Mark Eaton

NEW BLOG: ornithologist and drone expert Andy Harmer provides guidance on the use of drones for finding and monitoring nests tinyurl.com/RBBPdrones #ornithology #birds

I’ve had a UK ✅ every year since I first picked up binoculars almost 50 years ago. Left it a bit late in 2026, but maintained the streak with a trip to Flamborough today. Good views of the Rufous-tailed Robin but no pics, so here’s the Pallas’s Warbler at Bempton instead

Had a fruitful lunchtime at Warkworth beach car park, with a very smart male Red-breasted Flycatcher & 2 Yellow-browed Warblers, also 2 Jack Snipe, 6 Whooper Swans, 6 Black-tailed Godwits, 8+ Blackcaps #NEbirding #birds

Pleased with this one… Longstone lighthouse, #Cornwall as Storm Austin began to subside this evening

A day of magnificent seawatching in Cornwall - not so much looking at birds (though there were a fair few), but the incredible thunderous seascape brought by Storm Austin. Awesome.

Please help us to spread the word about this. The first Red List update on dragonflies since 2008. british-dragonflies.org.uk/what-we-do/r...

I wish reading colour rings was always this easy! Colour-ringed Herring Gull at St Ives today #birds

The birding has been rather quiet down in Cornwall (Choughs aside)… so this encounter in St Ives today may be the ornithological highlight of the week #birds

Today’s Chough pictures are moving ones. From the clifftop at Porthgwarra #UKbirding #birds

This very torpid young Adder was in the car park at Pendeen today - I found a stick and lifted it out of harm’s way

⏰ APPLICATION DEADLINE APPROACHING ...for BOU Small Research Grants & Career Development Bursaries Application deadline: 30 Oct 2026 Full details via links ⬇️ Grants: bou.org.uk/funding/s... Bursaries: bou.org.uk/funding/c... #ornithology 🪶

As well as Choughs, I’m enjoying other species that are much easier to see in Cornwall than Northumberland, such as Firecrest. Although they can be tricky to photograph… #UKbireing

Today’s Chough comes to you from the cliffs at Porthgwarra #UKbirding

One for @goldengrenadesco.bsky.social from Cornwall - a young Peregrine #UKbirding

As well as being beautiful, and elegant masters of the air, and sounding like malfunctioning robot birds, Chough are well ‘ard. Here’s one beating up a female Sparrowhawk that had the temerity to hunt over the cliffs #UKbirding #birds

I am going to spam you with Chough photos for the rest of the week. No apologies #UKbirding #birds

Spent the day wandering the Cornish coast totally in thrall of Choughs. Such joyous birds! I think I would like to come back as a Chough #birds #UKbirding

Leucistic Eurasian Wigeon flew west past Holme-next-the-Sea last weekend. Surely it will be found in a flock somewhere soon. Have you seen it? #NorfolkBirding

The wonders of #conservation and species recovery action… just arrived in Pendeen, Cornwall for a week, having my morning coffee, and a flock of Chough fly over like they were everyday garden birds 😍 #birds #UKbirding

1/ Nature is in peril. Drastic declines and specialist species struggling is what the Wild Bird Indicators, using BTO data & published by Defra, show. Here’s what we know ⬇️ The All Bird Species Index shows 19% declines in the UK since 1970. This comprises 132 species. 📉 #Ornithology

Finally caught up with the Buff-breasted Sandpiper at Boulmer this afternoon, it’s been an elusive bird. Rather distant video, but catches its hyperactive vibe well #NEbirding

📢 SAVE THE DATE Announcing our one-day #BOUasm27 conference Birds and Artificial Intelligence | 12 October 2027 | York, UK & Zoom & Bluesky The call for keynote nominations is now open: bou.org.uk/event/bir... 🗓️ Nominate by the 16 November deadline #ornithology 🪶

A very different kind of gig last night… BBC international news editor Jeremy Bowen talking about a life reporting from war zones. Fascinating, and we even got to see his bulletproof underpants

Missed the aurora last night, but more than compensated by seeing the spectacular Mercury Rev in Sunderland.

No proper birding today, but a short dusk dog walk was good value, with c540 Barnacle Geese yapping their way towards the Solway Firth, and a male Goshawk exchanging words with the local Buzzards #NEbirding

Tapas and then the glorious west coast harmonies of The Hanging Stars at The Cluny to celebrate our silver wedding anniversary. A good night

Before the excitement of Cranes, a potter around Craster produced a few Chiffchaff, one Whooper Swan, and another six Mediterranean Gulls (which seem to be everywhere at the moment). And a very impressive sun halo #NEbirding

See that red ring? That’s our very distant view of the Northumberland coast, across which have just flown 3 Cranes, giving a 10 second view at something like 4-5 mile range. House mega! With thanks to @gary-woodburn.bsky.social for the tip-off 🍾🙂🏡✅ #NEbirding

Boulmer, late pm… Lapland Bunting still present, Ruff, Barnacle Goose, Little Owl, 2 Arctic Skuas, c210 Little Gulls & 40+ Mediterranean Gulls - the latter an amazing count, several times my previous site best #NEbirding

