Martin George
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jannerbirder.bsky.social
Martin George
@jannerbirder.bsky.social
Bird nerd, patch worker and BTO surveyor. MSc Ornithology (mostly a seabirds thing). Proud Devonian currently exiled to North Shropshire. I also run the #Shropshirebirds feed.
Pinned
I've just created a Shropshire Birding feed for bird sightings and updates in the county.

Please use #Shropshirebirding or #Shropshirebirds in your post.

A big thank you to @jamiedunning.bsky.social for his guidance.

Don't forget to pin the feed once you've followed it!

bsky.app/profile/did:...
Reposted by Martin George
Dartford Warbler with 4+ Stonechats on East Meadows, Titchfield Haven. Hundreds of Stock Doves too! #LowCarbonBirding #PWC2025
November 23, 2025 at 6:56 PM
Unexpected headline of the week 🙂
www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...
Driver’s near miss after bald eagle drops cat through car windshield
The bizarre incident was captured on a 911 call
www.independent.co.uk
November 22, 2025 at 6:43 PM
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Even consummate migrants like Corncrakes can end up being ship-assisted, although presumably being adopted by a family and fed prawns is a rarer occurrence.... #UKBirding #Ornithology
www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/2563328...
November 22, 2025 at 7:27 AM
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The great thing about these hybrid #ornithology events which post to platforms like Bsky, is that you can read thru the presentations at leisure and they remain here for you to go back to later. And you share away! All content available on the event tag 👇🏼 Enjoy. I just did.
Sushma Reddy brings us to a close with her keynote, and our last presentation of the day, “Using natural history collections to build community”

@sushred.bsky.social #BOUasm25 #ornithology
November 18, 2025 at 5:21 PM
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Best practice guidance for recreational and professional drones near colonial breeding birds | journals.plos.org/pl... | PLOS One | #ornithology 🪶
November 19, 2025 at 5:00 PM
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Inland diver hat trick
##UKBIRDING
November 18, 2025 at 1:29 PM
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Wild victims of bird flu increase - will it be the worst winter yet in Europe? @btobirds.bsky.social reminds birders we can play a role in monitoring #HPAI

Plus the week's #NorthWales sightings in @northwaleslive.bsky.social BirdNotes. 📷 Tony Pope. #BirdingWales

www.birdnotes.wales/blog/wild-vi...
Wild victims of bird flu on the rise
As ‘flockdown’ rules require keepers of birds to introduce strict biosecurity measures in Wales, increased deaths of wild birds have raised fears that it could be the worst winter yet for bird...
www.birdnotes.wales
November 17, 2025 at 7:02 PM
We have a decent Starling roost back on the Crose Mere local patch, with around 5,000 birds putting on a nice display this evening before dropping into the woods at Sweat Mere, just before the massive corvid roost gets active. I'll add a short movie clip to this thread.
#ShropshireBirding
November 16, 2025 at 6:21 PM
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Bird flu has arrived very early this year and Shropshire is already under DEFRA restrictions. We are receiving regular reports of dead and sick waterfowl. Please do not approach or “rescue” wild birds that are obviously ill - ring your local wildlife rescue for advice and report your find to DEFRA.
Your occasional reminder, if you’re in the UK, that it is shaping up to be a hideous bird flu season, with many wildlife casualties (including resident birds, not just winter migrants), and, however soft your heart, it is a Really Bad Idea to handle sick or ‘injured’ birds or bring them inside.
November 14, 2025 at 4:40 PM
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This promises to be a fantastic evening! A chance to listen to Megan’s incredible stories about her upbringing and to find out all about why and how Cuan came to be - Megan is inspirational and will help to banish those January blues with her tales 😊 #Shropshire
November 14, 2025 at 5:46 PM
St Claudia be praised, my Wetland Bird Survey site is a wetland again, for the first time since May! Small beer, but definitely progress: Teal, Wigeon, Mallard and the inevitable Canada Geese. I hope it doesn't all drain away again before the next @webs-gsmp.bsky.social count 🙂
#ShropshireBirds
November 15, 2025 at 6:43 PM
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Fascinating ABA podcast this week, reviewing the life of Roxie Laybourne, an amazing female scientist who “may be the most influential ornithologist you've never heard of”.
#Ornithology
New episode of the American Birding Podcast!

Smithsonian researcher Roxie Laybourne may be the most influential ornithologist you’ve never heard of. Her incredible life is documented by journalist Chris Sweeney in his new book.

