Steve Percival
stevepercival.bsky.social
Steve Percival
@stevepercival.bsky.social
Life-long birder | Ecologist | Photographer | Researcher | Wildlife Conservationist

NE England based ornithologist and ecological consultant with @EcologyConsulting
Reposted by Steve Percival
A flood of 44,110 Woodpigeons past #salopobs this morning was a new site and county record, and almost overwhelming at times. 5 Egyptian Geese high east were a bit of a surprise #vismig #ukbirding
November 8, 2025 at 9:39 PM
Reposted by Steve Percival
Longevity record!
Last night, @washwader.bsky.social recaught this Black-tailed Godwit, first caught and ringed 29 years ago.
The metal ring was wearing thin (and was replaced) but the bird is still going strong.
Blog about longevity of waders:
wadertales.wordpress.com/2018/01/16/w...
#ornithology
November 9, 2025 at 1:42 PM
Reposted by Steve Percival
I think bluesky needs a #BirdID feed. So I built one.
To start it off, and topical to the #irishrarebirds feed, a blog post on Tundra and Taiga Bean Goose identification.
helhathnobirdies.blogspot.com/2021/04/finn...
Finnish Focus On...Taiga And Tundra Bean Geese
Have been meaning to write a post on Tundra and Taiga Bean Goose identification for a while now. Wildfowl are my guilty pleasure. I've alway...
helhathnobirdies.blogspot.com
November 7, 2025 at 6:57 AM
Reposted by Steve Percival
Why track waders?
This blog has two aims – to share important scientific and conservation stories revealed through shorebird tracking work and to encourage scientists to make their data available via the Global Wader platform.
wadertales.wordpress.com/2025/05/06/m...
#ornithology
Whimbrel tracks 👇
November 5, 2025 at 7:22 AM
Reposted by Steve Percival
We're now starting to get reports of dead Whooper Swans with rings. If you find a dead bird & feel comfortable doing so - check for rings using the below @btobirds.bsky.social advice 👇🏻 Collecting information on ringed birds helps better understand the impact on different age groups.
November 7, 2025 at 9:46 PM
Reposted by Steve Percival
November 5, 2025 at 5:12 PM
Red-breasted Goose at RSPB Loch Gruinart this morning brightening up a dull damp day
November 5, 2025 at 8:55 PM
Cackling Goose at Nerabus, Islay this afternoon. Very dark brown and nice little gular stripe fits tavernii?
November 1, 2025 at 7:21 PM
Reposted by Steve Percival
With HPAI bird flu resurging in UK and Western Europe, here's the link to the 2 recent special issues of #BirdStudy on avian influenza: 20 papers on impacts, mitigation, patterns and control. Part 1/2:
#ornithology #seabirds #raptors #birdflu
Special Issue of #BirdStudy is now published:
The impacts of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza on birds: part 1

10 papers (5 #OpenAccess) plus Editorial on the impacts of #birdflu #HPAI outbreak in Europe, Canada, Antarctica: www.tandfonline.com/toc/tbis20/7...

#ornithology #ukbirding #seabirds
October 30, 2025 at 2:25 PM
The parvipes type Lesser Canada Goose was at Ballinaby, Islay this morning showing well in the wind and rain
October 26, 2025 at 8:16 PM
Reposted by Steve Percival
out to greet the newly returned barnacle geese, present in number (1 leucistic member) - right to the horizon, wavering in heathaze, line upon line of geese (mostly pink footed)
October 11, 2025 at 5:23 PM
Reposted by Steve Percival
The new European Butterfly Red List is published today, with worrying findings. Over 1/4 (28%) of Europe’s 442 species are threatened with extinction or are close to being so. The situation is far worse for our 148 endemic species, 40% are now threatened or nearly so www.bc-europe.eu/webpage.php?...
October 11, 2025 at 9:17 AM
Whooper swans migrating over Old Cassop, Durham this morning- 14 heading south @durhambirdclub.bsky.social
October 7, 2025 at 8:57 AM
Reposted by Steve Percival
One of the best sounds of the Autumn - Barnacle Geese, yapping like a flock of airborne Yorkshire terriers, arriving at Lindisfarne #NEbirding #birds
September 27, 2025 at 4:21 PM
Reposted by Steve Percival
The 2 Pectoral Sandpipers were still at Newton Pool this afternoon. Interesting to see the differences in size and plumage, one bird is smaller and paler (presumably female ?), the other is noticeably larger and warmer toned.

