Mark Eaton
@markaeaton.bsky.social
Scientist, conservationist, naturalist, birder. Secretary of the Rare Breeding Birds Panel & ornithologist for hire. Loves all of that plus dogs, music, leftwing politics, football, Northumberland, family. He/him.
Great evening as finally got American Black Tern on the Boulmer list. Teased me feeding at distance at first but gradually came close enough to be sure, then landed on Longhoughton Steel 🙂 #NEbirding #rarebirdsUK
I've not seen the Cocker paper but there's a section on Redstart mimicry in The Sound Approach to Birding (2nd edition at least)
Also while cruising the lanes last night, as well as owls, hedgehogs and foxes a couple of oddities… a Nightjar calling overhead nr Littlehoughton, 7km from the nearest breeding habitat, and these Turnstones migrating south overhead nr Fallodon, 5km from the coast #NEbirding
More Quail…. I found 16 singing males in a nocturnal drive around north of Alnwick last night. 2 near Fallodon, and 14+ in a small area around Hocketwell (on the B1340 between Denwick and Rennington) 🤯. Recording captures the ‘mau-wau’ call ahead of the more familiar ’wet-my-lips’ #NEbirding #birds
Every day’s a school day… there’s a great paper in the @derbyshirebirds.bsky.social 2024 Report by Mark Cocker, on mimicry in Common Redstarts. He recorded 56(!) species in Redstart songs in 2025 - listen to a sample here and see how many you can get! #UKbirding #ornithology xeno-canto.org/1048967
XC1048967 Common Redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus)
I examined the recording for mimicry. And suggest the following examples in the course of the nine + minutes. The intitial numbers 1-63 refer to the song units in sequence. A question mark immediatel...
xeno-canto.org
Swift cottage gets even better… after the swifts went to bed, followed by a barrage of Tawny Owl calls, a Quail has started singing to the northeast. Murdoston, Auldgirth, D & G #BirdingScotland
Mark Eaton@markaeaton.bsky.social · 3w agoJust arrived to spend the night at “Swift cottage” near Dumfries and found that it’s very well named ❤️❤️❤️ #birds
Just arrived to spend the night at “Swift cottage” near Dumfries and found that it’s very well named ❤️❤️❤️ #birds
I have 5 static recorders in Aberdeenshire forests & have had Quail in all: 1. 4 nights 23/5-3/7 2. 5 nights 21/5-19/6 3. 1 night 10/6 4. 10 nights 21/5-4/7 5. 8 nights 21/5-3/7 On only 2 nights calling started <midnight. @markaeaton.bsky.social @ukrbbp.bsky.social @inchgarthbirding.bsky.social
A male Lesser Emperor at Willen Lake, Milton Keynes this morning @britishdragonflies.bsky.social #dragonflies #odonata
Grasshopper Warbler singing behind our house (Alnwick) again, for the first time since late April - demonstrating how they can be completely silent and utterly undetectable while breeding #NEbirding #birds
Managed to call in to Ingoe today to admire the territorial Turtle Dove - Northumberland’s first singing bird since 2017 (and it’s 34 years since the last breeding) #NEbirding
Sam celebrating his 13th birthday at Boulmer today 🎂. He attributes his youthful good looks to a weekly immersion in a stinking pool of sulphurous mud 🤢. Happy birthday to the world’s best dog 🐕!
Had one of those “isn’t evolution brilliant“ moments watching this Black Skimmer doing its thing at Coyote Hills, California last week #SuperSeabirdSunday
Back from travels to a family wedding in California, which means I have a fine pair of terns for #SuperSeabirdSunday - Forster’s (left) and Least (right)
In the foreground, a Blue Whale, the world’s largest creature🥇. Behind it, a Fin Whale, the world’s second largest creature🥈. Mind-blowing 🤯! Monterey Bay, California, yesterday #whales #cetaceans
Great gig by the Beta Band in Newcastle last night - photo taken near the end when all four of the band were on the drums!
Good numbers of waders still at Boulmer y’day: 38 Sanderling, 1 Dunlin, 3 Knot, 2 Turnstone, 1 Whimbrel & 16 Ringed Plovers in the ‘yet to go to breeding grounds (and might not bother)’ category, and 2 Redshank, 57 Curlew & 44 Oystercatcher in the ’been and come back’ category #NEbirding #birds
A stunning male Redstart not letting the rain get him down at Bewcastle, Cumbria this morning #birds
My first Golden-ringed Dragonfly of the year nr Bewcastle, Cumbria this morning. A newly emerged female, its wings were still in the process of being pumped up and the exuvia (the cast-off casing from its nymph stage) was discarded on the streamside below it @britishdragonflies.bsky.social
A line of Manx Shearwaters passing Hauxley this morning - 304 north in an hour. Also a Sooty Shearwater and adult Long-tailed 😍 and Arctic Skuas. Huge numbers of local breeding seabirds going backwards and forwards - a few sample counts gave an estimate of 12,100 birds per hour #NEbirding
Inner Farne’s resident Gannet was bemused, then annoyed, by brawling Guillemots today. So it saw them off and reminded everyone who was boss! #SuperSeabirdSunday #birds
Think this half qualifies for #SuperSeabirdSunday - the resident Eider x Mallard hybrid at Seahouses today #NEbirding #BirdHybrids
A gorgeous leucistic Common Guillemot on Inner Farne, Northumberland today, just in time for #SuperSeabirdSunday #NEbirding #birds
Absolute legends, Kraftwerk, at Edinburgh Playhouse this evening
Nice bit of breeding evidence for @ukrbbp.bsky.social … one of two broods of Shovelers at Buston Links this morning #NEbirding
The magical sound of churring Nightjars last night. Six males over just a square mile of Alnwick Moor - the most I’ve had in the area before was three (and there were none until ~7 years ago). Included a bird on open, tree-less moorland singing from telegraph wires! #NEbirding
Is #SuperSurfinSeabirdSunday a thing? If so, here’s some Shelduck chicks catching a wave at Seaton Pt Northumberland yesterday #SuperSeabirdSunday #birds
