I love them all the more when in focus! And they love our Salvias.

Richard K Broughton@richardkbroughton.bsky.social · 3d ago

I just love them! Even when out of focus on my stupid old phone.

Blurry picture of a White-letter Hairstreak nectaring at East Quantoxhead, Somerset this morning.

After a 20 year wait, an LSW finally appears whilst I'm raptor watching, flying <2m above a grassy field for 150m and landing briefly on a willow sapling. @sussexornitholo.bsky.social @lesserspotnet.bsky.social

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker 'Ant-Flinger'- fascinating observations by David Bevan @djbevanphoto.bsky.social of a male LSW systematically removing & discarding wood ants whilst foraging for aphids. Article & video just published in @britishbirds.bsky.social see britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...

Next generation of High Browns on Dartmoor being produced. @savebutterflies.bsky.social @bcdevon.bsky.social

New in #BirdStudy and the media today: Swifts are very faithful to nest sites, partners & colonies. Providing nest sites could help maintain populations. High fidelity to nest sites and partners in the Common Swift Apus apus: doi.org/10.1080/0006... www.theguardian.com/environment/... #ornithology

Migrating swifts loyally return every year to nests in buildings, study finds

Conservationists emphasise importance of protecting nesting sites used by ‘strongly faithful’ red-listed species

theguardian.com

Very promising results for protecting Willow Tit nests and good work by @wildhorizons.bsky.social . We love all Woodpeckers, but Great Spots are the culprits here.

Wild Horizons@wildhorizons.bsky.social · last mo.

The last Willow Tit nest of the season now fledged, successfully protected from Great Spotted Woodpecker predation. No GSW predation in protected nests this year, in stark contrast to 100% predation rate by GSW in unprotected nests. Very promising results.

Watch BBC Countryfile tonight, BBC 1 at 7:15. It will include a short film of us in the New Forest looking for Woodpeckers and talking about volunteering for Woodpecker Network and @lesserspotnet.bsky.social

A chance encounter with ITV and Ash Walmsley of the Ashdown Conservators.... and Honey-buzzards....on the Forest today. @sussexwildlife.bsky.social @sussexornitholo.bsky.social www.itv.com/watch/news/h...

The Yellow Horned Poppy and Viper’s Bugloss looking wonderful on West Worthing beach, some have even spread to the pavement. #wildflowers #vegetatedshingle #coastalplants @sussexwildlife.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social

🦆Great progress this week on the PEACEPLUS-funded ACCLIMATISE project led by AFBI! BTO staff deployed passive acoustic monitors on Sheep Island, the Skerries & Isle of Muck to track movements of tagged seabirds. Stay tuned for insights into our marine environment! @btobirds.bsky.social

Doing environmental science under an authoritarian and oppressive government is challenging, to say the least, but lessons have been learned before, and sadly remain useful: The Białowieża Forest as an example of the resilience of long-term studies in a changing world: doi.org/10.1016/j.bi...

Sussex Honey-buzzard nest camera is now LIVE. You can always find the live link (and previous days' recordings) at: www.youtube.com/playlist?lis... Enjoy this UK first for this incredible species!

Springwatch are featuring a LIVE Honey-buzzard nest camera we installed for Sussex Ornithological Society and the Conservators of Ashdown Forest (10th June 8pm). This is/will be a UK first! The nest camera will be live streamed on WW YouTube channel (+ partners websites) from Friday 12th June 0400.

Exciting stuff !! We are delighted to be a part of this project with partners; Friends of Ashdown Forest, @wildlifewindows.bsky.social‬ and The Ashdown Forest Foundation. The nest camera will be live streamed on WW, YouTube channel + partners websites, including ours, from Friday 12th June 0400.

@wildlifewindows.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Springwatch are featuring a LIVE Honey-buzzard nest camera we installed for Sussex Ornithological Society and the Conservators of Ashdown Forest (10th June 8pm). This is/will be a UK first! The nest camera will be live streamed on WW YouTube channel (+ partners websites) from Friday 12th June 0400.

Delightful scene - but don't get confused these are both Great Spotted Woodpeckers, an adult female (on the left) feeding its youngster. Young Great Spots have a red cap when they leave the nest and are sometimes mis-identified as male Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers. (not by anyone on here though!)

The Fake History Hunter@fakehistoryhunter.net · 2mo ago

Time line cleanser, for morale improving purposes, from my garden:

Knepp Estate After realising I hadn’t seen a Turtle Dove for several years,a trip to Knepp this afternoon soon put that right. Pair flying around and perched from the viewing tree platform.

Please do submit any nesting house martin records via BirdTrack, with breeding evidence and number of occupied nests. @sussexornitholo.bsky.social have a county wide study this year. If you want to visit a known site in Sussex some are still available request here soshousemartins.birdsurvey.org.uk

There are now two more female Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers out in the world! What a joy it’s been to share this patch of woodland with these incredible birds for the last 11 days. Thanks to @lesserspotnet.bsky.social for the guidance. The clearing feels very quiet now! #HantsBirds #NewForest

And away… I must have just missed this little one fledging this morning. She was sat in the adjacent beech for an hour calling to be fed. Soon after she was chasing her mother around further afield. One left to go! #HantsBirds #NewForest @lesserspotnet.bsky.social

Two healthy chicks seen this morning - great to see both survived the Jay attack. They’re roughly 18 days old so due to fledge quite soon. The female parent seems to be visiting the nest less often now #HantsBirds #NewForest @lesserspotnet.bsky.social

It's coming to the end of lesser spot season, and chicks are fledging. Listen out for calling chicks if you're in the woods. Video by Paul Cox (thanks Paul for permission to use).

These 2m and 2f LSW young will fledge in the next few days. Two other Somerset nests have already fledged on Thursday. There will be young calling from LSW and GSW nests over the next two weeks @ukrbbp.bsky.social @lesserspotnet.bsky.social @btosomerset.bsky.social @somersetbirds.bsky.social

6 Lesser Spotted Woodpecker nests have been monitored in Devon and Somerset this year. One failed at the hatching stage, others will be fledging in the next few days, 1-2 weeks early. Young can now be heard calling in nests @lesserspotnet.bsky.social @somersetbirds.bsky.social @ukrbbp.bsky.social

Fabulous Lesser Spotted Woodpecker nest found and monitored by Woodpecker Network volunteer @angusrobin.bsky.social

@angusrobin.bsky.social · 2mo ago

These 2m and 2f LSW young will fledge in the next few days. Two other Somerset nests have already fledged on Thursday. There will be young calling from LSW and GSW nests over the next two weeks @ukrbbp.bsky.social @lesserspotnet.bsky.social @btosomerset.bsky.social @somersetbirds.bsky.social

This is the sound to listen out for - if you are searching for a Lesser Spot nest to monitor - well done @angusrobin.bsky.social

@angusrobin.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Here’s an example of LSW young calling from a nest (there were three young not far off fledging in this nest) @ukrbbp.bsky.social @lesserspotnet.bsky.social

I cant believe the lesser spot chicks haven't fledged yet. The female kept calling at them to come out this morning. At one point for over 6 minutes straight. The adults are tired and want the chicks to forage for themselves. They are doing there best to avoid the lunges! @lesserspotnet.bsky.social

Please to have found a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker nest this morning,3 young and adults seen bringing food to hole. Thanks to LSW team which arrived to scope nest early afternoon.

Incoming!!! LSW

Very good news. Well done for monitoring the feeding visits. The weather has turned so cold, the chicks will need all the food they can get.