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The Natural Stone @thenaturalstone.bsky.social · 15h

@helenbennett.bsky.social's choice for today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #BestBeaks Celebrating any bird with a striking colours bill. Eurasian Curlew bills can be much longer than this one on the Norfolk coast last weekend. See alt text. #birds #birding #ECK #birdsSeenIn2026 #UKBirding

Eurasian Curlew (Numenius arquata) bills vary by age, sex and geography. Females from eastern populations can have bills much longer than this one, which may be a younger male.

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The Natural Stone @thenaturalstone.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

@atlanticbirding.bsky.social's main #BirdOfTheDay theme today is #Black&White, which was a challenge for me. In the end I chose this dawn shot of Black-winged Stilts flying at El Hondo #Spain almost a year ago. #birds #birding #ECK

Two Black-winged Stilts, Himantopus himantopus, in flight, their black shapes set against a pale sky.

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The Natural Stone @thenaturalstone.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

@atlanticbirding.bsky.social's alt #BirdOfTheDay theme today is #Vivid; any bird with bright colours. Can't get much brighter than European Bee-eater, Common Kingfisher and European Roller all from #Cyprus recently. #birds #birding #ECK #birdsSeenIn2026

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The Natural Stone @thenaturalstone.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

@robcrank68.bsky.social’s #BirdOfTheDay theme today is #BestOfTheMonth. I'm going for this Spur-winged Lapwing at Akrotiri Marsh #Cyprus but can't decide whether I like it best on its own or in company. #birds #birding #ECK #birdsSeenIn2026

Spur-winged Lapwing, Vanellus spinosus, wings spread wide just after landing on grass.

Spur-winged Lapwing, Vanellus spinosus, wings spread wide just after landing on grass. A second bird is standing on the grass nearby.

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The Natural Stone @thenaturalstone.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

@alan678.bsky.social theme for #BirdOfTheDay is #EFG, birds 1st name starting with any of those letters. F was tricky to find. From #Cyprus: European Roller, European Turtle Dove, Greater Short-toed Lark & Greater Sand Plover From #Malaysia: Fire-tufted Barbet All #birdsSeenIn2026 #birds #birding

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The Natural Stone @thenaturalstone.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #BokehBird. Thanks @helenbennett.bsky.social Two different races of Long-tailed Shrike (Lanius schach). L.s. schach from #Vietnam Jan 2020 & L.s. tricolor from #Thailand Jan 2025 (including a 3rd pic showing features better). See alt text. #birds #birding #ECK

Nominate race of Long-tailed Shrike (Lanius schach schach) from Vietnam, 24 Jan 2020. Compared to other races this has a grey crown, nape and mantle with warm brown back.

Long-tailed Shrike (Lanius schach) of the race tricolor, sometimes called Black-headed Shrike. Taken in Northern Thailand, 21 Jan 2025. Compared to other races this has a solid black crown, nape and upper mantle, contiguous with the black mask and with little grey.

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The Natural Stone @thenaturalstone.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

@atlaaas.bsky.social's theme for #BirdOfTheDay is #Seabirds & alt is #Airborne. So I've gone for a double #Twofer Black-legged Kittiwake and Northern Gannet #bif at @rspb.bsky.social Bempton Cliffs #birds #birding #ECK #birdsSeenIn2026 #UKBirding

Adult Black-legged Kittiwake, Rissa tridactyla, and adult Northern Gannet, Morus bassanus, in flight over the sea at Bempton Cliffs RSPB reserve in May 2026.

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The Natural Stone @thenaturalstone.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

@robcrank68.bsky.social set today's #BirdOfTheDay theme: #Pairs, pairs of the same species. The Alt theme is #Green, Green in the backgrounds not on the birds. Repeat posting of Gannets from @rspb.bsky.social Bempton Cliffs and Willow Warbler from #Cyprus for #birdsSeenIn2026 #birds #birding #ECK

A pair of Northern Gannets, Morus bassanus, displaying by pointing their bills upwards together. On rocks above a distant sea.

A Willow Warbler, Phylloscopus trochilus, perched on a large branch with green foliage behind.

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The Natural Stone @thenaturalstone.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #Borbs, birds looking plump. The Alt theme is #Brown One of my main targets on my recent #Cyprus trip was Chukar, a species I'd failed to see on numerous visits to Greece over the decades. #twofer #birds #birding #ECK #birdsSeenIn2026 #lifer #bogeybird

Chukar (Alectoris chukar), a rotund partridge, on reddish brown soil in a fallow ploughed field.

