Matt Hobbs

Totals: Pendeen 7 to 15:45 1 Leach’s Petrel 22 Euro Stormy 2 GND 22 Sooty 165 Manx 7 Golden Plover 37 Grey Phal 9 Bonxie 24 Arctic Skua 2 Long-tailed Skua both juvs dark and blonde 4 Little Gull 5 C. Scoter 2 Arctic Tern 1 Purple Sand With MTE. PM, MMcK SR, RV, GL, BKM, JH-D, et al.

Great views of great birds on Scilly last week: sora, Isabelline shrike, Wilson's snipe and red-eyed vireo.

I won't apologise for posting a few more shots of my favourite bird of the year - Desert Wheatear at Whitburn #Durham, especially when one features a rarely captured #poopshot #ukbirding #birds 💩

Sat out the rain early afternoon and then popped in to Long Nab to see these two Snow Bunting feeding along the #ClevelandWay Gorgeous as ever and also enjoyed by two hikers who stopped to avoid spoiling my photos ♥️ #ukbirding #birds

Brilliant morning today at Flamborough/Bempton - Rufous-tailed Robin, Pallas's Warbler, Richard's Pipit, Ring Ouzel, Firecrest, blythi type Lesser Whitethroat, 16 White-fronted (ESE at 0930)+ 3 Tundra Bean. Only managed photos of the geese 🤔 🙄 #ukbirding #birds @birdguides.bsky.social

A juvenile Spotted Sandpiper in the dying light of the day at Nostell Priory on Friday, on my way up to a week on the Yorkshire coast #ukbirding #birds #naturephotography #nikon

This event includes a short film of me opening two moth traps with Ray explaining the process of moth trapping including running traps, identifying/recording moths. It was shot in my garden in July. Here's a little teaser - please come and watch at 9.30 @jameslowenwild.bsky.social #teammoth #moths

After the Desert Wheatear love-in there was no choice but to go for the Wheatear double. Isabelline Bolt dashing around next to #Redcar Strays just before Storm Boelo hit. Awesome 😍 #ukbirding #birds

Honestly being alone with this Desert Wheatear on Whitburn Beach #Durham at sunrise this morning was a highlight of my life #ukbirding #birds ♥️ @birdguides.bsky.social

1st winter Isabelline/Red-tailed Shrike today at Holmpton #EastYorkshire A lovely bird catching wasps/bees from a roadside hedgerow #ukbirding #birds

The end of a brilliant day of #filthytwitching w/ Dusky Warbler, Black Redstart, Ring Ouzel, White-fronted Goose at Spurn and Isabelline (sp.) Shrike at Holmpton followed by Pallas's at Bempton - I left the best till last. Stunned that it took me 10 mins to get this view - others waited 3+ hours 😎😍

(2/4) Most interesting of all, regarding #marine #ornithology, a South Polar #skua and a brown booby! Both species are rarities in #Ireland @irishbirds.bsky.social @theseabirdgroup.bsky.social @seabirdcentre.bsky.social @smp-seabirds.bsky.social

10 years ago, South Polar Skua kleptoparasitising Brown Booby off Ireland would have been the standout annual record from NW European seabirding.... things are changing fast...

Dusk on the sea wall at Titchwell...sights & sounds...hundreds of Pinkfeet passing over - their calls trailing into the distance...Starling murmuration overhead, photos of details, incredible co-ordinated flight shapes...sound of air through wing feathers...mesmerising. #UKBirding #birds

From my last moth trap (16th) a delayed post but one that has to be sent, as it features my first ever #Bristol garden Merveille de Jour (aka Merv). Long have I waited 🧐 ... Also some beautifully fresh (home-grown?) migrants - Silver Y, Olive Tree Pearl (vitrealis) and Turnip #teammoth #moths

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

Still the finest birding service station in the UK

Fantastic #vismig from Aust today with @oscardewhurst.bsky.social @severnsidebirds.bsky.social Site record 23145 Redwing 😍 about 1/2 in the first hour + Ring Ouzel, Hawfinch, Yellowhammer, 368 Fieldfare, 920 Chaffinch, 1622 Starling, 2 Bullfinch, 2 Redpoll etc. www.trektellen.org/count/view/5...

West Bay migration 29 species, record lark day: Skylark 4291, Wood Lark 35. Also Short-eared Owl, 2 Marsh Harrier, 2 Red Kite, Golden Plover, 4 Corn Bunting, 1378 Chaffinch, GS Wood, Water/>Rock Pipit, 4900 Woodpigeon, 442 Linnet, 113 Goldfinch, 5 Swallow, 3 Yellowhammer, 13 Reed Bunting, 25 Siskin

Zelensky: "When our strikes reached Yandex’s data centers, it suddenly became a little easier to breathe on many social media platforms. A lot of people noticed it. There was less hate, less division, and fewer provocations... It’s pretty clear where those bots were coming from."

