Andrew Lipczyński
@andrewlipczynski.bsky.social
Sandwich Bay Bird Observatory, Sandwich Monks Wall Nature Reserve, RSPB, BTO, Kent Ornithological Society, Kent Moth Group, Kent Wildlife Trust, Butterfly Conservation UK/Europe, British Dragonfly Society, Western Palearctic. UNICEF, MSF.
Another day of Brents moving thru Sandwich Bay. 08.45-10.45 410 S, 31N. Coming in from the NE, fighting / making slow progress against a stiff southerly breeze. Once inshore, resting and then heading south. Also a Pomarine Skua offshore beating up the gulls @sandwichbirdobs.bsky.social #Kentbirding
First decent autumnal movement of Dark-bellied Brent Geese at Sandwich/Pegwell Bay @sandwichbirdobs.bsky.social. From 08.55-11.25, 1600+ N mid/offshore up channel plus coming in/N through the Thanet (300MW/100 turbine) Array in a SW breeze then after resting/reorientating 285S inshore. #KentBirding
This is most probably C hyale, which is a highly mobile migrant species from C Europe. Adults cannot be distinguished from C alfacariensis. However that seems to be a sedentary species from calcareous grassland with Hippocrepis, hardly known from outside its habitat patches.
A closer look at a presumed helice Clouded Yellow (C.crocea) from the Sandwich Bay Estate yesterday. Restricted black on trailing edge of hindwing, pale submarginal spots not encircled in black, and washed out yellow ground colour look good for Pale/Berger's Clouded Yellow (C.hyale/alfacariensis)?
Re. Buff-breasted Sandpipers, I recall 1 (or was it a pair?) at Blagdon Lake in October 1986. Then refrained from twitching to focus on my patch @sandwichbirdobs.bsky.social. Long wait until 17th Sept 2022 when Martin 'Radar' Sutherland found one on the shore - nearly bust a gut running #KentBirding
Review of New Birds of Sheffield & mention of late David Herringshaw in latest @britishbirds.bsky.social prompted a flashback to 11th Sept 1975. Biking out to Redmires on my red Dawes racer with a pair of Dixons 10x50 Specials slung round my neck & finding a Buff-breasted Sandpiper #yorkshirebirding
The confiding juvenile Dotterel found on the shingle @sandwichbirdobs.bsky.social this morning attracted a small steady procession of respectful admirers, only troubled by some wind-blown litter and no doubt bemused by it's probable first contact with homo snapiens 📷🤳 #Kentbirding #Kentnature
A recent phenomenon @sandwichbirdobs.bsky.social has been fish fry shoals driving gulls & terns into feeding frenzies. Today in flat calm & light drizzle, action was close inshore with at least 5 Black Terns. Not quite Attenborough-esque but video footage attached for your delectation #KentBirding
A calm warm sunny morning perfect for a late season trip to Kingsdown Leas. Scanning the Everlasting Pea fortunate to find one worn Long-tailed Blue. Several Adonis were still on the wing, inc this ♂️which had me 🤔 😕 as it had lost its internal hindwing spots @savebutterflies.bsky.social #KentNature
With recent White-winged (old school Black) Terns at 'Stodders' & 'Dunge', it should have been more on our radar, so it was a nice surprise when an adult was picked out from the now usual melee of terns & gulls plus occasional skua during this morning's seawatch @sandwichbirdobs.bsky.social.
Well they do say good things come in threes & so it was again this time @sandwichbirdobs.bsky.social moffice. Passenger was new for recording area after a near miss in Sandwich Aug 2019, Cosmopolitan was only 2nd after one Aug 2011 while Barred Hook-tip was 4th after 2 in Sept 82 & Sept 92 #teammoth
A rare 3 Skua day @sandwichbirdobs.bsky.social. A dainty dark morph juv Long-tailed Skua getting as good as it gave, then 3 Arctics one of which pursued Sarnies over the shore. In the afternoon, a dark Pomarine barrelled thru. Back at base a Kind of Blue moff here in Birdland #TeamMoth #KentBirding
Isn't it good, Norwegian Wood? (This Bird has Flown!)
@sandwichbirdobs.bsky.social · 2mo agoA good spot by Jonny of a colour ringed Wood Sandpiper on Backsand Scrape at the weekend. The bird had been ringed nine days previously 875km away in Norway.