Chukar (Alectoris chukar), a rotund partridge, perched high on a rock along scrub.

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The Natural Stone @thenaturalstone.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

@helenbennett.bsky.social wants to celebrate #TheDivers for #BirdOfTheDay today 🪶 A Whiskered Tern from #Thailand for #BirdsSeenIn2026 and, from the #archives, some Black-throated Divers with small young from #Finland in 2008. #birds #birding #ECK

Whiskered Tern, Chlidonias hybrida, in non-breeding plumage at Hua Hin in Southern Thailand. Seen from the side and below flying in a blue sky.

Black-throated Diver, Gavia arctica, in breeding plumage with small young, both swimming on rippling water.

A pair of Black-throated Diver, Gavia arctica, in breeding plumage with small young, swimming on calm green water.

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The Natural Stone @thenaturalstone.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

@atlanticbirding.bsky.social’s #BirdOfTheDay theme is: #Raptors; any bird of prey. Alt. is #Corvids; any member of the crow family. This repeat posting from #Cyprus is a neat #Twofer with Eurasian Jackdaw chasing a Common Kestrel. #birds #birding #bluesky #BirdsOfBlueBluesky

Western Jackdaw (Coloeus monedula) chasing Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) in a blue sky.

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The Natural Stone @thenaturalstone.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

@atlanticbirding.bsky.social’s #BirdOfTheDay theme is: #Raptors. I was lucky enough to encounter several Eleonora's Falcons while I was in #Cyprus recently. This one at Akrotiri Marsh. #birds #birding #ECK #birdsSeenIn2026

Eleonora's Falcon, Falco eleonorae, catching morning sunlight perched on a bare tree.

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The Natural Stone @thenaturalstone.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

@robcrank68.bsky.social's #BirdOfTheDay theme today is #Redheads. European Red-rumped Swallows were moving through #Cyprus in good numbers while I was there a week or two ago. There is definitely more red on the head than the rump though! #birds #birding #ECK #birdsSeenIn2026

European Red-rumped Swallow, Cecropis rufula, in flight seen from the side against a clear blue sky.

European Red-rumped Swallow, Cecropis rufula, in flight seen from below against a clear blue sky.

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The Natural Stone @thenaturalstone.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

@alan678.bsky.social's #BirdOfTheDay themes today are #LightAndShadow or #FallBirds. Spotted Flycatchers pass through #Cyprus in autumn and I captured this one dappled sun and shade last week in Paphos. #birds #birding #ECK #birdsSeenIn2026

Spotted Flycatcher, Muscicapa striata, perched with its back to us on a thin bare branch in dappled shade. Blurred foliage is in the background.

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The Natural Stone @thenaturalstone.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Today's #BirdOfTheDay is #CaptionThatBird 🪶 set by @helenbennett.bsky.social "I don't want to talk about it. And where's my coffee?!" #birds #grumpybirds Buffy Fish Owl 2023 #Thailand

A grumpy Buffy Fish Owl having a bad hair day in Khao Yai National Park, Thailand. February 2023.

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The Natural Stone @thenaturalstone.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

I've got a little bird for @janesgallery.bsky.social's #SmallBirdSaturday, @atlanticbirding.bsky.social' alt #BirdOfTheDay theme #Scruffy and #BirdsSeenIn2026 for #Cyprus. This Zitting Cistocola refused to come right out into the open at Mandria near Paphos. Check alt text. #birds #birding #ECK

Zitting Cistocola, partially obscured by weedy foliage. A tiny bird of open, scrubby or agricultural land.

Formerly considered to be a type of warbler (at one time named Fan-tailed Warbler), genetics now suggest they may be more closely related to swallows and martins!

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The Natural Stone @thenaturalstone.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Today’s #BirdOfTheDay theme is: #Elegant. Thanks @atlanticbirding.bsky.social I've posted Medium Egret before but not this elegant individual in Benchakitti Park #Bangkok #Thailand #birds #birding #ECK #birdsSeenIn2026 #urbanBirding

Medium Egret. A recent split from Plumed and Yellow-billed Egret, formerly known as Intermediate Egret. Smaller than Great White Egret and prefers drier habitats. This one chose a grassy area of a city park.

