A few common errors are highlighted in the tweet below. Firstly, starting a tweet with @rbnUK means that the only people who can see it are Rare Bird Network and those following Rare Bird Network and you. By adding @rbnUK later on in the tweet, the tweet will be seen by all your followers and Rare Bird Network. This means other people can pick up on your tweet and give it a retweet without our involvement, increasing the chances of the news spreading more quickly.
Remember, it's not essential to put @rbnUK on every tweet, just copy us in if you really think it'll be of interest to people outside your county.
Secondly, although it's a nice record of birds they're probably not of great interest to many other people. For this reason it's best to avoid tweeting very common bird species (unless, for example, it happens to be a really good count of species at a migration hot spot, or an interesting record for the county). There are no hard and fast rules but have a quick think before tweeting and tagging.
If you're a bit unsure on what birds not to tweet about there's a list of common species at the bottom of this blog post that should generally not be included in the tweet. Although you may decide that you want to include one or two of them whilst tweeting about a less common bird.
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| Tweeting common species |
The tweet below is much better, it covers several species that would be of interest to the majority of birders and the @rbnUK is not at the start of the tweet. The problem with the tweet below is there's no gap before the hashtag #rbnLIN. If there's no space before and after the hashtag the hashtag won't work!
Also, try to make sure when using the hashtag that the county part is in capitals. In the example below #rbnLIN has been as opposed to #rbnlin this makes it much easier to see which county/region is being referred to.
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| No gap! |
The next tweet is perfect, there's plenty of information and it's concise and to the point. Although not essential, the main species has been highlighted using capital letters directing the reader of the tweet to the "star bird".
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| Nice tweet! |
Below is a good example of how to use the hashtag #rbnMEGA It gives more detail of how to find the bird (which has again been highlighted using capitals) and all other species have been omitted. @rbnUK has again been added so we can make sure it gets a retweet to all Rare Bird Network followers.
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| #rbnMEGA |
- Don't start your tweet with @rbnUK
- Don't add @rbnUK unless you think the bird is of great interest to other birders
- Don't tweet about just common birds
- Do leave a gap either side of the hashtag
- Do end the hashtag with the three letter county code in capital letters
- Do use capital letters to highlight the "star bird"
- Do add plenty of information if you want people to find the bird
List of Common Species typically omitted from tweets
Little Grebe
Great Crested Grebe
Cormorant
Grey Heron
Mute Swan
Greylag Goose
Canada Goose
Shelduck
Wigeon
Gadwall
Teal
Mallard
Pintail
Shoveler
Pochard
Tufted Duck
Goldeneye
Red-breasted Merganser
Goosander
Sparrowhawk
Common Buzzard
Common Kestrel
Red-legged Partridge
Pheasant
Moorhen
Coot
Oystercatcher
Lapwing
Golden Plover
Grey Plover
Ringed Plover
Black-tailed Godwit
Bar-tailed Godwit
Curlew
Common Redshank
Common Sandpiper
Common Snipe
Knot
Dunlin
Common Gull
Herring Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Black-headed Gull
Guillemot
Feral Pigeon
Stock Dove
Wood Pigeon
Collared Dove
Cuckoo
Tawny Owl
Common Swift
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Green Woodpecker
Skylark
Swallow
House Martin
Pied Wagtail
Meadow Pipit
Wren
Dunnock
Robin
European Stonechat
Northern Wheatear
Blackbird
Fieldfare
Redwing
Song Thrush
Mistle Thrush
Sedge Warbler
Reed Warbler
Willow Warbler
Chiffchaff
Blackcap
Garden Warbler
Common Whitethroat
Goldcrest
Long-tailed Tit
Coal Tit
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Nuthatch
Common Treecreeper
Yellowhammer
Reed Bunting
Chaffinch
Greenfinch
Siskin
Goldfinch
Linnet
Bullfinch
Lesser Redpoll
House Sparrow
Starling
Jay
Magpie
Jackdaw
Rook
Carrion Crow
