Steve Blain

What a great morning on the Pinnacle! Woodlark, Hawfinch, Goosander, 4 Pintail, 100 Wigeon, 7 Snipe, 59 Golden Plover, 183 Lapwings, 3 or 4 Great White Egrets, 2 Ouzels, 150 Jackdaws, 30 Bramblings, 155 Fieldfares, 20,500 Redwings but frustratingly missed 3 Spoonbills over high #vismig #BedsBirding

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67 species in total, full list on BirdTrack: The Pinnacle, Sand Hills on 18/10/2026, 06:57 - 13:38. View my #BirdTrack list: app.bto.org/birdtrack/pu...

The switch to northerlies turned on the birds this morning. Over 8100 Redwings, 340 Fieldfares, 288 Chaffinches, 34 Bramblings, a Woodlark and a variety of other migrants went over the Pinnacle, Sandy. Perhaps more of the same tomorrow. #vismig #BedsBirding

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The list from @birdtrack.bsky.social The Pinnacle, Sand Hills on 17/10/2026, 06:57 - 11:02. View my #BirdTrack list: app.bto.org/birdtrack/pu...

19 Sept

Beds 1st Lesser Yellowlegs appeared in front of me at Broom South Quarry this morning. LONG overdue and much anticipated, it flew off and disappeared for an hour and a half before returning and showed nicely this afternoon. Added Med Gull and my annual Beds Osprey this evening made it a decent day!

5 May

Well that livened up a dull bank holiday Monday! Nothing quite like finding a local mega on your patch. Amazing to see so many familiar faces come and go. Another splendid evening at Broom GP. Kentish Plover, 4th May 2026 #BedsBiding

5 May

Had even better views this evening.

Steve Blain reposted

Mark Avery

@markavery.bsky.social

9 Nov 2025

Sunday book review: The Birds of Bedfordshire by Tony Ploszajski Review: markavery.info/2025/11/09/s... Publisher: Beds Nat Hist Soc 'Excellent' The last Northants avifauna is 130 years out of date... #bedfordshire #birds @wildlifebcn.org #Sandy #TheLodge @rspb.bsky.social @steveblain.bsky.social

news.mongabay.comUK fish stocks in trouble as catch limits exceed scientific advice: ReportNearly half of the United Kingdom’s most commercially valuable fish populations are either overexploited, critically low or both, according to a new report warning that the government continues to…

9 Nov 2025

Lesser Scaup finally falls. Bedfordshire’s first today at Broom GP. Nice to have another Beds first on the local patch. Well done Matt Burgess for the find on his @webs-gsmp.bsky.social count. #BedsBirding

Steve Blain reposted

Mongabay

@mongabay.com

1 Nov 2025

Nearly half of the United Kingdom’s most commercially valuable fish populations are either overexploited, critically low or both, according to a new report warning that the government continues to set catch limits above scientific advice.

A day in north Norfolk yesterday with Matt Burgess and @agrimsey.bsky.social . And what a day! We started at South Wootton for the Lesser Yellowlegs in its bizarre location on the edge of a new housing estate.

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We headed back along the coast path towards the car only to stop near the bench for a scan over the saltmarsh. Andy picked up the Glossy Ibis flying around but while we were chatting a warbler started tacking in the hedge behind us.

We then followed the calling bird along the hedgerow for over 100m piecing together the bird from snatched views often on the ground. It was a Dusky! A fitting end to a brilliant day. And I see the Hume's has been confirmed this morning, well done @jamesrmccallum1.bsky.social!

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No sooner had we got on to the coast path when a Red-throated Pipit went over calling! We then had it three more times before losing it near Garden Drove. Unfortunately only seen in flight but at least we had the recording gear running.

We then spent some time looking for the Yellow-brows at Garden Drove. A lovely Firecrest showed nicely here too. After a while @jamesrmccallum1.bsky.social popped up and said he'd got an interesting warbler which was calling like a Hume's. We all got on to it but the light was already going.

