Incredible moment this afternoon whilst having a cuppa with my mum in her garden in Whitley Bay - this group of four Common Crane drifted straight overhead circling briefly, before moving slowly north! Completely caught my off guard, so iPhone record shot only! #NEBirding #UKBirding

The local Pinkfeet rarely use the fields around SMI, so despite the mega influx of Russian White-fronts this winter, I hadn’t seen any on the patch. So finding 12+ in the standing stone field today with c1000 Pinkfeet was fab, and only my second ever record of the species here #UKBirding #NEBirding

Amazing day of winter birding in Northumberland, some valuable yearticks in Egyptian Goose & Spotted Redshank but the highlight was chancing upon a 2W Caspian Gull at Cresswell. Also had drake Scaup, Red-necked Grebe, 8 species of goose incl. 10 Tundra Bean & 250+ White-fronts! #NEBirding #UKBirding

Reflecting on a remarkable day of winter birding around the county yesterday, starting with the unprecedented flock of 29 Common Cranes at Denwick, followed by an unsuccessful wild eagle chase at Druridge Bay. Made up for though by 50+ WF Geese, RN Grebe, Smew, SEO etc. #NEBirding

With the weather finally giving way, an afternoon at Druridge Bay was much appreciated. New birds in Cetti’s Warbler, Little Gull and Short-eared Owl resumed the yearlist, plus c20 White-fronted Geese, 4 Ruff and several Med Gull as bonuses. Best rarity of the day - sunshine! #UKBirding #NEBirding

The returning drake Black Scoter off Bamburgh Castle yesterday, a cracking addition to my county yearlist and a bird that’s been very hard to pin down - well played @timsbirding.bsky.social! Hard to tell from the pic in challenging weather conditions, but it showed brilliantly! #NEBirding #UKBirding

Fab viewing conditions at Ross Back Sands this afternoon over high tide (1pm-4pm) - Red-necked Grebe on the sea near Wide Open, at least 12 Slavonian Grebes including a group of five feeding with a flock of Common Scoter + the usual suspects. #NEBirding #UKBirding

Yesterday, I went back for second looks at the much discussed Bean Geese at Whittle Dene, and this time they were showing nicely from the road. A fab opportunity to see both species together up close, and I’m sold on the conclusion of two Taiga and one Tundra. #NEBirding #UKBirding

The Snow Bunting flock is back at Whitley Bay! Despite being regular here before Christmas, I've not seen them since, so it was great to stumble upon a tight group of 13 again this morning. As always, they showed brilliantly... #NEBirding #UKBirding

It’s handy having some quality species within ten minutes of work, and yesterday lunchtime was productive for the county yearlist. Green Sandpiper and Iceland Gull were added, plus some great views of the American Wigeon on the ice at Big Waters. #NEBirding #UKBirding

Reflecting on a full day in the field yesterday for the Northumberland winter bird race - these were the scenes at Holy Island at 8am! Despite the weather causing chaos, we managed 114 species and took back the trophy 🏆 big well done to all who battled through and completed! #NEBirding #UKBirding

We took the scenic route home from Holy Island today, taking in a few goodies in the county on the way south. Highlights of Ring-necked Duck, Scaup, Waxwing and a party of Russian White-fronted Geese amongst others. 2026 is off to a flyer! #NEBirding #UKBirding

Sunrise on Holy Island to welcome in the New Year, and the beginning of a new project… Northumberland yearlist is underway! #NEBirding #UKBirding

And a few pics summarising some trips out of the local area this year - the Peru trip was absolutely mind blowing, the jaunt to Turkey was full of WP gold, and the occasional twitches were successful (mostly) too... all the best to everyone for 2026! #UKBirding #WorldBirding #WPBirding

So, the curtain comes down on 2025 - it won’t be remembered as being a vintage year for birding in North Tyneside, but still some real bits of quality on offer. Standouts of Ross’s Gull, Night Heron, Hume’s Warbler, Ashy-headed Wag and a patch first in Glossy Ibis… #NEBirding #UKBirding

