Birdznerdz

The Gannet and Cormorant is an episode of  ⁨@birdznerdz⁩  where we get to meet two of Britain’s most dramatic seabirds — the gannet that hits the water at 100 kilometres per hour with a reinforced skull and air sacs under its skin, and the cormorant that deliberately keeps its feathers unwaterproofed to make diving easier. Plus the story of the guga hunt — one of Britain’s last surviving traditional wildlife harvests, and one of its most debated.

Every February, on lakes and gravel pits across Britain, something extraordinary happens. 🌊 Two great crested grebes face each other on still water, fan out their extraordinary rufous and black crests, dive simultaneously — and resurface to rise chest to chest, offering each other gifts of waterweed. It is called the penguin dance. It is one of the most spectacular wildlife displays in Europe. And it nearly never happened again — because by the 1860s, hunted for their feathers to trim Victorian hats, just 42 breeding pairs remained in Britain. The outrage that followed helped create the RSPB. The great crested grebe didn’t just survive. It helped save British wildlife. New episode out now! 🎙️

One white. One dark. Both extraordinary. 🐦 The gannet hits the water at 100 kilometres per hour — air sacs under the skin to absorb the impact, no external nostrils, a reinforced skull, eyes positioned for forward binocular vision in the final seconds of the dive. Evolution spent millions of years turning this bird into a living torpedo. And it is magnificent. The cormorant on the post with its wings spread is drying its feathers — deliberately not waterproofed, so wet feathers reduce buoyancy and make diving easier. One dives from the sky. One surfaces from below. Both extraordinary. Plus the story of the guga hunt — one of Britain’s last traditional wildlife harvests, still going today. New episode out now! 🎙️

#BIRDZNERDZ #Gannet #Cormorant #BritishBirds #UKWildlife #BirdwatchingUK #BritishWildlife #Seabirds #NaturePodcast #BirdsOfInstagram #WildlifeUK #UKNature #NatureLovers #BirdNerd #BritishNature #SeabirdConservation #WildlifePhotography #BassRock #GuagaHunt #CoastalWildlife

The Great Crested Grebe is an episode of ⁨@birdznerdz⁩ where we get to meet a bird that performs one of the most extraordinary courtship displays in the natural world, nearly went extinct in Victorian Britain, and helped create the conservation movement that saved it.#BIRDZNERDZ #greatcrestedgrebe #britishbirds #ukwildlife #birdwatchinguk #britishwildlife #grebe #waterbirds #naturepodcast #birdsofinstagram #wildlifeuk #uknature #naturelovers #birdconservation #BritishNature #FreshwaterWildlife #wildlifephotography #rspb #conservationsuccess #penguindance

Planning a seaside holiday this summer? Don't just sit on the beach—look up! Britain's coastline is full of extraordinary birds, and you don't need years of experience to spot them. Start with the familiar gulls, then discover the elegant Kittiwakes, the frantically-pacing Sanderlings running from the waves, the bold Oystercatchers with their striking orange bills, and the tiny Turnstones flipping stones for food. Venture to the cliffs and discover seabirds that spend most of their lives at sea: Razorbills, Guillemots, Cormorants, Shags, and the remarkable Fulmar. Watch hovering terns dive for fish with precision, and realize that some of the birds you're seeing have travelled from the Arctic or Africa. A beginner's guide to the birds you'll actually encounter on a British beach this summer. Come with me through this episode of  ⁨@birdznerdz⁩  coastal birds and see what we can learn together. #britishbirds #birdznerdz #beach #coastalbirds #beginnersguide #SummerBirds #britishwildlife #birdwatchinguk #Sanderling #Oystercatcher #Turnstone #Kittiwake #seabirds #terns #Fulmars #Razorbill #Guillemot #cormorant #shag #SeasideHoliday #naturelovers #birdidentification #coastalwildlife #familyfriendly #SummerInBritain #LookOutLookUp #birdpodcast #birds #bird #birdwatching #nature

