Stephen Welch
@lothianrecorder.bsky.social
Lothian SOC bird recorder from 2011: bird atlas, gull/tern ring reading, vismig/nocmig, Seton/Gosford patch, surveys, roosts & garden birding
Yes, Common Gull leg colour quite variable, can be very yellow or even a touch of orange even in winter, first here from Seton 19/10/25, two captured by accident behind white-JP557 on 8/3/23 and one from 6/1/24...
November 8, 2025 at 3:53 PM
Yes, Common Gull leg colour quite variable, can be very yellow or even a touch of orange even in winter, first here from Seton 19/10/25, two captured by accident behind white-JP557 on 8/3/23 and one from 6/1/24...
It's not just "refusniks", wikipedia is one of the biggest information sources on the internet, lots on birds, and a policy of lowercase initial letters* - if you object you'll be overruled (had to change all my contributions):
* en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikiped...
** en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?...
* en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikiped...
** en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?...
Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Capital letters - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
October 31, 2025 at 11:38 AM
It's not just "refusniks", wikipedia is one of the biggest information sources on the internet, lots on birds, and a policy of lowercase initial letters* - if you object you'll be overruled (had to change all my contributions):
* en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikiped...
** en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?...
* en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikiped...
** en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?...
Med white-30VA ringed as ad De Kreupel, Ijsselmeer 2/6/23 regular here 14/6-18/9/23 (pic), 21/7-23/9, 26/11-10/12/24, 4/7(pic)-16/9/25; BHG red-2NC7 ringed Blackness 7/1/24 seen a few times (pic c/o Billy 19/12/24); BHG yellow-2ER6 regular at Seton/Gosford (pic 8/8/20), ringed as chick Ythan 12/8/17
October 28, 2025 at 11:48 PM
Med white-30VA ringed as ad De Kreupel, Ijsselmeer 2/6/23 regular here 14/6-18/9/23 (pic), 21/7-23/9, 26/11-10/12/24, 4/7(pic)-16/9/25; BHG red-2NC7 ringed Blackness 7/1/24 seen a few times (pic c/o Billy 19/12/24); BHG yellow-2ER6 regular at Seton/Gosford (pic 8/8/20), ringed as chick Ythan 12/8/17
Final bonus pics of the sharp beaks lying in wait, confirming sexes of Sparrowhawks, ad f and ad m, so presumably a pair - plenty of food to share out...
September 13, 2025 at 3:38 AM
Final bonus pics of the sharp beaks lying in wait, confirming sexes of Sparrowhawks, ad f and ad m, so presumably a pair - plenty of food to share out...
20:05hrs Final rapid entry with birds dropping like stones into the reedbed, continued to 20:06hrs with only a few still out thereafter, though 100+ flushed out by a duck c. 20:10hrs [12/12]
September 13, 2025 at 3:32 AM
20:05hrs Final rapid entry with birds dropping like stones into the reedbed, continued to 20:06hrs with only a few still out thereafter, though 100+ flushed out by a duck c. 20:10hrs [12/12]
20:03hrs Sparrowhawk finally departed towards NE pursued by mobbing Swallows, now perhaps only 2-3k birds remaining in high cloud [11/12]
September 13, 2025 at 3:26 AM
20:03hrs Sparrowhawk finally departed towards NE pursued by mobbing Swallows, now perhaps only 2-3k birds remaining in high cloud [11/12]
20:00hrs Birds twisting and turning low over reedbed, some still bouncing and circling round again [10/12]
September 13, 2025 at 3:24 AM
20:00hrs Birds twisting and turning low over reedbed, some still bouncing and circling round again [10/12]
19:59hrs Further views of clouds of birds before main entry started [9/10]
September 13, 2025 at 3:17 AM
19:59hrs Further views of clouds of birds before main entry started [9/10]
19:59hrs Huge clouds of birds again in every direction [8/10]
September 13, 2025 at 3:15 AM
