A trip to Aylestone Meadows, Leicester for the Dusky Warbler, which showed well despite its reputation as a 'skulker'. A bogey bird put to rest, my 7th British lifer for 2025. Thanks to the finder @beidaihebirder.bsky.social for help locating the bird. Photo by @jcbirder.bsky.social #UKbirding

Stopped off briefly this morning for the American Golden Plover at Eyebrook Reservoir. Photo by @marlowbirder.bsky.social #UKbirds

Moth trapping near Lostwithiel, Cornwall. The undoubted star was this Radford's Flame Shoulder. Also a Vestal, Green-brindled Crescent and Rush Veneer. #teammoth

Recently had an opportunity to drive a Hyundai Ioniq 5 electric car from West Wales to Cornwall. Have to say I was impressed. A bit big for us (we drive a smaller EV) but perfect if you have to get pets or family in the back. Starting to appear on 2nd hand market, so reasonably priced. #EVs

The White-rumped Sandpiper in the gloom and drizzle at the Hayle, Cornwall today. #UKbirding

The Baird's Sandpiper today distantly at Colliford Lake,Cornwall. #UKbirding

Happy Thanksgiving/Joyeuse Action de Grâce to all our friends and family in Canada. We celebrated last night with the traditional meal!

My first Merveille du Jour of the autumn. Always a pleasure. #teammoth

Cracking views of the Brown Shrike near St David's today. A world lifer! #UKbirds #birdingWales.

A nice selection of autumnal moths this morning, including Lunar Underwing (common but new for the garden), Blair's Shoulder-knot and Black Rustic. Clydach, Swansea. #teammoth

We were passing within a mile or two, so stopped off to see the long-staying Caspian Gull at Naseby Reservoir in Northamptonshire. #UKbirds

This bird got found purely because it's in a hedge next to a popular birding location. How many more are bumbling around unnoticed in scrub and woodlands across South Wales?

You can keep your Sabine's Gulls and your phalaropes. Our first grandchild arrived on Thursday and he's totally adorable.

Well done Lib Dems. Reform's 5 (now 4) MPs but clocked up 353,660 mentions, which is 70,732 mentions per MP, highest of any party with thier 14.3% vote share in 2024 Lib Dems returned 72 MPs with 12.2% of the vote in 2024. They received 46,468 mentions; their coverage works out at only 645 per MP

Bit of a fiasco today in South Wales, when someone misidentified a Buzzard near Newport as a Black-winged Kite, setting off a major twitch. Thanks to birders on the South Wales WhatsApp group, who arrived and quickly established the bird's true identity. I'd only got 25 miles down the M4!

Have photos of multiple moths on egg trays from the UK? At @ukceh.bsky.social we're training & testing AI to detect multiple moths in a single image Reply with your images to help us reach our goal - make sure most moths are roughly identifiable #mothsmatter #TeamMoth Terms tinyurl.com/5xrjbv3r

My first lifer of our Isles of Scilly trip, and a long-standing bogey bird. Melodious Warbler at the Garrison, St Mary's. Photo by Mark B. #UKbirding

A day with @scillypelagics.bsky.social never disappoints. Great, Cory's, Sooty and Manx Shearwater, Euro and Wilson's Storm-petrel, Sabine's Gull, Arctic and Great Skua, Arctic and Black Tern plus dozens of Common Dolphin playing around the boat. Every British birder should do this once. #UKbirds

Far right buy land near Llanafan Fawr in Powys, to set up their own little fascist community. "We need our own areas, we need our own land..." Seriously? I wonder how many can correctly pronounce 'Llanafan Fawr'?! www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Moth trapping near Lostwithiel, Cornwall, Rosy Underwing. A scarce immigrant species with few UK records. #teammoth

22 species this morning in my Clydach, Swansea garden, including the immigrant moth Small Mottled Willow. New for the garden and first SN60 record since 1998. #teammoth

My 4th and final @pomscheme.bsky.social survey yesterday at my site in north Carmarthenshire. 15000 steps. Data entered this morning, samples parcelled up for posting and owners thanked. And that's me done for 2025.

Tom Lehrer, brilliant satirist, has poisoned his last pigeon. "When they see us coming the birdies all try and hide, But they still go for peanuts, when coated with cyanide." www.theguardian.com/music/2025/j...

A great day of birding with @struthjones.bsky.social yesterday at Slimbridge. Tundra Bean Goose, Ruff, Spotted Redshank and Wood Sandpiper, then even the Bluethroat put in an appearance. Finally on to Grimley and cracking views of the Night Heron. #UKbirding

This is depressing. The Senedd environment committee interviewing the next NRW chair. In an hour, no mention of biodiversity, the nature emergency or science. "What are your connections to Wales?" "I've opened several supermarkets here, and I live in Bristol." www.senedd.tv/Meeting/Arch...

Newyddion ofnadwy i bawb sydd yn gyfarwydd â Rhosili. Gobeithio y bydd y perchnogion a'i busnes yn ôl cyn bo hir.

Classic misprint from the Guardian today, reporting Ed Milliband's statement to Parliament on the climate: "...in Britain, a quarter of our mammals, nearly half of our bird species, are currently at risk of extinction, with birds like starlings, turtle doves and grape cartridges under threat."

