My bird of the year (so far)! Spent today putting a frame on this beauty - the magnificent Loch of Asta Siberian Thrush by the hugely talented Phil Jones. A fitting memento for what has been a very special year. #ukbirding

Finding a Firecrest in my back garden in Stoke this morning was a nice surprise! My second garden record after one in 2003(ish). Thanks for the pic @philj61.bsky.social @staffsbirdnews.bsky.social

A late entry for #TwosDay - Two blinged up Seychelles Magpie Robins from earlier this year on Aride Island 🏝️

Sketch book Grackle, Calshot, Hants - a bird with plenty of character #Boat-tailedGrackle

You know you want to 😆 Boat-tailed Grackle, Calshot, Hampshire.

I was delighted to receive this beautiful 2026 calendar from @hollygroganart.bsky.social , it is stunning! Thank you very much Holly and keep up the great work!

Some sketchbook Clearwings and a Hawkmoth from this summer 🌤️

This is the NINTH White-rumped Sandpiper in land locked Staffordshire this week🤷🏻‍♂️Birds Hey - Bloody Hell !!!!

After being underwhelmed by the female Siberian Thrush I saw in Fife this was like seeing a new bird🙂 The male at Loch of Asta, Shetland this month. Can do prints - please dm me if required.

Merveille du Jour - Wonder of the Day #MothMonday

Candidate for the best Siberian Thrush photo by Dave Spencer - incredible #Shetland2025

For a full hour the male Siberian Thrush was on full view today unheard of for such a shy species. With only a handful of us watching it it was one of the highlights of 38 years of British Birding and one of the reasons I keep coming up here #Shetland2025

Staffs (and Leics) birders on tour Shetland 2025😎 the register includes amongst others @belvidebirding.bsky.social @nickpom9.bsky.social @pmandrews1973.bsky.social @archieraven.bsky.social @ashmabirder.bsky.social @julianallen.bsky.social

Another enjoyable day on Shetland today before the weather halted proceedings 🌧️Goldcrests at our feet at Sumburgh, Pink footed geese migrating overhead and nice views of a confirmed Western Subalpine Warbler the highlights.

After a surprisingly comfortable night on the ferry being rocked to sleep by Amy we headed straight to Loch of Asta for this, my second Siberian Thrush😎hope I haven’t peaked too soon(pic by Simon Bound)

A decent week locally with Shag at Ford Green, Med Gull at Westport (thanks to @thevicar70.bsky.social ) a Glossy Ibis at Sandbach and a Clifden Nonpareil incredibly in Tunstall (thanks to @rjsutton1975.bsky.social

Found an old ‘crappy’ photo I took in Croatia so go on #RepostaWryneck 🙂

A Yellow-rumped Cacique for the #notonabranch theme is my #BirdOfTheDay🙂 Photographed at Tamboparta, Peru in 2024

It’s not all about the birds in Autumn🙂 It’s always a good sign of things to come when one of these turn up. Monarch Watercolour & Gouache.

LESSER KESTREL on #StKilda! Retrospectively identified from Will Miles' excellent images on 16th Sept. We'd recorded a Kestrel from 12th, possibly the same bird, but sadly not relocated today. @birdguides.bsky.social @scottishbirding.bsky.social @hebridesbirds.bsky.social

I was hoping for a rarity this week but never thought it would be a Moth. Silver Striped Hawkmoth - last one in Staffs was 1898 !!

I hear #BirdofTheDay is Starling and also as it’s #TwosDay here are a pair of Brahminy Starlings all cosied up at Kanha NP, India

So it’s looking good for a Yank next week 🤗 how about one of these !! They move early🤔 Chestnut-sided Wblr photographed in Costa Rica

Good numbers of Curlew Sandpipers (15) and Black Terns (30+) at Blithfield this morning also Dunlins, Ringys, Ruff, Blackwit, Greenshank, YL Gull, Red Kite……

Great to see the local Jay’s busily preparing for Winter this weekend with lots of toing and froing with acorns - rough pencil & water colour in the sketchbook

4 Landlocked Staffordshire Seabirds for #SuperSeabirdSunday Sadly it rarely ends well for them so far inland - Gannet Chasewater, Fulmar Blithfield, Manxy Belvide and Guillemot Stubbers Green which is ‘Old Staffs. First 2 pics not mine.

Some more Mothage from this month, all labelled, thanks to @nickpom9.bsky.social for two of them #TeamMoth #MothsMatter

Harder to see than Pallid’s these days so great to see a juv Monty’s yesterday hunting over Crossens Marsh, Lancs. Pen & Ink #LancsBirding #Marshside

Four more Moths from Salthouse, Norfolk all labelled ‘correctly’ hopefully #TeamMoth #MothsMatter

Some good moths caught in North Norfolk this week but the highlight was the Striped Hawk-Moth that I didn’t catch🙂 my 11th species of HM in the UK #TeamMoth #MothsMatter

Some Salthouse (Norfolk) Moths from last night🙂 #TeamMoth #MothsMatter

Well well well the 1999 Cornish Booted Eagle has finally been added to Cat A, it’s only taken 26 years!! It was always going to happen my only worry was that I’d find out through a medium😄

Male & Female Large Coppers in the Butterfly hotspot that is Dudley in the West Mids😀 I know you can’t tick ‘em but still nice to see🦋

6 minutes too late unfortunately but here’s an old pen & ink of a Snowy Owl for #InternationalOwlAwarenessDay

Now wouldn’t it be nice if that Willet photographed in Spain last week paid us a visit next Spring on its way North🤞 Here’s some from Peru last year #WaderWorld

Bit of stuff on the move last over N Staffs and grounded by the drizzle this morning - Common Scoter, 4 Redshank, 2 Dunlin, Common Sand & Common tern at Stanley

Painted a Swallowtail, quite enjoyed it🙂 #NorfolkButterflies #HorseyMere

Darn good Day in Dorset😎 Scarlet Darter, Wasp Spider & Grass Snake pic by @rjsutton1975.bsky.social and a first for Staffs to come home to trapped by my mothing mate @nickpom9.bsky.social

A nice distraction while watering my Sweet Corn today, #PurpleHairstreak

Black Arches and The Olive caught in my North Staffs suburban garden this weekend, pretty decent records I think🙂 #MothMonday

Cemlyn is home to a scarce moth, the Thrift Clearwing, which is only found in a few west coast sites. I have looked for it several times & failed, but today I finally succeeded, thanks to a lure loaned from @philj61.bsky.social

Drinker - got to be one of the best I’ve had in my garden #MothTrapGold

Some Moths from Gun hill this week - luckily no work to get up for 😴

Many thanks to @davehutton1969.bsky.social for allowing me & @robgilb91.bsky.social into his garden today to tick off Red-belted & Orange-tailed Clearwing 👍 11 down and 5 to go #MothsMatter

Some Monday Moffs all trapped at Boat of Garten, labelled for your convenience😄#MothsMatter

A few days spent chasing Dragons in Scotland🐉 Azure Hawker, Northern Emerald & Northern Damsel shown #Odonata #BritishDragonflies

These two were a great start to my short break in Scotland yesterday 😎 🪶

Oh go on then being as it’s such a Mega #NoteBooksFromThePast