Painted Lady still on the wing @sandwichbirdobs.bsky.social - well, just about. It's been a long hot summer and I too am feeling a bit frayed around the edges. @savebutterflies.bsky.social #KentNature
Just published: UK and England butterfly population indicators using UKBMS data. These show a long-term decline in the all-species index in the UK of 18% and a 37% decline for habitat specialists in the UK. Check out the full statistics here ⬇️ www.gov.uk/government/s...
Lesser Crested Tern, Pegwell Bay, August 22nd 1996. First for @sandwichbirdobs.bsky.social and second for Kent following first at @dungenessbirdobs.bsky.social 6th May 1989 both presumed to be the bird that frequented the Farnes. High time for another #KentBirding but will settle for a Sooty 🙏
Our new commentary rdcu.be/ftx6h in @natecoevo.nature.com written with folks from @inaturalist.bsky.social and @cornellbirds.bsky.social shows that use of AI to manipulate existing or create new wildlife images undermines the huge value of vast citizen science databases. 🌍🪰🪶 #Ornithology 🧵 1/10
Citizen science platforms must mitigate against the threat of generative AI
Nature Ecology & Evolution - Citizen science platforms must mitigate against the threat of generative AI
rdcu.be
Had given up searching for the Red-backed Shrike at the Back of Beyond Roaring Gutter (aka Hacklinge Marshes, Lydden Valley, Worth) when up it popped 300 metres away from where first found yesterday. #KentBirding Always happy to expend a handful of pixels capturing a Shrike in a Bush
At last, a free day to brave the M25/Dartford Tunnel & visit the River Stour estuary at Cattawade in Suffolk to twitch the Hud'wit. Picking up a/the bird quickly in the salt-marsh, it was 45 mins before it displayed its diagnostic underwing pattern (never a doubt😬) & another hour to grab a photo.
There were 'calcarius' where the reddish postdiscal band on fore-wing upperside extended basally &/or with more marked ocelli on hind-wing upperside. Possibly gender differences 🤔 -but also similar to Common Brassy Ringlet, E. cassioides. Does it occur in Slovenia 🤔 @europebutterfly.bsky.social
Primary target was the endemic & local Lorkovic's Brassy Ringlet, Erebia calcarius, of which there were many to study & photo. Water, E. pronoe & Yellow-spotted Ringlets, E. m. manto were also plentiful. However we were probably 2-3 weeks past the peak (exacerbated by the heat) for the other Erebia.
Up to the high pass (2072m) on Slovenia/Italy border below Mt Mangart (Mangrt) at 2679m. Spectacular views but car parks rammed with walkers & folks escaping the heat. Indeed on both days the mountain was 'full' & we were turned away - until I showed my @savebutterflies.bsky.social card. Honest!
Back from a week in Slovenia with @greenwingstours.bsky.social led by Lajos Nemeth. Some highlights follow. An all too brief visit (I could have done with a week or two!) to a legendary dragonfly hot spot - the Šijec Bog on the Pokljuka plateau in the Triglav National Park in NW Slovenia.
A female Common Blue, Polyommatus icarus, in my East Kent garden. Logically: an unusual individual where the blue suffusion extends to the wing margins. Emotionally: absolutely beautiful! #KentNature @savebutterflies.bsky.social
Last year at Sandwich Bay, there was a 2nd emergence of Scarce Blue-tailed Damsels in mid-July peaking at 12+ on 19th & 14+ on 30th. This year there've been no July sightings (I think) until today. Maybe the heat-wave is to blame🤔. It's certainly impacted the anisoptera which are noticeably scarce.
Last post from our week with @mariposanature.bsky.social in Serbia on the False Comma tour. It just has to be Poplar Admiral, Limenitis populi, a species that had eluded me until then. First was at Topli Do followed by 4 (four!) at Brlog & along the Dojkinacka; all dark males of the form tremulae.😂
Evening walk across New Downs Sandwich Bay. The Pectoral Sandpiper, dwarfed by juv Water Rails, still in 'South Scrape' one of the borrows created by the EA (design input from Bird Observatory) during creation of new Sea Defences. Also 4 Bearded Tits taking grit/seed off the mud & 29 Cattle Egrets.
Too cool & overcast to do my Big Butterfly Count but pottering around the garden revealed this perfect freshly emerged female Wall Brown yet to be bothered by her suitors. As ever the French have a word for it - La Mégère (the Shrew). Cherchez la femme n'est-ce pas? @savebutterflies.bsky.social