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The Natural Stone @thenaturalstone.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

@robcrank68.bsky.social set today's #BirdOfTheDay themes & the Alt theme is #Pigeons&Doves. This is an immature Laughing Dove, with a Red-backed Shrike thrown in for free, on the South coast of #Cyprus earlier this week. #birds #birding #ECK #birdsSeenIn2026

An immature Laughing Dove sits on a low, bare, thin branch against a clear blue sky. An immature Red-backed Shrike sits above and behind, slightly out of focus, partly obscured by thicker branches.

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The Natural Stone @thenaturalstone.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Thank you to @alan678.bsky.social for today's #BirdOfTheDay theme which is #ODG, any Owl, Duck or Goose. One of each from me. Little Owl from Agadir #Morocco in 2013, Shoveler in #Devon last year and Egyptian Goose in #London for #birdsSeenIn2026 #UKBirding #birds #birding #ECK

Little Owl: close-up of a very confiding bird. One of a family party on old buildings near the Sous Massa reserve, Agadir, Morocco in January 2013.

Adult male Northern Shoveler in breeding plumage at Bowling Green Marsh RSPB reserve, Topsham, Devon, UK. November 2025.

Egyptian Goose at Holland Park, London UK in front of water reflecting yellow and green colours of foliage.

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The Natural Stone @thenaturalstone.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

@helenbennett.bsky.social set today's #BirdOfTheDay theme #BirdsWithBerries. I've delved deep into the archives to find my best photos of that ultimate berry bird, Bohemian Waxwing from #Cambridgeshire in Jan 2013. #birds #birding #ECK #UKBirding

Bohemian Waxwing perched in a frosty hawthorn holding a berry in its bill showing the oddly shaped tongue touching the berry.

Bohemian Waxwing perched in a frosty tree among red berries.

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The Natural Stone @thenaturalstone.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Wasn't sure whether to post this Large-billed Crow from #Beijing #China in February. @atlanticbirding.bsky.social's main #BirdOfTheDay theme today is #Silhoutte; but surely #crows are always in silhouette! It will do for #birdsSeenIn2026 anyway. #birds #birding #ECK #urbanBirding

A Large-billed Crow in flight seen from below against a blue sky.

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The Natural Stone @thenaturalstone.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Today’s #BirdOfTheDay themes are by @atlanticbirding.bsky.social and I've gone for the Alt: #Finches. This juvenile Common Linnet had me scratching my head briefly. The only one I saw during 8 days on #Cyprus. It was at a high mountain village. #birds #birding #ECK #birdsSeenIn2026

Common Linnet, a juvenile just taking flight from an exposed twig. The plumage features are rather subtle compared to adult birds.

Common Linnet, a juvenile perched on an exposed twig. The plumage features are rather subtle compared to adult birds.

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The Natural Stone @thenaturalstone.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

@robcrank68.bsky.social set today's #BirdOfTheDay theme, #Mamas&Papas, male & female of the same species in the same photo. Here Mrs&Mr Ring-necked Parakeet indulge in a bit of pair bonding in #London #birds #birding #ECK #UKBirding #birdsSeenIn2026 #urbanBirding

Ring-necked Parakeet pair performing pair bonding activity on a very large London Plane tree in Saint Pancras Gardens in February this year.

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The Natural Stone @thenaturalstone.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

@alan678.bsky.social has set today’s #BirdOfTheDay themes and I'm choosing the alt; #MyBestSide, bird capture in profile. This handsome male Black Redstart was at Nessebar old town on the Black Sea coast of #Bulgaria for #birdsSeenIn2026 #birds #birding #ECK

Male Black Redstart, almost completely black bird stood on a pale rock (part of the ruins of the entrance to ancient Nessebar).

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The Natural Stone @thenaturalstone.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Cyprus Warbler for #SmallBirdSaturday and #BirdsSeenIn2026 #Cyprus I wasn't even sure these were possible at this time of year but relentless checking of the many, many Sardinian Warblers eventually paid off at a site north of Paphos this morning. #lifer My 1111th life bird. #birds #birding

Male Cyprus Warbler, Curruca melanothorax, in a thorny bush. Endemic breeder on the island of Cyprus but moves to the fringes of the Dead Sea and Red Sea in winter.

