Sophie Barrell
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sophieshrike.bsky.social
Sophie Barrell
@sophieshrike.bsky.social
1K followers 740 following 100 posts
Suffolk Birder/Twitcher. FISC Level 4 Botanist. Senior Ecologist. Views my own.
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sophieshrike.bsky.social
Don't mean to brag but there are now FIVE tufted ducks on my mini patch 👌
#SuffolkBirding
February 17, 2025 at 8:02 AM
sophieshrike.bsky.social
Am I taking bad out-of-focus photos or is it ✨️artistic✨️ ?
#SuffolkBirding 🪶
Out of focus silhouetted kingfisher amongst reeds taken between two fence posts, with the background of water highlighted orange by the sunset
January 5, 2025 at 9:51 PM
sophieshrike.bsky.social
Ooh I already got tufted duck on my mini patch list this year! 💪
For context, 99.99% of the time it is mallards only and this is only my second tufted duck here- it's all relative! 🦆
#SuffolkBirding
#PWC2025
January 5, 2025 at 9:45 PM
sophieshrike.bsky.social
My professional highlights this year include receiving full MCIEEM membership, a barn owl licence, FISC level 4 botanical certification, and started a new job as Ecology Manager
Barn owl chicks in a barn owl box (photo taken under licence)
December 31, 2024 at 9:47 PM
sophieshrike.bsky.social
We also travelled to Rhodes for my friend's wedding, and celebrated my birthday in style
Acropolis in Rhodes View in Rhodes Friends
December 31, 2024 at 9:47 PM
sophieshrike.bsky.social
Our birding trip to Sri Lanka was fantastic, with highlights of leopard, elephants, and 236 bird species including Indian pitta, blue-tailed bee-eater, and Sri Lanka frogmouth (which was self-found!)
Leopard Indian pitta Blue-tailed bee-eater Sri Lanka frogmouth
December 31, 2024 at 9:47 PM
sophieshrike.bsky.social
I did a big plant year - saw hundreds of new plant species, thanks to the wonderful mentors in the #NorfolkFloraGroup
Violet helleborine Eyebright, red-tipped cudweed, field wormwood, spiked speedwell, maiden pink, autumn gentian
December 31, 2024 at 9:47 PM
sophieshrike.bsky.social
I may as well join in with a 2024 highlights summary! 15 new British bird lifers, including my 2000th world bird species this year, with sociable plover in Cornwall. I also started regular local patching with 82 species for the year, including our patch mega joint find of palla's warbler!
Sociable plover with lapwing Palla's warbler in Suffolk patch Yellow-rumped warbler in Scotland Northern waterthrush in Essex
December 31, 2024 at 9:47 PM
sophieshrike.bsky.social
Today got involved with the first day of the #NewYearPlantHunt, including common groundsel, cock's-foot, daisy, and petty spurge if that counts as flowers!
#WildflowerHour
@hcbirding.bsky.social
Grounsel Cock's-foot flowering grass Daisy Petty spurge
December 29, 2024 at 8:57 PM
sophieshrike.bsky.social
I've really enjoyed doing regular local patching this year. Even in December I'm getting new patch ticks on my tiny inland patch with goosander and pochard the latest brief visitors on 15th and 21st respectively. Relatively common birds elsewhere but still a buzz here!
#SuffolkBirding
#UKBirding 🪶
Goosander on a lake. A duck-like bird, white body with dark green back and head, and a red bill with a hooked tip A pochard on a lake. A duck with chestnut head, black breast and tail, and pale grey belly and back
December 29, 2024 at 9:06 AM
sophieshrike.bsky.social
American Yellow Warbler at New Hythe, Kent - a fab lifer to end the year!! ✅️🎉
@hcbirding.bsky.social
#RareBirdsUK
#UKBirding 🪶
Photo of the back of my camera with a bright yellow small bird perched on branches of an Alder tree Photo of the back of my camera with a bright yellow small bird directly looking at the camera Photo of the back of my camera with a bright yellow small bird perched amongst branches of an Alder tree Selfie of us in front of the Alders with the yellow warbler
December 26, 2024 at 1:37 PM
sophieshrike.bsky.social
I'd like to nominate my photo of the Northern Waterthrush, a very rare vagrant in the UK in Jan this year. I had been waiting for over two days to see it and then it flew right towards us, just a few metres away, and I was so excited but absolutely not prepared with my camera 😂 #WorstBirdPics 🪶
An extremely blurry and terrible photo of a Northern Waterthrush, a small spotted brown warbler, sitting on the concrete block behind the metal fence, with a wet ditch in the background.
