Neil Calbrade

Organiser of the Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS) and Goose & Swan Monitoring Programme (GSMP) at BTO, Nunnery Lakes obsessive & wildlife photographer. Views my own.

[Neil Calbrade @NeilCalbrade]

A nice landmark passed down the Nunnery Lakes reserve with my 4,000th #BirdTrack complete list for the site.

[Neil Calbrade @NeilCalbrade]

@StuartARothery While I dream of a Needle-tailed Swift or Blue-cheeked Bee-eater or even just summer plumage White-winged Black Tern (even just a Black Tern would be nice!), it will probably be a Crane (I'm always in the wrong place when they go over) or Ring-necked Parakeet!

[Neil Calbrade @NeilCalbrade]

The Nunnery Lakes flood just keeps giving at the moment, this Ruff this lunchtime was my 3rd Lakes tick in 10 days and now puts me on a tantalising 199 species for the reserve...

[Neil Calbrade @NeilCalbrade]

A good day got better this evening when revisiting the Nunnery Lakes flood after work, not only finding another Bar-tailed Godwit but then this Red-rumped Swallow flew over and thankfully lingered for others to twitch

[Neil Calbrade @NeilCalbrade]

A proper desk chair left spinning moment as I abandoned my freshly made cuppa to dash down to the flood to see the Nunnery Lakes' first Bar-tailed Godwits before they headed high east. Cuppa was still warm when I got back 😎

[Neil Calbrade @NeilCalbrade]

No surprise where my most visited birding site was last (and every) year, and although my best streak was 127 days, I managed a BirdTrack list somewhere in the world every day last year, so you can see the four periods I was out of the country!

[Kane Brides @KaneBrides]

🦢 The International Swan Census is almost here – this weekend!

We still have a few priority sites that need coverage. Please check the map & help us assess how well our Whooper & Bewick’s Swan populations are faring. Every count matters! 🙏 https://t.co/B28NIZpaav

📸@GriggTan

[Kane Brides @KaneBrides]

The next International Swan Census is almost here (17/18 Jan). Coverage is looking good, but there's a few small gaps. If you're able to help, please check the below map and get in touch with @WeBS_UK!
Birders on Mull, Skye, Orkney & Uists are needed in particular! Thank you!!

[Kane Brides @KaneBrides]

A pretty depressing day counting sick & dead Whooper Swans. Avian influenza is within the population. Please report all dead birds for possible collection & testing. In 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 , 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 & 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 this is @DefraGovUK
https://t.co/dEoambONmf
Reporting to @BirdTrack also helps with monitoring.

[Kane Brides @KaneBrides]

I'm excited to be leading the International Swan Census again in January 2026 for the Iceland Whoopers! Check out 👇🏻 to get involved & visit the vacant site map. Every record counts to understanding the bigger picture. #Monitoring

[Neil Calbrade @NeilCalbrade]

Certainly not going to win any awards, but this rubbish record shot of a Corn Bunting down the Nunnery Lakes this morning, which was a welcome patch tick on an otherwise gloomy, damp morning

[Teresa Frost @ZarFrost]

One week left to apply to join us in our creative and rewarding work in the surveys team, this role involves coordinating the collection of data and reporting on our world class seabird colonies here in the UK #Ornithology

[Neil Calbrade @NeilCalbrade]

Top find by @sconebirding this morning, this juvenile Purple Heron on the Nunnery Lakes reserve was the first record for the site, at one point sat on the same island as a Cattle Egret! Well worth the run back down the track having just walked past the lake it was favouring

[Neil Calbrade @NeilCalbrade]

Since our first record as recently as 2022, and with only 6 records since, it was nice to find a flock of 12 Cattle Egrets this morning on the Nunnery Lakes, though I'm sure this scene will be a regular feature in years to come!

[Neil Calbrade @NeilCalbrade]

Not sure why I have randomly woken up with the theme tune to the Beverley Hillbillies rattling around in my head! https://t.co/Mr1aqYmPXH

[Neil Calbrade @NeilCalbrade]

@SteelySeabirder Went to visit your old stomping ground yesterday, next year might have to come visit your current island residence!

[Neil Calbrade @NeilCalbrade]

@FCackett Very jealous, I've been up Fuente De looking for them several times, only saw one fleetingly once

[Neil Calbrade @NeilCalbrade]

A Brent Goose down the Nunnery Lakes found by @sconebirding this morning was only my second record here, first one in March 2022 (also found by Nick), a very scarce bird in the Brecks

[Neil Calbrade @NeilCalbrade]

A fairly quiet #WeBS_UK count at Livermere and Ampton Water this morning, other than 450 noisy Greylags, 54 Shelduck and the first Oystercatcher of the spring back locally

[Kane Brides @KaneBrides]

Excited to be leading the next International Swan Census again for the Iceland Whooper population! Ensuring coordination across Britain, Ireland & Iceland. Working with BTO, @BirdWatchIE & Iceland. Stay tuned over the coming months on how to get involved! #Ornithology