The annually returning Drake Green-wing Teal was back is back on the Tain Links Duck Pond. Fast asleep while I was there. A flock of 20+ Siskin were far more active and showing well around the pond too. 28 Bar-tailed Godwit and 5 Knot on the estuary. #ukbirding #BirdingScotland

Great to be in the company of flocks of Twite while in Sutherland. This group showed particularly well today. They’ve become very scarce back home in Wales. These birds on Coul Links near Loch Fleet where around 50 are feeding in the Saltmarsh. #ukbirding #BirdingScotland

Pre-work visit to Udale Bay RSPB to see the Goose and Woldfowl spectacle. Wow! A cacophony of noise. 1000s of Pink-footed Geese, Wigeon + waders. Several Slav Grebes + Scaup too. If you have time + patience, watch the video and spot the odd one out amongst the Pinkies ☺️👍 #BirdingScotland #UKBirding

A cracker of a day in the Highlands around Brora, Golspie and Loch Fleet. A Yellow-browed Warbler, 2 White-tailed Eagle, 750+ Eider, 70 Twite and 9 Little Gulls. Not to mention the many Purple Sands, Long tailed Ducks and hundreds of Sanderling. Stayed dry too! #UKbirdong #BirdingScotland

Visited Udale Bay today on the Black Isle. Thousands of birds! 487 Scaup, 28 Long-tailed Duck and 17 Slavonian Grebes. Many thousands of Wigeon, Pink footed Geese and waders filling the bay. Hundreds of Fieldfare and Reding arriving + 4 Brambling showing well in the rain. #BirdingScotland #UKBirding

A whole day at Tarbat Ness. The sea was kind with 3 Sooty Shearwater, 5 Little Gull, Pom and Arctic Skua, Great Northern Diver, 23 Long-tailed Duck + 4 Manx Shearwater. Many Fieldfare, Redwing + Blackbirds in-off the sea. Golden Plovers, Purple Sands + a showy Otter ☺️👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 #ukbiring #birdingscotland

A day in the Highlands was rewarded with 2 Golden Eagles being mobbed by Ravens. 7 Red Kite in the air at the same time too. Lots of crossbills in the conifers and surprising numbers of Bullfinches. 6 male Black Grouse feeing in Birch Trees too! Superb ☺️👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 #ukbirding #birdingscotland

What a difference a week makes! Many Long-tailed Ducks and Scoter have arrived since I last visited the Golspie / Brora area of Highland last week. A good candidate for ‘Siberian’ Chiffchaff, Brambling + Otter highlight at Helmsdale. Lots of Mergansers and Goosander too. #ukbirding #birdingscotland

A chilled seawatch from the car with heater on, coffee and music. 7 Little Gulls (4 ads + 3 1st winters) past Rhos Point btn 7.30am- 10am, also 1 fem Long-tailed Duck, 5 ad. Med Gulls, 3 Manx Shearwater, 2 Drake Eider, 1 Gannet, 2 Kittiwake, 150+ Common Scoter, Golden Plover #ukbirding #birdingwales

A cracking afternoon searching through thousands of waders and ducks at Llanfairfechan. A Yorkshire ringed Curlew, a Cork ringed Black tailed Godwit and another ringed locally but moving back + forth to Wirral. 300 Wigeon, 170 Pintail, 23 Black tailed + 55 Bar tailed Godwit #ukbirding #birdingwales

Two Little Gulls and 7 Arctic Skua offshore at Golspie, Highlands today. Two White-tailed Eagles entertaining and three Black Grouse in the hills. This Arctic Skua flew straight at me and over my head. Off back home to Wales tonight but back up here next week #ukbirding #birdingscotland

Another good day in the Highland of Scotland. 2 White-tailed Eagles, Golden Eagle, 2 Black Grouse, Red-necked Grebe, 15 Long-tailed Duck (including one on an inland Loch), 500+ Eider, Great-northern Diver and 7 Purple Sandpipers. Also 4 seasons of weather in one day! #birdingscotland #ukbirding

