipit (+15 over).

Adult twite with two fledglings in the Pennines today. These lovely finches are just about clinging on here, so it's good to see a pair raising a second brood. #ThePhotoHour #birds #birding #wildlife #nature #photography #PhotographersOfBluesky @yorkswildlife.bsky.social @j-dunning.net

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Well I wasn't expecting this on my front lawn/driveway tonight. A juvenile Puffin. Number 171 for my house list. Will be released at Weston super Mare at midnight.

Last few days to submit abstracts for BOU:Avian Disease Ecology Conference in April, should be really interesting few days -- bou.org.uk/event/avian-... 🧪🪶

Really nice research on a familiar to system to all of us - pigeons in buildings.

So the #Badock'sWood sparrowhawks that I've been following branched 3 days ago and fledged yesterday. Their development is so fast - from the left 7th, 10th, 14th (today's male). The adult female has clearly lost weight during the process - pics showing today and 7 May #ukbirding #birds

A few blowy days on steep holm for gull monitoring and planning habitat work for the Autumn. Good year for LB and HG (~150 ringed), GB recovering. Cormorant also having a good year. Storm petrel, fulmar and mistle thrush island ticks for me (and firsts for a long time)

Coastal ringers, I am after a good storm petrel tape for a survey. Can anybody recommend one?

The skyline has changed and my favourite pub is an Italian restaurant now but there are still black redstart singing in Manchester City centre - two in same places they bred 15 years ago.

🔈 NOMINATIONS OPEN Know someone in #ornithology deserving of recognition? Nominate them for a BOU award now! 🪶 🥇 Godman Salvin Prize 🥇 Alfred Newton Lecture 🥇 Janet Kear Union Medal 🥇 Early Professional Award Deadline: 15 September 2026 Nominate: bou.org.uk/about-the... 🪶

A visit up to Pico do Ariero on Madeira last light for Zino’s Petrel. Stunning scenery

Great to see juvenile Twite in the Pennines. These lovely finches are just about clinging on here, so fledglings are precious. #ThePhotoHour #birds #birding #wildlife #nature #photography #PhotographersOfBluesky @j-dunning.net @rspb.bsky.social @yorkswildlife.bsky.social

Barn owl seem to be having an excellent year - this evening we ringed 23 chicks in four boxes, including two broods of 7 and all at good weight.

Seabirds galore at Severn Beach! 250+ Manx Shearwater, Great Northern Diver, Bonxie, Arctic Skua, Fulmar, 2 Storm Petrel, 2 Common Scoter and 4 Kittiwake this morning. Dark phase Arctic Skua, 2 Guillemot, 5 Common Tern and 2 Kitts last night @andy-1963.bsky.social @severnsidebirds.bsky.social

Not a sentence I’d expected to read when I got up this morning. Remarkable finding!

Our (Jenny Dunn, Carolina Chagas, @willjsmith.bsky.social) paper on the evolution of island Wrens is finally out @evojlinnsoc.bsky.social! We describe the evolution of island gigantism in the St Kilda and Shetland subspecies. academic.oup.com/evolinnean/a...

Look at the facial (rictal) bristles on this Icterine warbler (which had hit a window in Lecce, Italy). These are generally associated with low-light foraging, including in nocturnal migrants like this one. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Great to see Rufus here, and posting about his exciting work locally.

Sea-watch over the Adriatic Sea from Puglia, Italy this morning, in a decent onshore wind, delivered three Eleonora's Falcon moving NW up the coast and briefly harrying a house martin over the water - a dream for me. No photos, but here's some of the constant line of Scopoli's.