Writer & life-long birdwatcher.
Formerly Director of Communications for BTO.
#WaderTales blogs about #waders #shorebirds #birds #ornithology
Graham Appleton
This weekend, UK birdwatchers will be counting Wetland Birds for @btobirds.bsky.social @rspb.bsky.social @jncc.bsky.social.
With most waders away, breeding, this is a great opportunity to count non-breeding 'teenagers'.
Why are they important?
wadertales.wordpress.com/2020/08/28/t...
#ornithology
Graham Appleton
NEW on #theBOUblog from Lillias August
Reaching into another world: Watercolour painting at BOU 2026 Conference, ‘Birds and People’
bou.org.uk/blog-augu...
#ornithology 🪶
How quickly do juvenile birds learn to feed effciently?
Neat Black-tailed Godwit paper by Josh Nightingale, summarised as a WaderTales blog:
wadertales.wordpress.com/2026/02/05/l...
#birds
Most waders lay four eggs (Ringed Plover in photo).
Why not lay a fifth egg?
Blog about paper by Oddvar Heggøy et al:
wadertales.wordpress.com/2026/03/06/f...
#ornithology
How quickly do juvenile birds learn to feed effciently?
Neat Black-tailed Godwit paper by Josh Nightingale, summarised as a WaderTales blog:
wadertales.wordpress.com/2026/02/05/l...
#birds
Breeding waders and power lines.
The effects of power transmission lines can be seen 500 metres away.
wadertales.wordpress.com/2022/06/09/p...
🎂4️⃣ #birds
On this day in 2021, I wrote:
"British Curlew need to fledge 10,000 more youngsters - every year",
based on survival/productivity figures in what was then a new paper.
More here:
wadertales.wordpress.com/2021/06/12/m...
The figure has been much quoted (and not disputed)
#ornithology
As wader chicks forage for insect food in the grass, they are easy targets for ticks.
Blog about the impacts that ticks can have on chicks, based on paper by David Douglas and James Pearce-Higgins:
wadertales.wordpress.com/2019/06/04/c...
#birds
As wader chicks forage for insect food in the grass, they are easy targets for ticks.
Blog about the impacts that ticks can have on chicks, based on paper by David Douglas and James Pearce-Higgins:
wadertales.wordpress.com/2019/06/04/c...
#birds
The move from oil/gas to electricity is going to mean lots more power-lines. Hopefully they won't go through important wader breeding areas.
Useful info about impacts of power-lines on breeding waders:
wadertales.wordpress.com/2022/06/09/p... 🎂4️⃣
#ornithology
Graham Appleton
Graham Appleton
Graham Appleton
BOU
Graham Appleton
Graham Appleton
Graham Appleton
Graham Appleton
Graham Appleton
There are three ways to increase the number of Eurasian Curlew in the UK; boost chick production across the breeding range, find ways to ensure more chicks recruit to the breeding population and/or…