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The Natural Stone @thenaturalstone.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme: #BirdsInAbstract - a tough assignment for me from @helenbennett.bsky.social Here the shape of a Grey-headed Woodpecker forms through a forest of twigs and branches. Taken in Beijing #China in February for #birdsSeenIn2026 #urbanBirding #birds #birding

Grey-headed Woodpecker on the trunk of a large tree, seen through a forest of twigs and branches. This species has a huge distribution across Eurasia and varies in appearance across its range. This grey-headed form in China is similar to the ones I've seen in Europe but I've also encountered the black-naped form in Vietnam and Thailand.

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The Natural Stone @thenaturalstone.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Today’s #BirdOfTheDay theme is: #Mouthful; any bird with anything in its beak. Thanks @atlanticbirding.bsky.social I got lucky 3 days ago with this European Bee-eater, one of maybe 50 mostly very high over a village in the Troodos Mountains #Cyprus #birds #birding #ECK #birdsSeenIn2026

European Bee-eater in flight carrying an insect in its bill, very likely a bee or wasp.

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Reposted by The Natural Stone

Sandra Aamodt @sandra-aamodt.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Brazilian ruby male in the Atlantic rainforest of Brazil #BirdOfTheDay #Iridescence #birds

Green hummingbird with a rusty rump, iridescent pink throat, straight black beak, and white spot behind the eye, standing on the end of a branch against a blurred green and brown background

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The Natural Stone @thenaturalstone.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

For #UrbanGaze #HumansOfBluesky #ColourADay #YellowThu #StreetArt by Peter Chun at Jonker Street #Malacca #Malaysia. Situated at the end of a narrow alley that leads from Jonker Street to the beautiful Kapitan Tea House Restaurant and Temple.

Street Art by Peter Chun depicting an unnamed woman with black hair, wearing red and staring to the left. Depicted against an irregular shape in yellowy gold on a white wall.

Situated at the end of a narrow alley that leads from Jonker Street to the large and beautiful Kapitan Tea House Restaurant and Temple in Malacca, Malaysia.

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The Natural Stone @thenaturalstone.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #Iridescence. I'm sure there will loads of lovely hummingbirds, etc. but I've only got a Great Cormorant that just about manages a bit of colour in the right light. The Serpentine Hyde Park #London. #birds #birding #ECK #UKBirding #birdsSeenIn2026 #urbanBirding

Great Cormorant, with slight blueish iridescence on its glossy black plumage. At the Italian Garden on The Serpentine, Hyde Park in London.

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The Natural Stone @thenaturalstone.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

For #rockinTuesday here's a Sling-tailed Agama on rocks at the coast and for #colouraday #blueTue a female Red-veined Darter showing off its beautiful blue eyes against a blue sky. Both seen at Paphos in #Cyprus. #wildlife #nature #insects #lizards #ECK

Sling-tailed Agama, Laudakia cypriaca, a full species since 2022 and endemic to the island of Cyprus. Showing on rocks at Paphos headland.

Red-veined Darter, a female pierced on top of a thin twig against a blue sky.

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The Natural Stone @thenaturalstone.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

@helenbennett.bsky.social's #BirdOfTheDay today is #BirdBuddies: Different bird species sharing the same space! My first morning out in Paphos #Cyprus today got me this Common Kestrel carrying a lizard hotly pursued by a Eurasian Jackdaw. #birds #birding #ECK #birdsSeenIn2026

Common Kestrel carrying a lizard hotly pursued by a Eurasian Jackdaw over the archaeological site of Nea Paphos.

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The Natural Stone @thenaturalstone.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

@atlanticbirding.bsky.social set today’s #BirdOfTheDay themes. I'm going for the Alt., #Borbs; any bird that looks round, chubby, spherical etc. I took this Long-tailed Tit a couple of days ago near my home. #birds #birding #ECK #LincsBirding #UKBirding #birdsSeenIn2026 #localbirding

Everyone loves a Long-tailed Tit and I like this composition among the soft leaves and berries of hawthorn in autumn. Its long tail is hidden behind its body so it just looks like a round ball.

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The Natural Stone @thenaturalstone.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

Today’s #BirdOfTheDay themes are #Pigeons and #SittingOnWater by @robcrank68.bsky.social I'll take the latter with this female Mandarin I photographed today on The Serpentine in Hyde Park #London #birds #birding #ECK #UKBirding #birdsSeenIn2026 #urbanBirding

Female Mandarin. A rather tame bird on a lake in a London park. Mandarin are not native to the UK but there are well established feral populations in many places, derived from birds escaped from connections.

