Martin George
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jannerbirder.bsky.social
Martin George
@jannerbirder.bsky.social
1.7K followers 1.6K following 1.9K posts
Bird nerd, patch worker and BTO surveyor. MSc Ornithology (mostly a seabirds thing). Proud Devonian currently exiled to North Shropshire. I also run the #Shropshirebirds feed.
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jannerbirder.bsky.social
Martin George @jannerbirder.bsky.social · Oct 17
I've just created a Shropshire Birding feed for bird sightings and updates in the county.

Please use #Shropshirebirding or #Shropshirebirds in your post.

A big thank you to @jamiedunning.bsky.social for his guidance.

Don't forget to pin the feed once you've followed it!

bsky.app/profile/did:...
Reposted by Martin George
simongillings.bsky.social
Been working a lot on woodpeckers recently, which inspired this new design for @aluladesigns.bsky.social
aluladesigns.bsky.social Alula Designs @aluladesigns.bsky.social · 4d
Checkout our new Woodpeckers design, available on t-shirts, tops, hoodies and mugs. aluladesigns.co.uk/s... #Birds #BirdArt #UKBirding
New Alula Designs advert for Woodpeckers
February 11, 2026 at 8:32 PM
jannerbirder.bsky.social
I really like the @birdtrack.bsky.social yearly summary email.
I'm "part of a community of c.13,000 birders that collectively recorded 9.6 million records of over 400 bird species in Britain & Ireland". The app is so easy to use in the field.

More info: www.bto.org/get.../volun...
#ShropshireBirds
A BirdTrack yearly summary graphic showing data against an image of a Glossy Ibis in vegetation at the water's edge. Data highlights: 5,906 records of 180 bird species and 30 non-bird species from 91 places in Britain & Ireland over 193 recording days. A BirdTrack infographic showing personal data highlights for 2025. There's a list of top birds seen, as in seen by fewest other birders - Black Kite, Roseate Tern and White Stork - a timeline showing species per day throughout the year, a graph showing the accumulation of species throughout the year, and a map of Great Britain with places records were collected shown as dots.
February 15, 2026 at 4:48 PM
Reposted by Martin George
meganshersby.bsky.social
Oh hey, it's my book! Due out next week!!
chiffchat.bsky.social Bloomsbury Wildlife @chiffchat.bsky.social · 16d
From walkable wetlands to coastal wildlife reached by rail, Where to Watch Wildlife in Britain proves sustainable travel and great wildlife watching go hand in hand.

Available to pre-order now for eco-conscious explorers!

@MeganShersby @feraheather @beccaonthewing @DanERouse
February 13, 2026 at 7:22 PM
Reposted by Martin George
muddyfaces.co.uk
🌟 LtL Local Nature Grants 🌟 are open for schools and nursery settings - a chance to get £500 worth of outdoor equipment including some lovely Muddy Faces resources! Read more here muddyfaces.co.uk/news/ltl-loc...

#outdoorplayresources #outdoorplay #outdoorequipment
February 13, 2026 at 5:45 PM
jannerbirder.bsky.social
Spent some time checking out Crose Mere and the local flooded fields this afternoon.

320 Lapwing and 40 Wigeon on one flood, 103 Lapwing and three Shelduck on another. As I counted 13 Great Crested Grebe on the mere a Water Rail approached to within three metres. No rain today!

#ShropshireBirds
A flooded grass field with Lapwing (and a few Starlings) on the grassy "islands". Wigeon swimming on a field flood with Lapwings on the grassy shore beyond. A wooden footbridge leading to a adder style. The bridge crosses a flooded channel with a mature tree beside it and flooded fields with reeds and rushes beyond. In the distance sheep graze a slope leading to a forestry plantation of conifers. A distant Crose Mere (a mere is a broad, shallow lake) viewed from the rushy pasture beside it, flooded by the high winter water level, with a mix of reeds and sedges fringing the edge of the mere.
February 14, 2026 at 10:47 PM
jannerbirder.bsky.social
Appropriate weather for our final Winter Bird Survey at Haughmond Hill for @bbs-birds.bsky.social today. -3C on arrival! Top birds: Redpolls in bright sunshine.

The third image is "warbler alley", which will look and sound very different in late April when we return for BBS!

