There are so many images of the Western Reef Heron online, but here is my offering from last week at Foryd Bay. Image sharpener doing a lot of heavy lifting, I'm afraid.

I'm playing major 'catch up'! Late March with @birdinghaapsalu.bsky.social for @oriolebirding.bsky.social. This was my first visit to northern Europe at this time of year, flavour of birds was different. Photos of some of the highlights; Steller's Eiders, Pygmy Owl, Nutcracker and Ural Owl.

Flashes of beauty from Dan Mcgibbon stag do in Barcelona earlier this month; Wallcreeper and introduced Red-billed Leiothrix. Also enjoyed fantastic views of Lammergeier, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, and I will never tire of Griffon Vultures.

Russian White-fronts and Tundra Bean Geese still holding court at Boldon Flats this afternoon. The Beans eventually drifted off to the SE to forage nearby. Interesting (to me at least) how much more skittish they were around cars and passers-by. @durhambirdclub.bsky.social

Late afternoon jaunt to Seaham yesterday, the White-billed Diver was showing better than I had anticipated. Very glad I went, light was fading but you get the idea. That's at least 4 White-billed Divers in Durham within a week. @durhambirdclub.bsky.social

Enjoyable few days with @scillypelagics.bsky.social from 21st to 25th last month. I had never seen an adult Sabine's Gull so well, and this bird was absolutely pristine, so was it any wonder everyone on the boat was fawning over it? Absolute stunner. Plenty of Cory's and Great Shears too.

Mightily delayed post with some highlights from @oriolebirding.bsky.social Finland tour back in June. No two tours are the same, headlining act came from Great Grey Owl but Eurasian Eagle Owl in woodland was a treat! Point blank Garganey was left field and you can't tire of Siberian Jay.

We've just launched AviList! - the new unified global taxonomic checklist for the world's birds, developed through the Working Group on Avian Classification, including BirdLife, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, IOC and others @birdlifeglobal.bsky.social @birdsoftheworld.bsky.social www.avilist.org

When I tell non-birders that I haven't seen a House Martin this year they seem to grasp just how drastically the population must have dwindled. A lot of birders on the other hand, immediately tell me where I can see some, as if me ticking them off in my I-Spy book of birds is the important issue.

Ropey shot of the Song Sparrow from yesterday at Flamborough. That's two decent consecutive springs for transatlantic passerines on the North-East coast, with Dark-eyed Junco at Hartlepool during April last year and Indigo Bunting at Whitburn in May.

The 5 Dotterel currently at North Gare are proof positive that showy birds are always the most memorable. At one point they approached to within 15ft or so, they truly are fantastic waders.

Guiding for @oriolebirding.bsky.social in Mallorca last week. Fantastic scenery, weather, and of course birds. A flypast Caspian Tern at s'Albufera was a nice surprise, and 2 Slender-billed Gulls at Salobrar de Campos were unseasonal. Here are a few photos of just some of the highlights.

My phone scope picture of the drake Spectacled Eider from Thursday gone. Whilst I don't pursue a WP list, I've got no immediate plans to visit Alaska, so Texel (Netherlands) seemed a no-brainer. @alexanderlees.bsky.social has an excellent thread on this species vagrancy to the WP #SuperSeabirdSunday

I wasn't expecting this Jack Snipe to be present with so much standing water around since the weekend. Its hypothesised that this species has high site-fidelity, but its never actually been proven. There has been at least 1 Jack Snipe within roughly this same 5 square meters since start of November.

I can't actually remember the last Shorelark I saw in the county, so called in to see this smashing little individual at Seaton Snook this PM, it showed well and I managed excellent views of at least 100 Twite as they busied around the saltmarsh.

Got back from guiding in South Africa last week with an @oriolebirding.bsky.social group. Some fantastic birds seen over the two weeks, here are two species that emit a very different feel to anything we have here in Europe; Acadia Pied Barbet and Cape Sugarbird.

Looking like this platform is taking off nicely. Please don't be offended if I don't follow back or unfollow, the reason will be that I'm not on this platform in order to read about politics of any form. I'm here to read and talk about birds and wider ornithology. So please do not take offense.

This will be my first post on Bluesky! Getting a bit sick of all the bots on there now, and loads of nonsense I’m not on socials for. Redwings vocal over Sunderland this evening and inland today winter thrush flocks are getting there in terms of number.

I've created a new Feed to capture posts from north east England birders; Northumberland, Durham and Cleveland. This will hopefully help with passing on bird news of local interest. Tag your posts with #NEbirding Attached shows how to add a Feed to your Bluesky. See how this works out..!