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Martin George

@jannerbirder.bsky.social
1.8K followers 1.6K following 2.1K posts

Bird nerd, patch worker and BTO surveyor. MSc Ornithology (mostly a seabirds thing). Proud Devonian currently exiled to North Shropshire. I also run the #Shropshirebirds feed.

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BTO Shropshire @btoshropshire.bsky.social · 7h
In the #ShropshireBirds area "our" adult Shelducks make a moult migration and leave us for the Dutch or German coast, or to one of six UK coastal sites, to drop all of their flight feathers in relative safety. Adults depart in June/July and return in November, leaving the juveniles behind.
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BTO Shropshire @btoshropshire.bsky.social · 23h
Important habitat and site maintenance work at Venus Pool NR 1) From 29 September. Major programme of willow scrub management to restore the grassland away from the pool to the north. 2) 5 to 7 October. Annual maintenance work. Essential, but likely to cause some disturbance. #ShropshireBirds
Venus Pool Nature Reserve as seen from the Memorial (south) Hide. The view shows a pool slowly refilling after the summer's drought with vegetation in the foreground and trees lining the far bank, under a grey, overcast sky.
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BTO Shropshire @btoshropshire.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
These sessions are so good; a little bit of helpful theory and lots of practice time. We were joined by one new and two potential Shropshire counters for @webs-gsmp.bsky.social and also had bonus flyovers from a Spitfire!
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Graham Appleton @wadertales.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
LPO is calling for permanent shooting ban for #Curlew and Black-tailed Godwit. This would provide protection for thousands of both species that winter in and migrate through France. Background: wadertales.wordpress.com/2018/07/30/b... Map shows tracks of Curlew returning from France to breed in UK.
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BTO Shropshire @btoshropshire.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
It was an exceptional summer for Quail in Shropshire, too. Please add any notebook records to @birdtrack.bsky.social so that the Shropshire Bird Report for 2026 can better reflect where, when and how many of these enigmatic little birds were present. #ShropshireBirds
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Rhys @rdpphoto.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Longtail feeding on Himalayan Balsam, shame they don't eat the plant. #ukwildlife #shropshirebirds #Nature #wildlife #birdphotography #UKBirding #birds #photography
Long tailed tit sat halfway up a Himalayan Balsam plant
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Martin George @jannerbirder.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
A nice, encouraging short about a famous author’s love of her partner, birds and science, and the practical way she has chosen to commemorate all three. #ornithology www.theguardian.com/books/ng-int...
theguardian.com
‘Birdwatching is close to rapture’: Margaret Atwood on why she has given C$1m to avian research
Award-winning novelist celebrates late partner’s love of birds with gift to establish the Graeme Gibson chair in avian biology
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Ian Sheppard @iansheppard.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
A Cattle Egret living up to its name at WWT Martin Mere yesterday. #UKBirding
A Cattle Egret standing on the back of a Cow
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Partners in Care @partnersincare.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
🎉 What a day! 180 people joined us for the #PartnersinCare AGM, Conference & Care Awards 2026 connecting, sharing ideas & celebrating the very best of adult social care🏆A huge congratulations to all our winners, finalists & nominees, and thank you to everyone who made the day such a success. 1/2
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Guardian Environment @environment.theguardian.com · 24/09/2026
‘Cash to trash’ levy on house developers too low to offset damage to Norfolk Broads, say critics
theguardian.com
‘Cash to trash’ levy on house developers too low to offset damage to Norfolk Broads, say critics
Exclusive: Levy that allows almost 16,000 houses to be built on Norfolk Broads will not cover cost of mitigating environmental damage, critics say
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Kevin Thornton @lowcarbonkev.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Today, the equinox, a good day to remind birders out there, who've been plugging away at their patches for some weeks now, that #vismig is building. In 1907 British Birds Vol one, issue one, had a wonderful name for you: You are a 'severe migrationist'. Good luck. May all your movements be severe👍
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Martin George @jannerbirder.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Really sorry to hear that we've lost Joe, he was a lovely man who probably helped more people, particularly birders, than he ever knew of 💔 #UKBirding www.fakenhamtimes.co.uk/news/2655882...
fakenhamtimes.co.uk
Acclaimed author who once worked with Chris Packham found dead in Norfolk woodland
Inquest opened at Norfolk Coroner's Court into the death of acclaimed author and mental health campaigner.
