Paid the South Gare Bluethroat another visit this afternoon. Had gone missing, but soon found it feeding around the Fisherman’s Cabins. The bird shows incredibly well at times! Such a great bird! #NEbirding

Black Redstart also seen at South Gare this afternoon, in the classic location of the Boat Yard. #NEbirding

A couple more of the South Gare Bluethroat. In the second photo it’s doing its very best to look super rare… #NEbirding

Bluethroat from South Gare, Cleveland this afternoon. A very late record. Think we were all surprised by this one! Very rare birds these days, so an opportunity not to be missed! Thanks to the finder. #NEbirding

A few pics of the superb adult winter Slavonian Grebe found in M’bro Dock this morning, taken in poor conditions. Middlesbrough’s 3rd record following birds on Hemlington Lake Feb/Mar 1981 and a very popular bird on a small pond by the Law Courts in the town centre Jan 1996. #NEbirding

Olive-backed Pipit from South Gare today. Cleveland’s 5th record following hot on the heels of the 2023 Hartlepool bird. This one showed very well at times and a nice “grip back” for a few locals that missed out previously. A well marked bird, just look at those legs! Great find by NAP. #NEbirding

The Middlesbrough section of the River Tees was very productive today. Along with the pair of Velvet Scoter, we also had three Long-tailed Duck fly towards the Riverside Stadium! Whooper Swan and Great Crested Grebe also seen. If only it was always like this! #NEbirding #Urbanbirding

A pair of Velvet Scoters on the River Tees today. Initially showed very well before lucky doing one loop of the river up to the Riverside Stadium before heading back downstream again and landing in Stockton, then Redcar waters! Another new species for Middlesbrough! #NEbirding #Urbanbirding

American Wigeon from Stoneybeck Lake, Co.Durham late morning. Finally got round to paying this bird a visit. Moulting out of eclipse and starting to look quite smart! Also 8 Pochard and a Goosander flew over. #NEbirding

Grey Partridge feeding on the recently mown grass verge, precariously close to the road by the start of the Zinc Works Road this morning. #NEbirding

A peach of a Curlew Sandpiper seen on Seaton Snook this morning amongst the 100’s of Dunlin and Ringed Plover. Was also joined by a brief Little Stint. #NEbirding

Great photo of a great bird in typical South Gare habitat! 19 years ago though!

What a bird that was!

Been watching a pair of Oystercatchers that nested by the Transporter Bridge (North side). Started off on June 1st with three young, this had reduced to just the one by the 8th, still going strong on 14th and starting to look the part today! Guess one out of three is a success? NEbirding

Two Wood Sandpiper seen at Saltholme today. Showing rather well! #NEbirding

Was very fortunate to find Cleveland/Co.Durhams 2nd record of Pacific Golden Plover tonight. 30 years since the 1st! A few pics that show most of the identification points. I can remember being only a few hundred meters away from the 1st bird when it was found back in August 1995! #NEbirding

A few different takes on today’s Song Sparrow at Thornwick Bay, East Yorkshire and a crowd shot taken as I left at 17.30, a great afternoon off work!

Song Sparrow from Thornwick Bay, East Yorkshire this afternoon. Went from being skulking and elusive to showing really well at times! Not a British Tick but my 1st since the Seaforth Docks, Liverpool bird way back in Oct 1994! #NEbirding

Glossy Ibis still present on Bowesfield Marsh, Cleveland tonight. Great to see after a blank 2024 for this species. Once a real County Mega but now almost expected! I can still remember my first at Haverton in May 1992! #NEbirding

Two Adult Kittiwake flew upstream past the Transporter Bridge, Middlesbrough this morning. Quite a scarce bird for the Borough! Although four were seen on 21-04-25 and one on 26-04-25 along the same stretch of river, could a pair or two be nesting not too far away? #NEbirding

Time flies...10 year ago today started with a dash to Norfolk for Britain's 2nd Citril Finch (my 500th British Tick at the time), then a very frantic dash back home for the superb Red-throated Pipit (a Major Cleveland Grip Back) on Seaton Common found by @coldodsworth.bsky.social quite a day...

Just 850 more signatures will bring us to 100,000 and trigger a debate in parliament. Plz share widely - I’m holding my breath! petition.parliament.uk/petitions/70...

