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Eddie Bathgate

@limeypomme.bsky.social
222 followers 178 following 71 posts

Landowner, genius & pickpocket. Bird watching, cricket and geography. Saving Suffolk’s Swifts. Woodbridge

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Eddie Bathgate @limeypomme.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
An interesting Canadian Double-crested Cormorant article here www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
cbc.ca
Are there too many cormorants in Alberta? Group studying whether more bird population control needed | CBC News
Some anglers and conservationists have been concerned that double-crested cormorants are having a serious impact on recovering fish populations and stocked trout ponds, with the Alberta Wildlife Feder...
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Eddie Bathgate @limeypomme.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
The first of the 10 Swiftlets here in my camera nest boxes fledged yesterday morning, followed by a sibling this morning. @suffolkwildlife.bsky.social @suffolkbirdgroup.bsky.social The 3rd chick in this nest box is still being attended by both parents. Swift conservation works #SuffolkBirding
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Eddie Bathgate @limeypomme.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
Swift Swift update, now an 8th box here with Swifts going in and out. Very recent I think, if so very unlikely to be breeding but bodes very well for 2027. Less bonkers screaming behaviour this morning, maybe as cooler and cloudy with the breeze. #SuffolkBirding @suffolkbirdgroup.bsky.social
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Eddie Bathgate @limeypomme.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
Great to be able to confirm that the 7th occupied Swift box here does have young, I can now hear quiet chirruping when a parent returns with food. This box was repeatedly banged last year then briefly occupied last July. @suffolkbirdgroup.bsky.social @suffolkwildlife.bsky.social #SuffolkBirding
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Eddie Bathgate @limeypomme.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Busy with Swifts here this morning, side boxes this time. They are mainly banging the occupied nest boxes though, drawn in by the returning adults flight path & attracted by the nesting noise I think. I’m still playing calls at the back of the house, hopefully they’ll learn to turn another corner.
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Eddie Bathgate @limeypomme.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
Over 20 of these (probably) younger non-breeding Swifts looking for a future place to nest screaming around here, trying to work out how to land. This box is unused but a Swift needs to go right in for it to count as such. @suffolkbirdgroup.bsky.social @suffolkwildlife.bsky.social #SuffolkBirding
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Eddie Bathgate @limeypomme.bsky.social · 04/07/2026
Swift update; we’ve now 10 chicks in our 4 camera boxes developing well. 2 other boxes have chicks inside, I can hear them chirping & suspect breeding in a 7th. Max numbers have built up to 15 screaming around the house with 45 up high at dusk, great fun @suffolkbirdgroup.bsky.social #SuffolkBirding
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Eddie Bathgate @limeypomme.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
Quick Swift update; squeaky bum time during the heatwave but my 4 camera nest boxes have 9 young Another 3 boxes have continual activity so nesting is probable, time will tell. I’m still playing calls as more nest bricks and boxes have still to be found @suffolkwildlife.bsky.social #SuffolkBirding
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Eddie Bathgate @limeypomme.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
Swift Swift update from here, my Swifts have been extremely quiet. Positivity sneaky around the nest site. 4 pairs are in camera nest boxes sitting on eggs and quietly dodging the rain showers to feed, no screaming about. I’m hoping things liven up with some warmth @suffolkbirdgroup.bsky.social
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Eddie Bathgate @limeypomme.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
Swift #Swift update, class A bonkers with activity this morning. 4 boxes definitely have pairs with 2 other boxes having activity. There’s also Swifts in/out of 2 nest bricks which we slotted into old air bricks after the cavity was insulated. @suffolkbirdgroup.bsky.social @sosswifts.bsky.social
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Eddie Bathgate @limeypomme.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
