"We used an AI to do this" is increasingly a way of saying, "We didn't want to do this in the first place and we don't care if it's done well."
21/
@eleanorrobson
Social Media Manager and Volunteer Co-ordinator at Kingfishers Bridge Nature Reserve; here for cats, crochet, jam and water buffaloes πΈπ§Άπ (Recovering academic and Emeritus Professor of Ancient Middle Eastern History at UCL, but none of that nonsense here)
"We used an AI to do this" is increasingly a way of saying, "We didn't want to do this in the first place and we don't care if it's done well."
21/
Another arrivals board with a set of migratory birds arriving in the UK later in the spring. The background is dark teal, with "Arrivals" in green. Arriving in April: Nightingale, Reed Warbler, Whinchat, Lesser Whitethroat, House Martin. Arriving AprilβMay: Garden Warbler, Turtle Dove, Cuckoo, Arctic Tern, Common Tern. Arriving in May: Swift, Spotted Flycatcher, Nightjar. These birds mainly arrive in April and May, with some late arrivals like the Swift and Nightjar appearing in May.
An airport style arrivals board showing migratory birds arriving in the UK. The background is dark teal, with "Arrivals" in green at the top. Bird names are in orange, and arrival times in green. Arriving MarchβMay: Wheatear. Arriving MarchβApril: Sand Martin, Chiffchaff, Osprey, Swallow, Ring Ouzel, Blackcap. Arriving in April: Willow Warbler, Tree Pipit, Redstart, Sedge Warbler, Whitethroat, Pied Flycatcher. Arriving AprilβMay: Yellow Wagtail. Most birds start arriving from March, with peak arrivals in April and some extending into May.
Itβs springtime and migratory birds are on the move! π
Have you seen any of our fair-weather friends arriving? Stay tuned: we'll be shining a daily spotlight on our spring returnees.
Check out the Arrivals Board to see who's flying in and when... π
#SpringArrivalSpotlight
Can't believe it's >4 months since last interacted with a #chalkstream! Today explored 3 parallel tributaries of the River Cam: TL is the lovely Hoffer Brook btw Harson & Foxton, rest are the rather pathetic Rhee, TR at Foxton & below at Fowlmere - little more than a ditch. #MyWalk #Rivers π§΅1/10
And more importantly do not kill women while claiming to be their liberators.
Six people running in front of a low sun with trees either side and wildflowers in the foreground. The text reads: 5km Spring Run, Sunday 19th April, 11 am. Early bird price Β£12, full price Β£15. Walk, jog, run, the choice is yours. Early Bird price ends Sunday 15th March. Kingfishers Bridge Nature Reserve (green logo showing a kingfisher in flight)
The cowslip meadow at Kingfishers Bridge Nature Reserve in full bloom: delicate yellow flowers in green grass, with a background of a fence, trees, and blue sky
Four of Kingfishers Bridge's Konik ponies, trotting towards the camera in a green field, with golden reed beds, trees and a blue sky behind. Taken on the day of our most recent 5km run!
The kingfisher pond at Kingfishers Bridge Nature Reserve, showing as a bright blue diamond shape in a green field. Golden reed beds, trees, and blue sky in the background
Ever wanted to run, walk or jog through a cowslip meadow next to a field of wild ponies in one of Cambridgeshire's loveliest Nature Reserves?
ποΈ Join our 5km Spring Run on Sunday 19 April!
ποΈ Early Bird entry is just Β£12 until 15 March kingfishers-bridge-nature-reserve.sumupstore.com/product/5km-...
πΌππ¦ Run through the cowslips, wave to the water buffaloes, and immerse yourself in birdsong on our 5km Spring Run!
ππΆββοΈπββοΈWe loved our January run so much that we're doing it all again on Sunday 19 April. Will you join us? Walk, jog, run βΒ the choice is yours:
www.kingfishersbridge.org/5km-spring-r...
ποΈ Get the kids outdoors and into nature on the Reserve this Half Term!
β Wellies and waterproofs on for child-friendly walks and adventures, then relax in @thekingfishercafe.bsky.social for a light lunch, hot drinks, and scrumptious home-made bakes and cakes β
π©βπ§βπ¦πΎ What will you get up to together?
I use Jitsi too: it's great!
Grey cat asleep in a tangle of limbs behind a computer monitor on a wooden desk, various papers in front
Submitted an article. Need a nap.
#eliza
A group of people saw, chop and carry small tree branches to a smoking bonfire, supervised by Reserve Manager James and his dog Hendrix, at Kingfishers Bridge Nature Reserve.
A man throws a tree branch onto a pile of freshly sawn logs, supervised by Hendrix the dog, at Kingfishers Bridge Nature Reserve.
A group of people carry away freshly sawn tree branches in a winter landscape with pollarded willows in the foreground, at Kingfishers Bridge Nature Reserve.
A woman feeds a smoking bonfire of freshly cut small tree branches, in front of the Mound at Kingfishers Bridge Nature Reserve.
