Mark James Pearson

A last word on Spurn last week: northernrustic.blogspot.com/2026/10/spur... @spurnbirdobs.bsky.social @rarebirder.bsky.social @birdguides.bsky.social

In light of the fact I'm presently conducting bird surveys in the pissing rain on the industrial Humber all day today, here's a reminder of how beautiful it was pre-sunrise from our place in York just as I hit the road. #livingthedream

Just back from another wonderful week guiding at @spurnbirdobs.bsky.social. While many frantically chased rarities, we lapped up migration all around us, and enjoyed whatever the universe chose to present us with. Details here: northernrustic.blogspot.com/2026/10/spur... @rarebirder.bsky.social

Day 1 of 5 of guiding here at the mighty @spurnbirdobs.bsky.social, and instead of tearing around twitching (not my style) we wandered around finding our own birds - and hence our bird of the day was this gorgeous Bluethroat. @nybirdnews.bsky.social @yorkscoastnature.bsky.social

Ten hours of migration joy on the clifftop at Filey today - many, many highlights, but three Short-eared Owls and this beautiful Long-eared Owl battling in over the North Sea stole the show... more here: northernrustic.blogspot.com/2026/10/asio... @nybirdnews.bsky.social @rarebirder.bsky.social

Close-up Great, swirls of Sooty & many Manx Shearwaters, Leach's and Euro Storm-petrels, displaying Goshawks, Golden & White-tailed Eagles, Merlins, Hen Harriers, Pomarine, Great & Arctic Skuas.... a few of the highlights from our recent School of Birding: northernrustic.blogspot.com/2026/10/scho...

A beautiful morning to lead our regular walk for the brilliant @rspbbemptoncliffs.bsky.social volunteer team - lots of migration to enjoy (including incoming Whooper Swans 😍) and a great turn out! It's a small thank you for all the great work they do - give them some love next time you visit!

A few weeks ago, we delivered our first School of Birding 'Deep Dives', focusing on the identification of raptors and seabirds. It was a blast! More here: northernrustic.blogspot.com/2026/10/scho... A couple of places now available for our February School - see here: www.schoolofbirding.com

Incoming! Just back from guiding at @flamboroughbird.bsky.social for @yorkscoastnature.bsky.social this last week - more here: northernrustic.blogspot.com/2026/10/flam... (Pics - Redwing, Song Thrush, Bramblings, Barnacle Geese) @nybirdnews.bsky.social

Back on home turf at Flamborough for a few days guiding - checked the gulls at dusk, which included Caspian and Mediterranean - but it was the North Sea that really stole the show..... @flamboroughbird.bsky.social @nybirdnews.bsky.social

Spurn, you were a joy as ever... full summary of last week's guiding: northernrustic.blogspot.com/2026/10/spur... @nybirdnews.bsky.social @rarebirder.bsky.social @yorkscoastnature.bsky.social @nybirdnews.bsky.social (pic - Eyebrowed Thrush)

So, the day after the inbound Song Thrush invasion, I got to witness the outbound exodus, in a very different location: northernrustic.blogspot.com/2026/10/a-we... (pics - Golden Plovers, Song Thrush) @nybirdnews.bsky.social @yorkscoastnature.bsky.social

A huge influx of continental Song Thrushes at Filey the other day (plus Yellow-browed Warblers, Ring Ouzel, Lapland Buntings and more): northernrustic.blogspot.com/2026/10/a-we... @nybirdnews.bsky.social @yorkscoastnature.bsky.social

The joy of migration - six seconds, six Song Thrushes, arriving in off at Filey yesterday... There were plenty more, too - full details here: northernrustic.blogspot.com/2026/10/a-we... @nybirdnews.bsky.social

A day of wildfowl and passerines on the move along the mighty Humber: northernrustic.blogspot.com/2026/09/nort...

Lovely seawatch at Eyemouth this morning with highlights including two Pomarine, one Great and eight Arctic Skuas, nine Little Gulls, Sooty and Manx Shearwaters, Ruff south, plenty of noisy, high Pink-footed Geese south, and a constant stream of Meadow Pipits coasting south. Now, to the Highlands!

A busy, birdy work day on the industrial south bank of the mighty Humber - migrants were very welcome (as always): northernrustic.blogspot.com/2026/09/migr... Pics - Cetti's Warbler, Reed Warbler, Common Buzzard, Black-tailed Godwits @lincsbirding.bsky.social @lincswildlife.bsky.social

A fabulous day on the boat out of Staithes, North Yorks, with Minke Whales stealing the show: northernrustic.blogspot.com/2026/09/back...

It wasn't just whales - plenty of tubenoses to enjoy on our boat trip out of Gloucester, Mass, including 325 (!) Wilson's Sorm-petrels... more here: northernrustic.blogspot.com/2026/09/tube... #seabirds #petrels #whalewatch #pelagic #massachusetts

The weather scuppered my planned pelagics off Yorkshire today, so I'm consoling us with more of the Humpbacks off Massachusetts a couple of weeks ago: northernrustic.blogspot.com/2026/09/hump...

Photos and videos of an insanely entertaining whale-watching trip out of Gloucester, Massachusetts a couple of weeks back: northernrustic.blogspot.com/2026/09/hump... Thanks Neddy for great pics! #whalewatching #humpback #masswildlife #cetaceans #stellwagenbank

A quick one from Sharon, Connecticut, where - not unusually, most of the wildlife highlights were a) non-avian and b) during local runs... more here: northernrustic.blogspot.com/2026/08/shar...

More from the shore: an Osprey nest at ground level on the rocks and more, here: northernrustic.blogspot.com/2026/08/on-r...

