More Short-eared Owl pics from yesterday afternoon on the Dee Estuary.

Nipped over to England today @rspbburtonmere.bsky.social where nice to see a Willow Tit - very agitated due to the presence of a Stoat! Also Lesser Whitethroat (possibly Siberian). Finished off at Little Neston where at least fabulous 5 Short-eared Owls hunting across the marshes.

Final proofs of @birdsinwales.bsky.social Welsh Bird Report 2024 uploaded to the printer in Treorchy. Many thanks to Ian Spence for his design work and Alun Lambert for the cover photo. Christmas holidays mean that it won't arrive with members until next month, but hopefully worth waiting for...

One of four #Turnstones feeding around puddles in the car park at Pensarn Beach this afternoon, catching the last rays of sunshine. #birdingWales @waderstudy.bsky.social

I’ve created a North Wales Birds 2026 Calendar using my favourite photos from the past year. £10 each includes postage. Message me if you’d like one. Pics from Great Orme, Connah’s Quay, Cilcain, Gronant, Anglesey, Bardsey (cover). A4 & plenty of space to write on 😀. #birdingWales #northwales

Pleasantly suprised to see six Pale-bellied Brent Geese feeding on the saltmarsh quite close to the beach car park at Point of Ayr. This area is often used for dog walking but thankfully it was undisturbed for much of this afternoon. No sign of the Bufflehead, though. #birdingWales

Exciting to catch up with the drake Bufflehead that graced Point of Ayr #RSPB over high tide today. No sign of rings & behaving like a wild bird. @rspbcymru.bsky.social @britishbirds.bsky.social #birdingWales @birdsinwales.bsky.social @rspbburtonmere.bsky.social @penrhynbirder.bsky.social

Black-headed Gull with a shrew captured as the high tide flushed small mammals from the saltmarsh at Flint Castle, Dee Estuary. Jack Snipe (record shot) flushed by the rising tide, then landing in grass within the castle for a few minutes before heading off up the estuary. #birdingWales

#Curlews feeding on pasture beside the Dee Estuary at high tide this morning. This one has an impressive bill - must be a female. @birdingWales @birdsinwales.bsky.social @curlewaction.bsky.social

#Curlew feeding at very low tide at Llandullas this afternoon. 4000+ Common Scoter offshore, plus two Surf Scoter - adult drake and a 'female type' - quite a long way out & diving synchronously much of the time. Also Kingsfisher hunting the rock pools. #birdingWales

Back in October I was delighted to achieve a 'highly commended' with my winter #Fieldfare in the @birdsinwales.bsky.social photo competition☺️ & presented with a WOS calendar by @iolowilliams.bsky.social at the annual conference in Aberystwyth. @omsystem.bsky.social

male #Sparrowhawk in lovely late afternoon light - Dee Estuary. #birdingWales

Willow Tit at Llyn Brenig this morning. Visting feeders near the visitor centre, but also foraging in the trees nearby. #birdingWales @richardkbroughton.bsky.social

Male Reed Bunting and Stonechat feeding on/from Reedmace at Gronant Dunes this morning. 46 species seen, including a female/immature Merlin, two Marsh Harriers and a flock of Sanderling that included a one-legged bird hopping along the beach! #birdingWales

North Norfolk today. Hume’s Leaf Warbler & Barn Owl @ Holme NOA; Pallas’s Warbler @ RSPB Titchwell where also at least 6 fabulous Firecrests. Fab day to be out in the field despite the chill wind.

@rspbframptonmarsh.bsky.social this PM. Stonechats finding hairy caterpillars; eastern-type Chiffchaff & huge flock of Golden Plover gathered towards dusk. Highlight was a male Hen Harrier hunting the saltmarsh late on. Site has been incredibly dry; starting to look like a wetland again 😀

Another angle on the Shorelark at Great Orme yesterday. It landed for a few minutes on the cairn above the cliffs from where it had a good view of the assembled birders! #birdingWales

'Larking Around!' Second time lucky for me with the Great Orme Shore Lark this morning. @birdsinwales.bsky.social #birdingWales

A couple of distinctive-looking leucistic #Oystercatchers at Gronant yesterday. Very attractive-looking birds too. #birdingWales

Some of the #Natterjack Toad breeding pools at Gronant have been freshly scraped to rejuvenate them for the next breeding season. Nice to see them filled with water. @arc-trust.bsky.social @cofnod.org.uk

My first Snow Bunting of the year feeding at the top of the beach at Gronant this morning. Gorgeous sunny weather - couple of Skylarks singing! @birdsinwales.bsky.social #birdingWales

Worrying reports of bird flu (avian influenza) are coming in, including an outbreak in Whooper Swans in the Fens. Other waterbirds are also being affected, and cases are rising. 📷 Sick Whooper Swan by Kane Brides #UKBirding #BirdingWales #BirdingScotland

Grey Plover fly-past at Point of Ayr yesterday - in final stages of wing moult. Nice to capture those black 'arm-pit' feathers. @birdsinwales.bsky.social #birdingWales

An excellent crop of Yew berries this autumn is attracting plenty of thrushes, finches and Starlings. Cilcain. @birdsinwales.bsky.social #birdingWales

📣📸 2025 Photography Competition Winner - Dave Parry Enillydd Cystadleuaeth Ffotograffiaeth 2025 - Dave Parry 🎉 Llongyfarchiadau!

