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Tom Bedford

@tombedford.bsky.social

360 followers 310 following 150 posts

Obsessive patch birder in the Lye Valley, Oxford. eBird reviewer for Oxfordshire, bird surveys for BTO. Part of a 2024 team that set the current Oxon Big Day record by bike, beating the motorised record 🚴🏼‍♂️👊🏻✅ Blog 👇🏻 https://www.outofthebluesky.co/?p=5909

www.outofthebluesky.co

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Tom Bedford @tombedford.bsky.social · 1d

Thanks Phil, good luck next year too!

Tom Bedford @tombedford.bsky.social · 1d

Thanks Geoff, that means a lot 🙏🏻

Tom Bedford @tombedford.bsky.social · 1d

A longer blog post about a week on Fair Isle with @sheldonbirds.bsky.social: www.outofthebluesky.co/2025/10/11/a...
Many thanks to all at @fairislebirdobs.bsky.social, a fantastic place with incredible food! Honourable mentions for @lukemarriner1.bsky.social and @philwoollen.bsky.social
#ukbirding

A week on Fair Isle: seeking still air

I first visited Fair Isle in 1986 as a seventeen-year-old, benefitting from a Richard Richardson bursary to cover the accommodation costs at the bird observatory. As an inexperienced inland birder,…

www.outofthebluesky.co

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Tom Bedford @tombedford.bsky.social · 6d

Good to hear it stayed for you Phil 👍🏻

Tom Bedford @tombedford.bsky.social · 6d

👌🏻

Reposted by Tom Bedford

Ben Sheldon @sheldonbirds.bsky.social · 9d

Leaving Shetland after 8 super days birding Fair Isle & Shetland with @tombedford.bsky.social. A superb mix of rarities, scarcities, common migrants, seabirds & spectacular scenery based at the brilliant @fairislebirdobs.bsky.social - thanks to all. eBird trip report ⬇️
ebird.org/tripreport/4...

A male Siberian Thrush emerges from cover at Asta Loch, Shetland, Oct 2025

Red-breasted Flycatcher peeping out from cover in South Raeva Geo on Fair Isle, Sept 2025

A migrant Common Redstart finding shelter in the derelict buildings near the summit of Ward Hill on Fair Isle

Landscape looking south along the West Side of Fair Isle

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Reposted by Tom Bedford

Ben Sheldon @sheldonbirds.bsky.social · 10d

A bit of relief to get flight off Fair Isle this morning ahead of impending arrival of Storm Amy, otherwise we'd have been stranded till Monday! A great first visit, capped off by @tombedford.bsky.social and I finding an Olive-backed Pipit (first seen yesterday evening, not confirmed till today)

Plane on the runway at Fair Isle Airport

View of Sheep Head, Fair Isle, from the air

Very poor record shot of Olive-backed Pipit, Fair Isle, 3 Oct 2025. Unstreaked and olive-toned mantle and coverts visible here

Very poor record shot of Olive-backed Pipit, Fair Isle, 3 Oct 2025. Unstreaked and olive-toned mantle visible here, also a hint of the strong white supercilium on the left hand side of the bird's head

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Ben Sheldon @sheldonbirds.bsky.social · 16d

Day 3 on Fair Isle: SE gale again, but pre-dawn rain & heavy cloud brought in new birds with many Song Thrushes & Goldcrests in sheltered geos. Highlights of the day a Corncrake by North Light (@tombedford.bsky.social photo), stunning male Red-backed Shrike trapped at Obs & Red-Breasted Flycatcher

Record shot of Corncrake in flight by North Light, Fair Isle

Red-breasted Flycatcher, South Raeva, Fair Isle

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Reposted by Tom Bedford

Peter Stronach @macstronach.bsky.social · 23d

Just back from a pelagic trip out to the Whittard Canyon area on the continental shelf edge with @scillypelagics.bsky.social @scottinscilly.bsky.social @nomadbirder.bsky.social Madeiran Storm Petrel reclassified from MEGA!!! to scarce summer visitor in one evening with 84 counted last night! 😂

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Tom Bedford @tombedford.bsky.social · 25d

Bat carrying.

Reposted by Tom Bedford

Paul Bowerman @severnsidebirds.bsky.social · 28d

An exceptional day river watching at Severn Beach. Highlight was the 1st Sooty Shearwater record for 51 years. I even managed to see it from upstairs for my 169th species seen from home. Other sightings included Sabine's Gull, 3 Grey Phalarope, 3 Leach's Petrels, 4 storm Petrel, Arctic Skua etc

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Daniel Langston @dlangstonbirder.bsky.social · Sep 12

Coal Tits migrating at Falsterbo...