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Martin George @jannerbirder.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Always good to see a bird in its natural habitat, but, just like this Robin, they don't all read the text books 🙂
A Robin perched on the top of the front tyre of a white Ford SUV, parked on a grassy parking strip.A Robin perched on the top of the front tyre of a white Ford SUV, parked on a grassy strip in a nature reserve car park with other cars in view.
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Martin George @jannerbirder.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Some phone-scoped snaps of the delightful Baird's Sandpiper at Witheymoor Farm Pool, Burleydam, just a hop over the border from Shropshire into Cheshire. Bonus Little Ringed Plover and a flyover by 70 Pinkfeet. Lots of happy inland birders 🙂 Big HT @saloplarus.bsky.social for the news. #UKBirding
Little Ringed Plover (left) and Baird's Sandpiper feeding in the shallows of a farm pool with exposed stones and, in the foreground, grass at the edge of the field.Little Ringed Plover (left) and a preening Baird's Sandpiper feeding in the stony shallows of a farm pool.Little Ringed Plover (left) and Baird's Sandpiper feeding in the shallows of a farm pool with exposed stones and, in the foreground, grass at the edge of the field.A long shot of the field pool showing its context within a cattle field with trees and hedgerows in the background. The second image in this post showed the birds on the rocky shallows at the right/north end of the pool. Bit worrying to see several mounds of soil dumped around the edge of the pool...
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Martin George @jannerbirder.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
I had Wood Lane NR (Ellesmere) to myself in the rain after work today. Three Green Sandpiper, three Snipe and a Greenshank were the highlights, along with 13 Gadwall, one of my favourite ducks. Full list here, by the magic of @birdtrack.bsky.social app.bto.org/birdtrack/pu.... #ShropshireBirds
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BTO Shropshire @btoshropshire.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
BTO News is an excellent magazine and worth the price of a monthly takeaway coffee on its own, but there are plenty of other benefits to BTO membership. Follow the link to find out more!
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Alexander Lees @alexanderlees.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Great write-up on recent scientific advances in our understanding of avian vagrancy #ornithology #UKBirding baynature.org/2026/09/15/s...
baynature.org
Are Vagrant Birds Lost, or Pioneers? For Clues, Researchers Look to the Farallones.
A recent study could change our assumptions about why birds show up out of the blue.
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Alistair Davidson @moh-kohn.eurosky.social · 17/09/2026
More bikes than cars recorded on Leith Walk at rush hour for the first time! On Victoria Road in Glasgow, which hit that milestone a year ago, the number of bikes has surged by another 40%. Scotland is gradually entering the 21st century 🙂 cycling.scot/news/scotlan...
cycling.scot
Scotland’s bike lane networks break new records
More bikes than cars on Leith Walk, and record cycling on routes across Glasgow and Edinburgh. Explore the latest data from Cycling Scotland traffic surveys and cycle counter analysis.
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Martin George @jannerbirder.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
An animal rescue centre has said it has seen an increase in the number of birds of prey coming into its care. Cuan Wildlife Rescue in Much Wenlock said most had been found thin and grounded, most likely due to the hot summer making it difficult for them to find food. #ShropshireBirds
bbc.co.uk
Shropshire wildlife rescue centre sees bird of prey influx
Cuan Wildlife Rescue in Much Wenlock said the birds have suffered due the unusually hot summer.
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BTO Shropshire @btoshropshire.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
The departure of the Swallows and the return of the Meadow Pipits. Observations added to @birdtrack.bsky.social as "complete lists" through the app or browser version help us to map seasonal changes such as this. It's a nice, mindful way to feel connected to time and place! #ShropshireBirding
The BirdTrack reporting rate graph for Meadow Pipit in England, showing a small increase in reporting rate for March-April (20% compared with an average of around 10%) and a larger increase, peaking in late September and early to mid-October at 32%.The BirdTrack reporting rate graph for (Barn) Swallow, showing the arrival of the birds during April, and their departure in September/early October).
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Martin George @jannerbirder.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
The equinox occurs on 23 September, but for me autumn started at 17:25 today as I left the office, noticed a thin white line of gulls in the just-ploughed far field, and for the first time since spring no Swallows or martins, but 40+ Meadow Pipits, calling and flying south overhead. #ShropshireBirds
A cereal crop just emerging from the foreground field, the freshly ploughed distant field with a white stripe of gulls running left to right across it, and a grove of oaks in the right mid-ground, under a blues sky with pale grey clouds.A cereal crop just emerging from the foreground field, the freshly ploughed distant field with a white stripe of gulls running left to right across it, and a grove of oaks in the right mid-ground, under a blues sky with pale grey clouds. In the distance is the scarp-face of Lyth Hill, just south of Shrewsbury.
