Brief visit to the Whitburn yesterday evening- Redshank, Curlew, Ringed Plover, Oystercatcher, Grey Heron. Common Tern and Sandwich Tern are increasing in number. My first 1CY Black-headed Gull of the season and an adult Mediterranean Gull. All indicators of early Autumn. #NEBirding #UKBirding

First signs of autumn returning to patch today. Four adult Dunlin at Whitburn Steel feeding along high tide line. Possibly my earliest return date for this species. Black-headed Gull numbers also continue to increase. #NEBirding #UKBirding

I’m gonna have to mute Long-tailed Shrike, aren’t I 😶🤦🏻‍♂️

Adult male Long-tailed Shrike reported in a garden near Crail, Fife earlier today. Currently being looked for. Not sure who took this pic? #ukbirding

👇🏻🙏🏻

Pallid Swift photographed heading south past The Warren at c.7.20am this morning, confirmed from further review of images. Over 4700 Swifts south since 5.55am. Harry Appleyard 📷

Someone turned on the Swift tap.

Early patch workout at Boldon Flats- Black-tailed Godwit 5, Avocet 5, Green Sandpiper 2, five recently fledged Lapwing chicks doing well. Lots of Swallow and House Martin over adjacent fields & numbers of Swift feeding high over East Boldon and Cleadon was nuts. A joy to see. #NEBirding #UKBirding

1. Patch beginning to show signs of new life. Pied Wagtails have fledged at Whitburn Steel with at least four young present and being actively fed by parent birds. Also returning Black-headed Gulls- two breeding plumaged adults heading south along the coast this morning. #NEBirding #UKBirding

"Forget all the "it's not as bad as 1976" b*llocks the right wing, FF-funded lobby keep churning out. It's MUCH, MUCH worse...." via Phil Brookes

An Avocet seen in the West Midlands recently has been confirmed as the oldest of its kind ever seen in Britain:

Quail, videoed by island resident Anne Hourston outside Cott, early Monday morning #BirdingOrkney Would have probably been my bird of the year so far, had I been lucky enough to see it! @patchbirding.bsky.social

This past weekend saw the grand opening of Obs 5 by Ann Cleeves, with a carefully planned programme of events and a whole host of past staff, directors, funders, supporters and friends present throughout. Kenny’s Bar also received its official opening, with the sign lit up for the first time.

Late spring mega! Initially views were fleeting but it settled in the field and revealed itself as an ORIENTAL TURTLE DOVE. What an unexpected and most welcome find! #birding #orkneybirding @northronbirdobs.bsky.social

An excellent opportunity for 14 young birders to visit Lundy, boat and board included -- lundybirdobs.org.uk/news-and-sig... Additional funding for young people to get out to a bird obs, through the BTO here -- www.bto.org/our-work/you...

Banging birds 🤩

Garden gold this evening- Common Tern and then Oystercatcher. 🤩💫 #NEBirding

1. Life has been busy “life-ing” so a patch workout hasn’t been possible until today. Small Sand Martin colony at the south of Whitburn Steel has been abandoned. Meadow Pipit and Pied Wagtail are busy rearing chicks. Common Whitethroat confirmed as a breeder, too. #NEBirding #UKBirding

6 years ago - 16 June 2020. A superb Asian Desert Warbler courtesy of @mike-carr.bsky.social on Holy Island 😀 📸 Canon 5D/EF500/EF1.4 #NEbirding

Interesting acro trapped in the Crown Estate Field this mrng - suspect it's going to turn out to be a Blyth's Reed but certainly a pretty subtle one - plumage not too bad, decent biometrics, poor p4 emargination etc. No field views & no calls.

Mysterious ‘cold blob’ in the Atlantic suggests the AMOC is weakening A patch of ocean south-east of Greenland is the only place on Earth that is cooling, and it could be a sign that the warm water "conveyor belt" in the Atlantic is slowing down www.newscientist.com/article/2529...

🌊 An early-season marine heatwave is spreading across the Atlantic and Mediterranean. Some coastal waters near France and parts of the western Mediterranean are running more than 5°C above normal for this time of year. Summer hasn’t even started yet.

Garden gold this evening in Lesser Black-backed Gull. 🤩 A difficult bird to see no matter how close I live to the coast. Chuffed. ☺️ #NEBirding #UKBirding

1. Neglected my Patch workout lately. 😝 A single ♀ Stonechat at Whitburn Steel was the first since January and sadly they did not breed this year. Four pairs of Meadow Pipit along the cliffs, too. Unsurprisingly wading birds have all but disappeared. #NEBirding #UKBirding

This week just keeps getting better, with today’s clear highlight this Northern Parula, a quality find by @tomwright1.bsky.social this morning!