Their excitable flocks were wizzing past at eye-level into a strong head-wind today, then climbing south.

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Alexander Lees @alexanderlees.bsky.social · Sep 11

Common Grackles are great generalists - likely to have survivorship on boats as they do things like [checks notes] killing and eating Snow Buntings! see: ebird.org/checklist/S1... 4/4

eBird Checklist - 10 Nov 2023 - Fish Dragging Location - 2 species

Submitted by Nova Scotia Bird Records.

ebird.org

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Tom Bedford @tombedford.bsky.social · Sep 7

Mostly cloudy in Oxford, but a brief glimpse of the lunar eclipse over Headington this evening, the Earth’s shadow covering the right-hand side.
#lunareclipse
#oxford
@headingtonnews.bsky.social

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Conor MacKenzie @conormackenzie.bsky.social · Sep 4

A round up of an exciting month of birding in Oxon - topped by a 2nd for the county and proper grip back for those who missed the 1st. Other highlights include an unseasonable Wood Warbler, a storm blown Shag and a southward bound Honey-buzzard #UKbirding
oxonbirding.blogspot.com/2025/09/augu...

August Review

Highlights One of the many great joys of birding is the appearance of a total wildcard. A totally unexpected species that not even the mos...

oxonbirding.blogspot.com

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Tom Bedford @tombedford.bsky.social · Sep 3

Good to see this being discussed.

Jared Wilson @wilsonjaredm.bsky.social · Sep 1

I wrote this short note on birding with hearing aids and thought I’d post the link here in case of interest/relevance to some birders out there
#birding #birdingScotland #birdingUK

chatterstanes.wordpress.com/2025/09/01/b...

Birding with Hearing Aids

A startling proportion of the UK population suffers from hearing loss, with the Royal National Institute for the Deaf (RNID) indicating that one in five adults are deaf, have hearing loss or suffer…

chatterstanes.wordpress.com

Reposted by Tom Bedford

Thomas Miller @tmbirding.bsky.social · Aug 29

Ropey pic of the juvenile Marsh Sandpiper found yesterday at Standlake Pit 60 by Jeremy Dexter but not confirmed until this morning. In the pouring rain! #ukbirding

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Reposted by Tom Bedford

LeedsBirder @leedsbirder.bsky.social · Aug 15

Incredible footage of Goshawk predating Hobby chick. Will likely return 😬 - watch live here: www.youtube.com/live/MJaRwj4... #birds #ukbirds #ornithology Web cam by the amazing Wildlife Windows www.wildlifewindows.co.uk

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Tom Bedford @tombedford.bsky.social · Aug 14

Very nice! That’s at least the 7th record of Tree Pipit in Oxfordshire this month, and the peak passage period is yet to come. It feels like a good year for them:

www.outofthebluesky.co/2025/08/10/t...

Tree Pipits in Oxfordshire in 2025, could this be a bumper year?

August is a great month on my local patch. The focus during the second half of the month is on recording the locally scarce trio of Western Yellow Wagtail, Spotted Flycatcher and Tree Pipit. The wa…

www.outofthebluesky.co

Tom Bedford @tombedford.bsky.social · Aug 14

Good work Thomas! I’m impressed by the lengths that you’ve gone to in order to evidence your records, great to see and hear. The perfect passive recording kit has yet to hit the markets, but I like the thought behind your set-up (despite @pmbirding.bsky.social’s amusement!).

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Gwyllm Llwydd @gwyllm.bsky.social · Aug 11

Watch Out!

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Tom Bedford @tombedford.bsky.social · Aug 11

The first Spotted Flycatcher of the autumn arrived on Warneford Meadow, Oxford, this morning. This is the equal earliest ever, after a bird on 11th August 2022. The latest Lye Valley area record is 30th September, a long migration window here.
#ukbirding
@friendlyevalley.bsky.social

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Oxford Clarion @oxfordclarion.bsky.social · Aug 11

Vance is staying at Dean Manor, the home of Johnny Hornby, founder of lighting firm Luceco. The village has a rich tradition of hosting clowns, formerly being home to comedian Ronnie Barker. It was also David Cameron’s constituency home as MP for Witney. #fourcandles

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Tom Bedford @tombedford.bsky.social · Aug 10

Tree Pipit over my Headington, Oxford garden this morning!
#ukbirding #monstergardentick

macaulaylibrary.org/asset/640070...

ML640070941 - Tree Pipit - Macaulay Library

macaulaylibrary.org

Tom Bedford @tombedford.bsky.social · Aug 4

Bubo bubo bikinii?