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The Birder's Store @birdersstore.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
A beautiful male Kentish Plover to celebrate #PloverAppreciationDay! #WaderWednesday @waderquest.bsky.social
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BTO Shropshire @btoshropshire.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
It's been a great Quail year in the #ShropshireBirds area, too! First recorded on 11 May with a total of 22 records that month and another 30 in June. Q2 total of 52 (awaiting July & August data) compares well with these annual totals from the Bird Report: 2024 19 2023 36 2022 8 2021 26 2020 74
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Julian Hughes @penrhynbirder.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Liverpool Bay is known for its Leach's Petrel passage when autumn weather conspires, but this is a #seabird in big trouble - for how much longer will we see them? A roundup of #NorthWales sightings in Daily Post BirdNotes. 📷 @zoobirder.bsky.social #BirdingWales www.birdnotes.wales/blog/leachs-...
birdnotes.wales
Leach’s Petrels: no port in a storm
Bat-like as they fluttered into the teeth of a storm, Leach’s Petrels that passed the coast last week are truly marine animals. For a few hours on Tuesday and Wednesday, a northwestly wind pushed...
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Martin George @jannerbirder.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Massed Swallows on the overhead wires beside the River Severn near the Royal Hill Inn (Pentre) this morning. There were scores of House Martins feeding over the river. Holly Banks NR held singing Chiffchaffs, and a drumming Great Spotted Woodpecker. #ShropshireBirds
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Partners in Care @partnersincare.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
A Job Opportunity has arisen with one of our members in #Ludlow #Shropshire. Make a difference to people with #LearningDisabilites #WorkingTogetherLudlow. Please see below for details and contact Nigel directly.
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John Martin @pilning.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
VP wader fest continues with 2 juv Little Stints this pm, big thanks to Mike J for posting pic/news. They were flighty and may have dropped in after rain shower. Full on patch and Shropshire✅ for me. Also 6+ Sand Martin, 9 Shoveler, Greenshank, Green Sand. 3+ Yellow Wag etc #shropshirebirding 🪶
One of two juvenile Little Stints in shallows at Venus Pool this afternoon. Not sure how long they had been there but seemed nervous and easily spooked by wagtails and other imagined threats.Another view of the same juv Little Stint along the edge of muddy shoreline with dark water behind. White Vs more visible at this angleBoth the juv Little Stints at the edge of the pool against the light. Proof of two, at least.
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BTO Shropshire @btoshropshire.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Led by Stuart Edmunds, whose trail cameras discovered Shropshire’s Pine Marten population and… our county’s only Red-flanked Bluetail!
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Martin George @jannerbirder.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
The course will be a mix of classroom based presenting and guided field walk along river banks and hedgerows. The species covered include stoats, weasels, pine martens and polecats, plus the potential for discovering signs of otters and mink. www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/an-introdu...
eventbrite.co.uk
An Introduction to Monitoring Members of the Weasel Family (mustelids)
This in-person course will cover all you need to get started in monitoring a range mustelids.
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Julian Hughes @penrhynbirder.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Shorebirds feeding on inland waterbodies is a feature of early autumn, as drawdown provides temporary habitat for passage waders. These among a roundup of sightings in the #NorthWales Daily Post BirdNotes. 📷 @zoobirder.bsky.social #BirdingWales www.birdnotes.wales/blog/muddy-m...
birdnotes.wales
Muddy margins pull in the birds
Low water levels in the region’s reservoirs are a worry for water companies, customers and anglers, but the muddy edges have attracted waders migrating overhead, to which they look – and perhaps...
