Alexander Lees
@alexanderlees.bsky.social
Birds, science, politics. Reader Man Met Uni, Associate Cornell Lab of #Ornithology, Chair BOURC, Trustee @bou.org.uk SC @ras-network.bsky.social. Usually found in the #PeakDistrict or #Amazonia, he/him. Views own.
1403 Woodpigeons visible in a single frame of this video at 21 seconds @derbyshirebirds.bsky.social #UKBirding, my estimate at the time was 12k birds through in three large waves in about 20 minutes, but I might have been well under...
November 7, 2025 at 9:52 PM
1403 Woodpigeons visible in a single frame of this video at 21 seconds @derbyshirebirds.bsky.social #UKBirding, my estimate at the time was 12k birds through in three large waves in about 20 minutes, but I might have been well under...
Peregrines are now also common victims of secondary poisoning by rodenticides; they eat pigeons, doves and corvids which access poisoned bait stations which are ubiquitous in urban environments wildlifepoisoningresearchuk.wordpress.com/wp-content/u... #UKBirding #Ornithology
November 5, 2025 at 1:46 PM
Peregrines are now also common victims of secondary poisoning by rodenticides; they eat pigeons, doves and corvids which access poisoned bait stations which are ubiquitous in urban environments wildlifepoisoningresearchuk.wordpress.com/wp-content/u... #UKBirding #Ornithology
Singularly impressive bird-finding and rarity-documentation - a visibly-migrating Black-faced Bunting photographed this morning in the Netherlands 🪶
www.dutchbirding.nl/gallery/deta...
www.dutchbirding.nl/gallery/deta...
November 5, 2025 at 1:35 PM
Singularly impressive bird-finding and rarity-documentation - a visibly-migrating Black-faced Bunting photographed this morning in the Netherlands 🪶
www.dutchbirding.nl/gallery/deta...
www.dutchbirding.nl/gallery/deta...
Same ship could bring Boat-tailed no problem....
November 3, 2025 at 9:25 AM
Same ship could bring Boat-tailed no problem....
Bill is too long and fortunately AI still bad at feet...
November 3, 2025 at 7:42 AM
Bill is too long and fortunately AI still bad at feet...
A click look elsewhere on social media reveals a lot of AI slop bird 'photos', which are becoming more and more convincing, a worry for biological recording in general and not just #Ornithology
November 2, 2025 at 8:19 PM
A click look elsewhere on social media reveals a lot of AI slop bird 'photos', which are becoming more and more convincing, a worry for biological recording in general and not just #Ornithology
If I had to guess....
November 2, 2025 at 7:34 PM
If I had to guess....
Won't be off the Sky Princess - will have come from something that has transited from Texas again I'd assume...
November 2, 2025 at 6:58 PM
Won't be off the Sky Princess - will have come from something that has transited from Texas again I'd assume...
The eBird taxonomic reshuffle is still underway, but Lagopus has been processed, and Red Grouse is now a UK species-level endemic #UKBirding
macaulaylibrary.org/asset/609783...
macaulaylibrary.org/asset/609783...
November 2, 2025 at 6:43 AM
The eBird taxonomic reshuffle is still underway, but Lagopus has been processed, and Red Grouse is now a UK species-level endemic #UKBirding
macaulaylibrary.org/asset/609783...
macaulaylibrary.org/asset/609783...
Price reflects how common these things are (see an example below of a much rarer Neotropical sp), there is certainly legal and illegal movements (easy to launder sp in shipments when ID knowledge limited) but the number of birds circulating here is huge and lots of birds being bred.
October 30, 2025 at 7:32 PM
Price reflects how common these things are (see an example below of a much rarer Neotropical sp), there is certainly legal and illegal movements (easy to launder sp in shipments when ID knowledge limited) but the number of birds circulating here is huge and lots of birds being bred.
Main focus now is being the 1st to breed ever more obscure species, likely still illegal movement but we are a ways from the cut flower markets of the 80s and 90s... lots of images of nests and fledglings in this sp... and others...
October 30, 2025 at 6:46 PM
Main focus now is being the 1st to breed ever more obscure species, likely still illegal movement but we are a ways from the cut flower markets of the 80s and 90s... lots of images of nests and fledglings in this sp... and others...
