went for a lovely little paddle with merlin today
merlin the app that identifies birds. i was out for around 4 hours and it identified an incredible 154 different species including; pergrine falcon, sparrowhawk, marsh harrier, eurasian kestrel, cormorant, buzzard, kingfisher, 4 different flavours of owl, a black swan and something i've never heard before a eurasian bittern.
it makes the weirdest booming noise and when i got back to hq i looked him up and apparently.... "The Eurasian Bittern is considered a rare and shy, but recovering, breeding bird in the UK.
Once extinct (i'm presuming in the uk) in the late 19th century and again near extinction in 1997 with only 11 booming males, intensive conservation has led to a major recovery, with a record 283 booming males recorded in 2024, mostly in East Anglia, Somerset, and North West England".
you don't realise just how incredibly diverse and wonderful our lovely countryside is. well i didn't anyway.
birdtastic
up the arsenal
Posted By: Tombs on May 2nd 2026 at 18:23:28
Message Thread
- went for a lovely little paddle with merlin today (General Chat) - Tombs, May 2, 18:23:28
- We've got Golden Orioles in the woods behind us. (General Chat) - tudders, May 2, 20:48:05
- Boom Boom Boom (General Chat) - Huge Small, May 2, 20:16:15
- You want xxl in your room.... (n/m) (General Chat) - Lentil Weaver, May 2, 20:22:01
- lolf noooooooo (n/m) (General Chat) - DrDublin, May 2, 20:40:32
- You want xxl in your room.... (n/m) (General Chat) - Lentil Weaver, May 2, 20:22:01
- If you’ve seen or heard a Bittern you’re a lucky man. (n/m) (General Chat) - Snakepit Divorceee, May 2, 20:00:02
- Jumbo1 always gets the paddles on when go round (n/m) (General Chat) - Lentil Weaver, May 2, 19:38:02
- Wish Merlin would identify something more exotic than a robin, but (General Chat) - watfordcanary, May 2, 18:58:41
- We have them on Wicken Fen near me. (General Chat) - Men without hats, May 2, 18:35:35
- checks app.... (General Chat) - Tombs, May 2, 18:42:20
- there are bitterns in the marshes on hickling broad. (General Chat) - Chris Peacock, May 2, 18:32:52
- nice, not been up there for a while must give it a looky up again (General Chat) - Tombs, May 2, 18:57:02
- I learnt to sail on the broads in an old wooden bittern, not many of them about anymore. (n/m) (General Chat) - DrDublin, May 2, 18:48:32
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