Black Redstart and Wheatear from South Gare tonight. The Black Red was very elusive, only managed these two pics before it flew and vanished! Seen between the Bomb Hole and Pilot Station. #NEbirding

My first view of the White-tailed Eagle watched from the Middlesbrough side of the Transporter yesterday! Totally fluffed getting decent pics by switching from Bins to Camera too much! It now appears there were two WTE on Teesside yesterday, so certainly reintroduced birds as expected! #NEbirding

Goosander from the River Tees, just downstream of the Tees Barrage tonight. This bird has been hanging around for quite a while now and was joined by a Drake Red-breasted Merganser yesterday. #NEbirding

The Haverton Hill Road Iceland Gull made a surprise reappearance today. I don’t think I’ve seen it since March 29th! #NEbirding

Two pair of Egyptian Geese on Cowpen Marsh today. They were showing very well tonight. Hard to believe some people think these are ugly! Will be interesting to see if they breed again this year. #NEbirding

Two Spoonbills on Cowpen Marsh tonight. Another species that could potentially breed locally in the near future? #NEbirding

Three Great White Egret seen on the North Tees Marshes yesterday. Surely a contender for the next new breeding species for Cleveland/Durham? #NEbirding

Last weekend walking around Nunthorpe, several Comma, a couple of Peacock and three Brimstone Butterflies seen. Was told today Brimstone are quite a good Butterfly for Cleveland! Sorry for not reporting earlier, I had no idea! #UKButterflies

Very pleased to find a pair of Eider on the River Tees by the Riverside Stadium this morning. Presumably 2 of the 4 seen along here on March 25th. Great birds to see so far up the river! A real Mega for the Borough of Middlesbrough! #NEbirding

Mega distant views of the two Ruddy Shelduck beyond Back Saltholme, watched from the road early afternoon. Presumably the two birds that have been wandering around the North East for the last couple of years or so. Others were seen in Co. Durham (6) and Yorkshire (4) today…#Cat C5? #NEbirding

Iceland Gull still present on Haverton Hill Road this morning. Been around on and off for 71 days now! #NEbirding

This Cracking looking leucistic Curlew was on Cowpen Marsh this morning! Also Ruff and Spoonbill present. #NEbirding

The long staying Iceland Gull (1st found on 18th Jan) was again present on Haverton Hill Road today! Can’t remember a longer staying Iceland Gull in Cleveland? #NEbirding

A quick visit to the “south side” (of Cleveland) today produced very little, but was an opportunity to take a close look at some Red Grouse Lagopus scotica. Recently split from Willow Ptarmigan. Maybe Britain’s only endemic species? #NEbirding

Plenty of Fantastic Plastic on display in Ropner Park, Stockton today! A very bright day in more ways than one! Mandarin, Red-crested Pochard and a couple of Ring-necked Parakeet all showing well! #NEbirding #plasticfantastic

Always a welcome sight. Classy looking Lesser Black Backed Gulls creeping back into the local area. Several birds seen since 20th Feb. This was one of three by Albert Park, Middlesbrough yesterday. #NEbirding

The current Pintail got me thinking of previous great birds from the understandably under watched Albert Park in Central Middlesbrough. The showy pair of Garganey from May 2018 and the superb Iceland Gull from March 2022. A reminder that this site needs checking on a more regular basis! #NEbirding

This superb Drake Pintail has been showing very well in Albert Park, Middlesbrough for the last couple of days. A very rare bird for the much under watched Borough of Middlesbrough, with maybe just one previous documented record from Hemlington Lake on 21st Oct 1997! #NEbirding

The regular wintering Common Sandpiper at Billingham Beck and the lingering Iceland Gull still showing well along Haverton Hill Rd yesterday. The most dull, murky and depressing day of the year weather wise so far! Roll on the Spring… #NEbirding

This leucistic Wigeon was on Greatham Creek, late afternoon today. Very likely the same bird that was seen here and on Cowpen Marsh last March. Certainly stands out from the crowd! #NEbirding

Driving back to work at Riverside Park, Middlesbrough at lunchtime today I could see Corvids mobbing something very high up! Well happy when it turned out to be a Red Kite! Although increasing they are still a scarce sight over Teesside. #NEbirding

Iceland Gull still present on Haverton Hill Road, Billingham today. A 1st winter bird and not 2nd winter as I called it yesterday! #NEbirding

Yesterday’s Long-tailed Duck on the River Tees just downstream of the Transporter Bridge. This is the 3rd year in a row this species has been seen in the Borough of Middlesbrough! Prior to this there was only one record from Hemlington Lake in Nov 2013! Pics of all 3 birds on the Tees. #NEbirding

Spoonbill feeding actively on Cowpen Marsh just prior to dusk this evening. Brilliant bird that we sometimes don’t pay enough attention too these days. Just look at that bill! Can still remember seeing my first one on Cowpen way back in the late eighties, a lot more scarce then! #NEbirding

2nd winter Caspian Gull from Haverton Hill Road this afternoon. Was only seen briefly before everything flew off! The same ringed bird that was first/last seen here on 1st January! Just can’t get enough detail on the ring unfortunately… #NEbirding

Was very fortunate to be on Haverton Hill Road today when @sidwemn.bsky.social found this 2nd winter Iceland Gull. A very smart bird. Difficult to get photos through the fence though…great to see having not seen one locally for a year or two! #NEbirding

Six Grey Squirrel (or should it really be Gray Squirrel? ) and a couple of Rats at the Cowpen Bewley WP feeding station this afternoon. The birds found it difficult to find a place to feed!

A very showy Kingfisher seen on the North Tees this afternoon. Concentrating on finding food rather than keeping an eye on me! #NEbirding