A morning at Tarbat Ness, Highland. 3 adult Pom Skua, 3 Arctic Skua, 5 Long-t. Ducks + 7 Great N. Diver, 17 Eider flew north. 150 Pinkfeet + 52 Whooper Swans in-off. A new fungi for me, Scarlet Caterpillar Club, apparently grows from dead insect pupae! Aurora last night 😀👍#birdingscotland #ukbirding

Superb weather today in NE Scotland. 12 Long-tailed Duck, 4 Slavonian Grebe and a Basking Shark off Golspie, 52 Scaup, 15 Barnacle Geese + 120+ Whooper Swan Loch Eye, 400+ Eider at Littleferry and great views of several Yellowhammer #birdingscotland #ukbirding

The drake Green-winged Teal finally woke up today and showed well at Loch Fleet. Arctic Skua, 23 Whooper Swan, 100+ Pink feet, 350+ Eider, 37 Red-breasted Merganser on the loch. Nearby at Loch Buidhe great views of an adult Golden Eagle. #birdingscotland #ukbirding

What a day! White-t. Eagle at Helmsdale. Green-winged Teal at Loch Fleet. All 3 Divers, 2 drake Long-t. Duck, 1000s Pink-feet, 8 Arctic Skuas, 100+ Sanderling Arctic Tern at Brora and stars of the show, 8 Orcas off Dunbeath! A UK (and land-based) first for me. Wow! #ukbirding #birdingscotland ☺️👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Tens of thousands of birds in the Moray + Dornoch Firth this morning. Tarbat Ness was a great place to watch. Skuas, Divers, Seaduck, Shearwaters, Kittiwakes + Auks moving from Moray Firth into Dornoch. Many passerines moving with at least 3 Sparrowhawk hunting offshore #BirdingScotland #Ukbirding

Not a bad way to dip a Needletail. Great views of Otter at Helmsdale, Highlands this afternoon. 2 Merlin, 3 Swallows, Hen Harrier, Great Northern Diver, a steady stream of seabirds and fantastic landscape #birdingScotland #ukbirding

Great morning with 32 Pomarine + 10 Arctic Skua, Sooty Shearwater, 4 Velvet Scoter, Long-t. Duck, 21 Manx Shearwater, 8 Great northern, Black-th.+ 14 Red-th. Diver past Tarbat Ness. 1000s of Kits and Auks. Snow Bunting in off the sea. 323 Whoopers on approach road #birdingscotland #ukbirding ☺️👍

#birdingwales #ukbirding

A super couple of hours on the Great Orme between 12.30-2.30pm today - Lapland Bunting, 2 Ring Ouzel, 2 Firecrest, Brambling, 3 Fieldfare, 26 Redwing, 7 Blackbird, Mistle Thrush, 2 Song thrush, 2 wheatear + 9 stonechat. What a difference a change of wind direction makes! #ukbirding #birdingwales

A relaxed couple of hours with Rob Sandham on the Great Orme this morning. 7 Whooper Swans flew west, Redwing (Rob had 2 more), Crossbill, 7 Skylark, 2 Reed Bunting over. 25 birds ringed mostly Goldfinch + Greenfinch. A flock of 28 Chough yesterday. Nice Shaggy Inkcap too. #birdingwales #ukbirding

Good day on Anglesey today - Firecrest, 100+ Goldcrest + 2 Water Rail at Holyhead Breakwater, 130 Brent Geese, 8 Barwit, 15 Knot + 3 Grey Plover on the Alaw Estuary, Whooper Swan, 4 Egyptian Geese, Wheatear, Ruff and Cattle Egret at Cors Ddyga #ukbirding #birdingwales

This morning saw only my third ever Great Orme Hobby, when a juvenile flew over the limestones chasing pipits. Reed Bunting, 4 Skylark, 64 Chaffinch, 3 Greenfinch, 17 Goldfinch, 32 Mipits and 7 Linnet west. Wheatear and 2 Goldcrest too. #ukbirding #birdingwales