ππͺπ₯ Yesterday we welcomed onto the Reserve a brilliant volunteer work party of Environment Agency hydrologists, who helped clear and burn pollarded willow branches from the bottom of the Mound ππͺ
ππ·ββοΈβ Do you lead a team who'd like a volunteer day with us, in exchange for coffee & cake? Get in touch!
Text on a background of a flowering crab-apple tree: Dawn Chorus Walks, spring 2026. Β£15 per person, all inclusive. Supporter discount. Check online for dates and times: www.kingfishersbridge.org
π± Look forward to spring by booking one of our gorgeous Dawn Chorus Walks:
β’ Sat 7 March, 6am
β’ Sat 28 March, 5:30am
β’Β Sat 4 April, 6:15am
π¦ We'll go deep into the Reserve to hear warblers and lapwing, barn owls and bitterns.
ποΈ Book at kingfishers-bridge-nature-reserve.sumupstore.com/product/dawn...
Ah well, worth a try. Good luck with your hunt!
Have you looked at SumUp? Might not be quite the right fit for you, but its online store is v easy to set up and use. British, though with US money behind it. Not sure youβll be able to find anything entirely non-evil π€·ββοΈ
ππ₯ΎπΎπ¦οΈ Make the most of this sunny Saturday, or shake off the showers on Sunday!
ποΈπ¦’π΄ππ§βπ³ We bring you bird-filled blue skies and wetlands, wild ponies and water buffalo, tiffin and triple-choc muffins fresh from the oven @thekingfishercafe.bsky.social.
What are you waiting for? Come on over!
A Big Garden Birdwatch bingo card with the following squares: House Sparrow Nice cup of tea Any pigeon Phone OFF Door goes during your count Any gull Blackbird Blue Tit Great Tit Goldfinch Magpie Starling Robin ID debate Biscuits A profound appreciation of nature Coal Tit Bird song Any bird of prey A oneness with birds Slice of cake A sense of enormous well-being Crisps Wren
Who'll be doing the #BigGardenBirdwatch this weekend?
And how many of these do you think you'll cross off? ππ
That is one gorgeous owl! I love the colours you chose π
Loved this, thank you SO much!
What if -- hear me out -- the tiny notebook WAS Arietty's and it just looks like the Boy's handwriting because she taught him to both read AND write?
Not that I've been pondering this since about 1976 or anything
Also, sounds like that auto-responder works for you! You could set it on permanently, saying something like: "I aim to respond to most emails within one working week [or whatever]. Please accept my apologies if you haven't heard back by then, as I am doing my best to manage a very full inbox."
Anything that doesn't get done in my set hour waits for the next one, still tagged. Inevitably some stuff always falls to the bottom of the pile, so in theory I try and clear that once a month, but in reality, the bottom of my inbox is a compost heap of decaying unanswered sludge, which I should bin
Yep, I learned a few years ago to switch my email app off and only check it twice a day. This involves a quick triage: bin, easy reply now, tag for later. I set up tags to colour-code my non-urgent emails by topic, then set aside an hour or two a week to tackle them, one topic/colour a time. 1/2
Also this:
bsky.app/profile/thek...
This is how I roll on a #fenfriday now. Beats working for a living π π
We're still basking in the afterglow of last Sunday's Resolution 5km Mud Run! Here are a few of the wonderful photos taken by participants and volunteer marshals:
1. Keeping warm before the start
2-3. The spectacular start in Home Wood
4. Looking for Water Buffaloes
(1/3) #resolution5k
I had the BEST time today. I fell in love with @kingfishersbridge.bsky.social many years ago, when I found myself face-to-face with a surprised water buffalo while out on a slow cross-country run. To be able to bring that joy to 120 other people, runners & volunteers, was a real pinch-me moment π€©
π
β‘οΈ πͺπΎ π We're ready for our first-ever Resolution 5km Mud Run on Sunday! Are you?
π¬οΈStorm Goretti will have been and gone, and @thekingfishercafe.bsky.social will keep us warm with hot drinks, soups, paninis and cake βπ²π°
ποΈ Still a few places left: www.kingfishersbridge.org/resolution-m...
Join us!
Same energy
Spot the difference
Timeline cleanse, Cherry Hinton Brook, Cambridge, 1 June 2025
#internationalunsolicitedduckpicday @themerl.bsky.social
Grey cat looks forlornly through the window at gorgeous snowy garden
Grey cat looks forlornly from the windowsill at her house-keeper, who has failed to make the snow go away
Grey cat contemplates her basket on top of the bookcase
Grey cat goes back to bed
Eliza has absolutely had it with all this beautiful snow and would like her outdoor facilities back NOW, thank you very much. A fresh litter box in the downstairs bathroom really isnβt good enough πΎ βοΈ
Much shouting this morning once front AND back doors were revealed to have snow beyond them π€·ββοΈ
β οΈ Just ONE WEEK before our first-ever Resolution 5km Mud Run βΒ and only 25 places left!
π So if you want motivation to keep walking, jogging, or running in nature this January, grab a ticket at www.kingfishersbridge.org/resolution-m... and we'll see you on Sunday!
β The CafΓ© will be open too π