Alex Penn
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alex-penn.bsky.social
Alex Penn
@alex-penn.bsky.social
30 | Birder and BTO S Ringer | Head of Ornithology @fairislebirdobs.bsky.social | Fair Isle 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏳️‍🌈🦉
Reposted by Alex Penn
Had this flick out in front of me while on census this morning and immediately had the feeling it was something out of the ordinary. Some panicked shots that I quickly sent to @alex-penn.bsky.social confirmed my suspicions that it was something different, a short-toed lark!
April 10, 2025 at 3:34 PM
Twite are returning to @fairislebirdobs.bsky.social with some signs of early spring movement in recent days. This bird was 'chortling' away happily in the sunshine today 🔊🎶
March 9, 2025 at 8:34 PM
Still a wintry theme @fairislebirdobs.bsky.social, with Iceland Gull and two Russian Whitefronts the recent highlights.

Signs of spring are beginning to appear though, with the first Mistle Thrush, Stonechat and Pied Wagtail in the last week, and numbers of Ringed Plover and Skylark building
February 25, 2025 at 5:22 PM
A drake Long-tailed Duck soaking in the last rays of the sun on the Peedie Sea in Kirkwall - there can't be many town 'duck ponds' with displaying Long-tailed Ducks a regular feature! #OrkneyBirds
February 14, 2025 at 7:36 PM
It's been a quiet winter for Short-eared Owls in Orkney, perhaps unsurprising after such poor autumn passage through
@fairislebirdobs.bsky.social. Extra special then to bump into a roadside group of three birds - hunting, chasing and occasionally bickering with a passing Hen Harrier
February 10, 2025 at 1:46 PM
A handful of 'borealis' Eiders were present in a several-hundred-strong flock near Kirkwall this morning, looking that bit more flamboyant than the locals, with their brighter bills and pointed 'sails' #orkneybirds
February 6, 2025 at 6:54 PM
Purple Sandpipers were living up to their name for once in Orkney today - their mantles, wings and even crown feathers gleaming iridescent purple in the low winter sun
January 31, 2025 at 5:55 PM
Delighted to be heading back to the magic isle alongside Jonnie in these permanent roles - a very exciting few years coming up, and can’t wait to be able to welcome visitors back to a brand new Obs!
January 24, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Reposted by Alex Penn
We are hiring seasonal hospitality staff!

These are exciting opportunities to relocate seasonally to Shetland, working with a close-knit hospitality team at our guesthouse on the UK’s most remote inhabited island.
More here: linkedin.com/feed/update/...
#Shetland #FairIsle
Fair Isle Bird Observatory on LinkedIn: We are hiring seasonal hospitality staff! These are exciting…
We are hiring seasonal hospitality staff! These are exciting opportunities to relocate seasonally to Shetland, working with a close-knit hospitality team to…
linkedin.com
January 23, 2025 at 7:40 PM
A well-timed visit to the Loons this morning resulted in another brief view of the Bittern that’s currently in residence, as it crept across an open channel in the reeds #OrkneyBirds
December 17, 2024 at 4:44 PM