Rob Knell
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robknell.bsky.social
Rob Knell
@robknell.bsky.social
1.7K followers 860 following 430 posts
Evolutionary ecologist working on, amongst other things, mating systems and adaptation. Knows enough stats to be dangerous and inflicts R on the innocent. Takes photos of animals. Also running/triathlon/technical diving.
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robknell.bsky.social
Homage to Xavier Bou: little swifts at the Olifants River high-water bridge, Kruger National Park. Unstacked from video taken with an Iphone 14. #birds #photography #SouthAfrica #iPhone
A view of a river at sunset. By combining many exposures I have multiple images for single birds flying through the scene, making the appearance of trails. One bird flies in an arc across the scene close to the camera and the sunlight can be seen shining through its tail feathers.
October 26, 2025 at 5:39 PM
robknell.bsky.social
A couple of really skanky hyaenas from the Kruger Park. #wildlife #photography #kruger #hyaena #filthhound
A black and white image of a spotted hyaena. It has sat in something disgusting and generally looks extremely disreputable. A spotted hyaena's head and neck. It has got something encrusting the fur on the back of its neck and there are a lot of flies following it.
October 22, 2025 at 5:28 PM
robknell.bsky.social
Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrica
A braai (S African barbecue) alight at night
September 9, 2025 at 5:02 PM
robknell.bsky.social
#Bloodmoon #Lunareclipse as seen from Shingwedzi, Kruger National Park, South Africa 🧪 #astrophotography
The moon, but red. Lit more from the bottom right.
September 7, 2025 at 8:17 PM
robknell.bsky.social
Baby aukses precious: a puffling and a razorbill father / chick combo, both taken in the North Sea off the E. Yorks coast. Check out the goth eye makeup on the puffling, I bet it loves a bit of Evanescence. #birds #ukbirds #wildlife #ukwildlife
A puffling (puffin chick) with a reddish bill and black colouration around its eyes on the dark blue sea with waves around it A razorbill father close by its chick with the blue sea around them. The chick has a thinner beak and patchy feathers compared to the father.
August 8, 2025 at 7:40 PM
robknell.bsky.social
Plunge-diving gannets in the North Sea off Bempton Cliffs #birds #ukwildlife #ukbirds from an @rspb.bsky.social boat trip
July 27, 2025 at 2:51 PM
robknell.bsky.social
Very impressed that VW put such a well designed conical flask holder in my car 🧪
The cup holder in the middle console of a car with a conical flask sitting in it.
July 16, 2025 at 4:50 PM
robknell.bsky.social
Gannets, their chicks and a really depressing amount of discarded fishing gear at Staple Newk, Bempton, UK. #birds #conservation #pollution #conservation #wildlife
A group of gannets nexting on a cliff face. Many of them have fluffy white chicks with them. The nests are partly constructed from rope from abandoned fishing gear: the blue-green colour of polypropylene line as used in lots of nets etc. is very visible.
July 9, 2025 at 5:30 PM
robknell.bsky.social
Some puffins and a very dapper razorbill. Bempton cliffs on Tuesday #birds #ukbirds #ukwildlife #seabirds #auks
A razorbill—white chest, very dark brown to black head, white stripe from the beak to the eye—against a blue-grey background. Puffin in flight, wings spread and orange feet trailing, looking at the camera. In the background are the pale chalk rocks that make up the cliffs at Bempton. A puffin seen from the side with the large and colourful beak on show. A puffin in flight seen from the side. The bird is looking down and the pale chalk rocks of of the cliffs at Bempton are out of focus in the background.
July 4, 2025 at 11:32 AM
robknell.bsky.social
It's been known for a while now that gannets that survive HPAIV flu tend to have black eyes: I guess it blows the pupil somehow or something like that. www.rspb.org.uk/media-centre.... Anyway, here's a gannet from Bempton with only one eye blown and the other normal. #birds 🧪
Gennet seen from the front, wings at an angle. The bird's right eye is all black but the left eye is normal.
July 3, 2025 at 6:34 PM
robknell.bsky.social
Marsh Harrier chicks have fledged at my local nest in the latest 24 hours. Here's one with some fuzz still present on its head. Now I need to find something else to obsess about. #birds #ukwilldlife #ukbirds #wildlifephotography
A marsh harrier flying towards the camera. There is an area of juvenile white feathers visible on its head
June 29, 2025 at 10:33 PM
robknell.bsky.social
Some more pictures of a male marsh harrier bringing breakfast for the kids. 0710 this morning #birds #wildlife #ukwildlife #britishbirds #yorkshire
A male marsh harrier flying right to left across the frame against the pale blue sky. He is holding a chick stolen from a nest in his yellow talons Male marsh harrier banks towards the viewer with a pale cloudy sky behind. He has a prey item in his talons. Male marsh harrier turning away from the camera lit by the early morning sun against a pale grey cloudy sky
June 27, 2025 at 7:08 PM
robknell.bsky.social
Marsh harriers bringing food for their chicks this morning at Tophill Low #birds #wildlife #britishwildlife #photography
A male marsh harrier with a brown body, white wings and dark primary feathers viewd from below. He is carrying a dead vole (I think) in his yellow talons A female marsh harrier, lit by yellow sunlight from the left flying towards the camera carrying prey in her talons. A female marsh harrier photgraphed from below with her wings and tail spread wide, carrying food for her chicks A female marsh harrier, lit by the sun, flies away from the camera against a dark sky.
