Paul Bright-Thomas
@paulbt.bsky.social
Land-locked birder, vizmig/nocmig.
@_pbt_ in the other place.
@_pbt_ in the other place.
In search of migration, down to South Foreland in Kent. Lovely spot, wooded gullies packed with Chiffchaffs, plus a few blackcaps and crests. Finches brought the action, with several small Crossbill flocks, some Redpolls and a couplr og Brambling calls. A Woodlark low over was the star.
#ukbirding
#ukbirding
October 12, 2025 at 5:06 PM
In search of migration, down to South Foreland in Kent. Lovely spot, wooded gullies packed with Chiffchaffs, plus a few blackcaps and crests. Finches brought the action, with several small Crossbill flocks, some Redpolls and a couplr og Brambling calls. A Woodlark low over was the star.
#ukbirding
#ukbirding
@cbwps.org.uk
Firecrests were in almost every valley the past few days. Even had one singing (!) from conifers at the W end of the A30 roadworks outside Penzance.
#cbwps #CornwallBirds
Firecrests were in almost every valley the past few days. Even had one singing (!) from conifers at the W end of the A30 roadworks outside Penzance.
#cbwps #CornwallBirds
October 5, 2025 at 4:12 PM
@cbwps.org.uk
Firecrests were in almost every valley the past few days. Even had one singing (!) from conifers at the W end of the A30 roadworks outside Penzance.
#cbwps #CornwallBirds
Firecrests were in almost every valley the past few days. Even had one singing (!) from conifers at the W end of the A30 roadworks outside Penzance.
#cbwps #CornwallBirds
@cbwps.org.uk
Polgigga to Lower Bosistow: Willow Warbler (w tit flock), Spotted Flycatcher, 7 Firecrest.
Brew Farm: at least 1 Turtle Dove
#cbwps #CornwallBirds
Polgigga to Lower Bosistow: Willow Warbler (w tit flock), Spotted Flycatcher, 7 Firecrest.
Brew Farm: at least 1 Turtle Dove
#cbwps #CornwallBirds
October 5, 2025 at 1:37 PM
@cbwps.org.uk
Polgigga to Lower Bosistow: Willow Warbler (w tit flock), Spotted Flycatcher, 7 Firecrest.
Brew Farm: at least 1 Turtle Dove
#cbwps #CornwallBirds
Polgigga to Lower Bosistow: Willow Warbler (w tit flock), Spotted Flycatcher, 7 Firecrest.
Brew Farm: at least 1 Turtle Dove
#cbwps #CornwallBirds
Great day at Pendeen 0745-1600: 265 Sooty, 106 Great (many more), 1 Cory's, 3 Balearic, 18 Sabine's, 3 Leach's, 153 E Storm Petrel, 75 Arctic, 70 Great, 2 Pomarine, 3 Long-tailed Skua, 10 Grey Phal, 1 sum plum Gt Northern Diver, 30 Arctic, 10 Sandwich Tern, 2 C Scoter.
October 4, 2025 at 6:27 PM
Great day at Pendeen 0745-1600: 265 Sooty, 106 Great (many more), 1 Cory's, 3 Balearic, 18 Sabine's, 3 Leach's, 153 E Storm Petrel, 75 Arctic, 70 Great, 2 Pomarine, 3 Long-tailed Skua, 10 Grey Phal, 1 sum plum Gt Northern Diver, 30 Arctic, 10 Sandwich Tern, 2 C Scoter.
October 3, 2025 at 9:08 AM
@cbwps.org.uk Firecrest btw Lower and Higher Bosistow, 2 Yellow Wagtail btw H Bosistow and Nanjizal, Redstart on lane from H Bosistow back to road.
Porthgwarra: 1 Cory's 10:15, Reed Warbler by Dr's cottage.
#cbwps #CornwallBirds
Porthgwarra: 1 Cory's 10:15, Reed Warbler by Dr's cottage.
#cbwps #CornwallBirds
October 2, 2025 at 12:41 PM
@cbwps.org.uk Firecrest btw Lower and Higher Bosistow, 2 Yellow Wagtail btw H Bosistow and Nanjizal, Redstart on lane from H Bosistow back to road.
Porthgwarra: 1 Cory's 10:15, Reed Warbler by Dr's cottage.