#ShropshireBirding
A horizon of distant Shropshire Hills dusted with snow beyond a foreground of green fields and hedgerows with trees. The hills are The Lawley and Caer Caradoc to the left and the Long Mynd plateau to the right. The dip in between is the Stretton Gap, a major geological fault line running through the town of Church Stretton. Shropshire's famous Wrekin Hill under a blue, cloudless sky with wet cereal fields and stands of trees in the foreground. A wet footpath surrounded by brambles, scrub and flattened, dead bracken. In a few weeks this area will be green and loud with the sounds of migratory warblers. A wooden bench coated with frost beside a frosty forestry track.
February 14, 2026 at 9:57 PM
Reposted by Martin George
ebcc.info
The use of citizen science data (common bird monitoring and online portal) to investigate the impact of Usutu virus on bird populations in Belgium. In 31 of the 60 species, annual changes were >20% worse inside affected areas than outside (11 species were >50% worse). More:https://shorturl.at/teoFW
February 13, 2026 at 6:01 PM
Reposted by Martin George
richardkbroughton.bsky.social
72% increase in non-native Pheasants since 1967 on spring/summer BBS surveys. Due to autumn releases for shooting, but shows many survive all year. Study in link found there's 20-100 per km2 on farmland in summer. More abundant than many native farmland birds. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
bbs-birds.bsky.social Breeding Bird Surveys (BBS) @bbs-birds.bsky.social · 3d
(1/) The brightly coloured Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) increased by 72% across the UK between 1967 and 2023. This species is regularly seen in lowland farmland, and the loud calls of the males are far carrying. @btobirds.bsky.social @jncc.bsky.social @rspbscience.bsky.social #Ornithology
February 13, 2026 at 10:52 AM
jannerbirder.bsky.social
The Reducing Seabird Collisions Using Evidence (ReSCUE) project, led by Natural England, seeks to address the issue of seabird collision with offshore wind infrastructure.

#Seabirds

naturalengland.blog.gov.uk/2026/02/11/r...
ReSCUE takes flight: Survey campaign to address gaps in seabird flight height data.
By Rachel Mewes – Marine Ornithology Specialist and ReSCUE Project Support, Eddie Cole – ReSCUE Project Lead and Andrew Harwood – Senior Marine Ornithology Specialist and ReSCUE Technical Lead Offshor...
naturalengland.blog.gov.uk
February 11, 2026 at 11:41 PM
jannerbirder.bsky.social
“A clever new start up in Wolverhampton turns seaweed into pellets that can be poured straight into existing injection moulding machines. The result? Parts that were once plastic, from golf tees to cups, can now be composted rather than thrown away.”
Turning single use plastics into totally compostable seaweed instead!
YouTube video by David Gregory-Kumar
youtu.be
February 10, 2026 at 11:11 PM
Reposted by Martin George
environment.theguardian.com
‘We feel kinda bad when a solo bird shows up’: Canada sees its first European robin – but how did it get there?
‘We feel kinda bad when a solo bird shows up’: Canada sees its first European robin – but how did it get there?
Birdwatchers flock to Montréal for rare sighting of ‘vagrant’ bird that has made its home during a bitterly cold winter
www.theguardian.com
February 10, 2026 at 12:02 PM
jannerbirder.bsky.social
We have some great birds in #Shropshire at the moment: the Crudgington Moor floods host the largest group of Russian White-fronted Geese in the county in more than 40 years; on the "Leighton Loops" were five Barnacle Geese. Both species are county rarities. And it didn't rain!

#ShropshireBirding
Some of the 270 or more Russian White-fronted Geese, grazing against a backdrop of fence and mature hedge. Lapwing and Golden Plover on muddy islands in a large field flood. Five Barnacle Geese, behind some of the larger Canada Geese, grazing on the edge of the flooded River Severn. Looking down from the valley side to the River Severn floods at Leighton, near Ironbridge, showing the river up on its floodplain with wooded hills beyond and pasture in the foreground. A low wintry sun is shining through a partially clouded sky.
February 8, 2026 at 10:10 PM
Reposted by Martin George
rdpphoto.bsky.social
Female Crossbill harvesting a pine cone #photography #birds #ukwildlife #Nature #wildlife #birdphotography #shropshirebirds
Four picture collage of a female Crossbill selecting & removing a pine cone
February 8, 2026 at 1:28 PM
Reposted by Martin George
btoshropshire.bsky.social
A talk about the work of BTO and how people of all skill levels can get involved. Whitchurch, this Wednesday (11th), at 7:30 pm.

If you'd like to find out more about volunteering for BTO we'd love to see you on Wednesday!

#ShropshireBirds

www.shropshirewildlifetrust.org.uk/events/2026-...
A Peregrine Falcon perched on a coastal cliff with grass and Thrift (Armeria maritima) flowers. Photo credit: Phlip Croft/BTO.
February 7, 2026 at 8:26 PM
jannerbirder.bsky.social
Rebecca's newsletter is an excellent roundup of #ornithology news, highly recommended.
rheisman.bsky.social Rebecca Heisman @rheisman.bsky.social · 11d
Happy Wednesday! I am on my second day of having a kid home sick, and my spouse is out of town and I have deadlines coming up, but at least I got my newsletter out so you can read about bird eyeballs! I hope you'll check it out. 🪶👀 buttondown.com/rheisman/arc...
Bird of Passage: February 2026
Let's talk about bird eyeballs.
buttondown.com
February 7, 2026 at 9:33 PM
Reposted by Martin George
wadertales.bsky.social
Links to research mentioned by @jengill.bsky.social in talk at #curlew workshop, yesterday.
Curlew headstarting:
wadertales.wordpress.com/2022/08/31/w...
Black-t Godwit headstarting:
wadertales.wordpress.com/2024/09/26/h...
Juvenile settlement:
wadertales.wordpress.com/2024/09/12/j...
#ornithology
Will head-starting work for Curlew?
83 captive-reared Curlew were released successfully in 2019, over 130 in 2021 and a similar number in 2022 but this does not mean that head-starting is a solution to England’s Curlew problems. We d…
wadertales.wordpress.com
February 7, 2026 at 7:27 AM
Reposted by Martin George
wadertales.bsky.social
Reminder - adult Curlews have easy lives, these days.
Annual survival is very high - 92.2% per year in period since 1996.
This is masking just how serious low productivity really is!
wadertales.wordpress.com/2021/06/12/m...
#ornithology
More Curlew chicks needed
There are three ways to increase the number of Eurasian Curlew in the UK; boost chick production across the breeding range, find ways to ensure more chicks recruit to the breeding population and/or…
wadertales.wordpress.com
February 7, 2026 at 9:54 AM
jannerbirder.bsky.social
Details of the additional overflow car parking arranged by the Natural England team for people visiting to see the Starling murmuration at Whixall Moss/Charles Sinker Fields.