June 22, 2025 at 4:13 PM
robknell.bsky.social
One from April.
The head and shoulders of a cheetah. Its eyes are open, ears back and its tongue is sticking out.
June 6, 2025 at 12:10 PM
robknell.bsky.social
Some more pix from Monday #birds #ukwildlife #seabirds #wildlife #Bempton
Two gannets diving into the sea at about a 45 degree angle, the upper one just about to enter the water and the lower one already partially in. About 15 gannets are floating on the sea in the background. A gannet diving across the foreground while in the background a second bird is in the water causing a big splash A group of nine auks (guillemots and raozorbills) fly diagonally acxross the image from bottom right to top left. Some have sandeels in their beaks. Two gannets tussle for a fish in the sea with lots of splashing and spray.
June 6, 2025 at 6:16 AM
robknell.bsky.social
Went out on a boat at early o'clock on Monday to take some photos of gannets feeding. Here are some results. Note in the first photo the upper bird has a fish-hook embedded in its wing and is trailing fishing line :-( #Birds #UKWildlife #Wildlife #Nature #Photography #Seabirds
Two gannets, one mostly in the water after diving and one at about 60 degrees from the horizontal diving into the sea, wings folded back. A plunge-diving gannet caught as its beak just touches the water Two gannets fighting over a fish: there is a maelstrom of water splashes and in the middle you can see the eye and head of the bird that is holding the fish The white chalk cliffs at Bempton seen from the sea with the sun shining on them. There are hundreds of birds visible in the air next to the cliff.
June 4, 2025 at 6:03 PM
robknell.bsky.social
Black-headed gull chicks, South Marsh, Tophill Low, East Yorkshire yesterday evening. Doing what siblings do the world over. #birds.
May 29, 2025 at 8:02 AM
robknell.bsky.social
Recently got back from a visit to the Kruger Park. I took some photos... full set is on flickr flic.kr/s/aHBqjCbm6S #wildlife #photography #SouthAfrica #Kruger #animals
Black and white photo of two male waterbuck fighting and kicking up a lot of dust. One is trying to get away and the other is trying to get some horn action going. Black and white close up of an elephant with short, wide tusks. The trunk is raised and flopped over its right shoulder. A cheetah walking through tall grass A lioness lit by the early morning sun looking past the camera.
April 27, 2025 at 4:07 PM
robknell.bsky.social
Western Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus male with big ambitions for his nest. Tophill Low, East Yorkshire. #birds #wildlife #photography
A large raptor flying left to right holding a large, branched stick in his left foot. Eye and feet are yellow, wings are white with black tips.
April 12, 2025 at 6:34 AM
robknell.bsky.social
Got up super early this morning to try and get a photo of one of the Marsh Harriers at Tophill Low since the forecast was for perfect conditions for long-lens photos. Seem to have been successful :-) #birds #wildlife #ukwildlife #raptor
A female marsh harrier with a dark brown back and wings and a pale head diving downwards, beak open. A male marsh harrier: white wings with black tips: flies from right to left, with his wings raised in a shallow v-shape
April 8, 2025 at 5:08 PM
robknell.bsky.social
Tawny owl chilling in the Scots Pines at Tophill Low, East Riding of Yorkshire. #birds #birding #wildlife
A tawny owl with its eyes open framed by pine branches with a blue sky behind it
April 3, 2025 at 8:06 PM
robknell.bsky.social
Experimenting with some Xavi Bou type bird trail images. Seem to have worked out how to do them. Here are some seabirds at #Bempton #birds #wildlife #photography
A photograph looking down onto the sea, with the trails from seabirds flying across it. The up and down movement of the wings can be seen when they flap them. A photograph looking down onto the sea, with the trails from seabirds flying across it. The up and down movement of the wings can be seen when they flap them.
March 29, 2025 at 5:27 PM
robknell.bsky.social
Bridled guillemot yesterday, a variant of the common guillemot Uria aalge wth white markings around the eye. Very lucky shot and a massive crop :-) #birds
A bridled guillemot in flight, flying right to left across the image. The "bridled" name refers to white markings around the eye which are found in only a few percent of individuals and are clear in this image. The bird's wings are towards the bottom of the stroke and there are some traces of green moss or algae on its feet.
March 10, 2025 at 6:57 AM
robknell.bsky.social
Tophill Low this morning #birds
A dunnock singing in close-up A blue tit perched on a twig A Marsh Harrier in flight. It's a male so the wings are white with black tips. A marsh harrier dropping onto something
March 8, 2025 at 3:38 PM
robknell.bsky.social
Back to RSPB Bempton Cliffs yesterday afternoon, Spring is definitely on it's way. Gannets, Razorbills, Fulmars, Kittiwakes, Guillemots all arriving and staking out the prime nesting spots on the cliffs. Not a single owl to be seen though. #birds #wildlife #ukwildlife
A kittiwake lit by the sun flying with the sea in the background A gannet in flight turning toward the camera A gannet in flight turning with wings almost vertical up and down but the head remaining horizontal A pair of fulmars on a ricky ledge with the remains of some of last year's nests behind them.
February 23, 2025 at 11:42 AM