Listen here: www.aba.org/09-46-the-fe...
09-46: The Feather Detective with Chris Sweeney - American Birding Association
www.aba.org
November 13, 2025 at 9:40 PM
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Hundreds of the "skeletal" remains of By-the-wind Sailors (Vellela vellela) washed up on the beach at Wembury and a near adult Yellow-legged Gull on the roof of Chelson Meadow recycling centre the highlights yesterday on a day out when the sun actually appeared!
November 14, 2025 at 11:38 AM
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🪶 Birds inspire me daily — their songs, resilience, and epic journeys remind us why conserving them matters.
Join me 🗓 Nov 19th at 🕓 4 PM ET for a FREE #ornithology webinar, From Wonder to Action for #Birds Across the Americas with @abcbirds.bsky.social
RSVP: abcbirds.org/JERsvp
November 13, 2025 at 11:23 PM
"Shouting at seagulls makes them more likely to leave your food alone, research shows."

#Gulls

news.exeter.ac.uk/faculty-of-e...
Shouting at seagulls could stop them stealing your food
Shouting at seagulls makes them more likely to leave your food alone, research shows. University of Exeter researchers put a closed Tupperware box of chips on the ground to pique herring gulls’ intere...
news.exeter.ac.uk
November 12, 2025 at 11:32 AM
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I've taken on a couple of new WeBS @webs-gsmp.bsky.social sites this autumn, one hasn't been counted in my lifetime and the other was my childhood patch. Both had Great Egrets this weekend, unthinkable back in their/my day! #shropshirebirding @btobirds.bsky.social
November 10, 2025 at 7:50 PM
Good to see this development by WWT.

"The Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust in Gloucestershire is among the first UK nature reserves to use glass protection technology to tackle a major cause of bird deaths - window collisions."

Link to supplier in the thread.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Nature reserve installs bird protection film on windows
The Gloucestershire reserve is one of the first to use glass film technology to protect birds.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 10, 2025 at 7:54 AM
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Venus Pool WeBS early morning 660 Canadas, Canlag, 21 Greylag, 12 Egyptian, 61 Teal, 21 Shoveler, 15 Wigeon (influx), 3 GWE, L Egret, 2 W Rail, 210 Lapwing, 5 Snipe. 2 L Grebe & GCG on CF. Influx of 22 Corn Bunting with 4 Y'hammer, 35 Linnet, 35 Greenfinch, 15 Reed B, 2 Chiffs. #shropshirebirding 🪶
November 9, 2025 at 5:56 PM
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Flock of 21 Whoopers went WNW past us in Lincs this morning on a direct line from Welney to the Ribble... #migration #climatechange #ukbirding
November 7, 2025 at 10:26 AM
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Did you know that Tom McKinney’s morning programme on BBC Radio 3 starts with a short dawn chorus piece just after the 6:30 news? Tom is a birder!

Love the feature, @tommckinney.bsky.social, birdsong and classical music are a great start to the day!

Too early? ⬇️

www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/sched...
BBC Sounds - Radio 3 - Schedules
View the daily broadcast schedule for Radio 3. Find out what's on now and what's up next, or see schedules up to 7 days ahead.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 6, 2025 at 9:17 PM
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We've had two separate reports of sick Mute Swans in North Shropshire today, and referred both callers to Defra.

Please be vigilant, and report any sightings of sick birds to Defra (link in thread) and also log them in BirdTrack. #ShropshireBirds
Worrying reports of bird flu (avian influenza) are coming in, including an outbreak in Whooper Swans in the Fens. Other waterbirds are also being affected, and cases are rising.

📷 Sick Whooper Swan by Kane Brides

#UKBirding #BirdingWales #BirdingScotland
November 6, 2025 at 8:32 PM
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Merrick was shot & killed as she slept, over two years ago. NatureScot has had all the evidence on its desk for over 18 months. Now we're being asked to wait "a few weeks" more. It's pathetic.

#RaptorResearch #WildlifeCrime

raptorpersecutionuk.org/2025/11/05/n...
NatureScot says “decision in next few weeks” on whether to impose General Licence restriction in relation to shooting & killing of golden eagle Merrick
The Scottish Government’s nature advisory agency, NatureScot, has been now been procrastinating for over 18 months on whether to impose a sanction on an estate in relation to the ‘shooting and kill…
raptorpersecutionuk.org
November 5, 2025 at 6:26 PM
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A pretty depressing day counting sick & dead Whooper Swans. Avian influenza is within the population. Please report all dead birds for possible collection & testing. In 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿, 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 & 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 this is Defra
gov.uk/guidance/repor…
Reporting to @birdtrack.bsky.social also helps with monitoring.
November 4, 2025 at 6:05 PM