Swift Swift update, nest box fight this morning as an intruder disrupted a pair. The scrape lasted an hour with (I think) one of the pair being ejected. Elsewhere Peasenhall had bonkers Swifts screaming around their Village Hall today, where many pairs nest. @sosswifts.bsky.social #SuffolkBirding
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Eddie Bathgate @limeypomme.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
New Swift in, parked up like in Star Wars @suffolkbirdgroup.bsky.social @suffolkwildlife.bsky.social @sosswifts.bsky.social
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Eddie Bathgate @limeypomme.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
Swift update from here. Swifts paired up in 2 camera nest boxes with a single in a 3rd camera box. 2 further Swift boxes have Swifts in and out, no sign that they’re paired up yet. My neighbour has a Swift going into a nest box too, so 6 boxes used in total @sosswifts.bsky.social
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Eddie Bathgate @limeypomme.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
Swifts are back here into 3 boxes definitely, a pair in this box and a singles going to roost in anothers. I’ve 3 further Swifts around sometimes so 7 in total around mine, I think
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Eddie Bathgate @limeypomme.bsky.social · 02/05/2026
First Swift back home this evening that I know of, having a camera in some of my nest boxes helps. Fingers-crossed for a bonkers 2026 Swift season here @suffolkbirdgroup.bsky.social @suffolkwildlife.bsky.social
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Eddie Bathgate @limeypomme.bsky.social · 19/04/2026
@suffolkbirdgroup.bsky.social
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Wheatear9 @wheatear9.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
Another Spotted Flycatcher box up this morning one in a seculded spot on my local patch @limeypomme.bsky.social
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Save Our Suffolk Swifts @sosswifts.bsky.social · 24/02/2026
Great to see these 12 Swift boxes up on Langer Primary School in Felixstowe, they will be switching on the 240V call system early May to attract in the non-breeding Swifts looking for a future place to nest. We have more Sets to donate @suffolkbirdgroup.bsky.social @suffolkwildlife.bsky.social
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Eddie Bathgate @limeypomme.bsky.social · 07/02/2026
The Bawdsey Manor sea defences were taking a pasting this afternoon, Suffolk.
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Save Our Suffolk Swifts @sosswifts.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
Suffolk Bird Group have these excellent talks next Thursday 29th, Save Our Suffolk Swifts will be there with nest boxes, we can have a swift Swift chat for guidance in a break. @suffolkbirdgroup.bsky.social
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Eddie Bathgate @limeypomme.bsky.social · 19/01/2026
Lost the green beam, now a rosé glow
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Eddie Bathgate @limeypomme.bsky.social · 19/01/2026
The sky is beaming over Woodbridge
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Eddie Bathgate @limeypomme.bsky.social · 29/12/2025
No joy with finding any owl species at Shingle Street this afternoon but happened upon a big mixed flock of mostly Fieldfare with a few Redwing too @suffolkbirdgroup.bsky.social
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Eddie Bathgate @limeypomme.bsky.social · 15/12/2025
@wheatear9.bsky.social And breathe… what a match
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Eddie Bathgate @limeypomme.bsky.social · 13/12/2025
A nicely timed low tide this morning in Poole Harbour, before the dog walkers & water sports brigade. Many Oystercatchers & Bar-tailed Godwits with Brent Geese, Sanderlings & Turnstones the best of the rest.
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Eddie Bathgate @limeypomme.bsky.social · 13/11/2025
An interesting Australian article about feral cats in an island. www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11...
abc.net.au
Revered and reviled, cats in the crosshairs on Christmas Island
On a speck of land in the Indian Ocean, one of the world's most ambitious wars is being waged against feral cats. But not everyone is celebrating.
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Eddie Bathgate @limeypomme.bsky.social · 12/10/2025
An interesting Canadian article about migrating birds crashing into windows www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
cbc.ca
In just one day, volunteers found hundreds of birds that crashed into GTA buildings | CBC News
More than 300 birds that had crashed into windows across the Greater Toronto Area were found last Wednesday by a volunteer-based organization that finds and keeps records on bird safety. Most did not ...
