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Andy Close

@birds-and-me.bsky.social
667 followers 665 following 801 posts

ADHD birder, hubby and daddy. Just trying to find my way in an upside down world. I love birds and the peace they bring. Coastal patch at Seaburn and Whitburn but my birding heart rests in Fair Isle. 🌍💚🇪🇺

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Reposted by Andy Close
RSPB Scotland @rspbscotland.bsky.social · 13h
Are you passionate about conservation and currently enrolled in a UK-based MSc or PhD programme? If so, we’d love to hear from you! You can have browse through our research opportunities for 2027 here: www.rspb.org.uk/helping-natu...
A photograph of a Crested Tit perched on a branched covered in lichen
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Calum Scott @aberladybirder.bsky.social · 11h
Completed my Yank passerine hat-trick on Barra today (REV & Swainson’s Thrush the other 2), this Blackpoll Warbler not only a Scottish tick, but a Barra & find as well! Hopefully not too long a wait for my 4th American passerine! #Barrabirders #Barraboys #BirdingScotland
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Bruce Taylor @barrabirder.bsky.social · 15h
Blackpoll Warbler at Glen today, a good find by Calum Scott and only the second record for Barra, a day short of a year since the first record. #BirdingScotland #RareBirdsUK
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Andy Close @birds-and-me.bsky.social · 19h
May the birding God’s be forever in our favour 🙏🏻😬 #UKBirding
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Oriole Birding @oriolebirding.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
A blog post about the discovery of a Eurasian Scops Owl on our recent trip to Orkney is now on the website here 👇🏻 www.oriolebirding.com/birding-diar... #UKBirding
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Portland Bird Observatory @portlandbirdobs.bsky.social · 15/10/2026
www.portlandbirdobs.com/2026/10/14th-october.html
portlandbirdobs.com
14th October
Plenty of movement afoot today although the majority of it concerned overhead passage and grounded arrivals were decidedly fewer than might ...
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markwright12002.bsky.social @markwright12002.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
White-tailed Eagle and Otters Isle of Mull, Scotland
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Neil @uk-wildlife.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
Back in 2022 I tried to see every species of Dragon and Damselfly in the UK. And I filmed as I went, which you can now watch as a 2hr documentary here: youtu.be/mPtxZId1YSU
youtu.be
Dragonfly Tour - full nature documentary
YouTube video by Pond Lab
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Andy Close @birds-and-me.bsky.social · 19h
Heads up 😝 #UKBirding
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Richard D. Gregory @richgreg3.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
‘Shocking and sobering’: UK bird populations fall to lowest level on record Nearly 1/2 of species are in decline, with farmland birds and seabirds the worst hit, conservation bodies say @jncc.bsky.social @rspb.bsky.social @btobirds.bsky.social ⬇️⬇️🐦 www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
‘Shocking and sobering’: UK bird populations fall to lowest level on record
Nearly half of species are in decline, with farmland birds and seabirds the worst hit, conservation bodies say
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Breeding Bird Surveys (BBS) @bbs-birds.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
(1/) For the next few weeks, we will be sharing stories from some of our intrepid Upland Rovers volunteers. Simon Cunningham shares his experiences of surveying three squares on Jura in the Inner Hebrides: www.bto.org/get-involved... @btobirds.bsky.social @btoscotland.bsky.social #Ornithology
A Red-throated Diver is shown. It is a sleak grey bird, with a red throat. It is feeding on the water.
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Andy Close @birds-and-me.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
🥰👇🏻
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Darren Archer @dunnock67.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
Ok if you haven’t got this duo then you may be interested in Princeton’s 70% off sale
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British Birds @britishbirds.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
More than half of the world’s migratory bird species are declining, according to the first comprehensive global assessment of their status, threats and conservation needs. Read more: britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti... 📸David Tipling 🔑Subscriber Content
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RSPB Science @rspbscience.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
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...
Notes for Figure 1.1:

- The indicators are based on the aggregated population trends of 132 species of breeding birds in the UK and 118 species in England
- The smoothed trends with their 95% confidence intervals, which provide a measure of uncertainty, are represented by the lines and shaded areas for UK and England.
- The five-year assessment period over which short-term change in the indicator is calculated is signified by the grey box. For this indicator, it spans the time period 2020 to 2025.
