The twit formerly known as hatbirder. Insects, birds, etc. Lecturer in ecology / entomology at University of Reading. See also @carabidaeuk.bsky.social.https://bsky.app/profile/chrisfoster.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/chrisfoster.bsky.social/post/3mkhsgwhays2eSplendid evening walk from home yesterday turned up two Grasshopper Warblers reeling, roding Woodcock, juv. Tawny Owls and a Cuckoo on the night shift calling after dark.27 Apr 2026 09:54 +0000at://did:plc:pfgh6xnpebf45p5yn4xlpttm/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkhsgwhays2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/chrisfoster.bsky.social/post/3mkaar2y3u22mSo are April or May droughts with dry easterly winds an annual thing now? Doesn't feel long since the last one anyway.24 Apr 2026 09:49 +0000at://did:plc:pfgh6xnpebf45p5yn4xlpttm/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkaar2y3u22mhttps://bsky.app/profile/chrisfoster.bsky.social/post/3mfnauloiak2xMany things waking up in the neighborhood today.24 Feb 2026 22:50 +0000at://did:plc:pfgh6xnpebf45p5yn4xlpttm/app.bsky.feed.post/3mfnauloiak2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/chrisfoster.bsky.social/post/3mee7ti3dz22dDistractions while finally catching up with some winter pruning in the garden.08 Feb 2026 15:12 +0000at://did:plc:pfgh6xnpebf45p5yn4xlpttm/app.bsky.feed.post/3mee7ti3dz22dhttps://bsky.app/profile/chrisfoster.bsky.social/post/3mdvtxamcvk2cFor local folk I'll be talking @carabidaeuk.bsky.social at Kintbury Wildlife Group tomorrow, 7:30pm 🪲https://kintburywildlife.co.uk/Current-programme.html. If I'm organised enough might have some specimens to look at...possibly live ones too!02 Feb 2026 22:02 +0000at://did:plc:pfgh6xnpebf45p5yn4xlpttm/app.bsky.feed.post/3mdvtxamcvk2chttps://bsky.app/profile/chrisfoster.bsky.social/post/3mdrweo7qp22lFinal January total for birds seen on foot from home stands at 69, Buzzard finally showed up yesterday (three at once). Strong start to the month was followed by endless rain and the fact my workplace is not realistically close enough to walk to! #footit @footit.bsky.social01 Feb 2026 08:35 +0000at://did:plc:pfgh6xnpebf45p5yn4xlpttm/app.bsky.feed.post/3mdrweo7qp22lhttps://bsky.app/profile/chrisfoster.bsky.social/post/3mdlkzqavok2pSpot the birder who can't read or thinks their views or photographs outweigh bird welfare29 Jan 2026 19:56 +0000at://did:plc:pfgh6xnpebf45p5yn4xlpttm/app.bsky.feed.post/3mdlkzqavok2phttps://bsky.app/profile/chrisfoster.bsky.social/post/3mddngtgcic2nSpecially for @kitenet.bsky.social here at last is a picture of me with ground beetle! More to come later to see which you like best 😆26 Jan 2026 16:17 +0000at://did:plc:pfgh6xnpebf45p5yn4xlpttm/app.bsky.feed.post/3mddngtgcic2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/chrisfoster.bsky.social/post/3mdbntnxfwc25Happy Burns Night! With thanks for Scotland and her fine culture, food and drink. Not my home country but I feel at home whenever we go 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🥃25 Jan 2026 21:19 +0000at://did:plc:pfgh6xnpebf45p5yn4xlpttm/app.bsky.feed.post/3mdbntnxfwc25https://bsky.app/profile/chrisfoster.bsky.social/post/3mdaktvlp5k2nA slow @rspb.bsky.social garden birdwatch. 3 Feral Pigeon (strictly speaking these were on the roof, not in the garden), 3 Long-tailed Tit, 1 Woodpigeon. Benny the cat may have seen something we missed but he'll never tell....25 Jan 2026 10:53 +0000at://did:plc:pfgh6xnpebf45p5yn4xlpttm/app.bsky.feed.post/3mdaktvlp5k2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/chrisfoster.bsky.social/post/3mcsdnraar223Poor urban foxes, always being vilified by the press19 Jan 2026 19:07 +0000at://did:plc:pfgh6xnpebf45p5yn4xlpttm/app.bsky.feed.post/3mcsdnraar223https://bsky.app/profile/chrisfoster.bsky.social/post/3mc3mqm4uy22rOn the major plus side, here's our local Starling roost. They may only count once for #footit but I feel mega abundance should get bonus points....Great White Egret flying through and a very overdue first Grey Heron of the year make it 54 species on foot since January 1st.10 Jan 2026 18:19 +0000at://did:plc:pfgh6xnpebf45p5yn4xlpttm/app.bsky.feed.post/3mc3mqm4uy22rhttps://bsky.app/profile/chrisfoster.bsky.social/post/3mc3hexb5o22rMy favourite scrubby accidental 