Stephen Welch
@lothianrecorder.bsky.social
Lothian SOC bird recorder from 2011: bird atlas, gull/tern ring reading, vismig/nocmig, Seton/Gosford patch, surveys, roosts & garden birding
Thanks, last sighting of Med white-32A4 Seton was 30 Sept this year, has crept a bit earlier over the years, this was the 15th year, c. 180 resightings; ring now barely held together and expect may soon be lost...
November 15, 2025 at 10:41 AM
Thanks, last sighting of Med white-32A4 Seton was 30 Sept this year, has crept a bit earlier over the years, this was the 15th year, c. 180 resightings; ring now barely held together and expect may soon be lost...
Yes, Common Gull leg colour quite variable, can be very yellow or even a touch of orange even in winter, first here from Seton 19/10/25, two captured by accident behind white-JP557 on 8/3/23 and one from 6/1/24...
November 8, 2025 at 3:53 PM
Yes, Common Gull leg colour quite variable, can be very yellow or even a touch of orange even in winter, first here from Seton 19/10/25, two captured by accident behind white-JP557 on 8/3/23 and one from 6/1/24...
Med white-30VA ringed as ad De Kreupel, Ijsselmeer 2/6/23 regular here 14/6-18/9/23 (pic), 21/7-23/9, 26/11-10/12/24, 4/7(pic)-16/9/25; BHG red-2NC7 ringed Blackness 7/1/24 seen a few times (pic c/o Billy 19/12/24); BHG yellow-2ER6 regular at Seton/Gosford (pic 8/8/20), ringed as chick Ythan 12/8/17
October 28, 2025 at 11:48 PM
Med white-30VA ringed as ad De Kreupel, Ijsselmeer 2/6/23 regular here 14/6-18/9/23 (pic), 21/7-23/9, 26/11-10/12/24, 4/7(pic)-16/9/25; BHG red-2NC7 ringed Blackness 7/1/24 seen a few times (pic c/o Billy 19/12/24); BHG yellow-2ER6 regular at Seton/Gosford (pic 8/8/20), ringed as chick Ythan 12/8/17
Final bonus pics of the sharp beaks lying in wait, confirming sexes of Sparrowhawks, ad f and ad m, so presumably a pair - plenty of food to share out...
September 13, 2025 at 3:38 AM
Final bonus pics of the sharp beaks lying in wait, confirming sexes of Sparrowhawks, ad f and ad m, so presumably a pair - plenty of food to share out...
20:05hrs Final rapid entry with birds dropping like stones into the reedbed, continued to 20:06hrs with only a few still out thereafter, though 100+ flushed out by a duck c. 20:10hrs [12/12]
September 13, 2025 at 3:32 AM
20:05hrs Final rapid entry with birds dropping like stones into the reedbed, continued to 20:06hrs with only a few still out thereafter, though 100+ flushed out by a duck c. 20:10hrs [12/12]
20:03hrs Sparrowhawk finally departed towards NE pursued by mobbing Swallows, now perhaps only 2-3k birds remaining in high cloud [11/12]
September 13, 2025 at 3:26 AM
20:03hrs Sparrowhawk finally departed towards NE pursued by mobbing Swallows, now perhaps only 2-3k birds remaining in high cloud [11/12]
20:00hrs Birds twisting and turning low over reedbed, some still bouncing and circling round again [10/12]
September 13, 2025 at 3:24 AM
20:00hrs Birds twisting and turning low over reedbed, some still bouncing and circling round again [10/12]
19:59hrs Further views of clouds of birds before main entry started [9/10]
September 13, 2025 at 3:17 AM
19:59hrs Further views of clouds of birds before main entry started [9/10]
19:59hrs Huge clouds of birds again in every direction [8/10]
September 13, 2025 at 3:15 AM
19:59hrs Huge clouds of birds again in every direction [8/10]
19:58hrs Approaching roost again suggestions of in excess of 10k birds [7/10]
September 13, 2025 at 3:13 AM
19:58hrs Approaching roost again suggestions of in excess of 10k birds [7/10]
19:57hrs Still an absolutely enormous cloud of Swallows up, looking east and beyond end of tanks [6/10]
September 13, 2025 at 3:10 AM
19:57hrs Still an absolutely enormous cloud of Swallows up, looking east and beyond end of tanks [6/10]
19:56hrs Swallows now approaching reeds but most not entering, "bouncing", but possibly first entries [5/10]
September 13, 2025 at 3:08 AM
19:56hrs Swallows now approaching reeds but most not entering, "bouncing", but possibly first entries [5/10]
19:54hrs Sparrowhawks both chasing into and low over reedbed, male then female, perhaps assisting count by keeping birds out of the roost for longer, though 16 mins after sunset still quite early [4/10]
September 13, 2025 at 3:06 AM
19:54hrs Sparrowhawks both chasing into and low over reedbed, male then female, perhaps assisting count by keeping birds out of the roost for longer, though 16 mins after sunset still quite early [4/10]
ad f Sparrowhawk on fence joined by a second bird; ad m Sparrowhawk seen later on track by reedbed so likely a pair despite lack of obvious size difference [3/10]