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RSPB Science @rspbscience.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
New job alert🪶 Research assistant to support research on Willow Tit demographics. Must have a BTO ringing licence at C level or above Location: Midlands and North of England Duration: Oct-Nov 2026 Deadline: This Wednesday Sept 9th Apply here: app.vacancy-filler.co.uk/salescrm/Car... 📷Ben Andrew
A Willow Tit perches in a branch, looking directly to camera
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Darren Naish @tetzoo.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Now 40 comments at the Tetrapod Zoology #unicorn article: it's proved quite popular. Still planning to cover the whole "no, dragons are not linked to dinosaurs" issue at some point. tetzoo.com/blog/2026/8/... #monsters #cryptozoology
tetzoo.com
A History of Unicorns — Tetrapod Zoology
unicorn, unicorns, monoceros, monokeros, unicorn history, mythology, unicorn mythology, unicorn in the Islamic world, unicorn in Christian history, unicorn in the Book of Job, unicorn in the Bible, un...
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BTO Shropshire @btoshropshire.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
What a great mix of birds, science and people at our BTO Regional Gathering at Attenborough NR today! Exciting times are ahead with Atlas 27-31 ever closer. Talking to people about birds and showing them Hobbies and an Otter through our scopes doesn't count as anti-social behaviour. We checked! 🙂
A group of BTO Regional Network volunteers birdwatching beside a flooded gravel pit. One of them is wearing a fleece with the BTO strapline “Birds Science People” on the back.A group of BTO Regional Network volunteers birdwatching beside a flooded gravel pit. One of them is wearing a fleece with the BTO strapline “Birds Science People” on the back.A sign on a wooden gate warning about anti-social behaviour. Above it is a group of birdwatchers walking away from the viewer along a footpath. The last person is wearing a jacket with the BTO strapline “Birds Science People” on the back.
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Martin George @jannerbirder.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
“Bournemouth University has been awarded €1.5 million to lead a unique five-year research project exploring 10,000 years of seabird history to help inform long-term conservation strategies for populations in Northern Europe.” #Seabirds www.bournemouth.ac.uk/news/2026-09...
bournemouth.ac.uk
Bournemouth University awarded €1.5m to uncover 10,000 years of seabird history
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Stuart Green @stuart17.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
There was actually water on Blaxton Meadow this morning where my First Plym Glossy Ibis was a nice surprise, also single Knot, Ringed Plover & Black- & Bar-tailed Godwit present. A Spotted Flycatcher, 3 late Swift over & the Wood Duck back on the duck pond with the Mandarins also of note #devonbirds
Glossy Ibis, lovely bird, crap photoMandarin DuckWood DuckWood Duck
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Nate Swick @n8swick.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Did not really know what to expect going in. Ended up having a great conversation.
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Howard Vaughan - blueeyedbirder.com @howardvaughanbeb.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
This obliging juvenile Red-footed Falcon was eyeing up its next meal in the middle of Lowestoft this evening. @suffolkbirdgroup.bsky.social @rarebirder.bsky.social
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Julian Hughes @penrhynbirder.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Bringing Bitterns back to Cymru has been a real success story by @rspbcymru.bsky.social. Now they're booming. Science + practical nous. 👏
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Martin George @jannerbirder.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Digiscoped images of the gorgeous, obliging juvenile Dotterel on the Great Orme on Sunday evening. #BirdingWales
A juvenile Dotterel among dry grasses.A juvenile Dotterel among dry grasses and the pale rocks of a limestone pavement. A limestone pavement is "a natural karst landform consisting of a flat, incised surface of exposed limestone that resembles an artificial pavement". Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limestone_pavement A golden sunset from the Great Orme looking sparse upland grasses and across the coast towards Ynys Môn/Anglesey.
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Steve Dudley @stevedudley.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
A reminder we have a #BirdingGear Feed here on Bluesky. A growing resource of birder recommendations and occasional do not buy, plus advice. And you can search the feed using the #BirdingGear tag and any keyword. Simples! #birdingWales #birdingScotland 🪶
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Cornwall Birds (CBWPS) @cbwps.org.uk · 31/08/2026
Photo of the Week 📷 Sanderlings in flight by Steve Wood #CornwallBirds #BirdsInCornwall #CBWPS #Bird #Birds #Birdwatching #ConnectWithNature #BeautyAndWonderOfNature #Nature #Wildlife #WildlifeMatters #WildIsles #BritishWildlife #WildCornwall #ILoveCornwall #Cornwall #Kernow
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Martin George @jannerbirder.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
Four days of rain made the revived local patch near Crosemere tempting late this afternoon. The field flood had 60 Mallard, 20 Teal and a Greenshank (patch rare). The mere side reeds held a returning Water Rail, and a cattle-poached gateway had five Snipe and a Green Sandpiper. #ShropshireBirds
A flood in a grazing meadow with distant nature hedgerows and trees, under a grey sky.A flood in a grazing meadow with distant nature hedgerows and trees, under a grey sky.A short cropped grass field with trees and reeds lining the edge of a mere (shallow post-glacial lake) under a grey sky.
