Mark Nowers

Here's your regular 30 second blast of Nightingale for a Thursday evening.

IT’S OFFICIAL ‼️ It has now been confirmed, AFC Whyteleafe will be competing in the Isthmian Premier League.

@MikeSmith_SDP Great news Mike. Are they back now? Could I put you in touch with my opposite number in your fine county?

@stuttonsparrows We have a pair nest every year in the lane from the house. Always nice to have them back.

One of the problems working on species recovery is when a landowner sends you a sighting of their first Turtle Dove in 3 years, my head explodes and i can't focus for the rest of the day. The best drug.

Every cloud has a silver lining- here's about half of flock of 175-200 Swifts lumped by the rain and cold onto a farm res. in the Brecks this afternoon.

@GrahamDenny9 @kilmaha @BenGoldsmith What grinds my gears, is when a mature hedge is called "species poor". That relates to the number of species of shrub, but not the multitude of other species. Consequently, the uninitiated see "species poor" and think its OK for it to go.

If you look @BenGoldsmith the problem with ecological surveys they are paid for on behalf of clients! Basically paid to find nothing or your firm goes under , ecologists working for massive companies keep jobs if they skirt round the issues , you want wildlife to prosper rally for a totally independent ecology system where ecologists can properly do there job unfortunately no government wants it because it doesn’t make money it costs money . Not putting solar on roofs of every industrial estate would save all this bullshit of putting on farming land and wildlife havens that have depth in wildlife nobody wants to find yet all know is there !

Lots flys out and about they love mature hedges ! @StevenFalk1 @NHM_Diptera @DipteristsForum @rlewington2 @RabKing___aye @barry_woodhous7 @Gameandwildlife @MeganRural @Rothamsted @kelly_jowett @BenGoldsmith @Eleanorjb99

@LeonRice861481 Asking around, looks the caterpillar is the Drinker moth. Great photos!

Early start on Southern Dartmoor today Star birds were 4 cuckoo's including this one dispatching a hairy caterpillar not before it gets rid of the toxic part. Also saw pied fly, redstarts, tree pipits, crossbills and many more except for wood warbler hoping they are just late 🤞

Showing off my newest pair of swallows in the self designed nest using a little common sense can make all the difference!👍@stuttonsparrows @RabKing___aye @barry_woodhous7 @BTO_Suffolk @SongBirdSBS @RSPBHopeFarm #birds #swallows

Good fact.

@PaulEele @OrioleBirding I'll be there in September! Have a great time.

Been a long day of travelling but made it to South Uist. Good numbers on manx shearwater, 2 bonxie, arctic skua, 10 common dolphin on the ferry. 4 long tailed duck, 5 GN diver, BT diver & 50 eider on Barra. Castlebay on Barra 🙂

@RedRiverCroft As others have said Annie. Down south they mainly go for Reed Warblers as we aren't blessed with many Mipits.

Dear X birders, we've cuckoos singing through the night here in our valley (South Erradale, coastal NW Highlands). Can anyone tell me which bird species they might make use of at night? Crofts+environs have plenty of small birds, eg meadow pipits, active during the day. Thanks 🤗

@PaulEele Rowing to Lundy? 🤪

And I'm on a boat for 5hrs

A change of scenery for the next week but I'm not giving the game away just yet...😉

A Willow #Warbler nest, nicely concealed in the cover of bramble scrub.

@Yellowbrow I've had submerged eggs hatch before now. Wouldn't recommend it mind.

The first breeding attempt in over 20 years on the wetland and yesterday happened. A rise of 200mm. Who’d be a ground nester.

@TrooperSnooks @BBCr4today The Sparrows must be livid with the racket they make. But grateful to you of course for stepping in.

@stuttonsparrows @BBCr4today You can't move around here for literally flocks of tame nightingales. I have to shoo them off my bird table so the (wild) house sparrows get a look in

Wild Nightingales. Are we that far removed that we have to call them wild? @BBCr4today

@GrahamDenny9 @BBCr4today Poke my eyes out, that is annoying.

@stuttonsparrows @BBCr4today Like buying sea bass at Tescos 🙄

@TrooperSnooks @BBCr4today

Our first returning Turtle Dove was as captured on one of our trail cameras on the 5th May - so good to see with a sigh of relief! @SaveTurtleDoves @_BTO @HOSbirding

Just seen my first TD of the season @GrahamDenny9 between me and Rickinghall. Flying like a bullet. Any with you yet? (Not the one in this photo of course!)