I haven’t seen a Great Orme Wryneck since Rob Sandham found one on September 26th, 2006. Today, 19 years later, I stumbled across one in exactly the same bush as the last one! Several Goldcrest and Coal Tits on the headland today too. Hopefully kick-starting a good autumn🤞 #ukbirding #birdingwales

Birds are amazing. The last Wryneck I saw on the Great Orme was found by Rob Sandham over a decade ago. Today, I’ve just come across one in exactly the same bush as the last one! At the gunsite on the western edge of the headland. ☺️👍 #ukbiring #birdingwales

Two Whooper Swans arrived from the north at RSPB Conwy this morning, currently near the bridge on the estuary. Spotted Redshank and 6 Bar-tailed Godwits too ☺️👍 #ukbirding #birdingwales

Some cracking seawatching off Conwy coast; my first ‘Conwy’ Sooty Shearwater for 15 years, ad. Pom with spoons, Storm Petrel, Sabine’s Gull, Great N. Diver, 15+ Arctic Skua. Also Crossbills + Meadow pipits in off, Golden Plover, Little Egret + Brent Geese on the move too. #birdingwales #ukbirding

Conwy Corvids! Quiet morning on the Great Orme this morning with the highlight being 7 Common Snipe in off the sea. They came in from the north, landed and then flew south. Wheatear, 2 Goldcrest, 2 Chiffchaff too. 10 Chough and 7 Raven kept me entertained. #ukbirding #birdingwales

Morfa Madryn NR, North Wales today. 800+ Curlew, 37 Barwit, 4 Blackwit, 22 Knot, 7 Snipe, 6 Greenshank, 247 Pintail, 154 Wigeon. 6 colour rings read, 5 Curlew + a Redshank. A Ceredigion Redshank, and Curlew and 2 Shropshire Curlew. Awaiting the other 2 (one has geolocator!) #birdingwales #ukbirding

No hoped for YBW’s on the limestones, Great Orme this morning (unlike on Hilbre Island which I could see) but 6 Chiffchaff, 5 Wheatear, Goldcrest, 4 Coal Tit, 8 Blue Tit, 7 Skylrks and a small passage of finches over the pavements this morning. A beautiful autumn morning ☺️👍 #birdingwales #ukbirding

After last night’s excitement, a calm but enjoyable morning. Whinchat, 2 Common Sandpiper, Golden Plover, 5 Lapwing, 37 Curlew, Guillemot, Razorbill, 5 Dunlin, 12 Ringed Plover, 17 Turnstone, 70+ Skylark, 85 Med Gulls - btn Llanrhystyd and Llansanffraid 7-10.30am. #birdingwales #ukbirding

A phone call from Paul Leafe saying he had a Death Head’s Hawkmoth at the Hay on Wye vs Presteigne footy match flying around the floodlights before landing on a handrail had me shooting over. A 1st for me. I even saw my 1st ever Pine Marten on the way back! What an amazing night ☺️👍 #ukmoths

Ynyslas, Ceredigion between 7-10am - 2 Pink-footed Goose flew south, Grey Plover, 37 Sanderling, 7 Knot, 170 Dunlin, 55 Ringed Plover, 24 Skylark, 500+ Linnet, 27 ‘alba’ wagtail, 2 Rock pipit and 43 Meadow Pipit. Lots of waders sporting shiny new rings! #birdingwales #ukbirding

Great Orme, Conwy vismig 7-10am with Zac Spaull- all birds in a SW/W direction: Linnet 112, Chaffinch 29, Pied Wag 13, Grey wag 3, Siskin 2, Swallow 32, Mipit 130, Golden plover, Blue tit 3, Goldcrest 3, Chiffchaff 3, Wheatear 2, Skylark 9, G S Woodpecker, Reed Bunting. #ukbirding #birdingwales

