I've taken on a couple of new WeBS @webs-gsmp.bsky.social sites this autumn, one hasn't been counted in my lifetime and the other was my childhood patch. Both had Great Egrets this weekend, unthinkable back in their/my day! #shropshirebirding @btobirds.bsky.social

A few glances outside #salopobs whilst getting ready for school and work confirmed today was another big pigeon day. I counted 5,400 heading SW in some massive flocks 0740-0750, but then we had to go 😟 What could have been... #vismig #ukbirding

A flood of 44,110 Woodpigeons past #salopobs this morning was a new site and county record, and almost overwhelming at times. 5 Egyptian Geese high east were a bit of a surprise #vismig #ukbirding

It was great to spend a few days in the west Norfolk wildlands recently, with spectacular numbers and variety of birds #landscaperecovery #ukbirding

Flock of 21 Whoopers went WNW past us in Lincs this morning on a direct line from Welney to the Ribble... #migration #climatechange #ukbirding

Masterful use of the headwind by one of today's Sunk Island Hen Harriers #loveautumn #ukbirding

Woodpigeons on the move again on this beautiful sunny morning: 18,800 flew SW at #salopobs along with 1,240 Starlings, Chaffinches, Skylarks and a few more thrushes #loveautumn #vismig #ukbirding

Lots of colourful circles in the sky over #Shropshire today. Lunar halo and fireworks over Church Stretton and a late afternoon rainbow over the Wrekin #atmosphericoptics #ukweather #stormhour

Cackling Goose at Nerabus, Islay this afternoon. Very dark brown and nice little gular stripe fits tavernii?

After a few days away, this morning's #vismig was headlined by 426 Chaffinches +Brambling, 4,430 Woodies and 620 Starlings. All under the, er, watchful eye of the zombie Fallow buck 👀 #salopobs

The cruelty of bird migration laid bare at Cley this morning as a tired Woodcock reached the end of its sea crossing to be met by a hungry Peregrine. Knocked into the water the Woodcock ultimately succumbed to the rough breakers while the Peregrine left with just a tail feather. #NorfolkBirding

Another great #salopobs morning with 61 species recorded including 💥19,120💥 Woodpigeons SW, 2 Great Egrets, Brambling +225 Chaffinches, 79 Fieldfares, 2,310 LBBGs... ebird.org/checklist/S2... #vismig #ukbirding

Yay. Priceless. The right column at the right time. And a gleefully English two fingers to the haters.

A magical morning at #salopobs (even though I overslept 🤦🏻‍♂️) with 4 Whoopers SE (obs yeartick 128), a Great Egret high south, 10,060 Woodies, 20 Crossbills, double Gos 😍 ebird.org/checklist/S2... #loveautumn #vismig #ukbirding

Finally a clear spell and two comets from the garden! Comet C/2025 A6 Lemmon🍋 looking great near Arcturus in the west, and the slightly less inspiring Comet C/2025 R2 Swan🦢 near the Milky Way #comet #astrophotography

It's Woodpigeon time again! Great morning at #salopobs headlined by 10,460 Woodies heading SW along with the first Brambling of the year and 248 Chaffinches. 2,520 LBBGs out of roost tried to distract, and the juv Gos looked as overwhelmed as I felt! ebird.org/checklist/S2... #ukbirding #vismig

Checked in on the country's largest LBBG roost last night as 9,380 poured onto The Mere, #Ellesmere at dusk along with a handful of accompaniments. Great to engage with fascinated passers-by too 😍 #lovegulls #shropshirebirding #ukbirding

Failed to intercept the Northern Bottlenose Whale in the Humber off Immingham today. Had to make do with a Shag #lincsbirding #humberbirds

All the 8s... 18/8 to the MV today of which TEN were Figure of Eights, a record count of this declining moth #salopmoths #teammoth #vc40

Figure of 72 on the wall by the mothtrap just now! (that's 9 x Figure of 8!) #salopmoths #teammoth

Found Shangri-larid on the Shropshire Cheshire border today. A tired migrant Jack Snipe tried to distract us from the 3,000 LBBGs and 8+YLGs, before handing the baton to 1,231 Pinks 🤩 #gullsandgeese #shropshirebirding #ukbirding

Merveille du Jour playing dead by the mothtrap this evening. Natural selection at its best #salopmoths #teammoth

Merlin, Snipe and a handful of Redwings flew in off the sea at Rossall this morning, some of the latter absolutely exhausted, maybe having overshot and come back? #migration #lancsbirding #ukbirding

A bird-filled day on the Fylde started well with a Black-throated Diver close in off Fleetwood, and ended with 5,000 Pinks (27% juvs in a sample of 318) and 56 Whooper Swans #lancsbirding #ukbirding

Cappuccino for Tom was the highlight of 18/10 to the MV this morning. Love the viking/antelope horns #salopmoths #teammoth