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Eddie Bathgate @limeypomme.bsky.social · 06/10/2025
An interesting Red Goshawk article here www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
Going extinct ‘right under our noses’: the quiet plight of Australia’s rarest bird of prey
Restricted now to the tropical north, the mysterious red goshawk is fast disappearing as a result of climate change and habitat loss
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Eddie Bathgate @limeypomme.bsky.social · 10/08/2025
Still 3 pairs of Swifts in nest boxes here. One in a camera box with 2 young, they relaid after an intruder caused a fight. The other 2 pairs are new, in nest boxes not used previously. I can hear multiple young chirping in each from eggs laid early July. 6 pairs bred in total, 3 pairs in 2024
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Eddie Bathgate @limeypomme.bsky.social · 14/05/2025
All was going so well with my Swifts, this box is newly used and now paired up. We’ve had a clueless Swift circling this evening, trying to work out how to land, crashing into the brickwork many times. It has now ended up in with the pair and is getting a beating from both.
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Eddie Bathgate @limeypomme.bsky.social · 09/05/2025
As of 2pm this afternoon this Swift nest box now has a pair getting to know each other. This nest box hasn’t hosted Swifts before, did have a wasp nest inside though last year. The neighbouring nest box was used and that pair have yet to arrrive, I’m hoping they still will and they aren’t these ones
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Eddie Bathgate @limeypomme.bsky.social · 08/05/2025
This is my second Swift nest box to be colonised, now a pair in there re-establishing their bonds. 6 Swifts screaming around the house this evening without calls being played, which is very good for this early in the Swift season here @suffolkbirdgroup.bsky.social @sosswifts.bsky.social
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Eddie Bathgate @limeypomme.bsky.social · 08/05/2025
2nd Swift into a box last night, a box not used by Swifts before. Last year the box hosted a wasp nest and had to be cleared out in the winter. I wouldn’t have known either Swift was there without cameras, sneaky blighters. @suffolkbirdgroup.bsky.social @suffolkwildlife.bsky.social
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Eddie Bathgate @limeypomme.bsky.social · 06/05/2025
My first Swift has returned back here to a nest box used last year, it was my second of my boxes to be taken up. Now playing The Cramps, ‘Let’s Get Fluffed Up’ very loudly in celebration. @sosswifts.bsky.social
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Save Our Suffolk Swifts @sosswifts.bsky.social · 15/04/2025
Save Our Suffolk Swifts have a full project update talk next Thursday 24th April in Hintlesham Community Centre IP8 3PS at 7:30pm. 231 Suffolk boxes were used in 2022 & 263 in 2023. How many in 2024? @suffolkwildlife.bsky.social @suffolkbirdgroup.bsky.social Suffolk Swift lovers are most welcome.
An adult Swift prospecting a new nest box, one of many installed around the Suffolk
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Barn Owl Support Suffolk @sbgbarnowls.bsky.social · 23/02/2025
Thrilled to see an article on our project in this weekends EADT! @suffolkbirdgroup.bsky.social #suffolkbirding
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House Martin Support Suffolk @sbghousemartins.bsky.social · 20/02/2025
We also still have a small number of free nest cups for Dedham Vale NL - please get in touch asap if you have a nearby House martin colony and you are interested in free nest cups !
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Eddie Bathgate @limeypomme.bsky.social · 08/02/2025
Whimbrels, Sanderling, Bar-tailed Godwits, Ruff and Red-breasted Mergansers the best of a rising tide off Sandbanks this afternoon. Turnstones and Oystercatchers boosted the numbers and entertained in miserable weather. #PooleHarbour
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Eddie Bathgate @limeypomme.bsky.social · 01/02/2025
An interesting Australian Night Parrot article here #WorldBirding www.abc.net.au/news/2025-02...
abc.net.au
Hopes second-ever discovery of night parrot egg will aid conservation
Researchers hope the discovery of a night parrot egg in WA, second only to one found in Queensland, means the once-thought-extinct bird's population is beginning to recover.
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Eddie Bathgate @limeypomme.bsky.social · 28/01/2025
An interesting Australian article here; conserving Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos #Conservation www.abc.net.au/news/2025-01...
abc.net.au
Help needed to save the last cockatoos restricted to this region
The deadly Wangary bushfire 20 years ago appears to have been the final nail in the coffin for yellow-tailed black cockatoos in South Australia's Eyre Peninsula. Ecologists are calling for urgent acti...