#cbwps #CornwallBirds
Porthgwarra: 1 Cory's 10:15, Reed Warbler by Dr's cottage.
#cbwps #CornwallBirds
April 12, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Well over 100 birds seen in 20 mins of #thermal #vizmig including at least 4 flocks of presumed wildfowl (only one low enough to estimate size, most likely eight geese).
But I only heard one Coot and one Redwing, so everything else unidentified. And #nocmig recording is only scratching the surface.
But I only heard one Coot and one Redwing, so everything else unidentified. And #nocmig recording is only scratching the surface.
March 24, 2025 at 10:20 PM
Not sure if thread additions are easily visible ... two singing Quails in the same Berkshire Downs field in July 2023 had notably different timings (notes 1-2/2-3). Quail A had 230/115ms and Quail B had 275/155ms (each over 15+ calls). The difference is clear in this (unedited) clip:
#berksbirdnews
#berksbirdnews
Boy, .mp4 on here seems to really boost low-frequency noise, so here's the same clip with a strong high-pass filter to keep the noise down:
January 20, 2025 at 3:10 PM
Not sure if thread additions are easily visible ... two singing Quails in the same Berkshire Downs field in July 2023 had notably different timings (notes 1-2/2-3). Quail A had 230/115ms and Quail B had 275/155ms (each over 15+ calls). The difference is clear in this (unedited) clip:
#berksbirdnews
#berksbirdnews
Here's the #nocmig "wet-my-lips" call from Aug 2023, a Quail over my suburban garden.
A couple of minutes later we went out to look for shooting stars, so we could have heard it (or drowned it out with "oohs" and "ahs").
And that background click is probably masking a wah-wah call.
#berksbirdnews
A couple of minutes later we went out to look for shooting stars, so we could have heard it (or drowned it out with "oohs" and "ahs").
And that background click is probably masking a wah-wah call.
#berksbirdnews
January 16, 2025 at 10:12 PM
Here's the #nocmig "wet-my-lips" call from Aug 2023, a Quail over my suburban garden.
A couple of minutes later we went out to look for shooting stars, so we could have heard it (or drowned it out with "oohs" and "ahs").
And that background click is probably masking a wah-wah call.
#berksbirdnews
A couple of minutes later we went out to look for shooting stars, so we could have heard it (or drowned it out with "oohs" and "ahs").
And that background click is probably masking a wah-wah call.
#berksbirdnews
A swift (Common or Pallid) and Brown Booby both reported from west Cornwall yesterday. That's nuts!
January 15, 2025 at 8:22 AM
A swift (Common or Pallid) and Brown Booby both reported from west Cornwall yesterday. That's nuts!
2024 was an excellent 5th year of garden #nocmig, along with daytime recording and #vizmig. Over
229 nights I sound-recorded 99 species, plus 8 seen-only, from my mid-Berkshire garden 64 km
from the coast. Here are the highlights …
Glad the Barn Owl was still around.
#berksbirds
1/
229 nights I sound-recorded 99 species, plus 8 seen-only, from my mid-Berkshire garden 64 km
from the coast. Here are the highlights …
Glad the Barn Owl was still around.
#berksbirds
1/
January 9, 2025 at 10:26 PM
2024 was an excellent 5th year of garden #nocmig, along with daytime recording and #vizmig. Over
229 nights I sound-recorded 99 species, plus 8 seen-only, from my mid-Berkshire garden 64 km
from the coast. Here are the highlights …
Glad the Barn Owl was still around.
#berksbirds
1/
229 nights I sound-recorded 99 species, plus 8 seen-only, from my mid-Berkshire garden 64 km
from the coast. Here are the highlights …
Glad the Barn Owl was still around.
#berksbirds
1/
Birding misfortune in 2024. My birdguides subscription renewed in October, but no SMS birdnews credits were added.
Two days after the last old credit was used up (spurious Grosbeak), the rarest bird in my county for 152 years broke, a certain eagle. I was late on site, no joy.
Thank you 2024.
Two days after the last old credit was used up (spurious Grosbeak), the rarest bird in my county for 152 years broke, a certain eagle. I was late on site, no joy.
Thank you 2024.
December 24, 2024 at 12:56 PM
Birding misfortune in 2024. My birdguides subscription renewed in October, but no SMS birdnews credits were added.