September 13, 2025 at 2:59 AM
ad f Sparrowhawk on fence joined by a second bird; ad m Sparrowhawk seen later on track by reedbed so likely a pair despite lack of obvious size difference [3/10]
At 19:48hrs up to 5k Swallows, sample counts for age breakdown based on obvious long tail streamers on ad m (9 in 111), suggests the vast majority of birds c. 85% are juveniles [2/10]
September 13, 2025 at 2:52 AM
At 19:48hrs up to 5k Swallows, sample counts for age breakdown based on obvious long tail streamers on ad m (9 in 111), suggests the vast majority of birds c. 85% are juveniles [2/10]
c. 300 birds had arrived by sunset 19:38hrs, some Pied Wags dropped into roost; first video here 19:46hrs when up to c. 3k Swallows, Sand Martin also heard but very few, and Sparrowhawk perched on fence lying in wait [1/10]
September 13, 2025 at 2:49 AM
c. 300 birds had arrived by sunset 19:38hrs, some Pied Wags dropped into roost; first video here 19:46hrs when up to c. 3k Swallows, Sand Martin also heard but very few, and Sparrowhawk perched on fence lying in wait [1/10]
Mega hirundine roost continues at Blindwells Minewater Treatment Scheme, in tall phragmites reeds on middle tank (55.962,-2.938), 10k+ Swallows on 12/9/25, sample 8% ad m, 2 Sparrowhawk in attendance; 10x 720p videos follow, full: app.box.com/s/k3xq53bsbg... #birdingscotland @btoscotland.bsky.social
September 13, 2025 at 2:44 AM
Mega hirundine roost continues at Blindwells Minewater Treatment Scheme, in tall phragmites reeds on middle tank (55.962,-2.938), 10k+ Swallows on 12/9/25, sample 8% ad m, 2 Sparrowhawk in attendance; 10x 720p videos follow, full: app.box.com/s/k3xq53bsbg... #birdingscotland @btoscotland.bsky.social
Last video...
September 11, 2025 at 1:56 AM
Last video...
The mega Blindwells hirundine roost has now completely transformed from >99% Sand Martin to >99% Swallow, approx numbers in the 6-7k range on last three evenings, with attention from local Sparrowhawk and an all white Swallow seen, poss from further south*...
* bsky.app/.../lothianr...
* bsky.app/.../lothianr...
September 11, 2025 at 1:54 AM
The mega Blindwells hirundine roost has now completely transformed from >99% Sand Martin to >99% Swallow, approx numbers in the 6-7k range on last three evenings, with attention from local Sparrowhawk and an all white Swallow seen, poss from further south*...
* bsky.app/.../lothianr...
* bsky.app/.../lothianr...
Another lanky young LWHG, watched for barely a minute on rocks behind Seton harbour late pm; no open wing, underwing or tail, but strong Casp features: grey saddle, muted contrast replaced scaps, uniform pale brown median coverts, solid brown base greaters and tertials, pale-headed with hint of mask
September 8, 2025 at 12:27 AM
Another lanky young LWHG, watched for barely a minute on rocks behind Seton harbour late pm; no open wing, underwing or tail, but strong Casp features: grey saddle, muted contrast replaced scaps, uniform pale brown median coverts, solid brown base greaters and tertials, pale-headed with hint of mask
Colonies in Mandal area historically nearly entirely intermedius*, fitting appearance of this bird with relatively pale back; also another presumed intermedius on Seton Burn, where several logged in late Aug - late Oct in recent years, but normally no proof! * gull-research.org/fuscus/fuscu... [2/2]
September 3, 2025 at 11:17 PM
Colonies in Mandal area historically nearly entirely intermedius*, fitting appearance of this bird with relatively pale back; also another presumed intermedius on Seton Burn, where several logged in late Aug - late Oct in recent years, but normally no proof! * gull-research.org/fuscus/fuscu... [2/2]
A red letter day: at Wrecked Craigs earlier ad LBB black-J674U nearly alone on rocks, an intermedius type from literally last rocks on southern tip of Norway; there are 5 previous ringing recoveries from Norway in online ringing report for Scotland: app.bto.org/ring/countyr... #birdingscotland [1/2]
September 3, 2025 at 11:08 PM
A red letter day: at Wrecked Craigs earlier ad LBB black-J674U nearly alone on rocks, an intermedius type from literally last rocks on southern tip of Norway; there are 5 previous ringing recoveries from Norway in online ringing report for Scotland: app.bto.org/ring/countyr... #birdingscotland [1/2]
Tucked in, then briefly awoke, I had to leave... [6/6]
September 3, 2025 at 10:36 PM
Tucked in, then briefly awoke, I had to leave... [6/6]
Settling on Long Craigs [5/6]
September 3, 2025 at 10:36 PM
Settling on Long Craigs [5/6]