You'll spot gulls. But look closer, spot and see an elegant Kittiwake, and you've already learned something new.Those tiny birds running from the waves? Find out about the Sanderling, Turnstone, Oystercatcher. They're traveling thousands of miles to be here. Look Up at the Cliffs:Razorbill, Guillemot, Cormorant and Shag. The seabirds that spend most of their lives at sea. Then we have the Aerial Hunters:Watch the terns hover, then DIVE ,the Common Tern & Arctic Tern | The Arctic Tern has seen both poles of the earth and usually does so every year. This summer, look closer at the beach. No experience needed—just curiosity. Full beginner's guide available now with the full episode on  ⁨@birdznerdz⁩  . Just Remember to look out and look up. 🐦#BirdznerdZ #BeachBirds #CoastalBirds #BeginnersGuide #SummerBirds #BritishWildlife #Birdwatching #Sanderling #Oystercatcher #Turnstone #Kittiwake #Seabirds #Tern #Fulmar #Razorbill #Guillemot #Cormorant #Shag #SeasideHoliday #NatureLovers #BirdIdentification #CoastalWildlife #FamilyFriendly #SummerInBritain #LookOutLookUp

That shadow over the hillside? That's not a cloud. It's the Golden Eagle—Britain's most magnificent raptor, and it's coming home. Once hunted to extinction across England and Wales, Golden Eagles are now being reintroduced to northern landscapes they haven't soared over in centuries. With wingspans over 2 metres, eyesight 8 times better than ours, and hunting skills honed over millions of years, these birds are nothing short of extraordinary. On the full episode on @birdznerdz discover why the return of the Golden Eagle matters more than you might think.

It hasn't nested in Britain since 1416. 🐦 The Stork — a metre tall, brilliant white, red bill like a scarlet spear — is back. Chicks hatched in Sussex in 2020 for the first time in over 600 years. Not because we forced it. Because the land was finally right again, and the instinct to come home was still there, waiting. Full episode out now on BIRDZNERDZ. 🎙️

#BIRDZNERDZ #WhiteStork #BritishBirds #UKWildlife #BirdwatchingUK #Rewilding #KneppEstate #BritishWildlife #WildlifeConservation #NaturePodcast #BirdsOfInstagram #WildlifeUK #UKNature #NatureLovers #BirdConservation #BritishNature #Rewild #WildlifeComeback #NatureRestoration #LookOutAndLookUp

It stood on a Sussex meadow last spring. White as a cloud, with jet-black wingtips and legs the colour of red brick. A metre tall. Looking, honestly, like it owned the place. 🐦 The White Stork. Back in Britain for the first time in over 600 years. Not forced here. Not managed here. Just — back. Because the land at Knepp Estate in West Sussex was finally right again, and the instinct to come home was still there, waiting. In 2020, White Stork chicks hatched in England for the first time since 1416. And they have been coming back every year since. This is the story of a bird that was part of this landscape long before we drained its wetlands and drove it away — and what it means that it is choosing to return. Listen to the new episode now @BIRDZNERDZ! 🎙️

#BIRDZNERDZ #WhiteStork #BritishBirds #UKWildlife #BirdwatchingUK #Rewilding #KneppEstate #BritishWildlife #WildlifeConservation #NaturePodcast #BirdsOfInstagram #WildlifeUK #UKNature #NatureLovers #BirdConservation #BritishNature #Rewild #WildlifeComeback #NatureRestoration #LookOutAndLookUp #nature #birds #stork

💧 Help your garden birds beat the heat 🐦

Swipe through for essential tips on keeping your feathered friends hydrated during this heatwave.

While we're reaching for ice-cold drinks, our garden birds are struggling. Natural water sources are drying up, and they desperately need our help.

The RSPB recommends:
✓ Fresh water daily (change it)
✓ Clean weekly (prevent disease)
✓ Shallow bowls with pebbles (safe drinking)
✓ Shady spots (cooler water, safer from predators)

Birds don't have sweat glands, so they lose water through respiration and droppings in extreme heat. A simple dish of water could literally save a life.

What you can do RIGHT NOW:
→ Fill a bowl or bird bath
→ Top it up daily
→ Give it a proper scrub weekly
→ Position in shade

That's it. That's how you help. 🌊

#BirdznerdZ #RSPB #GardenBirds #Heatwave #WildlifeCare #BritishBirds #GardenWildlife #BirdConservation #SummerWildlife #HelpTheBirds