For the last couple of days, due to winds coming from the west, there has been a movement of skuas through the Great Glen. It was amazing to see my first long-tailed skua fly past at Alturlie yesterday evening. #BirdingScotland #UKBirding #Birds #BirdsSeenIn2026 #SpringWatch

As well as Long-tailed, Pomarine and Arctic Skuas using the Great Glen portal there were plenty of Kittiwakes migrating today too, 286 in several flocks, all adults apart from one 2CY! 🪶 #highlandbirds #ornithology

The Great Glen skua portal opened up today, amazing to see Long-tailed Skuas thermalling over Loch Linnhe like giant Bee-eaters up to 1000m before whizzing northeast towards Inverness! 🪶 #ornithology #highlandbirds

And they’re back! Swift 3 over the garden this evening- on May 10th nearly every year. Just a joy. 🥰 Also Swallow 10 and bizarrely Sand Martin 2 #NEBirding #UKBirding

1. Patch workout this morning on a very wet and cold May morning. Highlights was undoubtedly the pair of Little Tern on Seaburn and Whitburn Bents beach. Birds exhibited courtship behaviour- something I have never had privilege of seeing before. Beautiful. #NEBirding #UKBirding

1. Quick patch workout in between family duties and rain. Boldon Flats has hosted migrant waders this last week- not huge numbers but nice variety nonetheless; Avocet 23 (my highest count at this site), Wood Sandpiper 1, Dunlin 3, Common Sandpiper 1, Curlew 1, Oystercatcher 3 #NEBirding #UKBirding

Double #vismig sessions at Severn Beach today. @severnsidebirds.bsky.social @matthall95.bsky.social @oscardewhurst.bsky.social 54 Yellow Wagtail* 3 Whinchat 100 Bar-tailed Godwit* 38 Swift* 6 Arctic Tern 260 Swallow 44 Sand Martin 10 Sanderling 21 Whimbrel* Etc. www.trektellen.org/count/view/5...

Interesting paper on White-winged Lark in France and Europe (in English) #UKBirding marcduquet.com/wp-content/u...

1. Patch workout this afternoon determined to find more newly arrived migrant species. Boldon Flats was productive- Little Ringed Plover 2, Common Sandpiper 2, Whimbrel 1, House Martin 6, Swallow 4 and Avocet 2. At least three Lapwing attempting to incubate, too. #NEBirding #UKBirding

HURRAH! @fairislebirdobs.bsky.social

1. Patch workout this morning. Whitburn Steel highlights- Purple Sandpiper 10, Sanderling 3, Bar-tailed Godwit 1, Turnstone 17, Oystercatcher 19 and Redshank 8. Sand Martin colony continues to be busy, busy, busy. #NEBirding #UKBirding

1. Went beyond the boundaries of the patch yesterday and visited the WWT centre at Washington. More of a family day out really but nice birds, too- Avocet 32, Little Egret 2, Goosander 1. Some migrants too, Blackcap 3, Chiffchaff 5, Swallow 1 and Willow Warbler 1. #NEBirding #UKBirding

1. Patch workout this morning at Whitburn. Interesting despite cool breeze- highlights my first Willow Warbler of the year in Sea Buckthorn at Jackie’s Beach, another male Wheatear, Swallow 2 arrived from offshore and wheeled south and Sandwich Tern 6 #UKBirding #NEBirding

Delighted to see Marsh Sandpiper on patch this morning. A superb bird and first since the bird at Cley 1987. Brilliant. #NEBirding #UKBirding

Patch workout this morning. Disturbance was high at Whitburn Steel so birds were few. Headed inland and into Mere Knolls Cemetery- Chiffchaff have finally arrived with five males holding territory. No Blackcap as of yet. #NEBirding #UKBirding

1. Patch workout this afternoon. Change in direction of wind and sunshine had an instant impact. A cracking 1st-S. male Wheatear at Whitburn Steel and first Sand Martins returning to cliff-side colony. Meadow Pipit, Linnet and Reed Bunting all singing & holding territory. #NEBirding #UKBirding

I think this is about as good a start to April that I could’ve ever imagined! White-spotted Bluethroat ringed at Skagen. Only the second spring male to ever be caught here!

1. Patch workout this morning. Hard work at the moment. Whitburn Steel- Sanderling 16, Curlew 16, Oystercatcher 13, Ringed Plover 2, Purple Sandpiper 1, Grey Heron 1. Still no Sand Martin or Wheatear. #NEBirding #UKBirding

Male Wheatear. New Passage. From the beach. @bristolbirding.bsky.social

Patch life has been slow of late. First Chichaff of the year in Mere Knolls Cemetery on Wednesday, and Stock Dove setting up breeding territory there, too. No Sand Martin at Whitburn yet, but it shouldn’t be long now, I would think. #NEBirding #UKBirding

The Northumberland White-tailed Eagle finally headed south today and managed to pick it up over Seaburn. Gulls went utterly ballistic. #NEBirding #UKBirding

Due to “interesting” conditions, I have encountered huge counts of absolutely sod all 🤷🏻‍♂️ #NEBirding

I cannot wait for this to be published 🙏🏻

🦢 The International Swan Census is almost here – this weekend! We still have a few priority sites that need coverage. Please check the map & help us assess how well our Whooper & Bewick’s Swan populations are faring. Every count matters! 🙏 bto.org/gsmp-isc 📸 @tangrigg.bsky.social #Ornithology

A room with a view… Eastern Black Redstart favouring residential windows. #norfolkbirding #ukbirding