Another new moth for me today in the #Bristol garden and another to add to the much anticipated previously rare migrant/colonist list - Clancy's Rustic - 16 sp. including a very fresh Feathered Thorn, vitrealis, 2 Turnip, Angle Shades, Rush Veneer, 3 RDP #teammoth #moths @migrantmothuk.bsky.social

Sora trapped this morning at Porthellick !! We were 5 mins away #Scilly #ukbirding #birds

Apart from Fin Whales the undoubted highlight of the #Scilly pelagic today was the incredible sight of at least 180 Grey Phalaropes in groups of up to 35 scattered across the sea. Just stunning 😳 With @aravindramesh19.bsky.social @matthall95.bsky.social @oscardewhurst.bsky.social #ukbirding #birds

Also seen from the Bishop Rock #Scilly pelagic today at least 600 Cory's Shearwater in rafts close inshore with @aravindramesh19.bsky.social @matthall95.bsky.social @oscardewhurst.bsky.social #ukbirding #birds

Today an extraordinary pelagic around Bishop Rock #Scilly. Staying close inshore the highlight was 2 Fin Whale surface feeding - on a (Herring?) bait ball with 100s Gannets, c100 Common Dolphin and 2 Minke Whale w/ @matthall95.bsky.social @aravindramesh19.bsky.social @oscardewhurst.bsky.social

What a day on Scilly🤯. Feeding frenzy of Fin Whale, Minke + 100 C Dolphin. Then 180(!) Grey Phalarope, 600 Cory's Shear, 2 Bonxie, ringtail Harrier sp, Glossy Ibis, Red-backed Shrike, 2 YBW + point blank Sora at dusk @oscardewhurst.bsky.social @aravindramesh19.bsky.social @migrationmatt.bsky.social

First thing yesterday walking up to the airport with @aravindramesh19.bsky.social talking about how we should check the starlings at Old Town. Then this appeared with the first starlings we saw. Birders spend most of their time talking about this stuff and occasionally it happens 😀 #ukbirding #birds

Western Bonelli's Warbler St. Martins #Scilly today with @aravindramesh19.bsky.social @matthall95.bsky.social @oscardewhurst.bsky.social #ukbirding #birds

#Scilly magic - Short-toed lark and Lapland Bunting hanging out at Penninis, St. Mary's yesterday with @aravindramesh19.bsky.social @matthall95.bsky.social @oscardewhurst.bsky.social #ukbirding #birds

A Brilliant day birding with @andy-1963.bsky.social! Started early at Lodmoor RSPB and had the Spotted Crake✅️! Plus Water Rail, Bearded tits and marsh harrier! Then to Morden bog where we had singing woodlark✅️! And Dartford Warblers! Last we stopped at RSBP Winterboune to see Stone Curlew, another✅️

An amazing start to our now annual week on Scilly. Sora at Porthellick right in front of the hide 😍 with @matthall95.bsky.social @aravindramesh19.bsky.social and @oscardewhurst.bsky.social #Scilly #ukbirding #birds @birdguides.bsky.social

Nice trap last night in #Bristol 27sp. Two long-awaited NFG Scarce Bordered Straw and Gem - both quite fresh. Also L-album, Angle Shades, Vestal, 7 Turnip, 11 Rush Veneer, RDP of the migrants. I tend to do well in rain as my trap is under cover #teammoth #moths @migrantmothuk.bsky.social

From an otherwise unremarkable trap today came a remarkable 7 Vestal in #Bristol All were this pink-flushed form (6/7 in pics) that are more common this year but I've not caught before - apparently the flushing caused by pupal stage heat. Where are they coming from? @migrantmothuk.bsky.social #moths

"Burnham’s buckling on this issue... has immense implications for democracy, for policy formation and for every other aspect of civic life. What it means is that the ultra-rich will continue to own our politics and our country... Get this wrong and every other wrong thing follows."👇

"Despite the UK's best efforts" it will require gas..."primarily to heat hard-to-electrify homes (...)" "Best efforts" have been pitiful in this respect: we're worse than most other European countries for heat pump adoption, with confusing info/policies, new-builds haven't required roof solar, etc.

The Small Brindled Tortrix Gysonoma minutana I caught today had already been caught by a Zebra Spider - which I've not seen before at a moth trap. The moth is still pretty scarce in Avon after the first record in 2010 so I rescued it - sorry Zebra Spider !! #moths

The last two (I promise ...) of the beautiful Long-tailed Shrike in the evening sun yesterday 🥰 #birds #ukbirding #wildlifephotography

And some perched shots of the Long-tailed Shrike in #Gloucs yesterday. One of the best birds I've seen - just beautiful #birds #ukbirding #wildlifephotography

A couple more of the Long-tailed Shrike in #Gloucs yesterday. This time in flight and taking off #birds #ukbirding #wildlifephotography @birdguides.bsky.social

Paid a visit to the Long-tailed Shrike yesterday after my wife decided to visit a friend in Swindon. What a stunning bird - an absolute joy to watch 😍 Completely unconcerned by the small group watching it and flying down to feed on insects feet away #ukbirding #birds #wildlifephotography

This does need saying again and again. Any discussion about land use and food security that doesn’t start with ‘please consider eating a little less meat’ is fundamentally unserious.

A few nice moths from 3 mornings trapping in my garden in #Henleaze #Bristol last week - including two overdue lifers for me - Sallow Kitten and Beet Moth and a NFG - Cydia amplana #moths diversity was between 42 and 50 sp. per night