Two days after the last old credit was used up (spurious Grosbeak), the rarest bird in my county for 152 years broke, a certain eagle. I was late on site, no joy.
Thank you 2024.
Two days after the last old credit was used up (spurious Grosbeak), the rarest bird in my county for 152 years broke, a certain eagle. I was late on site, no joy.
Thank you 2024.
Getting some year's highlights together ... after a quiet start, and getting beyond 1k nights of #nocmig, there were some great birds in the latter part of the year.
December 23, 2024 at 11:32 AM
Getting some year's highlights together ... after a quiet start, and getting beyond 1k nights of #nocmig, there were some great birds in the latter part of the year.
Seasonal reminder that tying gifts with (cotton) string and recycled wrapping paper is just as quick and waaay more fun than messing around with sellotape.
December 23, 2024 at 11:29 AM
Seasonal reminder that tying gifts with (cotton) string and recycled wrapping paper is just as quick and waaay more fun than messing around with sellotape.
Glorious morning, disappointing for #vismig. Best was a 1w male blackbird that spent 20 mins still inside a hawthorn bush (found w/ thermal), then perked up and came out to feed (soil on bill) ... likely an overnight migrant. I saw another above treetops, also probably not a local.
#ukbirding
#ukbirding
October 24, 2024 at 9:14 AM
Glorious morning, disappointing for #vismig. Best was a 1w male blackbird that spent 20 mins still inside a hawthorn bush (found w/ thermal), then perked up and came out to feed (soil on bill) ... likely an overnight migrant. I saw another above treetops, also probably not a local.
#ukbirding
#ukbirding
Fire at dusk ... over the sound of my laptop fan, I heard what sounded like Firecrest calls through the window. Dashed downstairs and outside, and out popped a Firecrest in a neighbour's hawthorn. Into our tree and then off ... most-wanted and only 10 days after fantastic garden YBW.
##ukbirding
##ukbirding
October 23, 2024 at 6:10 PM
Fire at dusk ... over the sound of my laptop fan, I heard what sounded like Firecrest calls through the window. Dashed downstairs and outside, and out popped a Firecrest in a neighbour's hawthorn. Into our tree and then off ... most-wanted and only 10 days after fantastic garden YBW.
##ukbirding
##ukbirding
Re-found the Yellow-browed Warbler y'day, heard in willows 40m away by the Emm Brook. On the same stretch for 2 hours; mostly silent, but recorded ~10 calls.
Had only stepped out for a moment, wowed by 2 Skylark rippling low over garden (only 1 or 2 per year). Then YBW.
#ukbirding #berksbirds
Had only stepped out for a moment, wowed by 2 Skylark rippling low over garden (only 1 or 2 per year). Then YBW.
#ukbirding #berksbirds
October 17, 2024 at 7:20 AM
Re-found the Yellow-browed Warbler y'day, heard in willows 40m away by the Emm Brook. On the same stretch for 2 hours; mostly silent, but recorded ~10 calls.
Had only stepped out for a moment, wowed by 2 Skylark rippling low over garden (only 1 or 2 per year). Then YBW.
#ukbirding #berksbirds
Had only stepped out for a moment, wowed by 2 Skylark rippling low over garden (only 1 or 2 per year). Then YBW.
#ukbirding #berksbirds
We'll that was a surprise, twenty years of garden listing and weeks before we move, and I get a Yellow-browed Warbler in the only tree in our garden. Less than 5m from my nocmig recorder, still running, it was silent. Delighted, but could not relocate.
October 13, 2024 at 8:49 AM
We'll that was a surprise, twenty years of garden listing and weeks before we move, and I get a Yellow-browed Warbler in the only tree in our garden. Less than 5m from my nocmig recorder, still running, it was silent. Delighted, but could not relocate.
I'll open up here with one of my best #nocmig recordings of the year, a very close Ring Ouzel early on 4th Oct (4th garden record, with 2 #vizmig). Not common in autumn for #berksbirds Berkshire birding. I'll turn it into a video later ...
October 8, 2024 at 7:30 PM
I'll open up here with one of my best #nocmig recordings of the year, a very close Ring Ouzel early on 4th Oct (4th garden record, with 2 #vizmig). Not common in autumn for #berksbirds Berkshire birding. I'll turn it into a video later ...