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  1. L

    Birding Hell to which you've subjected non-birders

    What's your story of the time you put a non-birder friend or family through birding hell? Mine is probably the time my gf and I suggested my whole family and extended family (over for xmas) should go up to a Northumbrian beach on xmas eve to 'see some shore larks'. It was a fair drive up and...
  2. L

    Tern, NE England July 2023

    Thanks all. Would have had mixed feelings if little tern as it's a lifer but would mean I missed the moment at the time. The needless wait goes on (life getting in the way of going up to Long Nanny colony).
  3. L

    Tern, NE England July 2023

    Snapped this (juv?) tern at mouth of the Tyne at South Shields in July 2023 on the walk back from snapping commons and Arctics on Sandhaven Beach. Thought nothing more of this bird but have revisited the day's pics by chance and thought it looks a bit different. No size indication next to other...
  4. L

    Greater Scaup or Tufted Duck, Gloucestershire UK

    I would be happy with scaup on that view, good spot! Structurally just isn't right for tufted duck but mainly the white blaze looks sufficiently extensive and 'hard' to rule out the female tufties carrying the limited blaze. All the best!
  5. L

    Twitching by numbers - Book only available on Amazon

    Not cancel culture just the consequence of writing 70s pulp in 2022 and charging the thick end of 20 quid for it.
  6. L

    Code and scheme ID for metal ring on BHGull

    I read it as VA3 875 [scheme address] I'm most open to the idea of the second letter being a K, but I've had a respondent on Twitter read a ring with the same prefix and text direction in the neighbouring county last week, and they apparently were able to also read the scheme as Denmark, so...
  7. L

    Code and scheme ID for metal ring on BHGull

    I've got two out of two respondents on Twitter suggesting Denmark?
  8. L

    Code and scheme ID for metal ring on BHGull

    I've managed to (I think) get enough shots of this ring on a black-headed gull in UK this morning to assemble the full code (see linked TIFF composite), but the Scheme address is not legible and I wondered if any seasoned ring readers know what countries use these rings with the characters...
  9. L

    Corncrake or Pheasant?

    What colour were the chicks? That's the simplest fairest approach to reaching a conclusion, but as suggested above if you've seen any of this activity at length in the open/with relative ease it is probably pheasant.
  10. L

    NE England. Leucistic herring gull c.f. Iceland?

    Thanks all. I think in the OP I meant to say '2nd cal year' not '2nd winter'.
  11. L

    gull scotland

    Apart from apparent size (deceptive in many such photos) it nicely matches the common gull elsewhere in the pic which is useful for judging the shade of grey in (the photo's capture of) the light conditions. Common gull for me.
  12. L

    NE England. Leucistic herring gull c.f. Iceland?

    Having second thoughts about IDing this as 2nd winter herring gull (leucistic). Anyone?
  13. L

    Sinensis ssp. cormorant? Co. Durham UK 2/3/20

    Thanks all and sorry for poor record shots. It was a fair distance away in working docks and, worse, it still knew it was being watched.
  14. L

    Sinensis ssp. cormorant? Co. Durham UK 2/3/20

    Hoping this is my first P. carbo sinensis in Britain. I've not seen one so white-headed but I'm not familiar with gular angle to look for. Cheers!
  15. L

    Noctuid(?), July, Devon

    Thanks both. No don't hold me to Noctuidae, I'm super new to moths. Afraid these are the only pics.
  16. L

    Help to identify please?

    I don't agree as it seems the bottom right picture is showing the upper side of the bird as it climbs away from camera, with some strong sunlight on it, as opposed to underparts. I only noticed on second look. Edit/PS - fwiw I am certain it's a common buzzard. 'Mayoral chain' shows in the left...
  17. L

    Northumbrian Birding

    Derek, I have had messages of 100+ yellowhammer in the Holystone (Tyne & Wear) area. Approx grid ref for the farmland north of the village is NZ299705. Not to be confused with Holystone (Northumberland) which is way up the Coquet valley!
  18. L

    Noctuid(?), July, Devon

    Moth guide hasn't been successfully used to ID this one, suppose it might be a variable species or just overlooked it. Anyone? Moth is on my gf's Smiley Face tshirt if you're wondering what the background is.
  19. L

    The 'crocodile dentist' bird myth

    Thanks for the comments. I posted out of shock that a) I'd never looked into it before, b) people are still posting faked photographs of the behaviour and c) some people are daft enough to think the pics are real.
  20. L

    Do all birds migrate?

    With very few exceptions, birds move somewhere else to do something. The smallest scale movements would probably be foraging, escaping predators and disturbance, or visiting roost sites. Then there's dispersal of young birds (usually of one sex more than the other) to new locations to reduce the...
  21. L

    What would a bowerbird do with unlimited bling?

    I thought they preferred blue objects to shiny ones?
  22. L

    The 'crocodile dentist' bird myth

    Today I have gone from misreading the plant species Egyptian clover to googling Egyptian plovers for fun to finding out it is this bird that is mythologised to this day as the 'crocodile bird' that pecks pieces of stuck food out of crocodiles' open mouths. I'd heard mention of this before but...
  23. L

    Finnish-ringed Osprey in Kenya

    Taken into care having become entangled in fishing nets. Looks like it will be ok! 7000 km from ringing site. Great to see ringing finds in international press. https://www.nation.co.ke/counties/siaya/Rare-bird-Osprey-flies-from-Finland-to-Kenya/1183322-5429762-gvge4s/index.html
  24. L

    Northumbrian Birding

    Still checking back here from time to time. I'm not sure of a surefire site for yellowhammer but I can ask around. A few pics from suburban patch lately.
  25. L

    Spotted Tenby Harbour

    Another vote for GND.
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