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BTO Shropshire @btoshropshire.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
It's 21 years since Shropshire-bred kites took to the skies after an absence of 130 years. You can read 'Red Kite in Shropshire 2005-25' via our Bird Surveying Opportunities in Shropshire Padlet: padlet.com/martin690/bi... Many of the project's volunteers are BTO members 🙂 #ShropshireBirds
The front cover of the report, showing two Red Kite nests, one with wing-tagged nestlings and another being visited by a wing-tagged adult bird.The contents page of the report, with an inset image of a Red Kite.
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Guy Shrubsole @guyshrubsole.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Excellent, pugnacious piece by new Environment Secretary @angelaeagle1.bsky.social on defending England from climate impacts by rewilding & restoring nature - explicitly rejecting the arsonists on the hard right & the grouse moor owners who just want to burn more: www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Extract from Angela Eagle’s Guardian piece: “But some, including the Conservatives, have made the argument that rewilding lowers resilience to fire and that we should reverse restrictions on burning heather on our moors and peatlands. The exact opposite is true.

The evidence clearly shows that wetter, healthy peatlands hold more water and are less likely to develop species that are vulnerable to fires. The damage that has been done to these vital habitats by decades of burning has made them more vulnerable to wildfires in the long term, not less.

The solution to raging wildfires is not more burning of our countryside. It is to restore and better manage our environment.

Where rewilding has been prioritised, as at the National Trust’s Holnicote estate, you can clearly see the stark difference that it makes to the ability to withstand extreme weather. In areas where rivers and wetlands have been restored, the plants are green and blooming. Elsewhere, the ground is brown and dry.”
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Martin George @jannerbirder.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
An "in context" post about the VP Curlew Sand'. There were no BirdTrack records in 2025. The Shropshire Bird Report shows that this "very rare passage migrant" last occurred, briefly, on 9 Nov 2022 at Bridgwalton Quarry and in 2011 at Wood Lane NR (31 Aug) and Mirelake (13-18 Sep). #ShropshireBirds
A collection of birds on a muddy spit surrounded by water, with the margins lined with pale feathers from moulting birds. The Curlew Sandpiper is in the left foreground in the margins. The small, grey bird behind it is a Pied Wagtail. The larger birds are (left to right) Lapwing, Mallard, Black-headed Gull, Cormorant, Shoveler and Teal. Wasn't paying much attention to the wildfowl at the time and the birds are mostly hunched brown balls so duck identifications should be viewed with caution!
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Ian Sheppard @iansheppard.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
The two recent #Shropshire rarities at Venus Pool this morning. Turnstone, left and Curlew Sandpiper. #ShropshireBirding
Turnstone, left with a Curlew Sandpiper
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Rhys @rdpphoto.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Curlew Sandpiper & friends, Venus Pool #ukwildlife #shropshirebirds #Nature #wildlife #birdphotography #UKBirding #birds #photography
Curlew Sandpiper (centre, in focus) on the side of a pool, Turnstone in the foreground, Black Headed Gull in the background, eating a dead carp.
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MᴀᴛᴛA @shropshirematt.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
We had a lovely soggy walk on Brown Moss this morning. Two Little Egret Great Egrets stood side by side with herons Ringed plover #ShropshireBird #ShropshireBirds
Little Egrets in water at Brown MossGreat Egrets with a heronA ringed plover with wagtail in the background
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Tom Lowe @saloplarus.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
A Bittern flew over #salopobs early on Monday morning, giving seven clear calls over 4mins, a year to the day after the only previous autumn record. Same bird?! Not annual in the county but that's the 7th #nocmig record for the garden 💥 macaulaylibrary.org/asset/663744... #ukbirding
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Martin George @jannerbirder.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Venus Pool near Shrewsbury was buzzing late this afternoon: two county rarity species - Curlew Sandpiper and Turnstone - plus five other wader species. Met some nice people in the hides, too, including @debalmer.bsky.social and @rdpphoto.bsky.social #ShropshireBirds
A Turnstone (left) and Common Sandpiper walking along the water margin.A juvenile Turnstone along the water margin.Two Turnstones feeding on or around the remains of a carp.
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