On my way back south with a pitstop at Musselburgh. Managed a quick visit to the Lagoons where the Marsh Sandpiper was very obliging. Can't beat a wader lifer! 🥳 Will return tomorrow for a longer visit and to look for ducks! #ukbirding

Saw two absolutely cracking Black Grouse today having a face off through a fence! Another iconic Scottish bird, another lifer! 😊 #ukbirding #highlandbirds

Day 4, lifer number 4: Black-throated Diver! This one feels overdue so I'm pleased to have finally seen one! Tricky conditions so a sweet find #ukbirding #highlandbirds

More Eagles today! No Golden yet but 5 more White-tailed, with 4 together at one point! 😮 They look incredibly majestic in their highland setting 😍 #ukbirding

Day 2 and over to Lewis. We made straight for the Isabelline Wheatear. With thanks to some intel from @pelagicbirder.bsky.social it was an easy twitch to the delight of everyone, especially me 😁 Lifer! And I love Wheatear 😍 #ukbirding #highlandbirds

Day 1 of my Heatherlea Scotland tour delivered 2 of my top target lifers!! 🥳🥳 The cute (and very mobile) Crested Tit and (4) wonderful White-tailed Eagles, looking breathtaking soaring through the Scottish Highland scenery 😃 #ukbirding #highlandbirds

It was all getting quite artistic at Longstanton Lagoons after work today. Curlew Sands still present for their 5th day @cambsbirdclub.bsky.social #ukbirding

RSPB Ouse Washes today. 88 Common Cranes, 19 Glossy Ibis & 50-60 Ruff seen from the Stockdale & Cadbury hides. Great to see @birdergirl.bsky.social @cambsbirdclub.bsky.social @rspb.bsky.social

Peachy! First for site Curlew Sandpipers at Longstanton Lagoons. Found by @Laziobirder.bsky.social, hastily twitched by me! 😁 @cambsbirdclub.bsky.social #ukbirding

Lovely buffy Wheatear on the banks of the Ouse Washes this afternoon. Been scarce this year, and I don't usually see many (any!) in autumn anyway. A very welcome sight @cambsbirdclub.bsky.social #ukbirding

Two nice birds after work today: Redstart found by @brickert.bsky.social then I found this Curlew Sand at Ouse Fen (cell 10) 🥳 @cambsbirdclub.bsky.social #ukbirding

Sometimes everything seems rubbish and you feel rubbish. Then you go down the Ouse Washes and see 55 Cranes (right outside Cottier hide) and things feel a bit better 😊 5 juvs in the group @rspb.bsky.social @cambsbirdclub.bsky.social #ukbirding

Educational visit to Fen Drayton Lakes for the juv White-winged Black Tern. I've seen 3 adults before so it was good to observe juv plumage. Mainly flying but it's hard to capture a feeding marsh tern with a bridge camera! Here it is on a brief rest stop @cambsbirdclub.bsky.social #ukbirding

59 Cattle Egret on the Ouse Washes at Stockdales hide today! Most I've ever seen, and close to the county record. Quite a few juvs in there too @cambsbirdclub.bsky.social #ukbirding

Some waders flying over 😅 @rspb.bsky.social Snettisham #ukbirding

Post-work twitch to try and pick out the drake Ring-necked Duck on Drayton Lagoon. Tricky, but helps when you know it's there! 😄 Great find by Richard Bradbury 👍 @cambsbirdclub.bsky.social @deepseahugh.bsky.social #ukbirding

Thanks to some help...a butterfly lifer! 😊 Chalkhill Blue at Devil's Dyke, Cambs today @epollard.bsky.social @cycle4nature.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social

Definitely did not expect to get this one back!! Having missed the Grafham Spotted Sandpiper in May while in Italy, an absolute gift from the birding gods, and Steve Cooper this morning to get another Cambs bird, at Dernford Res! 🥳 #lifer Thank you Steve! @cambsbirdclub.bsky.social #ukbirding