Grey-backed Thrush is one of the commoner Asian passerines in captivity in the UK, many appear to be unringed #UKBirding
October 30, 2025 at 2:43 PM
Grey-backed Thrush is one of the commoner Asian passerines in captivity in the UK, many appear to be unringed #UKBirding
18 Whooper Swans and a drake Gadwall on Bottoms Res @derbyshirebirds.bsky.social at dawn #UKBirding
October 22, 2025 at 7:15 AM
18 Whooper Swans and a drake Gadwall on Bottoms Res @derbyshirebirds.bsky.social at dawn #UKBirding
Most of our regular Nearctic vagrants habitually move over water as part of their normal migrations. All that said, it still moves as far as northern South America so perhaps just towards the end of the long-tail of possibilities and thus a '100 year bird' science.ebird.org/en/status-an... 2/2
October 20, 2025 at 12:09 PM
Most of our regular Nearctic vagrants habitually move over water as part of their normal migrations. All that said, it still moves as far as northern South America so perhaps just towards the end of the long-tail of possibilities and thus a '100 year bird' science.ebird.org/en/status-an... 2/2
Great Crested Flycatcher wasn't at the top of my list of potential Nearctic vagrants given that it is very rare in Atlantic Canada, the Caribbean and especially Bermuda (below) islands which are a good barometer for vagrancy. Hopefully Ash-throated Flycatcher has been ruled out #UKBirding 1/2
October 20, 2025 at 12:09 PM
Great Crested Flycatcher wasn't at the top of my list of potential Nearctic vagrants given that it is very rare in Atlantic Canada, the Caribbean and especially Bermuda (below) islands which are a good barometer for vagrancy. Hopefully Ash-throated Flycatcher has been ruled out #UKBirding 1/2
Common Scoter on Arnfield Reservoir @derbyshirebirds.bsky.social for a second day plus more notably a Redshank there & both eclipsed by a Mute Swan (!) on Bottoms Reservoir, 1st seen over @tommckinney.bsky.social's house yesterday - my first in the valley this year @birdguides.bsky.social #UKBirding
October 17, 2025 at 1:27 PM
Common Scoter on Arnfield Reservoir @derbyshirebirds.bsky.social for a second day plus more notably a Redshank there & both eclipsed by a Mute Swan (!) on Bottoms Reservoir, 1st seen over @tommckinney.bsky.social's house yesterday - my first in the valley this year @birdguides.bsky.social #UKBirding
White House politics now beyond parody with a 'chemtrails' taskforce
edition.cnn.com/2025/10/16/h...
edition.cnn.com/2025/10/16/h...
October 17, 2025 at 6:54 AM
White House politics now beyond parody with a 'chemtrails' taskforce
edition.cnn.com/2025/10/16/h...
edition.cnn.com/2025/10/16/h...
Our analysis indicates that several specimens of dubious origin collected by Charles Craven are likely to have originated in Amazonia, not in the northeastern Brazilian state of Pernambuco as stated on their original labels with implications for our understanding of historical extinctions 9/10
October 15, 2025 at 1:11 PM
Our analysis indicates that several specimens of dubious origin collected by Charles Craven are likely to have originated in Amazonia, not in the northeastern Brazilian state of Pernambuco as stated on their original labels with implications for our understanding of historical extinctions 9/10
We found that Craven's specimen's clustered with others of known Amazonian origins and not with Atlantic Forest specimens 8/10
October 15, 2025 at 1:11 PM
We found that Craven's specimen's clustered with others of known Amazonian origins and not with Atlantic Forest specimens 8/10
Another busy day of #Vizmig in Longdendale on my walk to the station via nursery; lots of thrushes & finches moving including 60 Redwings and 3 Crossbills, 2 grounded Chiffchaffs @ Lambgates, expected a YBW at any minute. @derbyshirebirds.bsky.social also noticed a reminder that I'm speaking tonight
October 14, 2025 at 7:51 AM
Another busy day of #Vizmig in Longdendale on my walk to the station via nursery; lots of thrushes & finches moving including 60 Redwings and 3 Crossbills, 2 grounded Chiffchaffs @ Lambgates, expected a YBW at any minute. @derbyshirebirds.bsky.social also noticed a reminder that I'm speaking tonight
Redwings tricking west over Longdendale in the Peak District this morning, part of an ongoing arrival on the East Coast #UKBirding @derbyshirebirds.bsky.social
October 13, 2025 at 9:47 AM
Redwings tricking west over Longdendale in the Peak District this morning, part of an ongoing arrival on the East Coast #UKBirding @derbyshirebirds.bsky.social
Just noticed this artwork at Piccadilly for the first time. It must have been a subconscious search image....
October 9, 2025 at 8:55 AM
Just noticed this artwork at Piccadilly for the first time. It must have been a subconscious search image....