Tonight, the supernaturally sprightly hippy Jon Anderson (81 years young) in Gateshead, demonstrating the benefits of meditation and a macrobiotic diet by belting flawlessly through a set of Yes classics

Boulmer in the afternoon - Shorelark arrived onto Longhoughton Steel, Redstart, Whimbrel, Brambling, Ruff, 8 Wheatears, c20 Song Thrushes, 2 Snipe, c3200 Golden Plover #NEbirding

A morning of good birding and terrible photos around Seaton Pt, Northumberland… ringtail Hen Harrier, Yellow-browed Warbler, Ring Ouzel, Curlew Sandpiper, Ruff, 2 Redstarts, 8 Bramblings, 228 Song Thrushes (no Redwing!), Sooty Shearwater, 4 Arctic Skuas, c20 Little Gulls, 7 Pintail #NEbirding

A strangely quiet day with @yolobirder.bsky.social on Holy Island - a handful of Bramblings the highlight - was suddenly improved by being in the right place at the right time to see the Olive-backed Pipit found by Stef McElwee. A surprisingly rare bird in Northumberland #NEbirding

Duck-tastic at Seaton Pt today, with c630 Teal inc. a flock of c510 on the sea, and a patch scarcity Shoveler. Also 1 Pomarine (a cracking spoony adult), 5 Arctic & 3 Great Skuas, 1 Sooty & 3 Manx shearwaters, 1 Med & c80 Little Gulls, c50 Common & 8 Arctic Terns, 22 P-b Brents #NEbirding

New job alert 🪶🧪 We are hiring a Conservation Scientist to work on links between hydrological restoration and Lesser Spotted Woodpecker conservation Deadline: 7/10/26 Apply here: app.vacancy-filler.co.uk/salescrm/Car... #SpeciesRecoveryProgramme @naturalengland.bsky.social 📷Ben Andrew

Action shot of a Draparnaud's Glass Snail - seeing this handsome purple mollusc was my reward for replacing rotting decking joists this morning #ukwildlife

Surprisingly good seawatching at Boulmer this afternoon - in 2 hrs: 1 Sabine’s Gull, 1 Balearic, 7 Sooty & 7 Manx Shearwater, 1 Pomarine, 5 Long-tailed, 17 Arctic, 4 Great & 7 unidentified small Skuas, 1 Med & c400 Little Gulls, 2 Pintail, 2 Brent, c195 Teal. Curlew Sandpiperon the beach #NEbirding

Progging-out with Marillion in Gateshead tonight. The first rock band I ever saw, 41 years and 100’s of gigs ago…

Budle Bay, late afternoon - 3 Spotted Redshanks, 8+ Greenshanks and a very distant Great White Egret (5th record, says Budle guru @budlebirder.bsky.social), but the Brents were too distant to pick out the Black Brant #NEbirding

A mixed day… great to have a Baird’s Sandpiper buzz me on Goswick beach, but frustrating not to be able to refind it. Presumably the bird from Guille Pt earlier in the week. Best of the rest was an entertainingly grey Little Stint, Merlin, Marsh Harrier, Merlin, 1186 Pinkfeet arriving #NEbirding

Bar-tailed Godwit at Seaton Pt, Northumberland #waderwednesday

Top evening at Boulmer - got good views of the Lapland Bunting, and the sea was hooching with life inc. 1 Long-tailed & c16 Arctic Skuas, 1 Bonxie, 1 Sooty & 8 Manx Shearwaters, 4 Black Tern, c70 Little & 4 Med Gulls, 7 Pale-bellied Brents & a Minke Whale 🐳 #NEbirding #birds #cetaceans

This week’s gig, Voyage 35 playing the early psychedelic music of Porcupine Tree. Which will mean absolutely nothing to most of you, but was a very good thing indeed.

⏰ NOMINATIONS CLOSING SOON Know someone in #ornithology deserving of recognition? Nominate them for a BOU award now! 🪶 🥇 Godman Salvin Prize 🥇 Alfred Newton Lecture 🥇 Janet Kear Union Medal 🥇 Early Professional Award Deadline: 15 September 2026 Nominate: bou.org.uk/about-the...

Boulmer this afternoon - 1 Roseate Tern, 2 Manx Shearwaters, 2 Ruff, 2 Yellow Wagtails, 6 Wheatears. A fantastic pulse of Swallow passage around 15.45, c650 birds (and just 2 House Martins) south over the sea in 15 minutes before it suddenly stopped #NEbirding

New job alert🪶 Research assistant to support research on Willow Tit demographics. Must have a BTO ringing licence at C level or above Location: Midlands and North of England Duration: Oct-Nov 2026 Deadline: This Wednesday Sept 9th Apply here: app.vacancy-filler.co.uk/salescrm/Car... 📷Ben Andrew

Another gig… Primal Scream absolutely roaring through their classic XTRMNTR album in Newcastle last night.

Faithless closing Lindisfarne Festival last night, a set of amazingly over-the-top epic techno. Loved it.