What a treat it is to have these beauties right on the doorstep at the moment - the flock of Snow Buntings in Whitley Bay reached a mammoth 21 birds on Saturday, the highest gathering locally for many, many years! #UKBirding #NEBirding

A party of four Waxwings battling a Mistle Thrush for berries at North Shields yesterday was entertaining as always, and a flyover GW Egret was a big surprise too, albeit a bit distant. Then this morning, 13 Snow Buntings at Whitley Bay sea front continued the wintery theme. #NEBirding #UKBirding

Hume’s Leaf Warbler still showing well on and off (albeit quite distant from the road) at Lyndhurst Road in Benton, calling very regularly. #NEBirding #UKBirding

WOW! A mobile Glossy Ibis at SMI Wetland this evening — first record for the site and only the second record for North Tyneside! Sadly, it was only around a matter of moments before moving south, but has been seen several times since. Well played @lurkymclurkface.bsky.social! #NEBirding

Well, I didn't expect to see one of these today - Pechora Pipit at South Shields this afternoon. A very tough bird to see, and showed mainly in flight, but it did show well on a couple of occasions... a proper mainland mega, and a lifer for me. #UKBirding #NEBirding

Reflecting on an unforgettable trip to Peru, with the final leg of our visit being centred around the mighty Amazon River. Exotic birds, stunning scenery and a new continent well and truly ticked off! 214 lifers all told - not bad for a ‘non-birding trip’… #Peru

A wonder of the world, and bucket list birds… it’s been a mind-blowing 48 hours around Machu Picchu!

Day 8 in Peru, and we are at the stunning Hotel Pakaritampu in Ollantaytambo, and the famous Hummingbird garden didn’t let me down! Two endemics in Bearded Mountaineer and Giant Hummingbird, plus White-bellied Hummingbird and Black-tailed Trainbearer. Machu Picchu next… #Peru

Yesterday, we visited Chonta Canyon to see the mighty Andean Condors, which gave absolutely stunning views from the viewpoint. Incredibly impressive birds up close - more bucket list stuff! #Peru

Peru trip off to a brilliant start, with two days in Lima exploring the city and checking out the wildlife. The standout highlight was visiting the Inca Tern colony on Lima pier, incredible birds and real bucket list stuff! 25 lifers so far, plenty quality on offer. Cusco next… #Peru #Seabirds

The adventure is underway - the next two weeks will be spent touring Southern Peru! Whilst my wife informs me it’s officially a ‘non-birding holiday’ (whatever one of those is!) I’m sure there’ll be plenty to look at…

A couple of hours from sunrise at St. Mary’s was very productive this morning, with a Marsh Harrier in-off the sea and west at 06:45, closely followed by a female Merlin that darted through the waders and continued south. Two local yearticks in as many minutes - autumn is here! #NEBirding #UKBirding

Top afternoon on the North Tyneside coast, starting with my first Roseate Terns of the year at Tynemouth on the rising tide, followed by a Little Tern feeding between the piers (never an easy species to connect with locally) and ended with the cracking adult Curlew Sand at SMI. #NEBirding #UKBirding

A county tick, giving mega views, in the middle of Whitley Bay - what's not to like!! Sensational display from the Black-crowned Night Heron in Marden Quarry this evening. #NEBirding #UKBirding

After a number of fruitless searches so far this summer, I was delighted to finally find a singing Quail locally last night! #NEBirding #UKBirding

Some Turkey pics from a few weeks back - the first couple of days were spent in the Aladaglar Mountains with some very special species. Shown here are Radde's Accentor, Red-fronted Serin, White-winged Snowfinch and Horned (Shore) Lark.