Record shot but that's a county tick right there! Crossbill in Southey Wood, Cambs today. Calling loudly, and briefly perched at the top of a pine. Happy with that 😊 @cambsbirdclub.bsky.social #ukbirding

I don't believe it. I found the Frampton Collared Pratincole at Ouse Fen Cell 10 this evening!! 🤯🥳 I twitched that for a lifer on Tuesday 😅 Can't believe it actually came to Cambs, let alone onto my local reserve. Woop! @cambsbirdclub.bsky.social #ukbirding

Collared Pratincole! Too good not to twitch!! @RSPBFramptonMarsh.bsky.social delivers again. What a terrific bird 😍 #lifer Really enjoyed watching it. Short video below. Thank you to the finders Matt and Jonny 👍 #ukbirding

Another day another great bird at Fen Drayton Lakes! Gorgeous male Red-backed Shrike! 😊 Let's hope this streak continues... @cambsbirdclub.bsky.social #ukbirding

White-winged Black Tern at Fen Drayton Lakes today. So crisp and striking - fabulous bird. Glad it stayed all day for the post-work twitchers! 😁 A beautiful evening too @cambsbirdclub.bsky.social #ukbirding

It's behind you! Busy scouring Cell 10 for waders and almost missed the Bittern that was right behind us - at point blank range! Amazing views! RSPB Ouse Fen special 🤩 @cambsbirdclub.bsky.social #ukbirding @rspbengland.bsky.social

Finally caught up with some of the Cambs Red-footed Falcon action! This is the female currently at RSPB Ouse Washes 😍 Lovely views @cambsbirdclub.bsky.social #ukbirding

Back to birding in Cambs. No luck looking for RF Falcons after work at Ouse Fen but was standing next to @bucktonbirder.bsky.social when he found a Temminck's on cell 10! Thanks Mark 👍 @cambsbirdclub.bsky.social #ukbirding

Back home from Ventotene. Amazing birds, good food, great company and a beautiful place. Absolutely knackered and birded out 😂😂 It's been fab 😊 @dtbedford.bsky.social @Laziobirder.bsky.social

A lot of different butterflies on Ventotene this year. Excited to see my first Swallowtail and even more so to see several Monarchs!! Completely unexpected 😃🦋 (Monarch pic by @Laziobirder.bsky.social)

Halfway through my Italian birding trip. Quality birds every day and mind boggling quantities of migrants! 11 Wood Warbler in one tree today! Eastern (lifer!) and Western Bonelli's, Moltoni's, Black Kite, RF Falcon, Honey Buzzard, Purple Heron, Tawny Pipit to name some! #Ventotene #birds

Wasn't feeling that optimistic as I wended my way to Burwell Fen for the Ring Ouzel today. But there he still was! 🤩 Popped up quite close and allowed for a quick digishot @cambsbirdclub.bsky.social #ukbirding

Yellow loveliness in Longstanton 😍 Also 4 Wheatear at Northstowe this evening @cambsbirdclub.bsky.social #ukbirding

Blimey! If I thought yesterday's lunchtime Tern was good, today's was a ROSEATE!! Inland mega and a lifer for me! 😃🥳✅ At WWT Welney. Thanks to finder Paul Fuller 👍 I did get unrestricted views but there was a lot of Godwit blocking going on! 😂 #ukbirding

Black magic on my lunch break! Just in the car to pop out when news arrived of a quintet of Black Terns at Ouse Fen, just minutes away! Seen in flight and on the deck. Thanks to finder Graham Tucker 🙂 Views better than my pics! @cambsbirdclub.bsky.social #ukbirding

Some good birding highlights this weekend! Smart Ruff and 22 Avocet on the Ouse Washes, my first Wheatear of the year, plenty of Garganey, then a patch tick Curlew at Earith GPs 😃 @cambsbirdclub.bsky.social #ukbirding

