A few interesting arrivals this morning at Lytchett Bay. Tufted Duck over, first of year for us. 3 Avocet, 1 Bar Wit, 4 Whimbrel and a Cuckoo so far. @harbourbirds.bsky.social @ianballam.bsky.social

A warning to Poole birders 😀 There may be a few more strange looking Shelduck appearing over the coming months as one of the Hybrid birds that have been around a couple of years has bred with a standard bird! 5 normal looking(at moment) ducklings in Lytchett Bay @harbourbirds.bsky.social

britainsfavouritebutterfly.co.uk/butterfly/or... Orange-tip Always a joy, lifts the spirit every time.

NEW BLOG, following up our recent video: how to how to submit records of rare breeding birds rbbp.org.uk/2026/05/15/s...

@narwhalsh.bsky.social and @ianballam.bsky.social would have been in hospital for a week if they had this list during a LB visit just 5-years ago. How times change!

I was looking at a Lemon-rumped Warbler when I saw a moving orange, red, white image moving through the grass behind. "TRAGOPAN". Then it walked slowly across the track 😲. Temminks 📷 by @birdingvet.bsky.social Then 1 hour later Blyths Tragopan, great work by Rofeeq Islam. 2 Tragopan morning 😁😁😁

By submitting records of rare breeding birds, you can help inform their conservation. Don’t know how to submit records? Don’t worry, here’s RBBP Secretary @markaeaton.bsky.social to tell you how youtu.be/MWNq_JM9cZU?... #UKbirding #ornithology #birds

Unexpected addition to garden list. Wheatear sitting on neighbours roof. 😁

Dodgy record shots of Forster's Tern in Lytchett Bay today illustrate extent of moult into breeding plum & developing red base to bill. Nonetheless whiteness of upperparts, orange-red legs & feet and long tail streamers make this bird a standout. @harbourbirds.bsky.social @ianballam.bsky.social

Forsters Tern, now in 90% breeding plumage feeding in Lytchett Bay. @harbourbirds.bsky.social

It has reached lunchtime and my timeline is inexplicably devoid of #Bluethroat photos. Good job I finally cracked and popped out to see it for the first time this morning. 🤣 Nikon Bridge performing as well as the bird in early morning light. #Dorsetbirds

Volume up! The shorebird migration at Donggang, on the border of China and North Korea, is spectacular and is now a major tourist attraction. It's easy to see why... Best times are either side of spring high tides. #eaafp #shorebirds #migration #china #northkorea

Bluethroat still present at Swineham. Was just feeding halfway along path at eastern end then flew into Reed bed area. @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social @birdguides.bsky.social

1st yr Bonaparte’s Gull here in a large field with BHGs now - Briantspuddle, Dorset @birdguides.bsky.social

News has reached us of people trespassing at the Woodsford Garganey to get a better view or a better picture. This is an active working quarry & risks disturbing a rare breeding species. It also dissuades finders from releasing bird news. A lose, lose, lose situation. Please lets up our game.

Nice to find this White-spotted Bluethroat at Swineham this evening feeding with 3-4 Stonechat @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social @birdguides.bsky.social 📸 Ed Betteridge

Just dropped through my Dorset letterbox this morning. Great work by all involved, plenty of art to add to the excellent photos. If the web has drawn you away from County bird reports & bird clubs, have a rethink. They are an essential part of our birding communities culture 🙏

A couple of better shots of todays 1st record of Large Tortoiseshell for Lytchett Bay (these from my camera rather than my phone!!)

Occasionally you get lucky taking flight shots with a bridge camera. Just to show its not impossible..... Long staying Ad Little Gull showing well at Lytchett Bay this morning. Its a beaut. #Dorsetbirds

Home after an amazing time in wonderful Japan. I said it before and I will say it again. Where did we go wrong? The last part of our trip was around Tokyo and included a trip out to the Izu Islands. A must do at this time of year for the chance of an albatross spectacular on the return ferry.

Is this the biggest ever single species count on eBird? Gobsmacking photos of an estimated 2.75M Snow Geese in North Dakota (HT @evornithology.bsky.social) ebird.org/checklist/S2...

Visit to eastern Hokkaido complete. The weather and temperatures were on the whole very kind. Seeing the eagles on the drift ice is one of THE wildlife spectacles of our amazing planet. Life is very tough up here in winter so the birding was all about quality rather than quantity.

The Woodpecker Network is encouraging birders to detect Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers by using passive acoustic sound recorders:

And my last Kyushu post goes to another town embracing & protecting "their" iconic species. Reminded me of home & the work done by @harbourbirds.bsky.social in making Poole & Osprey two words that lie expectedly in the same sentence. Kadogawa & Japanese Murrelet. This vulnerable alcid is celebrated.

The real draw in Kyushu for a birder are the Cranes, c14,000 of them wintering around Izumi alone. 6 species were possible, we found 5. Missing the single Demoiselle that is somewhere in the feeding flocks. In addition to a single figure number of Common here are the others.....

Our time in Kyushu, Japan has come to an end. Loved it all. Nagasaki memorial 😥,Great weather and some tremendous birding.