This rather unimpressive moth is Marsh Oblique Barred. Although common on bogs and moorland in the west, it is nationally scarce. It somehow found its way to my garden moth trap in Clydach, Swansea but perhaps no big surprise as suitable habitat is only 1km away. #teammoth

Charging our #EV at the Tafarnaubach charger point, just off the newly completed A465 Heads of the Valleys road in South Wales. With its own wind turbine, driving doesn't get much greener. A very competitive 55p/kWh with electroverse. Looks like this will be a regular stop in future.

Despite our strong family connections to Canada, we don't normally do much for Canada Day. But these are not normal times, so we went all out. A party for friends with burgers, hot dogs, poutine, pumpkin pie, timbits and some very nice maple whisky. Bonne fête du Canada ! #CanadaDay #ElbowsUp

🥰 Newyddion da dydd Gwener! Mae RSPB Gwlybtiroedd Casnewydd yn gartref i unig boblogaeth bridio’r Cambig yng Nghymru, yr aderyn ar ein logo - ac eleni mae gennym ni 13 o gywion gwych! Diolch i’r holl staff a gwirfoddolwyr ymroddedig yn RSPB Gwlybtiroedd Casnewydd! 📸 : Ben Andrew

76 species from a marshy grassland site near Cwmgors, Glamorgan. The west Wales speciality Double Line, also Small Seraphim, Beautiful Snout and True Lover's Knot. Migrants represented by Rush Veneer, Dark Sword-Grass and Silver Y. Also, a single insularia form of Peppered Moth. #teammoth

Last full day of birding in Canada today, at the Marais Réal D. Carbonneau wetlands near Sherbrooke. 40 species recorded, including Tree Swallow, Green Heron and Marsh Wren.

Canadians. You've got to love them. Sign on the back of a Tesla, and sign on a shop door.

Some garden birds from Saint Andrews, New Brunswick, Canada.

This is a really nice bit of citizen science to get involved with. Just four days a year, dead easy, and an expert will even come and talk you through it the first time you do the survey. There must be someone on South Wales who can snap this up?

Some evening birding at Indian Point Marsh, Mahone Bay, NS. Great Blue Heron, a very showy Yellow-rumped Warbler and Alder Flycatcher. Later nearby, the beavers were busy. #birds #Canada

Nova Scotia. It's awful. You wouldn't like it here. Probably best if you stay away. #NovaScotia

The rock formations at Hopewell Rocks Provincial Park NB, at low tide. The rocks are Carboniferous sedimentary deposits, carved into bizarre shapes by the huge tides of the Bay of Fundy.

Concern over pollinator decline has increased interest in ‘pollinator-friendly’ plants. Annual seed mixes are often grown in parks & gardens, but the choice of plants included is generally based on anecdote. Here we build an evidence-base for plants that are good for pollinators and people.

Target bird for the trip safely on the list! Piping Plover ssp melodus, an extremely local breeder on sandy beaches along the eastern North American seaboard, today at Kelly's Beach, Kouchibouguac National Park, NB. What cracking little birds they are! #birds #Canada

The waterfalls at...er...Grand Falls, New Brunswick, Canada. The energy is harnessed for hydroelectric, generating 60MW. Northern Waterthrush, Wood Thrush and Chestnut-sided Warbler in nearby woodland.

Unseasonably cold and windy in Sherbrooke, QC. In the gloom, the Yellow Warblers stood out like gold, and the Warbling Vireos were in fine voice. The weather forced down a big flock of Cliff, Barn and Tree Swallows, and Sand Martins. A Bald Eagle flypast finished the afternoon. #birds #Canada

Tomorrow we travel from Quebec to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Normally we would go through Maine, and maybe Vermont and New Hampshire(light blue). But these are not normal times and the USA is no longer a normal country. So we will take a detour to avoid the border(dark blue). #elbowsup #Canada

Pileated Woodpecker yesterday in woodlands at Parc du Bois Beckett, Sherbrooke, QC. Also Black-throated Green Warbler, Ovenbird, Eastern Wood Pewee and Common Yellowthroat. #birds #Canada.

American Robin, Baltimore Oriole and Eastern Kingbird, three of the 27 species on a walk around Lac des Nations, Sherbrooke, QC Canada today. #birds #Canada

My best night with the garden moth trap this year. 91 moths of 36 species. Lime Hawk-moth is only my 6th 1km square record, but the best was the last moth out of the trap: a gorgeous Maiden's Blush. Rare in Glamorgan away from the Gower coast, and new for SN60. Clydach, Swansea. #teammoth

33 moths of 16 species in the garden moth trap this morning in Clydach, Swansea, ranging from a giant Privet Hawk Moth to the tiny Notocelia trimaculana (new for SN6802). #teammoth

An end of day dash to RSPB Ouse Fen produced the very noisy Great Reed Warbler and, 50 minutes later, a single female Red-footed Falcon over the marsh with three Hobbys. Two British lifers for me. A Bittern fly-past completed the evening. #ukbirding

Made the trip (see what I did there?) to Cwm Cadlan for the Dotterel. The birds were incredibly confiding, seemingly oblivious of the small group of birders. Then, down to WWT Llanelli for the Pectoral Sandpiper, which did its best to hide behind its favourite island. #BirdingWales #ukbirding