Happy one year anniversary of the night the #aurora turned the Shropshire countryside red 💥💃💥 This was the view to the east from the field in front of #salopobs, just before a flock of Common Scoter peeped overhead 🤯

Figure of 24 and a cheeky Merv around the #mothtrap already this evening #salopmoths #teammoth

Our autumn newsletter has just been sent to BTO members and supporters in Shropshire. It opens with a great account by @saloplarus.bsky.social of an aerial survey of nesting gulls in Shrewsbury, and also has lots of local BTO news. It's online here: padlet.com/martin690/bi... #ShropshireBirding

Caught up with the delightful little adult Ross's Goose at Marshside RSPB, sleeping the afternoon away with Canadas and Greylags... No sign of the reported Todd's nearby, just 115 canadensis with the Pinks. Wheatear and Whoopers on Banks Marsh but no AGP for me... #lancsbirding #ukbirding #goosing

I will always remember answering the phone at RBA that day: "Rare Bird Alert, Tom speaking" "Hi Tom, it's Eric. There's a Blue-winged Warbler on Cape" "W...... b...... th..... mmph" "I know." I saw it the next day. What a bird

Thought #shropshirebirding (and #salopobs) might have finally got in on the ibis influx this morning when an all too distant and brief candidate flew SE down the Severn, but a check of likely spots produced nothing better than this creamy juv Red Kite 😕 #ukbirding

The first Large Wainscot of the year maintained our garden as the most reliable spot in the county for it. Also the first Figure of 8 and an always lovely Canary-shouldered Thorn #teammoth #salopmoths

#Cloud lapping against the #LongMynd this morning, #Weather

Numbers rising nicely in the roost at The Mere, #Ellesmere with 15 YLGs amongst 8,300 LBBGs tonight #shropshirebirding #ukbirding

Quick check of a tractor-induced gull flock on the way to the shop produced a 2cy #CaspianGull, which was nice #shropshirebirding w3w///twitching.rave.sheds

Saturday sunrise and Sunday sunset from #salopobs. Great weekend 🍂💚😎

Pre-release photoshoot of yesterday's Clifden Nonpareil 💙 Such amazing creatures, hard to believe they're a possibility in our domestic mothtraps #teammoth

A marvellous mothtrap of 84 today with large, luscious and late highlights: the awesome Clifden Nonpareil, a brace of the always stunning Merveille du Jour, and a rare second brood Swallow-tailed Moth 💥 #teammoth #salopmoths

Today was the day! Really hoped we'd trap a Clifden this year 💙 #teammoth

Find of the day, this extraordinary albino Brown Hare 🐇

When a friend suggests a trip up the #LongMynd on a cold, clear equinox night, always say yes! What a night, so clear! Went for the stars, stayed for the #aurora 💖💚 Thanks @csmaff.bsky.social ✨️ #astrophotography #MilkyWay

A juvenile Hobby was the highlight of a glorious autumn morning at #salopobs along with freeze-dried Swallows, a couple of Chiffchaffs, and the first Redpoll of the year

Happy #AutumnEquinox 🍂 Stunning frosty, misty morning at #salopobs, coldest September morning for about 5 years! ❄️ #loveautumn

Our old oak tree and a sky full of stars tonight ✨️ #MilkyWay #newmoon #coldfront #darkskies #astrophotography

Beautiful autumnal 🍂 morning today at #salopobs began with flushing a Wheatear off the garage at first light, the first of two, and the year's first c25 Pinks NW over Shrewsbury #vismig #ukbirding

With maybe only 4 or 5 Shropshire records, this Delicate was the clear highlight of this morning's haul. Lots of autumn colour otherwise 🍂 #teammoth #vc40 #loveautumn @migrantmothuk.bsky.social

Black Rustic, one of the best moths of the year and a real harbinger of the autumn equinox 😍 (aka the Toothless moth, for young fans of How to Train Your Dragon) 🖤 #teammoth #loveautumn

To the meres tonight hoping for storm-driven waifs, and hit the jackpot with a juv 💥SABINE'S💥 on The Mere, #Ellesmere 🤩 Just the 3rd modern #shropshirebirding record! It stayed to roost alongside an adult #CaspianGull, 10 YLGs & 5,400 LBBGs #happydays #loveautumn #ukbirding

It's always nice when little old #shropshirebirding gets in on one of these influxes everyone else goes on about. Grey Phal on a pond 2mls from my front door this morning #ukbirding

A busy couple of days around Sunk Island/Stone Creek produced a juv Osprey sharing blue skies with Pinks, a couple of YLGs, masses of juvenile raptors, hundreds of vismig hirundines and finches, 5 juv Curlew Sands, and that brief Buff-breast 😍 #yorkshirebirding #loveautumn