Always happy to bump into a Knot. My second in Cambs this year! Initially at Rickwood hide but also seen at Welches Dam, RSPB Ouse Washes. Good selection of waders including 6 Grey Plover, Spotshank, 9 Avocet and still over 1000 Blackwit @cambsbirdclub.bsky.social #ukbirding

Clocks have changed and with weather set fair, decent after-work birding is back*! Really pleased to bump into a Glossy Ibis at Fortrey's Hall Ouse Washes this evening 😊 @cambsbirdclub.bsky.social #ukbirding *decent after-work dusk photography remains elusive

After the boomings, the fly-bys and scouring the reeds for years- the 'oh wow moment' - a Bittern on the ground @rspb.bsky.social Ouse Fen. Thanks to the fellow birdwatcher who pointed it out! It's made my day and I got a shot! @cambsbirdclub.bsky.social

A grey afternoon but a Grey Partridge brought a bit of cheer - always a favourite. One of two down Cottenham Long Drove @cambsbirdclub.bsky.social #ukbirding

Any day now, ducklings will begin to appear, and we need your help to monitor them. We are asking for records of mallard broods anywhere in the UK this year to help us understand how many ducklings make it to adulthood. Submit your sightings here: citsci.org/projects/ducklingwatch Please share!

Lovely to watch 7 Little Gulls on the Ouse Washes at Oxlode (east bank) 😊 As ever, hard to get a flight photo and the video isn't much better! Never does them justice! (One pic below) @cambsbirdclub.bsky.social #ukbirding

Caught up with the Ring-necked Duck at RSPB Ouse Washes today! My 2nd ever and 1st female 🙂 Felt like a good learning experience. Thanks to Jeff, the birder who put me onto it today, and original finder @keithlangdon.bsky.social. #ukbirding @cambsbirdclub.bsky.social

Birding is picking up! Avocet and Spoonbill onto the Ouse Washes at Earith this weekend and Ringed Plover numbers rising. Still plenty of Blackwit, Ruff, Redshank and Dunlin too #ukbirding @cambsbirdclub.bsky.social

Patch tick Caspian Gull on the Ouse Washes at Earith tonight. Even picked one out myself, albeit an odd one, but it passed muster in the end. Photo of the nice one! #ukbirding @cambsbirdclub.bsky.social

Wintry birds today #birds #birdart

Three patch ticks today at Earith-Colne gravel pits! 😄 Peregrine, Goldeneye and this Pink-footed Goose. Good flocks of Pinkies in Cambs this winter although mainly on the northern and eastern edges. Glad this singleton dropped by the GPs 😁 @cambsbirdclub.bsky.social

Pleased to have spotted a few colour-ringed Whoopers recently. The Waterbird Colour-marking Group give instant history about the bird when you submit a sighting online 😀 I've seen 2 3cy birds from Iceland (white ring) on their second visit to the Fens, plus a WWT yellow-ringed bird too

Wild goose chase: "a foolish and hopeless search for or pursuit of something unattainable". Yep! That sounds like my Cambs Tundra Bean search this winter 😂 Happily today I finally connected!! The pair currently near Thorney. Good views too 🎉 @cambsbirdclub.bsky.social #ukbirding

Yesterday was a 3-lifer day in Norfolk! 🤩 9 Goshawk at Swanton Novers - 6 up together at one point! The Velvets of course, and Pallid Harrier at Warham Greens ✅✅✅ plus 8 other raptors, Tundras, Glossy Ibis & many other birds! Thanks to Mark Ward for a top itinerary and taking me round 😁 #ukbirding

BINGO!!! Nearly 4 years after creating my duck bingo card, I'VE FINALLY SEEN VELVET SCOTER! 6 beauties on the sea at Titchwell. Huge thank you to Mark Ward for his help today 😊 #ukbirding

Knot what I was expecting to see on the Ouse Washes at Earith today (sorry! 🤣). A find tick for me! Made the freezing cold outing well worth it 😊 @cambsbirdclub.bsky.social #ukbirding