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Ian Andrews @ijandrews.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
13 Oct. Fair Isle day 8. Another breezy day with few new arrivals. A day for photographing birds and the sea.
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Andy Close @birds-and-me.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
Nutcracker sightings from Netherlands these last days. Surely there must be an arrival soon. 😬🙏🏻
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BirdGuides @birdguides.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
Blackbirds have been recorded catching live fish to feed their young, with observations from across Europe suggesting the behaviour may be more widespread than previously recognised:
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Blackbirds recorded catching fish to feed their young
Unusual behaviour documented in several European countries suggests Common Blackbirds can exploit fish as an alternative food source when terrestrial prey is scarce.
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Andy Close @birds-and-me.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
My first proper patch workout on Sunday since returning from Fair Isle. Whitburn Steel- Golden Plover 1, Bar-tailed Godwit 8, Grey Plover 2, Dunlin 18, Oystercatcher 1, Redshank 6, Ringed Plover 2, Pied Wagtail 7, Reed Bunting 1, Meadow Pipit 4 & Grey Heron 1. #NEBirding #UKBirding
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Brian Stretch @brianstretch.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
The first-winter female Snow Bunting was still favouring the summit of North Hill #MalvernHills this morning. Also an adult male Wheatear on North Hill, Brambling over Worcestershire Beacon and a few Redwings, Redpolls & Siskins through Happy Valley. #WorcsBirds
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Andrew Harrop @ahjharrop.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
Two tricky taxa from recent days in south Mainland. Stonechats should be resolvable, but Redpolls are an order of magnitude more complex. Simple summary: rutlandbutterflies.wordpress.com/2021/01/13/r... This one is a migrant ‘Mealy’ in old money. #BirdingScotland
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craigcthomas1.bsky.social @craigcthomas1.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
Finally, finally remembered to go birding with my eyes open and found something decent - ironically, not definitively knowing quite what! Stubbornly silent Bonelli's Warbler @flamboroughbird.bsky.social before it relocated to Old Fall.
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Helsinki Birder @helsinkibirder.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
Nuthatch. asiatica ssp. Sat down on the couch after dinner. "One last look at the feeder...JESUS!! 😱😍😍 There's been a huge influx of both ssp of Nuthatch this year & I was hoping for one in the garden. Result! Sp. 151 for the garden list. 😎 #birds #birding #birdwatching #finland #birdsseenin2026
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Alan Curry @yellowbrow.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
A few more of the epic Unst Pallas’s Gropper after the sun had slid behind the clouds. #UKbirding #Unst
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Andy Close @birds-and-me.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Patch workout- visit to Frenchman’s Bay, Marsden, for the Shorelark’s. Delightful wee birds. #NEBirding #UKBirding
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BirdGuides @birdguides.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
A Scottish Wildcat conservation project has reached the milestone of 50 releases into the Highlands, with the programme also recording breeding in the wild for a third consecutive year:
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Saving Wildcats celebrates 50 releases into Scottish Highlands
Conservation project reaches milestone as released females continue to produce kittens in the wild.
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Brendan Doe @laziobirder.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Some decent birding so far on Fair Isle. Finally got some pics of the Olive-backed Pipit keeping faithful to the Stoneybrek area @fairislebirdobs.bsky.social #UKbirding
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Nutcracker @nucifraga.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
#BirdingGear request (first time I've used this tag!) - looking to get something to transfer photos direct from my camera ('micro' socket, I'm told) to my phone ('lightning' socket). Anyone know where I can get this? Would prefer to avoid that ghastly company named after a South American river...
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MarcM381 @aquilabirding2.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
SCOPS OWL ‼️ Deerness, Orkney in the small woodland nth of the Aikerskaill Rd junction. 📷 photo by Oriole Birding.
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Dawn Balmer @debalmer.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Looking for surveyors (one per region) for the Yorkshire Dales and the Fens. And, after the advert going live, now require cover for South Suffolk/North Essex.
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British Birds @britishbirds.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Huge numbers of raptors funnel along Georgia’s Black Sea coast at Batumi. Over 1 million birds of prey can pass through in a season, making Batumi a spectacular focus for migration research and conservation. Read the latest news: britishbirds.co.uk/news/batumi-... 📸David Tipling
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Graham Appleton @wadertales.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Icelandic Golden Plovers are on the way! Many waders link Iceland and Ireland: wadertales.wordpress.com/2017/03/14/f... Some Golden Plovers from Iceland will make it as far as France and Portugal. @birdwatchireland.bsky.social Map from @tomasgunnarsson.bsky.social
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Doug Parr @dougparr.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Documents obtained by Freedom of Information requests show that parts of the 'simplification drive' have ended up closely reflecting the demands of fertiliser & chemical companies to roll back environmental & health safeguards Insects in EU have declined 75% in 3 decades www.ft.com/content/3c86...