'wilding' field for spring warblers in the middle of Newbury has fallen victim to a 'conservation' project. I will enquire about the intended replacement but I can't imagine it being an improvement on what was a nice mosaic of scrub, small trees and tall grassland.10 Jan 2026 16:43 +0000at://did:plc:pfgh6xnpebf45p5yn4xlpttm/app.bsky.feed.post/3mc3hexb5o22rhttps://bsky.app/profile/chrisfoster.bsky.social/post/3mbu2rkyumc22Cetti's Warbler, Little Egret roosting and a flyover pair of Goosanders (another fine patch tick) make 52 species for #footit @footit.bsky.social [contains quote post or other embedded content]07 Jan 2026 18:08 +0000at://did:plc:pfgh6xnpebf45p5yn4xlpttm/app.bsky.feed.post/3mbu2rkyumc22https://bsky.app/profile/chrisfoster.bsky.social/post/3mbrtmfs7bk2gAnother delightfully wintry day. Somebody forgot to order a white Christmas so we got a white Epiphany instead! Went out for just 15 minutes and 4 Snipe dropped into the (very ordinary) field nearest our house for #footit 49. Meanwhile the cat continues to enjoy walking across the garden pond 🙃06 Jan 2026 20:55 +0000at://did:plc:pfgh6xnpebf45p5yn4xlpttm/app.bsky.feed.post/3mbrtmfs7bk2ghttps://bsky.app/profile/chrisfoster.bsky.social/post/3mbrsvenckc2dI can confirm my face is both smug and self-righteous 😂 [contains quote post or other embedded content]06 Jan 2026 20:42 +0000at://did:plc:pfgh6xnpebf45p5yn4xlpttm/app.bsky.feed.post/3mbrsvenckc2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/chrisfoster.bsky.social/post/3mbp4tkch5s2fA distractingly beautiful morning meant I couldn't resist a much longer walk from home than planned. Siskins *everywhere* glowing in the low sun. Lapwing and Golden Plover flocks going over bring #footit total to 47 species.05 Jan 2026 19:02 +0000at://did:plc:pfgh6xnpebf45p5yn4xlpttm/app.bsky.feed.post/3mbp4tkch5s2fhttps://bsky.app/profile/chrisfoster.bsky.social/post/3mbetgqbi5s24Abundant Hawthorn and abundant Redwings on a 2 hour tramp from home at lunchtime. Otherwise slow going, 36 species but Redpoll and Stonechat were nice patch ticks. #footit @footit.bsky.social01 Jan 2026 16:47 +0000at://did:plc:pfgh6xnpebf45p5yn4xlpttm/app.bsky.feed.post/3mbetgqbi5s24https://bsky.app/profile/chrisfoster.bsky.social/post/3m6eqleapck2xIf only we could bottle the optimism of rail apps that always assume late running trains will magically make up time rather than losing more by being out of position 🚂🕐24 Nov 2025 11:40 +0000at://did:plc:pfgh6xnpebf45p5yn4xlpttm/app.bsky.feed.post/3m6eqleapck2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/chrisfoster.bsky.social/post/3m62tcbqnus2lWhat fresh HR hell is this?20 Nov 2025 13:02 +0000at://did:plc:pfgh6xnpebf45p5yn4xlpttm/app.bsky.feed.post/3m62tcbqnus2lhttps://bsky.app/profile/chrisfoster.bsky.social/post/3m5zca2v3qk2pExcited to have a ground beetle project @carabidaeuk.bsky.social open for applications in @crocus-dla.bsky.social. Nice mix of analysing long-term data, fieldwork and time at @forestresearchuk.bsky.social, assessing trends in woodland carabids. Please share! https://blogs.reading.ac.uk/crocus-dla/cr2026_58_beneath/19 Nov 2025 22:24 +0000at://did:plc:pfgh6xnpebf45p5yn4xlpttm/app.bsky.feed.post/3m5zca2v3qk2phttps://bsky.app/profile/chrisfoster.bsky.social/post/3m3hpuapncc2mSplashes of October colour on Greenham Common this morning while a Woodlark sang (listen below! 👇)18 Oct 2025 11:50 +0000at://did:plc:pfgh6xnpebf45p5yn4xlpttm/app.bsky.feed.post/3m3hpuapncc2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/chrisfoster.bsky.social/post/3m2y3ul4sgk2dRedwings!12 Oct 2025 06:42 +0000at://did:plc:pfgh6xnpebf45p5yn4xlpttm/app.bsky.feed.post/3m2y3ul4sgk2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/chrisfoster.bsky.social/post/3m2jhxvutkc26Ah, happy memory of a formative and necessary experience as a politician at any level - being slightly misquoted out of context by the press 😆06 Oct 2025 11:09 +0000at://did:plc:pfgh6xnpebf45p5yn4xlpttm/app.bsky.feed.post/3m2jhxvutkc26https://bsky.app/profile/chrisfoster.bsky.social/post/3m2c65rbezc2yI'm delighted to announce that I am....not the new Archbishop of Canterbury, despite 'rich hat priest follows mitre' being an anagram of my full name.03 Oct 2025 13:25 +0000at://did:plc:pfgh6xnpebf45p5yn4xlpttm/app.bsky.feed.post/3m2c65rbezc2y