#ShropshireBirds
A screenshot of a Facebook post from Fenn’s, Whixall and Bettisfield Mosses National Nature Reserve. “Additional overflow car parking for people visiting to see the starling murmuration is now available. It will be at the former scrapyard site which is a short distance from the main NNR car park, Morris’s bridge. Note the overflow car park is free and will be closed an hour after sunset. Many thanks to Shropshire Wildlife Trust for allowing the use of the scrapyard and to a member of the local community for their assistance with this.” An aerial image showing the standard and overflow parking for the Starling murmuration near Whixall in Shropshire.
February 6, 2026 at 8:27 PM
Reposted by Martin George
alexanderlees.bsky.social
Another iNaturalist-aided rediscovery
www.inaturalist.org/observations...
February 6, 2026 at 9:01 AM
Reposted by Martin George
jerutter.bsky.social
I’m so honored to be hosting this incredible group of folks at the next @abcbirds.bsky.social webinar! Join us - rsvp here: ABCbirds.org/jersvp

#birds #ornithology
February 5, 2026 at 10:46 PM
jannerbirder.bsky.social
The Shropshire Bird Report for 2024 is now being delivered. As always, it’s a fascinating resource and a delight for Shropshire bird nerds.

It’s a great credit to the hard work and diligence of @pilning.bsky.social
and the team. Work on SBR 2025 is about to start!

#ShropshireBirds
A Redpoll at Venus Pool, February 2024 by Michael Jeavons
February 5, 2026 at 9:41 PM
Reposted by Martin George
stevedudley.bsky.social
I only took to the @birdtrack.bsky.social app mid last year and the more I use it the more I get out of it. The stats function is great and as can be seen by the graph here, 2026 effort is much reduced cf to 2025 cos we've had utterly shite weather for a month! #WestrayBirding #PWC2026
Screengrab of my BirdTrack app stats for my January 2026 Westray Birding. It shows 90 species seen. 75 places visited around the isle. 305 submissions. 64 complete lists. A graph compares January 2026 activity to January 2025.
February 3, 2026 at 10:47 AM
jannerbirder.bsky.social
What an amazing story!

“This remarkable story from Slovenia features an unusually fearless and adaptable White Wagtail, whose choice of nesting site defied all logic – and geography.”

www.birdguides.com/news/nesting...
Nesting on the go: incubating White Wagtail travels 2,000 km
A breeding pair of White Wagtails travelled all over Slovenia in a lorry in June 2025.
www.birdguides.com
February 2, 2026 at 10:14 PM
jannerbirder.bsky.social
Dismal, distant crops from phone snaps of an epic aggregation of Lapwing on the saturated village patch and WeBS site in North Shropshire: around 1,200 birds!

Previous record was 567, with just three other three-figure counts over five years. A Great White Egret was a nice bonus.
#ShropshireBirds
Sheep pasture with distant trees under a leaden sky with a horizontal "smudge" of flying Lapwing, appearing as dark spots, low across the horizon. Sheep pasture with distant trees under a leaden sky with a horizontal "smudge" of flying Lapwing, appearing as dark spots, low across the horizon. Sheep pasture with distant trees. In the mid ground a large body of water. The shapes just apparent on it are Canada Geese, part of a flock of 220. Another field flood, a large body of water in what is normally just enclosed sheep pasture with trees beyond.
February 1, 2026 at 5:25 PM
Reposted by Martin George
lowcarbonkev.bsky.social
Today is Imbolc. A festival I really like.

Marking halfway between winter solstice and spring equinox. From now on in, spring starts to win out.

I'm no wiccan. Just all my birding life I argued ornithological year really should start March 1st 😉

(Pics from my #Medway Imbolcs past)
#KentNature
Imbolc, 2024, dusk. A Marsh Harrier flights over Motney reedbed, the local Medway landmark of the Tesco car park water tower on the horizon. Imbolc, 2019. Redshank holed up in the saltings, out of the icy wind. Imbolc, 2018. High tide and the wreck of the Aberdeen. A wader roost on deck can be made out - just. A sunny Imbolc, 2015 - bright blue waters of the Medway (with a drake Red-breasted Merganser for interest)
February 1, 2026 at 2:09 PM