ft.com
Chemical groups succeed in watering down EU pesticide rules
European Commission and leading MEPs side with industry demands for laxer standards
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Dungeness Bird Observatory @dungenessbirdobs.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Over 5000 Chaffinches in off so far today in wet conditions with lesser numbers of other common migrants arriving too. Counts to follow later. #kentbirding
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Prof. Eliot Jacobson @climatecasino.net · 06/10/2026
Breaking News! Code UFB!!! For the first time in recorded history, the Niño 3.4 sea-surface temperature (SST) is above 30.0°C, reaching a preliminary SST of 30.06°C on October 5th. The Niño 3.4 SST anomaly is now 3.41°C above the 1991-2020 baseline. Everything is not fine.
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Andy Close @birds-and-me.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
#UKBirding 👇🏻
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BirdGuides @birdguides.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Finland has recorded an exceptional influx of Yellow-browed Warblers this autumn:
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Record numbers of Yellow-browed Warblers in Finland
Some 190 Yellow-browed Warblers had been recorded in Finland by early September, following an unprecedented August influx.
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Damian Money @damianmoney.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
This Ringed Plover at Redcar yesterday was ringed 25/08/26 at Kviljosanden, Norway, 611km away @teesbirds.bsky.social @waderquest.bsky.social @nybirdnews.bsky.social @northyorksbirds.bsky.social
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Andy Close @birds-and-me.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
That’s it for Shetland and Fair Isle 2026. Timed beautifully with a switch in weather. Great birds, fantastic place and above all fabulous people. @kevinshetland.bsky.social thanks for everything, mate. Good numbers of passage migrants and impressive migration of Pink-footed Geese. #UKBirding
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Andy Close @birds-and-me.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
1. Fair Isle Day-6: my last morning on the Isle and having to leave early due to poor forecast. Newly arrived Olive-backed Pipit and Red-breasted Flycatcher highlights of a compressed mornings birding prior to flight to mainland. Brilliant few day birding. #UKBirding
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Andy Close @birds-and-me.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Fair Isle Day-5: a quiet day given birds had clearly moved on. Little Bunting remained at Shirva and Water Rail was newly arrived at Vailla’s Trees. A late Green Sandpiper at Meadow burn also a newly arrived Yellow-browed Warbler remained at Plantation. #UKBirding
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Fair Isle Bird Observatory @fairislebirdobs.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
The September Ranger Blog is available to read now to catch up on what Carla has been up to lately over at www.fairislebirdobs.co.uk/ranger_blog....!
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Andy Close @birds-and-me.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
1. Fair Isle Day-3 and Day-4: day three was a write-off due to poor conditions. Began day-4 the day with a wee twitch to North Light for the Short-toed Lark. Didn’t see it. But we did manage to find Lanceolated Warbler in the compound. Scenes. 📷 @kevinshetland.bsky.social #UKBirding
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Andy Close @birds-and-me.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Monster bird 🥰
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MarcM381 @aquilabirding2.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Another EYEBROWED THRUSH the West Cliffs, Fair Isle. 📷 photos by Luke Marriner.
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Andy Close @birds-and-me.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
1. Fair Isle Day 2: completely lashed by the wind today. Flag cracking Southeasterly from dawn until dusk. Birds arrived throughout the day but birding conditions were difficult. This the star bird found by Alex Penn @fairislebirdobs.bsky.social Photograph courtesy of Steve Arlow #UKBirding
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Andy Close @birds-and-me.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
1. Fair Isle Day 1: SSW and birding under clear skies. Birds were moving. We started the day with Common Rosefinch & Barred Warbler. By lunchtime a small increase in common migrants- Siskin, Willow Warblers, Blackcaps and Common Redstart and Black Redstart in the Raeva’s. #UKBirding #ScotlandBirding
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Batumi Raptor Count @batumiraptorcount.org · 27/09/2026
ONE. MILLION. RAPTORS. COUNTED!!!! A huge thank you to the 39(!) volunteers who have joined us this season so far. Photos: Mitra Daneshvar, Valentin Cordes, Elle Heiser, Thijmen Stolk, Bart Hoekstra, Olaf Gwiazdowski
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Andy Close @birds-and-me.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
This 🙌🏻👇🏻
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