iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Yes, not shirking the issues by starting with ‘Gaza’ as the opening track!

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Action shot of a Draparnaud's Glass Snail - seeing this handsome purple mollusc was my reward for replacing rotting decking joists this morning #ukwildlife

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Surprisingly good seawatching at Boulmer this afternoon - in 2 hrs: 1 Sabine’s Gull, 1 Balearic, 7 Sooty & 7 Manx Shearwater, 1 Pomarine, 5 Long-tailed, 17 Arctic, 4 Great & 7 unidentified small Skuas, 1 Med & c400 Little Gulls, 2 Pintail, 2 Brent, c195 Teal. Curlew Sandpiperon the beach #NEbirding

Curlew Sandpiper peeking out from behind a Dunlin

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Loved them with him, but they’ve been even better in the 37 years since he left

Mark Eaton @markaeaton.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Progging-out with Marillion in Gateshead tonight. The first rock band I ever saw, 41 years and 100’s of gigs ago…

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Budle Bay, late afternoon - 3 Spotted Redshanks, 8+ Greenshanks and a very distant Great White Egret (5th record, says Budle guru @budlebirder.bsky.social), but the Brents were too distant to pick out the Black Brant #NEbirding

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Mark Eaton @markaeaton.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

A mixed day… great to have a Baird’s Sandpiper buzz me on Goswick beach, but frustrating not to be able to refind it. Presumably the bird from Guille Pt earlier in the week. Best of the rest was an entertainingly grey Little Stint, Merlin, Marsh Harrier, Merlin, 1186 Pinkfeet arriving #NEbirding

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Mark Eaton @markaeaton.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Bar-tailed Godwit at Seaton Pt, Northumberland #waderwednesday

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Mark Eaton @markaeaton.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Thanks Colin, and a pleasure to meet you. Good luck with the rest of your week.

Mark Eaton @markaeaton.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Top evening at Boulmer - got good views of the Lapland Bunting, and the sea was hooching with life inc. 1 Long-tailed & c16 Arctic Skuas, 1 Bonxie, 1 Sooty & 8 Manx Shearwaters, 4 Black Tern, c70 Little & 4 Med Gulls, 7 Pale-bellied Brents & a Minke Whale 🐳 #NEbirding #birds #cetaceans

Pale-bellied Brents heading for Lindisfarne

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Mark Eaton @markaeaton.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

This week’s gig, Voyage 35 playing the early psychedelic music of Porcupine Tree. Which will mean absolutely nothing to most of you, but was a very good thing indeed.

Mark Eaton @markaeaton.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Think you’ll find that’s “plagiarised some absolute abominations from other songwriters”

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Reposted by Mark Eaton

British Ornithologists’ Union (BOU) @bou.org.uk · 10/09/2026

⏰ NOMINATIONS CLOSING SOON Know someone in #ornithology deserving of recognition? Nominate them for a BOU award now! 🪶 🥇 Godman Salvin Prize 🥇 Alfred Newton Lecture 🥇 Janet Kear Union Medal 🥇 Early Professional Award Deadline: 15 September 2026 Nominate: bou.org.uk/about-the...

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Mark Eaton @markaeaton.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Boulmer this afternoon - 1 Roseate Tern, 2 Manx Shearwaters, 2 Ruff, 2 Yellow Wagtails, 6 Wheatears. A fantastic pulse of Swallow passage around 15.45, c650 birds (and just 2 House Martins) south over the sea in 15 minutes before it suddenly stopped #NEbirding

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Reposted by Mark Eaton

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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Mark Eaton @markaeaton.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Another gig… Primal Scream absolutely roaring through their classic XTRMNTR album in Newcastle last night.

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Mark Eaton @markaeaton.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

Faithless closing Lindisfarne Festival last night, a set of amazingly over-the-top epic techno. Loved it.

