Regular followers will know, and even a brief visitor will soon pick it up, I like photographing the birdlife we see on our walks and we will return to the same place again and again simply to observe the birds. We find it a fascinating hobby, as no day is ever the same and we’re always learning or seeing something new. Best of all it is proven to be good for your mental health. Whether you watch for 10 minutes from a window, go out for a day’s bird watching trip or sit and wait for those great shots.
Occasionally we spot a ring on the birds which, with the help of the European Colour-Ring Birding website, enables me to report it to the scientists who are monitoring and researching that species. Well it does if I can read the code on the ring! Not always possible as you may recall from my post about Caspian Terns at the end of last year. Well the good news is that it looks like the same Swedish tern is back as at the weekend we spotted one with similar ring arrangement and the even better news is I can read the ring this time. I have submitted my recording with these photographs to the team at the Museum of Natural History in Stockholm.
And that’s not the only reporting I have been doing this weekend. The British Nature Guide for the past couple of years have been running a fun Twitter challenge where you simply report with photograph birds seen using the hashtag #BirdsSeenIn2022. It isn’t a scientific study but there’s a sense of accomplishment when you review the weekly charts and seen the country you’ve been reporting birds in gradually move up the list. As of this weekend 36 different species have been reported for Portugal, the vast majority of which are birds I have reported. Here are just a few of the ones I have recently reported.
You check the Portuguese list here, and the rest of the world here. In 2021 more than 4,900 species were recorded in the challenge, which is around half of the total number of species in the world. Can we do better in 2022? If you see a bird and are on twitter do share, and if you are not on twitter but see a bird in Portugal send me a photo and I am happy to report your sighting with full credit for you.
If you are interested in more scientific reporting sites then check out E-birds which was launched in 2002 by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society and is suitable for reporting your sightings worldwide including Portugal. If in the UK then there is also BirdTrack which is a joint partnership between the BTO, the RSPB, Birdwatch Ireland, the Scottish Ornithologists’ Club and the Welsh Ornithological Society.
Hi
I visited your site. I can read some blog. Beautiful written you. Lovely birds. I like. Beautiful place
thank you
Lovely birds, beautiful photographs, Thank you dear Becky, have a nice weekend, Love, nia
thanks Nia 🙂 hope you have a lovely weekend too. Has the weather improved?
yes, it is smooth now… but another snow days as they say would come again. Welcome, and Thank you, Love, nia
Great post Becky! Must be so much fun to watch the birds and record your sightings. Watching birds brings a lot of joy to me. Thanks for sharing. 😊🙏
Thank you so much 🙂 glad it brings joy to you too
That’s a great project I might bung something on Twitter from time to time. As usual wonderful bird photos and yay for the Caspian Tern sighting again 🙂 🙂
Thanks so much Brian, and yes I love the Twitter project. Such fun. I have lots of new ones to add but been such a crazy week here not had a chance, maybe today . . . . .
I have so many little birds here at the moment. So fast and hard to spot among the trees 🙂
That sounds very familiar, we just couldn’t keep track of them yesterday in the hills
PS I hope crazy good x
Kind of!!
Need a hug 🤗🤗
and energy please!!
That’s hard to summon some days
I am currently watching an 18 month old get into everything. if only I had her energy!
That is a challenge to sap energy x
so true – I have got hardly anything done since she arrived. They are in an apartment two doors down but come up every morning and evening, and then we go out during the day!!!
That would be exhausting. Almost as exhausting as getting a whole lot of squares done as I’m going to be away next week. Got most of the squares just a few songs to go with them. I have linked them to todays squares x
Have a fabulous week away – I am going to need one too in a week or so!!!
It will be a working week. I hope she doesn’t work me too hard and there’s time for a bit of fun
I am sure she will xx
I know she will xx
It must be fun to be able to record your sightings.
It really is. MrB also keeps a log so we are able to look back over our years here too 🙂
We enjoyed watching storks circling over their nests this afternoon. The babies might be early this year.
Wouldn’t that be fabulous
Oh that first bird is remarkable. I like how it blends into the background. I couldn’t keep my eye off of it. Gorgeous photos 😀 😀
Thank you so much Cee – I am rather pleased with that first one 🙂
Birds are fascinating to watch, Becky, but not always easy to photograph… especially with the camera on a mobile phone! 😃 I do like to have a go, and sometimes I get a good shot.
You’ve captured some great photos here.
Thank you so much 🙂 and you are right about them not always being easy to photograph. I have so many rejected photos!!
Well done!
Thanks Sue 🙂
😊
Brilliant! And you’re a star to share your findings, instead of just enjoying them for yourselves.
awww thanks. I just love getting the feedback on where the birds are from with their rings, and the Twitter thing is list, so who can resist adding to a list!!