1st summer Red-footed Falcon - Cors Caron NNR, Ceredigion. Found this morning and still present late afternoon. An enjoyable finds tick ☺️👍 #birdingwales #ukbirding

Spurn Bird Obs is always a treat. A quick 36 hours over the weekend saw Black Brant, Hobby, Spotted Flycatcher, Whinchat, Arctic Skuas, Grey Partridge and a host of breeding plumaged waders. Love #spurnbirdobs #ukbirding

A superb visit to St Aiden’s RSPB. Great views of several Bitterns and Black necked Grebes. 2 Bearded Tit and a Little Owl put in a show and while a Drake Red crested Pochard was a surprise. What a great reserve! ☺️👍 #ukbirding

It’s been an amazing year for Osprey passing through. Conwy RSPB seem to have had daily birds, their presence given away by screaming gulls. Today, 3 birds were over Conwy estuary including this bird. Who’d have thought this was possible not that long ago! #birdingwales #ukbirding

A super day with super company. Started on the Lancs coast for a super rare moth; the Belted Beauty. Then on to RSPB Marshside where Little Gull, Garganey and 15+ Ruff were the highlight. Got home only to rush over for Rob Sandham’s superb Red rumped Swallow at RSPB Conwy ☺️👍@birdingwales @ukbirding

This superb Grasshopper Warbler was creeping in and out of the limestone stone Wall on the G. Orme this morning. Ring Ouzel, 20 wheatear, 5 willow warbler, 3 tree pipit + 350 Meadow pipit too. I had no luck with the Corncrake heard by Steve Evans at 6.20am. #birdingwales #ukbirding

It’s that time of year again when birds are busy courting, mating and nest building. A great season to watch bird behaviour. This Avocet was busy marking out its territory and potential nest scrape at RSPB Middleton this week. #ukbirding

Couldn’t resist a detour to Ceredigion from Birmingham on my way home today! What a bird. Shorelark are like hen’s teeth in Wales these days. Whinchat, White Wags, Whitethroat, Sedge Warbler, Wheatears and Willow Warblers at Llanrhystyd too. #ukbirding #birdingwales

An enjoyable week exploring Middleton RSPB. White Stork, Yellow-legged Gull, Cuckoo, Garden Warbler, Yellow Wagtails, Jack Snipe, Avocets, LRPs, Dunlin, Ringed Plovers, Curlews, Black tailed Godwit, and great views of Bittern! #ukbirding

My favourite UK moth. 3 male Emperor moths came in to a lure at Pensychnant yesterday. What a moth!

A few days in Mid Wales saw some nice migration - Marsh Harrier flying north about half a Km offshore, Short eared Owl, 4 Little Ringed Plovers, hirundines, Wheatears lots of wader and Med Gull ring reading #birdingwales #ukbirding

This cracking looking Redpoll was on the Great Orme yesterday. I know Redpolls are ‘all one species’ but this one was very different to the local Lessers that breed in North Wales. A few like this are seen in April each year. Possible North Western or Icelandic breeder? #birdingwales #ukbirding

A few days on the Isle of Man last week 🇮🇲. Flocks of Chough, Eiders and Brent Geese, groups of Atlantic Grey Seals and an elusive Red-necked Wallaby. Wallaby has established itself on the island since 1972 with 600+ there now! #ukbirding

Great Orme migrants last week of March 2025 - a fine male Ring Ouzel, 7 Crossbills, several small groups of Redpoll amongst small numbers of migrant Pipits and finches. The local breeding birds such as Chough are putting on a show too #birdingwales #ukbirding

A weekend in Ceredigion, mid Wales. 3 Jack Snipe + 3 Great Egret at Tregaron, 21 Med Gulls amongst large numbers of BHG + Common Gulls at Llanrhystyd, inc. my first colour ring of the year. Always a thrill to see the first Wheatears arrive - a male on Tan-y-Bwlch beach. #ukbirding #birdingwales