Mark Lewis
@fatpaulscholes.bsky.social
Birder: patch birding , sound recording, migration, and rare birds occasionally
Awful pics, but any thoughts on what these two dark hybrids are? Barnacle crossed with something, obvs…
September 30, 2025 at 5:21 PM
Awful pics, but any thoughts on what these two dark hybrids are? Barnacle crossed with something, obvs…
Seawatching was very quiet last week but there were some notable distractions so I might have missed a couple of manxies…
July 28, 2025 at 10:43 AM
Seawatching was very quiet last week but there were some notable distractions so I might have missed a couple of manxies…
Arctic tern are currently hanging round at Girdle Ness in un(recently)precedented numbers. I counted 460 today. Still plenty to come from the local breeding colony too. Lovely to see this species have a good year
July 27, 2025 at 4:27 PM
Arctic tern are currently hanging round at Girdle Ness in un(recently)precedented numbers. I counted 460 today. Still plenty to come from the local breeding colony too. Lovely to see this species have a good year
Not only is this a really neat study but it also has the best 'lay' summary I've seen. I'm not totally lay but still, I appreciate the simplicity and clarity in how the work is described here. More of this sort of thing please...
June 11, 2025 at 6:51 PM
Not only is this a really neat study but it also has the best 'lay' summary I've seen. I'm not totally lay but still, I appreciate the simplicity and clarity in how the work is described here. More of this sort of thing please...
On this day… another moment from Shetland 2018. This bearded seal in Lerwick was a real crowd pleaser!
June 6, 2025 at 12:37 PM
On this day… another moment from Shetland 2018. This bearded seal in Lerwick was a real crowd pleaser!
On this day… in 2018. Tagging red-throated diver in Shetland with the late and very great Dave Okill and @ljohnbirding1.bsky.social
June 5, 2025 at 9:27 PM
On this day… in 2018. Tagging red-throated diver in Shetland with the late and very great Dave Okill and @ljohnbirding1.bsky.social
Report is of a ‘possible frigatebird’ which I guess says something… but the description sounds pretty intriguing.
June 4, 2025 at 7:46 PM
Report is of a ‘possible frigatebird’ which I guess says something… but the description sounds pretty intriguing.
On this day… Burness, Sanday was the place to be. Yes, I know my eBird is in French. No, I don’t know why…!
June 4, 2025 at 3:06 PM
On this day… Burness, Sanday was the place to be. Yes, I know my eBird is in French. No, I don’t know why…!
Dotterel on Sanday yesterday. An absolute stunner.
May 25, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Dotterel on Sanday yesterday. An absolute stunner.
The blue butterfly app seems like an appropriate place to ask… where do folks put their butterfly data? Is there anything like eBird for butterflies?
April 27, 2025 at 7:44 AM
The blue butterfly app seems like an appropriate place to ask… where do folks put their butterfly data? Is there anything like eBird for butterflies?
Shades of littoralis rock pipit from Girdle Ness yesterday. Cool to see 5 really distinctive birds together. Anyone have any idea how fast these things get their breeding plumage? These were either new birds or the dingy and quite Petrosus-like flock that’s been around lately has pijazzled fast.
March 16, 2025 at 8:27 AM
Shades of littoralis rock pipit from Girdle Ness yesterday. Cool to see 5 really distinctive birds together. Anyone have any idea how fast these things get their breeding plumage? These were either new birds or the dingy and quite Petrosus-like flock that’s been around lately has pijazzled fast.
Great note in the latest BB on colour morphs in bullfinch. Who knew there were light and dark morphs? Something I’ve noticed but never found an explanation for, and now I can stop unsuccessfully and unsatisfactorily trying to make pale birds into ‘northern’ bullfinch. Pale on left, dark on right.
March 15, 2025 at 7:11 AM
Great note in the latest BB on colour morphs in bullfinch. Who knew there were light and dark morphs? Something I’ve noticed but never found an explanation for, and now I can stop unsuccessfully and unsatisfactorily trying to make pale birds into ‘northern’ bullfinch. Pale on left, dark on right.
On this day in 2022, a rather confiding little gull at Girdle Ness. #BirdingScotland
November 29, 2024 at 8:08 AM
On this day in 2022, a rather confiding little gull at Girdle Ness. #BirdingScotland
Arctic tern gathering on the Isle of May #bioacoustics macaulaylibrary.org/asset/619661...
November 22, 2024 at 3:54 PM
Arctic tern gathering on the Isle of May #bioacoustics macaulaylibrary.org/asset/619661...
A group of cranes migrating by night over Morlaas, SW France #bioaccoustics #nocmig. The recording starts off quiet but gets better at about 45 seconds. Lovely juvenile calls among those of the adults. macaulaylibrary.org/asset/625470...
November 21, 2024 at 4:43 PM
A group of cranes migrating by night over Morlaas, SW France #bioaccoustics #nocmig. The recording starts off quiet but gets better at about 45 seconds. Lovely juvenile calls among those of the adults. macaulaylibrary.org/asset/625470...
Another from Sanday - a juvenile merlin #birdingScotland
September 15, 2024 at 12:04 PM
Another from Sanday - a juvenile merlin #birdingScotland
Finally getting round to dealing with Sanday photos! Here’s the American golden plover that we borrowed from North Ron. #birdingScotland #RarebirdsUK
September 14, 2024 at 4:40 PM
Finally getting round to dealing with Sanday photos! Here’s the American golden plover that we borrowed from North Ron. #birdingScotland #RarebirdsUK
Great to be back on Sanday and great to bump into this first thing - a melodious warbler. #birdingScotland #UKRareBirds
September 7, 2024 at 7:21 PM
Great to be back on Sanday and great to bump into this first thing - a melodious warbler. #birdingScotland #UKRareBirds
Very quiet at Girdle Ness this morning. 4 Manx, 4 Arctic skua, the ‘long staying little gull’ and by far the best, 4 ruff south. Thanks for the scope @anthrobirder.bsky.social #birdingScotland
August 26, 2024 at 9:29 AM
Very quiet at Girdle Ness this morning. 4 Manx, 4 Arctic skua, the ‘long staying little gull’ and by far the best, 4 ruff south. Thanks for the scope @anthrobirder.bsky.social #birdingScotland
Still a few seabirds loitering as well, with plenty of juv lesser black-backs still present. I really like these pointy gulls. #birdingscotland
August 25, 2024 at 7:40 PM
Still a few seabirds loitering as well, with plenty of juv lesser black-backs still present. I really like these pointy gulls. #birdingscotland
A spotted flycatcher in the early morning light from the Isle of May. Even in awful conditions there were a fair few migrants kicking around, with 2 of these, tree pipit, and plenty of phylloscs and wheatears. It’s quite the place.
August 25, 2024 at 7:38 PM
A spotted flycatcher in the early morning light from the Isle of May. Even in awful conditions there were a fair few migrants kicking around, with 2 of these, tree pipit, and plenty of phylloscs and wheatears. It’s quite the place.
Just back from a night on the fabulous Isle of May. In theory for a meeting, but we did try not to let that get in the way…
August 25, 2024 at 12:58 PM
Just back from a night on the fabulous Isle of May. In theory for a meeting, but we did try not to let that get in the way…
I never really considered them as anything other than insectivorous, but try telling that to the local berries and the bird seed that the in-laws put out!
August 16, 2024 at 8:34 AM
I never really considered them as anything other than insectivorous, but try telling that to the local berries and the bird seed that the in-laws put out!