#NEbirding #Lowcarbonbirding
September 24, 2025 at 3:46 PM
Reposted by Steve Percival
Our most recent report, Rare Breeding Birds in the UK in 2022, is now available open access on our website at tinyurl.com/2xf23keu
All reports dating back to 1973 can be found at rbbp.org.uk/annual-repor....
Our next report, for 2023, will be published in @britishbirds.bsky.social in November
September 20, 2025 at 10:08 AM
Reposted by Steve Percival
This is a game changer for marine conservation. Now we need to build on the momentum and designate high seas marine protected areas to conserve Key Biodiversity Areas @keybiodiversity.bsky.social
🌊 A historic day for our oceans! 🌍

With 60 ratifications, the High Seas Treaty will now come into force – a milestone for global ocean conservation.

Let’s keep building momentum and turn 60 into global! #60toGlobal

Discover more 👉 highseasalliance.org/treaty-ratif... @highseasalliance.bsky.social
September 20, 2025 at 7:49 AM
First pinkfeet of the winter heading south over Old Cassop, Durham this morning. 270 in 4 skeins in just 30 minutes @durhambirdclub.bsky.social
September 20, 2025 at 10:01 AM
Reposted by Steve Percival
This month, WaderTales will be ten years old.
I'm going to create a thread that highlights some of the research findings that have surprised me.
Plenty of "Wow!" & "I didn't know that!" moments.
Here's a link to the catalogue of 150 blogs
wadertales.wordpress.com/about/
#ornithology
September 2, 2025 at 8:31 AM
Reposted by Steve Percival
The ringing of chicks and nesting Arctic Terns in Northumberland reveals high natal philopatry but dispersal to non-natal sites is mainly by females. Recruitment is not affected by the presence of public visitors and females breed at an earlier age than males.
doi.org/10.1111/ibi....
Natal philopatry, dispersal and age of first breeding in relation to size and sex of Arctic Terns (Sterna paradisaea)
Many seabird species are in decline and population demographic models are important for revealing the causes and developing conservation strategies. Natal and breeding dispersal are key parameters of...
doi.org
September 3, 2025 at 10:41 AM
Reposted by Steve Percival
22 papers across two issues document the impact of #AvianInfluenza and assess effectiveness of management responses. They show the unprecedented scale of the outbreak, decimating populations across Europe, Africa, North and South America to the South Atlantic.
📚 bit.ly/bird-study-h...
#Ornithology
June 26, 2025 at 7:53 AM
Reposted by Steve Percival
We've just launched AviList! - the new unified global taxonomic checklist for the world's birds, developed through the Working Group on Avian Classification, including BirdLife, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, IOC and others @birdlifeglobal.bsky.social @birdsoftheworld.bsky.social www.avilist.org
June 11, 2025 at 2:44 PM
Reposted by Steve Percival
Labour promised to restore nature. ❌

Instead, their Planning Bill contains a licence to destroy it.

We offered solutions. We’re done waiting.

Part 3 of the Bill would gut the laws protecting our most precious habitats & species.

Without significant change, it must be scrapped.
May 23, 2025 at 7:14 AM
Reposted by Steve Percival
Brilliant to watch packs of Swifts charging into the wind and rain in NE Lincs this morning. 177 in total #vismig #lincsbirding
June 3, 2025 at 6:28 PM