19:59hrs Huge clouds of birds again in every direction [8/10]
19:58hrs Approaching roost again suggestions of in excess of 10k birds [7/10]
September 13, 2025 at 3:13 AM
19:58hrs Approaching roost again suggestions of in excess of 10k birds [7/10]
19:57hrs Still an absolutely enormous cloud of Swallows up, looking east and beyond end of tanks [6/10]
September 13, 2025 at 3:10 AM
19:57hrs Still an absolutely enormous cloud of Swallows up, looking east and beyond end of tanks [6/10]
19:56hrs Swallows now approaching reeds but most not entering, "bouncing", but possibly first entries [5/10]
September 13, 2025 at 3:08 AM
19:56hrs Swallows now approaching reeds but most not entering, "bouncing", but possibly first entries [5/10]
19:54hrs Sparrowhawks both chasing into and low over reedbed, male then female, perhaps assisting count by keeping birds out of the roost for longer, though 16 mins after sunset still quite early [4/10]
September 13, 2025 at 3:06 AM
19:54hrs Sparrowhawks both chasing into and low over reedbed, male then female, perhaps assisting count by keeping birds out of the roost for longer, though 16 mins after sunset still quite early [4/10]
ad f Sparrowhawk on fence joined by a second bird; ad m Sparrowhawk seen later on track by reedbed so likely a pair despite lack of obvious size difference [3/10]
September 13, 2025 at 2:59 AM
ad f Sparrowhawk on fence joined by a second bird; ad m Sparrowhawk seen later on track by reedbed so likely a pair despite lack of obvious size difference [3/10]
At 19:48hrs up to 5k Swallows, sample counts for age breakdown based on obvious long tail streamers on ad m (9 in 111), suggests the vast majority of birds c. 85% are juveniles [2/10]
September 13, 2025 at 2:52 AM
At 19:48hrs up to 5k Swallows, sample counts for age breakdown based on obvious long tail streamers on ad m (9 in 111), suggests the vast majority of birds c. 85% are juveniles [2/10]
c. 300 birds had arrived by sunset 19:38hrs, some Pied Wags dropped into roost; first video here 19:46hrs when up to c. 3k Swallows, Sand Martin also heard but very few, and Sparrowhawk perched on fence lying in wait [1/10]
September 13, 2025 at 2:49 AM
c. 300 birds had arrived by sunset 19:38hrs, some Pied Wags dropped into roost; first video here 19:46hrs when up to c. 3k Swallows, Sand Martin also heard but very few, and Sparrowhawk perched on fence lying in wait [1/10]
juvs on wires would suggest pre-migration, however I'm not sure they necessarily all go south, dispersal around UK to good feeding areas before main departures might also happen. New post on this gathering, suspect your bird was present again but could not get an clear view bsky.app/profile/loth...
The mega Blindwells hirundine roost has now completely transformed from >99% Sand Martin to >99% Swallow, approx numbers in the 6-7k range on last three evenings, with attention from local Sparrowhawk and an all white Swallow seen, poss from further south*...
* bsky.app/.../lothianr...
* bsky.app/.../lothianr...
September 11, 2025 at 2:00 AM
juvs on wires would suggest pre-migration, however I'm not sure they necessarily all go south, dispersal around UK to good feeding areas before main departures might also happen. New post on this gathering, suspect your bird was present again but could not get an clear view bsky.app/profile/loth...
Last video...
September 11, 2025 at 1:56 AM
Last video...
One more, Flamborough 28/7/25, c/o Brett, though this is a "brown" mutation and seems to be more extensively reddish on throat. Hope can get a better view of "ours", though probably unlikely... www.birdguides.com/gallery/bird...
Swallow by Brett Richards
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September 9, 2025 at 11:34 PM
One more, Flamborough 28/7/25, c/o Brett, though this is a "brown" mutation and seems to be more extensively reddish on throat. Hope can get a better view of "ours", though probably unlikely... www.birdguides.com/gallery/bird...