More from the shore - migrating shorebirds offshore from Maine, plus other goodies: northernrustic.blogspot.com/2026/08/on-r... (Pics - Least and Semipalmated Sandpipers)

From our time in Maine: a trip out to Damariscove Island with Bob and co, with Wilson's Storm-petrels and more on the way there and back: northernrustic.blogspot.com/2026/08/dama...

More from Maine - Common Loons and sparring Bald Eagles at our local swimming hole: northernrustic.blogspot.com/2026/08/loon...

Recent taxonomic revisions have shown Ospreys are actually more closely related to Muppets than they are to other raptors, a revelation not hard to accept on morphological evidence such as the photo below. More here: northernrustic.blogspot.com/2026/08/dama...

Osprey Code, rule one - don't shit on your own doorstep. This well-grown young 'un is taking one of its last dookies under the folk's roof before migrating to Central / South America for the first time. More here: northernrustic.blogspot.com/2026/08/dama...

A fine week in Maine with great people, birds, animals and landscapes: northernrustic.blogspot.com/2026/08/main... (Pics: Eastern Bluebird, Broad-winged Hawk, Monarch)

Night all. 😴 Episode 170 - Night murmuring in Tenby (60 mins) This is an hour-long, *sleep safe* episode. Let the sound of the wind in the trees lull you to sleep. > radiolento.podbean.com/e/170-night-... <

Just back from our family trip to Vermont, where a few birding sessions were inevitably sneaked in: northernrustic.blogspot.com/2026/07/jama... (Pics: Northern Yellow Warbler, Hermit Thrush, Chestnut-sidedc Warbler, American Red Squirrel)

Oh what a lovely #BirdFair! Good times repping @yorkscoastnature.bsky.social and #Zeissbirding and catching up with lots of lovely people... @globalbirdfair.bsky.social

A huge thank you to everone who donated - three and a half grand for Leeds Swifts! That's more than three years worth of rescue and rehab costs, plus leftovers for boxes at local schools and more. No more half-marathons for the foreseeable 🚑🐢

More breeding wader drama on my industrial survey site on the south bank of the Humber - against all odds, Ringed Plovers have again nested in an area where it seemed all suitable habitat was lost. Also the first returning flocks of Avocets & Black-tailed Godwits as autumn migration begins....

Very happy to have cashed in on the Quail influx on my #York #nocmig - two the night before last, and another two last night! Full counts at trektellen.org/count/view/3... @xeno-canto.bsky.social @trektellen.bsky.social @nybirdnews.bsky.social

Ok, one last push... with less than 48 hrs til the race, I'm just a few 100 quid shy of 3K - that's THREE YEARS of funds covering all Leeds Swifts rescue, rehab & release costs with enough left for Swift boxes at local Schools! It takes less than a minute: www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding...

Swift fundraising update! With less than a week to go, we've revised the target up to £2500 - and we're not far off! Any chance you could help me get there? Donate here: www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding... For a full update have a look here: northernrustic.blogspot.com/.../running-....

A flurry of Common Quails have been picked up by my Flamborough recorder this week - three (!) in the early hours of 10th, and one on 6th - a joy to hear those distinctive rasps and whips recorded as they migrated overhead in the dead of night. More here: trektellen.org/count/view/2...

A long but enjoyable day on the South bank of the Humber: northernrustic.blogspot.com/2026/06/nort... @lincsbirding.bsky.social @lincswildlife.bsky.social

Big dramas with small fluffballs - more here: northernrustic.blogspot.com/2026/06/indu... #Lapwings #Springwatch #Lincsbirds

A real highlight of our last School of Birding was making it to the near-summit of Cairn Gorm, where we were hoping for Dotterel, Ptarmigan, Ring Ouzel and more.... how did we fare? Find out here: northernrustic.blogspot.com/2026/06/cair... #highlands #scotsbirding #cairngorm #birdingscotland

Our new blog on Yorkshire Coast Nature is a wonderfully written feature by @markthebirder.bsky.social on his personal challenge to help Swifts. Please use this link below to read his blog and help him reach his goal: www.yorkshirecoastnature.co.uk/blog/567/swi...

Catch-up time... a summary of a memorable and hugely enjoyable School of Birding last month, with a great many highlights and memories! northernrustic.blogspot.com/2026/06/scho... We're all sold out for 2026, but our 2027 dates are now available and selling fast: www.schoolofbirding.com

Up in Northumberland on a family break but the training continues... A few runs including this hilly 15km. Nothing hurts and nothing fell off - so far, so good. I'm doing it for the fantastic volunteer team at Leeds Swifts - can you spare a few quid? Click here: www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding...

Up in Northumberland on a family break but the training continues... A few runs including this hilly 15km. Nothing hurts and nothing fell off - so far, so good. I'm doing it for the fantastic volunteer team at Leeds Swifts - can you spare a few quid? Click here: www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding...

Please share! I've left it late, but I've decided to run the East Yorks Half-marathon in 4 weeks' time to raise money for Leeds Swifts. Can you get my lazy arse over the line, and help them save the quintessential sight, sound and spectacle of the summer? THANK YOU! Donate here: tinyurl.com/36akubft

Please share! I've left it late, but I've decided to run the East Yorks Half-marathon in 4 weeks' time to raise money for Leeds Swifts. Can you get my lazy arse over the line, and help them save the quintessential sight, sound and spectacle of the summer? THANK YOU! Donate here: tinyurl.com/36akubft

Plenty more to enjoy at Eyemouth yesterday morning (not just the Honey-buzzard): northernrustic.blogspot.com/2026/05/eyem... (photos - Peregrine, female Stonechat)