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Paul French @nomadbirder.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

One of the most striking animals seen on the recent Challenger trip to the Canyons was this dark morph Common Dolphin - and I wasn't even sure what I was seeing while actually filming this dolphin pod! Video available on the tubes: www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxuk...

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Paul French @nomadbirder.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

So the Tories want to directly axe 16,000 jobs, plus get rid of the huge number of associated jobs in related industries in order to please a small number of Tory donors who will get larger profits by building slightly cheaper and passing on increased long-term costs to us all. Same old Tories.

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Paul French @nomadbirder.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Nice 'Grey-headed' Wagtail candidate in Easington recently. Many Eastern look like this, but the calls on this one seem fine for Western to me ebird.org/checklist/S3...

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Reposted by Paul French

Mike Buckland @mcbuckland.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

The Yellow Wagtail at Cley this pm. Superficially striking in its grey & white plumage, was its back a little too brown & the face pattern a little soft for Eastern? All its flight calls sounded Western & the odd more buzzy note was often in alarm. My sonograms seem to bear this out. #UKBirding

The grey and white Yellow Wagtail at Cley this afternoon. A smart and striking bird but was the back a little too brown washed and the face a little too soft? Hard to judge the hind claw as it fed in wet grass. Eastern and Western seem to overlap in most / all plumage features so the call is all important.

This sonogram, recorded on my iPhone15, over the background chatter and gravel crunching seems to show a simple (Western) pattern without the saw-like tail produced by the more buzzy call of Eastern.

This was the most buzzy call I recorded. An alarm call made when the Wagtail was flushed and chased by a Meadow Pipit. Despite the more buzzy note apparent in the sound recording the sonogram looks much the same as the flight calls. Assuming this isn’t a limitation of the recording device then the pattern seems to better fit a Western Yellow Wagtail, perhaps a Grey-headed?

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Paul French @nomadbirder.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

It's been a cracking afternoon. Saw a peregrine carrying a tern get attacked by 2 arctic skuas before flying off out too sea still carrying it's prey, 200 Razorbills feeding offshore, bottlenose dolphins, a Whinchat and a presumed grey-headed wag still here. Then, this badger from the living room.

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British Birds @britishbirds.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

The Report on Rare Birds in Great Britain in 2025 is available to journal subscribers, or as a single-purchase hard copy from our shop. Packed with fascinating records, fantastic images and the stories behind Britain’s rarest birds. britishbirds.co.uk/journal/volu...

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British Birds @britishbirds.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

A bumper October issue featuring the 2025 BBRC Report – Report on Rare Birds in Great Britain in 2025. Packed with fantastic images, fascinating context surrounding some of the rarities recorded throughout the year. Read more: britishbirds.co.uk/journal/volu... 📸 Cover by Graham Jepson

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British Birds @britishbirds.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

News from the deep 🌊 Paul French tells the story of this autumn’s Challenger 1 expedition to The Canyons, taking us on a fascinating journey into the depths. Read ‘Challenger 1 expedition: to The Canyons’ 👉 www.britishbirds.co.uk/news | @nomadbirder.bsky.social

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Paul French @nomadbirder.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

A very unexpected mega down at Spurn already today, our first Eyebrowed Thrush. Trapped and ringed in Church Field. @spurnbirdobs.bsky.social Now back to the gas terminal slog...

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Paul French @nomadbirder.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Time for the Snow Mountain Robin is rapidly running out.

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Paul French @nomadbirder.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

This is a new one for me. Trying to add a species to my British list that is not available to add #white-faced #loudlybragging

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Paul French @nomadbirder.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

...the first SP Skua seen on these trips is prob more to do with chance than not being there, given the birds that pass Estaca at the other end of Biscay. All in all a hugely successful trip. Plus we still have the transit from Scilly to Falmouth to do. Will post a short piece on it via BB soon.

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Paul French @nomadbirder.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

It's been an eventful week at sea! The weather was kinder than last year on the way out, then our first day in the Canyons MCZ turned into one of the most epic days of rarity finding in UK birding. Further evidence that this area is routinely used by band-rumps and barolos, and the fact this is...

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Paul French @nomadbirder.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

I remember it as if it was yesterday....

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Paul French @nomadbirder.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Here we go again!! Leaving Falmouth now for 8 nights at sea, heading for the Canyons Marine Conservation Zone on the edge of British waters, over the Explorer and Dangaard Canyons. Feeling optimistic!!

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Emma @emmasartworks.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

I was a day too early for the Yellowlegs at Saltholme, so instead here are some Ruff sketches. 🐡🪶 #art #nature @teesbirds.bsky.social

Pen and watercolour sketches of Ruff (juveniles?)

Field sketch in watercolour of landscape at RSPB Saltholme, northeast England

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Paul French @nomadbirder.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Trouble is, these 'creators' have multiple channels. You block one, there are others from the same farm doing the same thing. We need an AI to spot these AI pics, and then nuke the creators hard drive.

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Paul French @nomadbirder.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

How very human. AI's whole thing is stealing data. That's what iit does. These maths guys were happy to use it, up to the point it stole their own data.

