Tis the season 🥰 woodland Helleborine season is underway with local Broad-leaved now in flower

Three-spined stickleback on a tiny roadside stream in Knutsford. Still amazes me how colourful the males can be

An early June holiday to an all inclusive hotel at Castillo Caleta de Fuste saw this birder do his best to make the most of being located on the fantastic Fuerteventura, whilst also making the most of the holiday with his young family. Highlights listed below #BirderAbroad #Fuertentura #AllInclusive

Lovely little jack Pike this evening on the Sankey Canal. I'm told they potentially get up to 10lb in this canal, but I'd be surprised if this one was more than a lb. Cool fish though and my first on patch. Plenty of willow warbler, whitethroat and blackcap singing too #SankeyValley #PatchBirding

Bird spotting still going strong with a willow tit on the Moore reserve feeders this morning. Other highlights inc. brambling, siskin & my boy once again enjoying using his binocs. This time he managed to focus on some tufted ducks - "Tufties, Mama!" @zachinch92.bsky.social #birding #birdwatching 🐦

Great-tailed grackle just now on Estuary Blvd, west of Speke Hall. Good to know I can still spot birds without my glasses 😅 Wife points gained! @birdguides.bsky.social @zachinch92.bsky.social #birds #birdwatching

2 Tundra Bean Geese with Greylag flock at Ballamenaugh Beg, Baldrine, Isle of Man late afternoon. #UKBirding maps.app.goo.gl/aXbp3ViqADDd...

It's a special day when you pass on your first pair of binoculars to your son & take him #birdwatching for the first time. I got them at University so he has definitely got a headstart on me! @opticron.bsky.social @zachinch92.bsky.social @wwtworldwide.bsky.social #ornithology #birds 🐦

I mean, he's on 97 but at least he will have the right attire for #100 next month! Whereas I'm on 105 so will give my Xmas pressie a whirl tomorrow 🎉 Big thanks to #parkrun for another great year #running & I've enjoyed #volunteering the last 9 months at wonderful #widnes 🏃‍♀️ @zachinch92.bsky.social

Yesterday was national #reptile day so the pet #snakes enjoyed some 🎃 enrichment! @zachinch92.bsky.social

MEGA - White-throated Needletail earlier this pm at Tophill Low, E.Yorks First mainland record since 1991 😲 No sign at the moment but make sure you have the BirdAlertPRO app if its re-found. Get a 30-day free trial here rarebirdalert.co.uk/realdata/bir... 📷 via tophilllow.blogspot.com

When there's a storm and the toddler is asleep.... BIRD! 3 Leach's petrel in the bag, RNLI station - Hoylake. @zachinch92.bsky.social @birdguides.bsky.social #birding

Patch Gadwall are still increasing with 134 tonight, but likely many more between Sankey Bridges and Ferry Tavern and beyond on the St Helens Canal. Would to do a full count before their numbers drop around Christmas. #SankeyValley #Patchbirding

I can remain in Cheshire for another year 🙌🏻 a fruitless dawn raid on the Mersey at Runcorn bridge was always asking a lot, but luckily the family and I headed to Hoylake and Meols for lunch and had prolonged views of 4 Leach's Storm-petrels. Epic birds in every sense. @dannihinchy.bsky.social

High count of 121 Gadwall on the St Helens Canal near Bewsey Lock, #SankeyValley this evening. It's always been good for them, but that's an impressive count. Also my second record of wigeon on the canal itself #PatchBirding

4 Ruff on patch this evening were a nice patch tick with additional 14 Black-tailed Godwit, Dunlin, 8 Ringed Plover and adult Yellow-legged Gull. Also grey seal. River Mersey south of Moss Bank and the St Helen's Canal. #SankeyValley #PatchBirding

Otter! Went to check the river for waders before work and was greeted by a wonderful dog otter feeding along the close shore line only a few 100 metres east of the Mersey Gateway. A Cheshire tick for me #SankeyValley #PatchBirding #Digibinned

Moulting adult Sanderling, 28 Black-tailed Godwit and 9 Ringed Plover on the River Mersey east of the Gateway and south of Moss Bank this afternoon #SankeyValley #PatchBirding

Quest for Small Red-eyed continues but six Red-eyed on the St Helens canal in Sankey Valley this evening

First patch tick in a while off Sunk Island. Yellow legged gull at low tide today.

Somewhat of a Cheshire rarity seen this morning on the drive to work with Schedule 8-listed Jersey Cudweed spotted from a moving car near IKEA Warrington on Gemini Retail Park. #UKWildlife #BritishPlants

Currently staying in northern Normandy for D-day and surprised to find lizard orchids in their hundreds at Utah Beach and (so far) a single at Omaha Beach. Fantastic plants.

Merlin and lots of corn bunting whilst on survey in Lancashire this week. Really nice to see and hear

Holyhead to Dublin ferry in the rain. Blackcap, willow warbler (3), meadow pipits (20+) temporarily touching down throughout the journey. Harbour Porpoise, puffin, lots of manxies and pipit/finch flocks the highlights over the sea.

