It was a shock to get this close fly-by from a male Montagu's Harrier in Spain recently. That this scene is once again possible in the UK too with successful breeding this year is heartwarming. 🪶 @sophieshrike.bsky.social
Sophie Barrell
@sophieshrike.bsky.social
Suffolk Birder/Twitcher. FISC Level 4 Botanist. Senior Ecologist. Views my own.
I think this may be the greatest photo I have ever taken on my phone !! Griffin vulture flying directly above us during our trip to the Pyrenees 🪶 @hcbirding.bsky.social
I give to you the majestic Lammergeier, AKA Bearded Vulture, from the Pyrenees in Spain @sophieshrike.bsky.social
OMG that was unreal! Total solar eclipse from Morcuera, Spain. #Eclipse #SolarEclipse #Totality @sophieshrike.bsky.social
Obligatory record shots of the eclipse from Spain yesterday 😍 Incredible phenomenon! @hcbirding.bsky.social
Pin-tailed Sandgrouse up close and personal on the steppes of Spain. Stunning plumage makes it quite possibly one of the best birds in Europe @sophieshrike.bsky.social 🪶
Scouting mountain tops to see the eclipse, with Crag Martins making close passes @sophieshrike.bsky.social
Over in Spain for the upcoming solar eclipse. Black Redstarts keeping us company from the rooftops in the mean time. @sophieshrike.bsky.social
There now follows a party election broadcast by the Count Binface Party, And if I do say so myself, it's a banger. #VoteBinface #Clacton
4 dorsal fins in a row from a pod of Bottlenose Dolphins seen recently off Madeira. Interesting to see tooth marks on some of the fins. @sophieshrike.bsky.social
The Ross's Gull at Thurrock Thameside Nature Park, Essex, today was a little beauty and with patience it performed brilliantly! #RareBirdsUK #UKBirding #EssexBirding @sophieshrike.bsky.social
Tawny pipit @ 14:50 today at Languard, Suffolk. Just a quick record shot before it quickly ran back out of view ✅️ #RareBirdsUK #UKBirding
On my 5th attempt, managed to finally see a Hooded Merganser in the UK, a female at Alvecote Pools, Warwickshire. 🥳 @sophieshrike.bsky.social
FINALLY GOT IT! I've taken well over 100,000 pelican pictures, maybe 200,000. Over 20,000 the past month alone. Today, I snagged "The One That Got Away" In my infinite optimism, I give you, a very rare: Fish success story. 🪶
We found a rare bird (only 4 previous ebird records in Sabah) in the form of a Fairy Pitta at Danum! Worth slogging the leech-infested trails in the dark 🎉 #BorneoBirding @sophieshrike.bsky.social
Finished up 5 days in the Danum Valley. Some of the toughest but most rewarding birding I've known. Giant Pitta and Bornean Ground-cuckoo both seen (!) but far too elusive for photos #BorneoBirding @sophieshrike.bsky.social
Gould's Frogmouth giving the death stare along the Kinabatangan River last night #BorneoBirding @sophieshrike.bsky.social
Another day, another Pitta! This time a Western Hooded Pitta along the Kinabatangan River. #BorneoBirding @sophieshrike.bsky.social
Black-crowned Pitta was a star from our time at Sepilok. What a dapper fella! #BorneoBirding @sophieshrike.bsky.social
The colours on this Black-and-Yellow Broadbill are really quite something! It landed nearby for a split second before melting into the greenery at Sepilok RDC. #BorneoBirding @sophieshrike.bsky.social
Wishing all of us many gorgeous nature adventures in 2026. Whatever chaos is happening there is always something beautiful or exciting or funny to see out there. 🌿
For millions of overtired parents, especially of small babies and/or neurodivergent ones, every fireworks night is a night of unnecessary, completely preventable, stress and psychological violence. Ban the sale of fireworks to the public, now. petition.parliament.uk/petitions/73...
Petition: Limit the sale of fireworks to those running local council approved events only
Ban the sale of fireworks to the general public to minimise the harm caused to vulnerable people and animals. Defenceless animals can die from the distress caused by fireworks. I believe that permitt...
petition.parliament.uk
A selection of passerines from Mount Kinabalu (names in alt text). We're now moving on to the steamy lowlands and a whole new set of species awaits! #BorneoBirding @sophieshrike.bsky.social
Happy New Year! Started off 2026 with a rather special sunrise. Went on a trek for Friendly Bush-Warbler but it remained distinctly unfriendly! Sundaic Island Thrush and Besra were good compensation though. #BorneoBirding @sophieshrike.bsky.social
Lots of rain on Mount Kinabalu but it didn't stop the highland endemic Whitehead's Trogon showing well - this is the female. #BorneoBirding @sophieshrike.bsky.social
Up there with my most wanted birds in #Borneo, the amazing Whitehead's Broadbill from Mount Kinabalu! @sophieshrike.bsky.social
I have returned to Bluesky to post that we have just seen Marbled Cat in Malaysian Borneo and I am very very happy. Thank you for your attention to this matter. @hcbirding.bsky.social