December 11, 2024 at 7:56 AM
sophieshrike.bsky.social
Please consider supporting Lego Black-faced Spoonbill by casting a free vote!
Great idea to raise awareness for conservation 🪶🌏
ideas.lego.com/s/p:f6cb9380...
December 11, 2024 at 7:38 AM
sophieshrike.bsky.social
Sometimes I'm 🙁 but then I see any bird and I'm 🙂
#SuffolkBirding 🪶
Photo of a jackdaw, a small black corvid, also know as the crow family. Perched on a tree branch in sunlight, highlighting the black and grey glossy feathers of the bird.
November 29, 2024 at 9:47 AM
sophieshrike.bsky.social
Today I went on a wild goose chase at Swine Moor, Yorkshire- a successful twitch with two snow geese 👌 ✅️
#UKBirding 🪶
#RareBirdsUK
@hcbirding.bsky.social
A snow goose, a small white goose with black wing tips, walking along a flood plain
November 15, 2024 at 4:05 PM
sophieshrike.bsky.social
Little egret looking photogenic on patch today. Plus it was great to see a second kingfisher has now rejoined the first- they're a very vocal pair
#SuffolkBirding
#UKBirding 🪶
A little egret, a white heron-like bird with black bill and legs, standing in a river. Vegetation in the background and the bird's reflection in the water.
November 14, 2024 at 8:31 PM
sophieshrike.bsky.social
Wow, they weren't kidding when they said the Amur stonechat shows well!
#UKBirding 🪶
#SuffolkBirding
@hcbirding.bsky.social
Photo of the back of my camera showing an amur stonechat sat on a branch. small bird the size of a robin, with orangey chest, black/grey face and neck
November 10, 2024 at 9:58 AM
sophieshrike.bsky.social
What secrets do the muntjac and magpie share?
#UKBirding 🪶
#SuffolkBirding
A magpie perched on a muntjac deer, appearing to be whispering in its ear. (In reality, presumably feeding off insects/ticks in a mutualistic relationship) The magpie flying off the muntjac, after they had come up with some cunning schemes I'm sure
November 10, 2024 at 7:26 AM
sophieshrike.bsky.social
A singular scabious is still out in flower on my local patch in Suffolk
#WildflowerHour
Purple flower with bee, set in grassland
November 3, 2024 at 8:57 PM
sophieshrike.bsky.social
Yellow-flowered strawberry from Norfolk last week
#WildflowerHour
Photo of plant with a strawberry and a yellow flower
October 27, 2024 at 8:14 PM
sophieshrike.bsky.social
Kingfisher back on my Suffolk patch, showing so close!! Haven't seen them here for almost a year. Of course I had to tell every dog walker that passed me to share the excitement 😍
#UKBirding 🪶
##SuffolkBirding
Photo of the back of my camera showing a kingfisher, a birder with a bright blue back, blue wings and head, and orange belly. In the background is the river the kingfisher was photographed in
October 16, 2024 at 9:45 AM
sophieshrike.bsky.social
So hyped to see and photograph the comet C/2023 A3 this evening!! Very cool!
@hcbirding.bsky.social
Photo of houses at night time, lit up by street lights, with a comet with large tail streaking diagonally behind it, faintly in the far distance
October 14, 2024 at 6:54 PM
sophieshrike.bsky.social
Narrow-leaved Pepperwort on the roadside.
Future note to selves to keep more of an eye on traffic when plant recording 😅
#WildflowerHour
#NorfolkFloraGroup
@hcbirding.bsky.social
Photo of a strongly branched, straggly small plant growing on a road verge right next to the road tarmac
October 13, 2024 at 7:22 PM
sophieshrike.bsky.social
I think my #WildflowerHour
#FavouriteFind for this year has to be the Purple Milk-Vetch in Norfolk; I didn't know what it was when I first saw it but thankfully I had the excellent help of the #NorfolkFloraGroup
A photo of a delicate small plant with pea-like purple flowers, and compound leaflets, amongst grass
October 6, 2024 at 7:26 PM
sophieshrike.bsky.social
I didn't manage to get out botanising properly this weekend but did get to see this Sheep's-bit today at Winterton. Technically my second lifer of the day after the Desert Warbler! 🎉
#WildflowerHour
@hcbirding.bsky.social
October 6, 2024 at 7:15 PM