So beautiful today on the #LongMynd #ChurchStretton #Shropshire #snow @thephotohour.bsky.social @snowhour.bsky.social

"Only" 152 Russian Whitefronts on the Fylde today, roosting amongst 9,500 Pinks in Morecambe Bay, dropping in as single species flocks at dusk 😍 #goosing #lancsbirding

Some excellent goose watching in North Norfolk over the last week. A notable influx of White-fronted, Barnacle and Tundra Bean Geese joining the Pinkfeet flocks. The Netherlands is most likely the origin of these birds. Certainly livened up the grey weather.

461 Russian Whitefronts across three flocks on the Fylde today along with 57 Barnacles, 5,000+ Pinks, 4 ad Bewick's and 500+ Whoopers 🦢 #goosing #lancsbirding #ukbirding

Back to the gull field north of Shrewsbury this morning where a new 2cy #CaspianGull didn't show me its yellow ring until it flew off, and the Viking was back again #lovegulls #shropshirebirding

Go on then, some more of the stunning Russian Whitefronts just outside Telford at Crudgington Moor #shropshirebirding. Name that Shropshire birder currently on shore leave 🤔

Fantastic morning #shropshirebirding started with 10 Russian Whitefronts southbound from #salopobs 🥳, then another visit to the epic frontage at Crudgington Moor: 💥276💥 RWFGs looking stunning as ever with a side order of near-ad #CaspianGull and 3 Great Egrets 🤩 #goosing #ukbirding

Great work by the team behind the latest Shropshire Bird Report, many of whom are also BTO volunteer surveyors. County bird reports are a great practical example of BTO's strap line: birds, science, people.

I needed these today after reading about the grim Greenland Whitefront situation. Popped over to see an excellent flock of 40 Russian Whitefronts and left having seen 💥194💥! The highest #shropshirebirding count since the demise of the wintering flock in late 70s! #goosing ebird.org/checklist/S2...

As the Russian Whitefront invasion intensifies with a wave of new birds further east, the #shropshirebirding flock of 5 swelled to 40 this morning. I arrived to find 127 on Crudgington Moor and flocks of 49 and 18 passed overhead to the east! Absolutely incredible scenes 😍 #ukbirding

I caught this bird the day the day it arrived (17th) and it stayed until 25th. It was then seen on 28th 289km away in Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh. It would seem that the regular wintering bird at both locations is actually the same bird….🤯 🪶📷 Ronan Owens @birdguides.bsky.social @btobirds.bsky.social

Shades of grey on a Pyewipe fish factory roof today: some stunning northern argentatus and a probable hybrid #lovegulls #lincsbirding 🪶

Old haunts and a couple of old friends this afternoon 😍 #yorkshirebirding

A calm night amongst all the wind and rain this week saw lots of early season #owl activity at #salopobs including this pair of Barn Owls 🪶🦉🎙 #nocmig macaulaylibrary.org/asset/649903...

This fancy character was goose of the day on the Fylde today. Also a fine pair of Russian Whitefronts and a couple of Barnacles amongst 7,000+ Pinks #lancsbirding #goosing

With all the minutus excitement, I'd missed the fact that tonight's count of 720 Common Gulls appears to have been the highest in #shropshirebirding for c20 years. A far cry from the 5,000 recorded in 1993, but still significant #lovegulls

Arrived early for the roost at The Mere #Ellesmere this pm and delighted to find an ad Little Gull on the first scan! Turns out southeasterlies and rain produce the goods in all months! Flew west at 1640 but 2 Meds roosted with 4,300 BHGs, 720 Commons, 360 HGs, 960 LBBGs, 3 YLGs #shropshirebirding

I normally err towards pale northern Herring, but this beauty on the north side of Shrewsbury this morning looked smooth, pale and Glaucy enough to be a Viking #lovegulls #shropshirebirding

Surprise of the day: this beautiful Long-tailed Duck just landed right in front of me on the Ribble just west of the entrance to Preston Dock before continuing upstream at 1340 #lancsbirding

Good to see #shropshirebirding getting in on some twitchable Russian Whitefronts at last, with 4 adults and a 2cy found yesterday on Crudgington Moor floods and still present on my way home today

Like a live @jamesrmccallum1.bsky.social painting, 3,750 Pinks started their day SE of Swinefleet on Puddiners this morning and I picked out 8+ Tundra Beans (5ads 3juvs) amongst them 😍 #yorkshirebirding

A few more shots of last night's epic #aurora. The pulsating green blobs way to the south were amazing to watch. Yet another once-in-a-lifetime night... 💚 #Shropshire #astrophotography

I hope you've been outside tonight. This was the view SOUTH from #salopobs about an hour ago as vivid, naked eye, ground-lighting #aurora pulsated across the #Shropshire sky. Strongest stats ever recorded by my favourite app! And could be more to come ❤️😎💚

An interesting example of "don't age a gull by its bare parts": 14+ year-old N03R was ringed in Malaga in Feb 2012 and seen in Madrid in Feb/Mar 2013 before shifting its wintering habits to Telford #shropshirebirding since 2019 #lovegulls #ukbirding

The International Swan Census takes place this weekend, 17-18 January. If you record any Bewick's or Whooper Swans in BirdTrack this weekend please consider adding details of the number of adults and juveniles, habitat and location pinpoint. Alternatively, please DM the details. #ShropshireBirds

Nice day of sightings in #Malaga, two Caspian gull and one possible Baltic #gulls #Teamgull yuhuuuuuuu!