Some vismig at Hunstanton with @sconebirding.bsky.social and @norfolkbirding.bsky.social produced some good passage with lots of Chaffinches heading north, unusually. A walk to the beach at Holme produced a ringtail Hen Harrier over and plenty of Blackbirds and Robins for company.

An amble along Gypsy Lane near Titchwell got us a flyover Woodlark and Crossbill but the sea was rather quiet. We then spent all afternoon wandering from North Point Pools to Warham Greens and back. Here's where it got really interesting.

This gave me a shock last night at Broom GP. Superficially an Azorean Gull (hate the name Azores Gull!). However despite the hooded appearance, dark blue-grey mantle, stocky appearance, and mucky bill it didn’t quite stand up to scrutiny.

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Unfortunately I didn’t get a view or any video of the upper wing so couldn’t check for other things like any black on P4. If the only view you had of this bird was at distance in a roost it would certainly look the part and pique interest. It is certainly unusual. I wonder where it’s from?

#BedfordshireBirding

On reviewing the video the head streaking wasn’t dense enough and looked rather sparse around the lores and forehead, with the fine streaking also going down the nape. Also the amount of black on P8 didn’t make it to the edge of the primary coverts.

Steve Blain reposted

Dr Adrian Colston

@dartmoorac.bsky.social

27 Sept 2025

St Agnes today - pale / albino / leucistic Rock Pipit on Periglis and and a cracking Wheatear on Wingletang

24 Sept 2025

The first Redwings of the autumn dashed west over the Pinnacle this morning. Just five but it’s a start. Looking forward to more. #vismig #BedsBirding

chatterstanes.wordpress.comBirding with Hearing AidsA startling proportion of the UK population suffers from hearing loss, with the Royal National Institute for the Deaf (RNID) indicating that one in five adults are deaf, have hearing loss or suffer…

2 Sept 2025

I think a lot of birders need to read this!

Jared Wilson@wilsonjaredm.bsky.social

I wrote this short note on birding with hearing aids and thought I’d post the link here in case of interest/relevance to some birders out there #birding #birdingScotland #birdingUK chatterstanes.wordpress.com/2025/09/01/b...

Steve Blain reposted

Abigail Lowe

@abigaillowe.bsky.social

7 Aug 2025

Do you do moth trapping in the UK? We'd love your help! 💡 At @ukceh.bsky.social we're training & testing AI to detect multiple moths in a single image. Send us top-down photos of multiple moths on egg trays to support this work. More info & form: forms.gle/e3HzBPEd7RVV... #mothsmatter #TeamMoth

26 Aug 2025

You can’t beat a Dotterel. It’s even better when there are four of ‘em. Today at Nanjizal #CornwallBirding

@penrhynbirder.bsky.social

22 Apr 2025

@astrokev.bsky.social Hi Kevin, would you mind following me so I can PM you about a photo I believe you took a few years ago of a melanistic Montagu’s Harrier near Broom in Bedfordshire? Many thanks, Steve

Steve Blain reposted

Julian Hughes

3 Apr 2025

How many people contribute records to county and local bird reports in Wales? How much data do those county recorders manage and through which channels? How wide is the coverage? More detail in Alt Text. Number-wrangling while I'm writing the @birdsinwales.bsky.social 2024 report. #BirdingWales

11 Mar 2025

Have done a couple of Woodlark surveys in the last couple of days in Bedfordshire. No Woodlarks or Dartfords but habitats have been decent and the weather lovely. Bumped in to a few Woodcocks including four this morning at the Lodge. @btobirds.bsky.social @rspb.bsky.social

8 Mar 2025

Pleased to find a pair of vocal Marsh Tits in my local woods this morning. #BedsBirding

Steve Blain reposted

Ian Hayes

@ianhayes.bsky.social

19 Feb 2025

"Interesting" Magpie at Perranuthnoe on Monday. Picture courtesy of @paganbirder.bsky.social

3 Jan 2025

A short visit to GLE this afternoon, with 36 Pochards, the long-staying Goldeneye and around 100 Greenfinches roosting in a roadside bramble. Then 11 Woodcocks heading in to the arable at dusk nearby #BedsBirding #ukbirdinf