Birders Twitter - S2E5

Episode 5 of this, the second season of Birders Twitter Space; recorded live from a car between Abu Dhabi and Dubai, surprisingly good sound quality given the circumstances...

Jonny R freestyles the intro and announces your hosts as the best birders - as in the top three birders ever. Which is pretty generous and largely down to the lack of show notes. We might be the top three birders ever?

We announce the winner of the Zeiss Terra ED binoculars; congratulations David and Christine Staff!

We might even have an onward auction coming up! That’s the level of premium content you can expect from Birders Twitter nowadays - impressive stuff.

Nick explains the impact of avian bird flu, why the BTO are running the current appeal and why we are undertaking Tern the Tide to support the BTO's vital work.

Jonny H finds an Iceland Gull and watches 5 Smew and Pintail - highly #Wildfowl #elite

Then suppresses a Long-eared Owl. Standard.

DDL finds White-fronted Geese and a Cackler in Suffolk - before getting back where he belongs, the UAE, rolling out the red carpet for Jonny R...

Cliff joins us having got third time lucky with Harlequin Duck on Barra - highly elite and serious tickage 💯🦆✅

Jonny R is in the UAE 🇦🇪 helping DDL with birding and the pair are giddy following an afternoon of; Scops Owl, Egyptian Vulture, Egyptian Nightjar, Masked Shrike, Plain Leaf Warbler and Pin-tailed Shrike.

Pin-tailed Snipe - by Peter Arras

Scops Owl - by Peter Arras

Egyptian Nightjar - Peter Arras

Having started the day on DDL’s patch with Striated Heron, Western Reef Heron and Socotra Cormorant.

Western Reef Heron

Striated Heron

Striated Heron

Western Reef Heron

The day before we’d joined Gary Burns aka @Desertwildlifem for an immense 4 x 4 drive in the desert and beast birding including; Lapat Faced Vulture, Little Owl, Bonelli’s Eagle, Eastern Inperial Eagle, Great Spotted Eagle, Black-crowned Desert Lark, Hoope Lark, Greater Short-toed Lark, Bimaculater Lark and a trio of Sandgrouse; Pintail, Chestnut-bellied and Sand Sandgrouse aka Spotted!

Be sure to check out Gary's website at; https://www.desertwildlife.me

Nick M joins us, although is sensitive because Jonny R’s UAE list is MASSIVE.

Everyone agrees Jonny R is now a Middle Eastern bird expert and will use his freshly acquired skills and occasional sobriety to find mega birds back in the U.K.

DDL leaves us with an inspirational quote:

'Nothing is impossible' DDL January 2023