Two red-eared sliders on the St Helens Canal were a novel patch tick this afternoon. Yeartick or two reed warblers was also nice. #SankeyValley #PatchBirding

Drake Common Scoter swimming around on the River Mersey below Forrest Way overbridge, Sankey Bridges, Warrington just now. Excellent suggestion by @liamlangley1.bsky.social to check the river. Literally the first bird I saw when I got out the car! #SankeyValley #PatchBirding #PatchTick

I've seen them along the Mersey closer to Fiddlers Ferry, but a flock to four REDSHANK heading north low over the water along the St Helens Canal in the #SankeyValley CP. Much excitement on my morning run into work #PatchBirding

Delighted to be the opening speaker for @ljmuofficial.bsky.social International Womens Day ♀️ event "Strength in Action: Women Redefining Change" #AcceleratingChange speaking about our recently published paper on barriers to #breastfeeding in the UK workplace. @ljmu-ris.bsky.social lnkd.in/eMkQRh39

I only went and twitched something! My first visit to the Oglet and was very impressed. A really cool site. Lovely to pick up the skylark flock and very quickly locate the shore lark. Cracking birds and a great find by @dfoyliv.bsky.social

Grey wagtail utilising the flood water outside the Avian Ecology office adding a splash of colour to a very windy day.

Office excitement today with an adult female MERLIN hunting meadow pipits. The first office record starting in 2012. Also a leak of 9 Yellowhammer in the hedges and 5 species of thrush #OfficeTick

Managed a quick visit to Richmond Bank today to try and grab some year ticks in the sub-0 conditions. Plenty of snipe, gadwall and teal with small numbers of lesser black-backed and great black-backed gulls, plus redshank, little grebe goosander & reed bunting #patchbirding #ukbirding #SankeyValley

New @ljmuofficial.bsky.social MSc Wildlife Conservation prog launching September 2025 based on three pillars: RESEARCH - TECHNOLOGY - PRACTICE. Excited to have designed and to lead on this. For more info, visit: www.ljmu.ac.uk/study/course...

Ruddy Shelduck, 2 Common Sandpiper and a Chiffchaff at Spike Island, Widnes. With in bloom Daffodils too, it felt very spring-like in the winter sunshine #ukbirding

1cy Caspian Gull and 2 Golden Plover on the exposed Richmond Bank, Warrington. Both patch ticks and lovely to see. #patchbirding #ukbirding #sankeyvalley

Always a treat to see Willow Tit this morning from Bunting Hide at Pennington Flash. Also got a couple of @kanebrides.bsky.social coots coming up to the locals.

Morning wander at LWT Brockholes. Credit where credit's due, it's the best I've seen No1 pit look for a good few years. Green Sandpiper, Golden Plover, Cetti's Warbler, Bullfinch and decent numbers of Lapwing, Wigeon, Shoveler and Teal. Next to no water on Meadow Lake, though. #PigmymeedTakeover

Rock Pipit (presumably littoralis) was an unexpected patch tick whilst out on a run this morning to Spike Island, Widnes. I'm sure you get them on the estuary most of not every winter, but wasn't on my radar this morning. #ukbirding #sankeyvalley #patchbirding

Ring-necked Parakeet flying over the house was a patch and house tick yesterday in Great Sankey, Warrington. They really are spreading almost out of control now 🫣 I can't help find them charming, but still. #ukbirding #SankeyValley

Una #subspecie endémica de #pardela pichoneta para las Islas #Canarias!! Según este estudio publicado en @avianbiology.bsky.social doi.org/10.1111/jav.... ¿Pajarer@ adivinas cuál es la canaria? #seabirds #ornithology @theseabirdgroup.bsky.social 📸s de Zac Hinchcliffe & Beneharo Rodríguez

Three Black-bellied Whistling Ducks on Melchette Mere, Tatton Park, Cheshire yesterday. The first time I've seen these in the 'wild'. #PlasticFantastic #UKBirding

100 up! Managed to break the 100 species barrier yesterday with Peregrine, Yellowhammer and Water Rail. I'm lucky to have such varied habitat on patch including a section of tidal River Mersey. Not bad for 3.5 months of birding #ukbirding #sankeyvalley

Gtr Manchester: Yellow-browed Warbler calling in with long-tailed tit flock at the Garden in Dunham Massey 14:45. Approx location 53.383125, -2.398761 @birdguides.bsky.social

Yellow-browed Warbler in the Sankey Valley! Repeatedly calling whilst foraging with a mobile tit flock. Just north of Bewsey Lock in Twig & Bog Woods, Old Hall, Warrington at c12:50. So good! @birdguides.bsky.social #UKBirding #SankeyValley

Gadwall on the house list! I've heard them on the canal from the house several times but three just flew over calling as I put the bins out 😍 well good! #ukbirding #sankeyvalley

Enjoyable (but wet) day at Gulliver's World, Warrington today. Made me laugh seeing how many Broad-leaved Helleborines were growing 'out' of the crazy golf course! #orchids #britishbotany

#Patchbirding ticks of 2 snipe and a lesser whitethroat today. Also 33 gadwall on the canal close to Ferry Tavern. Interesting to see their number build in the last month. #UKBirding #SankeyValley

Common Darters seem to be really regular at the moment in my garden. One of the benefits of moving near to a canal. Never had garden darters before. #OdonataUK #UKwildlife

Start the day right. Greenshank and 2 Green Sandpiper in with the Lapwings on the Mersey off Ferry Tavern this morning. #SankeyValley #PatchBirding #UKbirding

Local 'megaflock' of now 42 gadwall remain at Bewsey Lock, Sankey Valley with a further 10 towards Ferry Tavern. Patch tick of 3 yellow wagtail too. #SankeyValley #PatchBirding #UKbirding