Two juvenile #Sanderlings at Point of Ayr yesterday, the one of the left still has most of the juvenile feathers, the one on the right has a nice fresh set of grey scapulars. @birdsinwales.bsky.social #birdingWales

This flock of Eider was the hightlight of a couple of hours at Point of Ayr over high tide in windy conditions. Also nice views of Sanderling and Rock Pipit on the beach. @birdsinwales.bsky.social #birdingWales

Spent some time looking at gulls on the Dee Estuary during the falling tide this pm and picked out a 2nd winter Mediterranean Gull, still quite a scarce bird in these parts. @birdsinwales.bsky.social #birdingWales

Want to have a quick 'guesstimate' of the size of this Linnet flock at Flint Castle this morning? Just counted them up. Only part of the flock too! @birdsinwales.bsky.social

Huge flock of #Linnets at Flint Castle this morning, struggling to estimate how many - possibly c.500 - going to check photos in more detail. Also: 5 Great White Egrets, 100s Redshanks, 10s of Dunlins, Knots, Black-tailed Godwits; 2 Barwits and a Turnstone. #birdingWales @birdsinwales.bsky.social

#Porpoises from Point of Ayr this morning, Hilbre Island in the background. Two of three seen. Seeing them quite regularly along the coast of North Wales when the sea is nice and calm. @whalesorg.bsky.social @cofnod.org.uk

Two Arctic Terns (adult and a first year) paused for a while on the beach at Point of Ayr this morning. Heavily cropped pic of the adult. #birdingWales @birdsinwales.bsky.social

Upper Thames Curlew Partnership Crowdfunder has hatched! Target £25k in 6 weeks. Please support and share widely. Thank you. @birdguides.bsky.social @btobirds.bsky.social @curlewaction.bsky.social #Curlews @sheldonbirds.bsky.social @bbcoxford.bsky.social www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-us-sa...

Fab day on the Great Orme - autumnal feel with arrivals of Redwings and Fieldfares & a few Brambling. Best bird was a Lapland Bunting feeding on seeds in the short turf of the limestone pavement. A couple of Firecrests, found by @marcbuzzard.bsky.social, rounded off the day nicely! #birdsinwales

Another visit to Flint Castle on the Dee Estuary this afternoon. Very pleasantly surprised to find 14 juvenile Curlew Sandpipers. Some were feeding in a group of up to 7, others mixed in with Dunlin, Knot and Redshank. Really good autumn for them. #birdingwales @birdsinwales.bsky.social

Three species of heron searching for food on the falling tide this afternoon, on the Dee Estuary near Flint Castle. @birdsinwales.bsky.social #birdingwales

Rewarding seawatch at Point of Ayr this morning, with a single Leach’s Petrel and 3 Arctic Skuas including these two very dark chocolate brown juveniles. Beautiful markings. Glad I had my camera at the ready when they flew along the beach. #birdingwales @birdsinwales.bsky.social

A highlight of my recent trip to Scotland were huge numbers of newly arrived Pink-footed Geese and a Snow Goose near Loch of Strathbeg. Good numbers of Barnacle Geese too. Heavily cropped image!

Fungi season in the garden, including Parrot Waxcap. ID by Seek App. @cofnod.org.uk

Spending a few days birding in Scotland. Fab day at Musselburgh on Thursday with brill views of the juvenile Marsh Sandpiper and nice range of waders and sea duck. A couple of Roe Deer wandered across the pools too!

Sunrise on the Great Orme this morning ☀️ #northwales

Great light for photography this morning and a very large flock of #Goldfinches at Connah's Quay nature reserve were busy feeding on Burdock and Teasel seeds. @birdsinwales.bsky.social #birdingWales

Chuffed to find a Grey Phalarope at Point of Ayr this morning, feeding in shallow water along the shoreline at high tide. Also my first three Pink-footed Geese of autumn, a drake Eider, and juvenile Curlew Sandpiper. #birdingWales @birdsinwales.bsky.social

Juvenile Pectoral Sandpiper showing nicely at the Clwyd Estuary this morning, present for a few days now. Also a Black Tern, briefly, flying up the river. Other juvenile waders included two Bart-tailed Godwits and five Knot. #birdingWales @birdsinwales.bsky.social

Exciting seawatch from Splash Point, Rhyl this morning produced my first 3 Leach's Petrels in NE Wales; supporting cast incl. Arctic Skuas. app.bto.org/birdtrack/pu... & nice to see an adult (top) and juvenile Greenshank feeding together @ Clwyd Estuary #birdingWales @birdsinwales.bsky.social

Seems to be good numbers of juvenile waders this autumn - noticeably more than last year- including Icelandic Black-tailed Godwits. This juvenile flew close by West Hide at Connah's Quay today.

Juvenile Sandwich Tern Yellow E98 at Rhos Point on Friday - has travelled down from Forvie NNR, Ythan Estuary, Aberdeenshire where it was ringed as a chick on 28 June. @birdsinwales.bsky.social #birdingWales @btocymru.bsky.social

One of two juvenile Little Stints on the beach at Gronant Dunes this morning. Really nice to see the first tranche of young waders arriving along the North Wales coast in the past few days. #birdingWales @birdsinwales.bsky.social

A rare foray by a Grey Squirrel onto mudflats at the Dee Estuary earlier this week. Soon realised it's mistake!

Eleven Spoonbills feeding and roosting on the Dee Estuary at Parkgate this morning. Most appear to be young birds and one adult with a white Darvic ring NCCT - Ringed at Ventjagersplaten, just south of Rotterdam, Netherlands, in June 2022 as a chick (info: Dee Estuary Birding’s August newsletter).