Fab morning @careyssecretgarden.bsky.social Migration Festival Part Two Had a chance to learn more about bird ringing with @harbourbirds.bsky.social & hear from Chris Packham & Megan McGubbin about bird slaughter in Malta & Cyprus & recent work against North Dorset Hunt www.operationdeadair.org

Mammals in Honshu were thin on the ground but quality was high. The Japanese Macaque (aka Snow Monkeys) might be a tourist bun fight but they are unmissable and a lot of fun. Japanese Serow and Japanese Racoon Dog were more surprising and very welcome.

End of Honshu (Japan) leg, part 1. Super enjoyable. Safe, friendly, clean, efficient, respectful country. Where did we go wrong? Birding has been lovely with lots of palearctic migrants. Almost all target species seen. Copper Pheasants (no pics 😥), Crested Ibis, Japanese Waxwings chief among them.

Rolling back the years... #UKBirding

Early days in Japan & wasn't expecting so much snow so soon. Special to seen this iconic species though. Well worth the trip out to Sado. #CrestedIbis now doing incredibly well having been rescued from Japanese extinction with re-introduction project. The whole island has embraced their return.

BREAKING: A Gamekeeper has pleaded guilty in England’s first-ever Hen Harrier persecution case. Covert video and audio gathered lawfully by the RSPB Investigations team has helped expose the deliberate targeting of a Hen Harrier, leading to a landmark guilty plea: www.rspb.org.uk/whats-happen... 👈

There are few Baikal Teal (Sibirionetta formosa 花脸鸭 Huāliǎn yā) wintering at the Yellow River estuary in Shandong Province. Photo by "菜小hua". #birds #china #yellowriver

Please spread this far and wide, as stories don't get much bigger than this. When the government blocks even the intelligence services from telling us we're heading for environmental catastrophe, you know we have a problem. A very big problem. Thank you. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Tears of joy! SCOTLAND HAS JUST PASSED SWIFT BRICKS INTO LAW unanimously! 4 years of asking England & Scotland sorts it in a month led by ACE ⁦‪ MARK RUSKELL MSP‬⁩ ♥️The RELIEF is unreal! Tell England to follow 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿by emailing [email protected] now!WOOP!

Delighted to share the Lytchett Bay Bird and Wildlife Report for 2025. Thanks to @lytchettbirder.bsky.social for non-bird taxa, @harbourbirds.bsky.social for hosting & @markwright12002.bsky.social for cover pic. www.birdsofpooleharbour.co.uk/wp-content/u...

Raining so hard for the #Biggardenbirdwatch. Birds were heading for the Ark!! They came 2 by 2 😁 2x Blackcap, Firecrest, Bullfinch, Nuthatch, Great Spot Wood! Also more quality thanks to our regular Cettis 😁 #Dorsetbirds

We were at Lytchett Fields RLV on New Year's Eve and this Fox walked straight past the Marsh Harrier, feet away! They didn't seem interested in each other at all. (Dodgy phone held up to scope photo) @narwhalsh.bsky.social @ianballam.bsky.social @harbourbirds.bsky.social #LytchettBay

Bearded Reedling in full splits position this morning at Lytchett Heath

Pretty chuffed to find a drake Smew at Brand's Bay, Poole Harbour this morning. c 30 secs later @moorebirdsbybike.bsky.social picked up its redhead mate nearby! First drake in Dorset since one on this exact date in 2008, apparently 😯. Enjoyed/ticked by many local birders. @harbourbirds.bsky.social

Watching these beautiful Greater White-fronted Geese, hoping for the Tundra Bean Geese to arrive, and eventually they did! A lifer for me and 13th addition to my Dorset life list during 2025! Lytchett Bay WeBS on Sunday! @harbourbirds.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social #DorsetBirds #ukbirding

A belated Christmas present from @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social has just arrived. Something to keep me busy reading in the coming days If you would like a copy, there are some good memberships from DBC

Fine Christmas Eve on patch. Brilliant to see successful impact of partnership work to discourage recreational disturbance and protect roost on Turlin Point. 2 Spoonbill, 75 Avocet, 60 Oystercatcher, Wigeon and more benefiting. Merry Christmas to all followers, look forward to your nature stories 26

Bird filled short break to Southern Portugal. Uplifting to see so much habitat being utilised by so many larks, buntings, sparrows, ducks, waders and gulls. If you wondered where our autumn Chiffchaff wave went...we found them in abundance. ebird.org/tripreport/4...

Membership subscriptions for 2025 are now due. Membership benefits include supporting local wildlife conservation. To join: www.chog.org.uk/join-chog-pa...

Support your county bird club! Dorset Bird Club is a fantastic organisation that funds conservation initiatives, collates ornithological data from across the county, & provides a social & focal hub for local birders. If you're not one already, DBC have a fab new membership offer for the next... 1/n

A Narwhal has washed up on the Irish coast for the first time:

Coming very very soon. To get hold of one quickly why not take advantage of our offer and join us. dorsetbirds.co.uk/membership/ 2/2

Membership offer, just click dorsetbirds.co.uk/membership/ 1/2