Ken Tucker

@RareBirdAlertUK I thought this was Alcatraz - the famous prison island in San Francisco Bay, but that would be quite an extension if its breeding range. I see now that this is Isla Alcatraz in Mexico. Still good news.

Back to the Rock: Craveri's Murrelet Rediscovers Alcatraz Island rarebirdalert.co.uk/v2/Content/Bac…

@BBCCambs @KaneBrides Well done, @KaneBrides for raising this. Hoping @UKPowerNetworks do something about it soon.

Eighteen swans found dead under power line bbc.in/3AojZUw

@stevepreddy @01000011S Crocs? You're wearing Crocs? Oh dear. You'll be going to the supermarket in your jim jams next. 🤣🤣

Saving the best till last: my final shorebird family, 100+ of these elegant beasts on the Kenyan coast today. Some enterprising locals had a stall renting footwear for the trip across the mudflats (with post-walk foot wash thrown in). I opted for these fine @01000011S specials.

@stevepreddy @JulianThomas19 "Milky-tea Warbler with a Slightly Weaker Bill than the Others"... Hmm, I'll keep thinking.

@KenTurnip @JulianThomas19 It would depend on how obvious the boots are. Booted Eagle, named because its feathering reach to its feet, might get the benefit of the doubt. Booted Warbler, named for its unscutellated tarsi, can just go away and come back when it’s thought of something better.

Just one question: If we are supposed to be moving away from eponyms, who decided we should shift to using Pallas's Gull for this magnificent species from the more well-known (and much more descriptive) Great Black-headed Gull?

@stevepreddy @JulianThomas19 Would booted things actually need to wear boots... And when does a shoe become a boot?

@JulianThomas19 Fwiw I prefer descriptive names over eponyms as long as they’re a) accurate (so Black-headed Gull needs to change, for a start: Seasonally Chocolatey-hooded Gull maybe) and b) actually describe sensible things about the bird (so Short-toed anything immediately goes in the bin) 1/

@hbriggs @KaneBrides Will there come a day when they just don't bother making the final hop across from the Netherlands? What a desperately depressing winter that would be.

Fascinating chat with ⁦@KaneBrides⁩ about these beautiful birds bbc.co.uk/news/science-e…

I see that many people complain that peat-free composts are not as good as peat based ones. I have not used peat in a growing medium for over 25 years and have never had any problems at all. Some are better than others but ALL are better than using peat!

@joshual951 Any idea why we give a completely separate name e.g. E. x watsonii instead of E. ciliaris x tetralix? I find the latter tells me much more.

And for anyone interested, here is what mum and dad look like! Cross-leaved Heath (left) and Dorset Heath (right) 😍😍😍

Did you know that ALL species today, including us humans, have hybrid origins? Hybrids can exploit environments which neither parent can, & help create new species! Speaking of hybrids, here’s a dead pretty one I found in Dorset - Watson’s Heath (Erica x watsonii)! Innit great!?

WOW. Brand new research from @ManMetUni has found that just ONE restored coastal saltmarsh in the UK stores as much carbon over 4 years as ONE MILLION new trees grown for 10 years! Coastal #wetlands like @WWTSteart = vital for tackling #ClimateChange. Here's why 👇📽️

@NotQuiteScilly Looks good for EF to me... But what do I know?

@RespectIsVital @stevepreddy @PhilSpencerTV As long as it gets eaten. Got to be better than all the intensively farmed meat but I don't see this outrage every time someone buys a pack of sausages. Proper free range.

Just @PhilSpencerTV acting all giddy after shooting a deer for fun. Very normal.

@stmarys_patch Just awesome. Thanks for posting.

The walrus made its way around the bay trying unsuccessfully to board each of the 20 or so anchored yachts - felt slightly concerned it was going to hop on the kayak but thankfully it decided against it!! Nonetheless, my heart was in my throat! Unreal! #Wally #ScillyWalrus

@stevepreddy Twice - once just a nose poking out moving soil and once when a pasture was flooded and it was scuttling about at the edge of the field (but not swimming)

Curiosity piqued by my weekend mole encounter, please can you take my mole poll? Have you seen a live mole in the wild in Britain? If multiple, please reply with how many. If no, please reply with how long you’ve been a naturalist (or whatever alternative term you use).

@andy33082645 @PortlandBirdObs @MarcHeathym007 Didn't Paul Harris find one in Weymouth last year or the year before? Well out of range and a big surprise.

had a dragon at blacknor gully today looked like a male norfolk hawker to me but given date & location presume it was likely a vagrant emperor, had two good flight views only before it disappeared, any other candidates @MarcHeathym007

In case anyone hasn’t seen this. And no, it’s not a petition to delegitimise Israel, it’s about requiring them to uphold the same standards of behaviour that would be expected of any responsible modern democracy. petition.parliament.uk/petitions/5853…

@stevepreddy @TheDetermin8or @bustardgroup Yeah. I'd be interested too, as I haven't seen anything about the released birds being joined by wild birds. If they were, I would imagine eastern populations more likely than Spanish.

@TheDetermin8or Hi Sean - where did you hear that? Very encouraging news if true. (I can’t view @bustardgroup’s tweets as I’m blocked by them - no idea why).

Birding in the UK: Where Are the People Like Me? An article on diversity in the UK nature community. There is a more detailed report of the survey feedback for any organisations or individuals interested, just drop me a message. @RareBirdAlertUK rarebirdalert.co.uk/v2/Content/Bir…

#goodbyeserious @walls

A review meeting at Ham Wall this week looking at Avalon Marshes breeding bird results for this year. Some exciting results to come. Taster - 50 booming Bitterns, 10 Gt Egrets, 67 pr Pochard, 423 pr Water Rail!

Cattle Egret numbers still going up at Catcott Lows. @somersetbirds