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Mark Eaton @markaeaton.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

B. I hate fluffy towels, useless for drying yourself. The scratchier the better.

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Mark Eaton @markaeaton.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

At Lindisfarne festival and the rapper Professor Green keeps telling the crowd how glad he is to be in Scotland 🙄. I suspect he might not be a proper professor…

‘Professor’ Green onstage at Lindisfarne, England

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Mark Eaton @markaeaton.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

Another stunning gig… The Waterboys ‘Fisherman’s Blues Revue’, reunited with legendary fiddler Steve Wickham and with Steve Earle guesting. Glasgow Hydro last night ❤️

The Waterboys, Glasgow Hydro, on the ‘Fisherman’s Blues Revue’ tour

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Reposted by Mark Eaton

British Ornithologists’ Union (BOU) @bou.org.uk · 27/08/2026

⏰ NOMINATION DEADLINE APPROACHING Know someone in #ornithology deserving of recognition? Nominate them for a BOU award now! 🪶 🥇 Godman Salvin Prize 🥇 Alfred Newton Lecture 🥇 Janet Kear Union Medal 🥇 Early Professional Award Deadline: 15 September 2026 Nominate: bou.org.uk/about-the...

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Mark Eaton @markaeaton.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Aquatic mammals were the highlights of a family trip to Argyll last week. As well as the Beavers in Knapdale, this mum Otter feeding two cubs on the shore of Loch Fyne stole our hearts! #ukwildlife #ukmammals

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Mark Eaton @markaeaton.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

The Cure in Edinburgh. A brilliant evening.

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Mark Eaton @markaeaton.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

Scottish Dock, Rumex aquaticus, on the bonny bonny banks of Loch Lomond yesterday. Perhaps not the best name for a species that grows from Europe to Japan but just in one tiny corner of Scotland? #wildflowerhour @wildflowerhour.bsky.social

Scottish Dock, near Endrick Water, Loch Lomond

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Mark Eaton @markaeaton.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

They have a strange, patchy distribution - even on the coast they’re still rare in some areas. See very few in the Amble-Alnmouth area, but between Newbiggin & Cresswell can make counts of 100+ 🤷‍♂️

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Mark Eaton @markaeaton.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

One of the best gulls, a juvenile Mediterranean Gull at Seaton Pt this evening #NEbirding

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Mark Eaton @markaeaton.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

Was a six-tern evening (inc 2 Little, 4+ Roseates) plus Mediterranean Gull, Arctic Skua, 9 Manx Shearwater, 2 Whimbrel, 2 Yellow Wagtail, Little Owl. 4 White-beaked Dolphins 🐬 went south #NEbirding

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Mark Eaton @markaeaton.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

Great evening as finally got American Black Tern on the Boulmer list. Teased me feeding at distance at first but gradually came close enough to be sure, then landed on Longhoughton Steel 🙂 #NEbirding #rarebirdsUK

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Good idea, go for it Michael 🤷‍♂️

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Don’t worry, that was my assumption John!

Simon Gillings @simongillings.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

Reposted by Mark Eaton

I've not seen the Cocker paper but there's a section on Redstart mimicry in The Sound Approach to Birding (2nd edition at least)

Sample page from The Sound Approach to Birding

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Also while cruising the lanes last night, as well as owls, hedgehogs and foxes a couple of oddities… a Nightjar calling overhead nr Littlehoughton, 7km from the nearest breeding habitat, and these Turnstones migrating south overhead nr Fallodon, 5km from the coast #NEbirding

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Mark Eaton @markaeaton.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

More Quail…. I found 16 singing males in a nocturnal drive around north of Alnwick last night. 2 near Fallodon, and 14+ in a small area around Hocketwell (on the B1340 between Denwick and Rennington) 🤯. Recording captures the ‘mau-wau’ call ahead of the more familiar ’wet-my-lips’ #NEbirding #birds

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Listening to that recording I hear a song that is largely comprised of copies of other birds in a way that does not sound coincidental to me. Yes, a few of Mark’s matches might be a stretch, and I agree re Lsr Whitethroat, but I do think most of the song is mimicry

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Mark Eaton @markaeaton.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

Have to admit this had completely passed me by before, I thought Redstarts just made a jumble of random notes. It’s nearly all mimicry!

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Mark Eaton @markaeaton.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

Every day’s a school day… there’s a great paper in the @derbyshirebirds.bsky.social 2024 Report by Mark Cocker, on mimicry in Common Redstarts. He recorded 56(!) species in Redstart songs in 2025 - listen to a sample here and see how many you can get! #UKbirding #ornithology xeno-canto.org/1048967

xeno-canto.org

XC1048967 Common Redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus)

I examined the recording for mimicry. And suggest the following examples in the course of the nine + minutes. The intitial numbers 1-63 refer to the song units in sequence. A question mark immediatel...

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Mark Eaton @markaeaton.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

You’ll never have a better chance, get out driving around barley fields in the evening 🤞