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Paul French @nomadbirder.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

...be nice to see a pic of it sitting normally, just to be sure. And to get the head and face pattern properly.

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Paul French @nomadbirder.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Looks like a Lesser. As well as the pale claws, its got a greater covert pattern that looks better for Lesser. The GC pattern seems variable in both species, but to me it does seem that Lesser show this pattern where the outer edge of the dark bar bleeds down and joins the next dark bar. It would...

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Paul French @nomadbirder.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Sometimes you can get these things right just by knowing one of them. The rest is elementary.

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Paul French @nomadbirder.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

they have all been seen carrying a coconut?

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Paul French @nomadbirder.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

This is the sort of history we will forget and not care about if we rename everything to "generic-striped-thing from modern-country-land".

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Paul French @nomadbirder.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Now home and relaxing after leading the @wisebirding.bsky.social Bolivia Mostly Mammals tour. About 30 species of mammal recorded, including Jaguar, Jaguarundi, Puma & Ocelot, plus 7 sp of monkey and plenty of bonus birds! But first here are the cats...

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Dawn Balmer @debalmer.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Bursary opportunity! The aims of the Eric Hosking Trust are to sponsor natural history and ornithological research through the media of writing, photography, painting or illustration. erichoskingtrust.com/apply/ Deadline 30 September - please apply!

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Paul French @nomadbirder.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Final tally was c14.5kg of blackberries. And still the birds can't eat all that is left for them!

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Paul French @nomadbirder.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Would be interesting to compare numbers of common migrants and their trends between Fair Isle and Spurn, see if there are any differences in the trends.

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Paul French @nomadbirder.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Spent a while testing it, but don't own one. Angled for me. You still need to hold the thing up for possibly extended periods, and thats a whole lot easier if you can brace your arms into yourself. Also, you can still stick it on a tripod, and it still works as a good scope but without vibration.

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Paul French @nomadbirder.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

I was only joking! However, sea states refer to how rough a sea is, in broad terms.

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Paul French @nomadbirder.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

Thats a sea state 3 at most!!! 😂 😉

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Paul French @nomadbirder.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

Bramble. Had rosefinch and icterine wblr in it!

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Paul French @nomadbirder.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Up to over 9kg of blackberries now!! That would cost the best part of £80 from Tesco, so get yourselves some great wildlife habitat and some amazing free fruit!!

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Paul French @nomadbirder.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

...was that Hermit Thrush. Others usually get rootled out before they get to BBRC. I also think there will have to be a bit of leeway given. Camera phones are now just adding in AI without being asked. That could be of great relevance with subtle species, and it may not be the observers fault.

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Paul French @nomadbirder.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Given that most rarities are multi-observed, I don't think its the huge issue that we may fear. However, submissions from single observers who are effectively unknown will just have to be scrutinised even more. We've had hoax attempts before, but the only one I can remember succeeding..

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Paul French @nomadbirder.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

If you want to get really scared! Seems to me that the race for more data centres is being at least partly driven by the AI itself. The people enthralled with it are akin to those who wheeled the Trojan Horse into Troy. Idiots who will doom us all. youtu.be/Gw_hnD7m00M?...

youtu.be

What You'd Actually See During an AI World War

YouTube video by Species | Documenting AGI

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Paul French @nomadbirder.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

There are 2 main bramble patches in the garden, and this year seems to be a resplendent one! Nearly 6kg of fruit so far, a lot more to come, and there will still be a load left for birds and mice. If you have space for a bramble patch, please consider it! #wildlifegardening

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Paul French @nomadbirder.bsky.social · 26/07/2026

Buff-breasted Sandpiper brings up the #300 for my Spurn list, a nice little milestone. Probably be another 40 yrs at my current pace before I reach 350!!

Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Beacon Ponds, Kilnsea

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Paul French @nomadbirder.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

Money, ie who would pay for it. Plus risk and insurance etc. I bet those are the reasons.

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Paul French @nomadbirder.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

...say that to be considered mimicry you'd have to record many individuals and each would have to have a differently structured song with clear mimicry involved. Maybe that will come?

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Paul French @nomadbirder.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

I'd heard this theory about huge amounts of "hidden" mimicry in various species songs, but i'm also on the sceptical bench. Certainly I can hear Bee-eater in this, probably Long-tailed Tit and also possibly a few Nightingale call notes too, but after that I think its mostly just Redstart. I would...

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Paul French @nomadbirder.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

I hear that the Argentinian football team are in line for the next FIFA Peace Prize.

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The White Falcon @markgolley.bsky.social · 18/07/2026

Saturday giveaway time! I picked a copy of the (still brilliant) Macmillan Guide to Bird Identification at Cley village fete & like the last time, I want to give this copy to a really keen young birder (18 or under). Drop me a DM - or reply here - & Lynnette will pick a name from a hat. #ukbirding

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British Birds @britishbirds.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

BB 2000 Ltd is seeking two voluntary board members: a Treasurer and an HR specialist. ~1–2 hrs/week. Interest in birding desirable. For more information and contact details, see: britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti... 📸 David Tipling

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