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The Natural Stone @thenaturalstone.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

A target for my imminent Cyprus trip. What a bird and what a photo!

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Reposted by The Natural Stone

Sandra Aamodt @sandra-aamodt.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Frilled coquette male at Pousada Ninho da Cambacica in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. He's the best-dressed hummingbird I've ever seen in person, as reflected in his scientific name, Lophornis magnificus. #BirdOfTheDay #InFlight #birds

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The Natural Stone @thenaturalstone.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

@alan678.bsky.social’s #BirdOfTheDay theme is: #InFlight I think the Painted Storks at Taman Tasik Permaisuri Lake Garden in #KualaLumpur are escapes/feral but the breeding colony is doing very well. These from March. #Malaysia #birds #birding #ECK #birdsSeenIn2026 #urbanBirding

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The Natural Stone @thenaturalstone.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

A couple of sleepy #owls for today's #BirdOfTheDay theme: #BirdNaps set by @helenbennett.bsky.social Barred Eagle-owl Taman Tasik Permaisuri Lake Garden #KualaLumpur and Spotted Owlet Benchakitti Park #Bangkok, both from March this year. #Thailand #Malaysia #birds #birding #ECK #birdsSeenIn2026

Barred Eagle-owl asleep on a branch in forest.

Spotted Owlet asleep in a hole in a tree.

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The Natural Stone @thenaturalstone.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

@atlanticbirding.bsky.social chose today’s #BirdOfTheDay theme: #Contrast; light birds against dark backgrounds or vice versa. Really like this #digiscoped Common Raven against a fiery sunrise at Portland Bill in October last year. #birds #birding #Dorset #ECK #UKBirding

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The Natural Stone @thenaturalstone.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #ItsAllWhite, birds main colour is White. Thanks @robcrank68.bsky.social Luckily had camera in hand as this immature Eurasian Spoonbill flew over unexpectedly while I was camping in the #Suffolk coast in July. #birds #birding #ECK #UKBirding #birdsSeenIn2026

Immature Eurasian Spoonbill in flight. Adults lack the black tips to the wings.

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The Natural Stone @thenaturalstone.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

@alan678.bsky.social wanted #colour with today’s #BirdOfTheDay theme: #FlowerPower Hope this fabulous ♂️ Mrs. Gould's Sunbird among the cherry blossom of Doi Ang Khang in the mountains of far north #Thailand meets the brief. Jan 2025, only 3km from the Myanmar border. #birds #birding #ECK

Mrs. Gould's Sunbird, male on a branch among the blossom of a cherry tree.

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The Natural Stone @thenaturalstone.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Today's #BirdOfTheDay set by @helenbennett.bsky.social is #BirdsUpClose Any bird at close range, allowing you to see their lovely fine details! This Razorbill was very close at Bempton Cliffs @rspb.bsky.social #Yorkshire back in May this year. #birds #birding #ECK #UKBirding #birdsSeenIn2026

Razorbill on breeding cliffs at Bempton, East Yorkshire, UK.

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The Natural Stone @thenaturalstone.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

@atlanticbirding.bsky.social set today’s #BirdOfTheDay theme: #Parenting of any form Came across this Common Chaffinch nesting low against a tree by a busy path at Loweswater #Cumbria in spring. So well camouflaged that people walked straight past. #birds #birding #ECK #UKBirding #birdsSeenIn2026

Female Common Chaffinch, only the head visible, sitting in a well camouflaged nest against the trunk of a tree.

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The Natural Stone @thenaturalstone.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

@robcrank68.bsky.social: "Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #BestOfTheMonth..." Mine were all taken yesterday! European Pied Flycatcher, Great Spotted Woodpecker & Common Tern on the #Suffolk coast at Sizewell. #birds #birding #ECK #UKBirding #birdsSeenIn2026

Female or immature European Pied Flycatcher, Ficedula hypoleuca, found in a sycamore tree at Sizewell, Suffolk UK

Juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker, Dendrocopos major, in a lone bush on the beach at Sizewell, Suffolk UK. As an adult female it would have no red on the crown and and adult male just a red patch to the rear of the crown.

Adult Common Tern, Sterna hirundo, passing the beach at Sizewell, Suffolk UK

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