A juv Cuckoo near the wetland at SMI this evening, and four Med Gulls off the prom were both very welcome reminders that autumn is now just around the corner... #NEBirding #UKBirding

Random bird of the day… just had an Avocet at Killingworth Lake! Only present for 5 minutes, circled the lake calling constantly, and repeatedly tried to land before flying off high north at 18:05. A site first? #NEBirding #UKBirding

Radde’s Accentor from Demirkazik Tepe, one of our big targets in Turkey. We saw a minimum of seven birds around the viewpoint including recently fledged youngsters, and three singing males, often totally unfazed by our presence!

One of the most memorable new birds of our trip to Turkey was Black-headed Bunting, and this exceptional male singing right beside the road was our first!

Our final day in Turkey is sadly at an end, and a fitting way to finish the trip by getting mega views of Kurdish Wheatear at Nemrut Dagi. A totally fantastic week of birding and company, finishing up on 35 lifers! Lots of photos to follow I’m sure…

We touched down in Turkey yesterday, and are very much looking forward to an action packed week of birding. A few lifers in the bag already such as Sombre Tit, Kruper’s Nuthatch, Black-headed Bunting etc, but tomorrow is the big one - operation Caspian Snowcock!

The curtain comes down on a very quiet May! An afternoon on Weetslade hill failed to produce the hoped-for Red Kite, but a Little Egret south over kept a slight bit of interest. Hopefully June produces a rarity or two… #NEBirding

So, that’s a wrap on the Scotland trip for another year! Magical as always, with all the regulars doing their bit, plus a self-found Surf Scoter at Balranald on Monday morning. Until next year…

Our annual Scotland trip is underway, with a night in Strontian followed by four nights on Uist, before finishing up in Aviemore. Loads of quality on offer already, in a stunning setting and glorious sunshine - it’s good to be back!

Singing male Garden Warbler near Swallow Pond yesterday morning, never an easy bird to connect with in North Tyneside in spring. #NEBirding #UKBirding

Long day in the field yesterday! Despite the weather not being overly conducive for a big total, I still finished up with 100 species across North Tyneside. Some good quality on offer inc Garganey, Cetti’s Warbler, Common Sand, Whimbrel and Arctic Tern to name a few. #NEBirding #UKBirding

I’m currently doing a North Tyneside big day, hoping to get somewhere near last year’s total of 104 species. This one wasn’t on the cards when I started the day however - smashing drake Garganey currently in Marden Quarry! #NEBirding #UKBirding

4 Avocets between Backworth and Seghill this evening - wader habitat is a serious scarcity in North Tyneside this spring, so I’ve been checking this unassuming flash for the last few weeks (red pin on map) and tonight it came up trumps! #NEBirding #UKBirding

A showy Cetti's Warbler in the sun at Backworth this morning - it might not be the mega it once was in North Tyneside, but they still feel rare to me! Considering there had never been a record in the borough before March 2021, the expansion of this species has been remarkable. #NEBirding #UKBirding

Delighted to catch up with the Red-throated Pipit at Budle Point this evening after dipping the Newton bird in 2021 - elusive at times, I was chuffed to set eyes on it! Lovely addition to my British and Northumberland lists, courtesy of another top tier find by Ross Ahmed! #NEBirding #UKBirding

Bank Holiday lifer - one of two Balearic Warblers in Boquer Valley, Mallorca this afternoon. #Mallorca #MallorcaBirds

One of three Garganey in front of the viewing screen at SMI Wetland yesterday lunchtime - one of my absolute favourite spring migrants, such a stunning species. #NEBirding #UKBirding #Birds

The patch was absolutely on fire today, with a top quality vizmig session kicking things off this am. GW Egret south over SMI, closely followed by a Hooded Crow both represented #patchgold, topped off by a lunchtime twitch for 3 Garganey on the wetland - red letter day! #NEBirding #UKBirding

Ashy-headed Wagtail at the north end of SMI Wetland currently!! #NEBirding #UKBirding