The week of full Pink immersion therapy came to an end today. Good to see Paul Ellis's Tundra Bean, and nice to complete the set with this presumed Taiga: large amd swaggery, long-necked, lots of orange on the bill with white around the base... diagnostic, yeah?! 🧐 #lancsbirding #goosing

Slim pickings amongst 9,700 Pinks in a thorough search Over Wyre this afternoon, just 2 Barnies, but great views, and a couple of Cattle Egrets kept spirits up #lancsbirding

Quality #wildfowl Over Wyre this afternoon: 2 Barnacles with Pinks at Scronkey, ad Russian Whitefront with 2300 Pinks at Eagland Hill, 2cy Greenland Whitefront and the pair of Bewick's with Whoopers and Greylags at Cockerham. Love it 😎 #lancsbirding

Not sure I've ever seen an American Wigeon as well as the Ribble one. Even better when the sun came out this afternoon. Couldn't find the nearby Myerscough drake late on though #lancsbirding #wildfowl

The 2cy drake American Wigeon is still on the Ribble at the end of Howick Cross Lane at 0815 with 40 Wigeon w3w///below.dinner.path #lancsbitding #workbirding

Started the day with another look at #shropshirebirding female Lesser Scaup at Ellesmere and ended it with great views of the new #lancsbirding 2cy drake American Wigeon on the Ribble

The new Shrewsbury gullspot was on fire today, a new green-ringed 3cy #CaspianGull along with last week's 4cy and adult, and an interfering Fox and 6 YLGs #shropshirebirding

Another gorgeous winter day today in #Shropshire, from a misty start over the snowfields to snowy Shrewsbury and world-class sledging in Church Stretton until dusk #lovewhereyoulive #uksnow

Remarkably monochrome at #salopobs this morning. Kestrel hunting in the garden, flocks of thrushes overhead, tree down in the lane and the power finally came back on this evening #uksnow #ukbirding

Inches of snow in a couple of hours, a couple of big blue flashes ⚡️ and then the power went off #uksnow #stormgoretti #Shropshire

Stopped at my current favourite muddy gateway on the way home and was greeted by this fine 3cy #CaspianGull along with 6 YLGs, 210 HGs and 450 LBBGs #shropshirebirding

Bit of a treat in the car headlights this evening 👀 #phonescoped #seo #ukbirding 🪶

The lunar terminator looked good this morning in the cold crisp air, the Mare Crisium crater resembling a massive eye staring out from the Moon #phonescoped #moon

Thrushy magic in the #salopobs garden between jobs today, amazing what a bit of snow will do

Snow day made a nice end to the Christmas holidays today. Amazed to have the slopes to ourselves! #LongMynd #Shropshire #uksnow

Cracking Larid flock at Battlefield late pm thanks to @saloplarus.bsky.social for the heads up. A fine 3w Caspian Gull the best I could see with nice flight views thanks to Maitre renard. At least 2 YLG too. #shopshirebirding #larid 🪶

There's not much better than gulls in the snow. A new larid hotspot just outside Shrewsbury today held 4cy and adult #CaspianGull, 10 YLGs and a 2cy GBBG amongst 225 Herrings and 980 LBBGs 🤩 #happydays #shropshirebirding

"Just" 3 Russian Whitefronts with the south Cheshire Pinks today, but there were 2,585 Pinks in the flock! On my old patch, 20+ miles from the nearest traditional roosts! Still amazes me 😍 #lovebirds #ukbirding

Moonfest from the garden tonight. Wolf Moon, Jupiter and its four Galilean moons all lined up 🔭🌝 #astrophotography #wolfmoon #phonescoped

Snow on the hills and a record-smashing 3,230 LBBGs out of roost past #salopobs this morning #ukbirding #uksnow

One of the first birds of the year at #salopobs was this stunning juv Gos that was eventually chased off by the Crows (shame it was too dark and dank for a decent photo). 52 species so far in 2026 #lowcarbonbirding #ukbirding

Happy New Year! 2025 was another record year at #salopobs with ✨️128✨️ species recorded (10 nocmig only), including 3 new ticks (GCGrebe, Avocet and Gannet!) bringing the overall total to 💥150💥 Three Bittern nights, Quail, Ospreys, Scoters... #happydays

Last watch of 2025 at #salopobs this evening produced roost flights of Great Egret, 2 Mandarin, 13 Red Kites and 2,450 LBBGs. Not bad at all. Rare geese must be waiting for 2026... #ukbirding #newyearseve

Hot on the heels of the Lesser Scaup, this dinky Richardson's Cackling Goose vied for the title of Shropshire's bird of the year by the Severn at Atcham this morning... in the same Canada flock in the same spot as the 2019 Greenland Whitefront 🤔✅️ #shropshirebirding