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Eddie Bathgate @limeypomme.bsky.social · 21/01/2025
An interesting US article here apnews.com/article/sand...
apnews.com
Alabama refuge is a paradise for birders and thousands of migrating sandhill cranes
Flooded cornfields near the Tennessee River in northern Alabama are a paradise for birders who flock to see tens of thousands of migrating sandhill cranes every winter.
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Eddie Bathgate @limeypomme.bsky.social · 19/01/2025
An interesting Canadian article here on conserving beach nesting Piping Plovers; human activity and dogs off leads on the main issues there. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
cbc.ca
Plovers in a dangerous time: Endangered bird may be making a comeback on N.B. shores | CBC News
Kouchibouguac National Park welcomed six pairs of piping plovers in 2024, which resulted in 16 fledglings — the highest annual production in seven years.
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Eddie Bathgate @limeypomme.bsky.social · 18/01/2025
An interesting Australian article here #Conservation www.abc.net.au/news/2025-01...
abc.net.au
Billionaire couple focus their fortune on conservation — and profit
In the middle of Tasmania sits a 5,000-hectare property once used for sheep grazing. But when the sheep farmers left, an unlikely buyer moved in.
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Eddie Bathgate @limeypomme.bsky.social · 11/01/2025
Super icy stroll today up the Deben, once the freezing fog lifted. Colour ringed Avocets, Kingfisher, Bar-tailed Godwit and Spotted Redshank the best amongst a nice selection of waders and wildfowl. #SuffolkBirding #UKBirding @suffolkbirdgroup.bsky.social
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Eddie Bathgate @limeypomme.bsky.social · 10/01/2025
An interesting Australian owl article here #Migration www.abc.net.au/news/2025-01...
abc.net.au
'Green-green dilemma' flagged after scientists surprised by owl's migration route
A team of scientists has tracked the flight path of Tasmanian boobook owls across Bass Strait, revealing they fly directly through areas earmarked for major offshore wind farms.
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j'orge yorickgarcia 🐦 @yorickgarcia.bsky.social · 09/01/2025
Bird deaths at McCormick during fall migration: 2022 - 771 2023 - 1,280 2024 - 18 All it takes is stickers.
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Eddie Bathgate @limeypomme.bsky.social · 07/01/2025
An interesting Australian article here, accidental Little Tern conservation www.abc.net.au/news/2025-01...
abc.net.au
Dredging creates 'perfect' island hatchery for endangered birds
More than 30,000 cubic metres of dredged sand deposited on a tiny island south of Newcastle in NSW has delighted an endangered little tern population. More than 50 have begun to lay and hatch their eg...
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Eddie Bathgate @limeypomme.bsky.social · 31/12/2024
An interesting Australian Flying Fox article here. Happy New Year. www.abc.net.au/news/2024-12...
abc.net.au
Flying foxes puzzle ecologists by abandoning roosting spots
Flying foxes are absent from many of their usual summer camping spots in New South Wales this year but are congregating in unexpected places in large numbers, sometimes as unwanted guests.
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Eddie Bathgate @limeypomme.bsky.social · 24/12/2024
An Australian article here on the disturbance of a Fairy Tern colony there www.abc.net.au/news/2024-12...
abc.net.au
Threatened bird species' nesting site devastated in WA's South West
Conservationists say a threatened fairy tern population at a nesting site in WA's South West has been "almost wiped out" halfway through breeding season.
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Dave Pearsons @dave09.bsky.social · 16/12/2024
There are some excellent field trips coming up in 2025, all put together by @wildlifegig.bsky.social. The trips are good for those new to birding and for the more experienced. For information on membership of Suffolk Bird Group go to www.suffolkbirdgroup.org SuffolkBirds
suffolkbirdgroup.org
Suffolk birdwatching group | Suffolk Bird Group
Suffolk Bird Group organise bird-watching walks and indoor talks about birds in the county of Suffolk. We publish The Harrier magazine four times a year and organise the annual Suffolk Birds bird report.
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