I was recently at a wedding in France, which was an opportunity to do some holiday birding. This is a Melodious Warbler giving it laldy, which was a new one for me.

One of mr wonderful colleagues at APLORI, Dickson Matthew, who is a brilliant birder adding so much to West African ornithology, continued to monitor the chicks after I returned to Scotland, and the final photo from him shows one of them just about fledged (and a bit soggy from the rain)

Over the course of 2 weeks I watched mama nightjar return to the nest and incubate her eggs. On my very last day in Nigeria (an hour or so before I was due to get a lift back to Abuja!) I’d found the eggs had hatched and the chickies, even though they were blind, had wandered a short distance away

We came across the nest (like most nightjars just a shallow scrape in the soil) while setting up mist nets to catch and tag African Thrush. To prevent us inadvertently stepping on the well-camouflaged eggs, we put a marker branch nearby and moved elsewhere to catch thrushes

A couple of years ago in Nigeria, I came across a Long-tailed Nightjar nest, and monitored it through to fledging. Surprisingly, this was the first time the chicks of this widespread but cryptic species had been documented, and with my amazing colleagues at APLORI in Jos it’s now published! 🧵

Here’s Juniper Titmouse (aka The Velvet Breezeblock) with Bramblejam, her spiky wee adopted sister

Here’s a Scottish Rock Ptarmigan ringed (under licence) last week. Every expedition to catch these amazing and sadly declining birds results in more information about them and their mountainous home.

On my way north to give talks to @scottishbirding.bsky.social Caithness and Orkney branches, I dropped in to Helmsdale and spotted this smart Kumlien’s Gull hanging out with the other bindippers at the harbour; a Canadian Arctic visitor & subspecific tick for me 😊 🇨🇦 🐦 (why’s there no gull emoji? 🤷‍♂️)

A window to the sea. The Lady’s Tower at Elie, Fife was a welcome shelter from the wind while surveying seabirds last week.

It was bitterly cold on today’s @btobirds.bsky.social Winter Gull Survey, but the Forth bridges silhouetted in the apricot sunset while Black-headed Gulls settled on the glassy water warmed the heart if not the extremities ❄️ #seabirds

The Paps of Jura were looking somewhat nippy on today’s crossing to Colonsay for seabird surveys. Lots of Great Northern Divers (or Common Loons) about, and good to see reasonable numbers of juvenile Kittiwakes after the poor breeding season.

This year’s Christmas Cake decoration is a delightful Antarctic scene, where a Southern Giant Petrel feasts upon an ex-penguin. Nollaig Chridheil. #seabirds

Here’s a pair of Razorbills in love in Lunga, Treshnish Isles, this summer for #SuperSeabirdSunday #seabirds

Something I’m working on with a team of hardy souls is understanding more about our Scottish Rock Ptarmigan, which are declining drastically. Here’s a male caught under licence this week on Schiehallion, & only the 4th ringed in Scotland in 30 yrs! Learning lots & hoping we can track in the future.

I’ve spent part of the year researching and building a fleygastong for catching auks on the Shiant Isles. Thanks to @katboothjones.bsky.social for the action shot. Needs some refining but I’ll be pure pulling them out the sky next year 💪

All this wintery weather has brought some #seabird cuteness to the Forth. These are two Little Auks (or Dovekies if you want); tiny Arctic spuds bobbing on the waves, and actually a lifer for me! 😍 (excuse my terrible photography skills - I was using my phone held up to my scope)

It’s been a couple of years since I last posted over on the other place, but it seems nice here so far and good to see so many birdy folk. I’m looking forward to sharing my ornithology fieldwork adventures again.