It’s Squeaky gates time again Branched young at this age may choose a more open perch till they hone their flying skills. *NB* Listen for adults barking the alarm & move away if the begging youngster hasn’t received a food pass

Last day on Orkney. Delighted to see my second ever White-billed Diver which was still at Houtan ferry terminal, despite not being reported since 22nd May 📷 by @ian-m-grant.bsky.social Over the last couple of days also catching up with Puffins, Little Terns, 2 LT Duck. Big walk around Mull Head!

I have a tiny front garden but love how wild it gets in summer even got some barley this year lol no singing quail yet

@macstronach.bsky.social COLLARD FLY last night found by Caingorms found by two local birders Tony and leanne Wood who stopped to look at a bullfinch and this was on fence further along. @birdguides.bsky.social

Well closest spotted sand i have ever seen plus got my first British male kentish plover this morning too

Few pics of the 1s Bonaparte’s Gull at Belvide Res Staffs yesterday.

Couple of hours at Belvide this afternoon with Dave was thoroughly enjoyable. The 1st s Bonaparte’s Gull again gave great views. Also noted Red Kite, ringed 1st s Caspian Gull, 2 YL Gull(ringed 2nd s & 3rd s), ad Med Gull, plenty of warblers singing #staffsbirds

First-summer male Red-footed Falcon still hanging out near the river at Bubwith Ings. Also, first summer Hobby. If anybody has photos of the other bird reportedly present, please share. @yorkbirding.bsky.social @birdguides.bsky.social @ldvnnr.bsky.social

No fair, no fair at all. Bet everyone except Celtic fans wanted Hearts to win it. Gutted for the Jambos. #footballEH! #Jammies

The 1st summer Bonaparte's Gull present for it's 3rd day showed well on the shore from the Hawkshutts hide late afternoon. #UKBirding

Our 2nd ever Bonaparte's Gull today following the 1st summer bird between 16th-22nd April 2020. We're on 🔥at the moment.

Without doubt reckon this will be bird of year for me what a stunner I just stood in one spot and watched him do his thing. Absolutely gorgeous bird which hunted like a cross between red footed falcon and kestrel. Class class class. Even saw the white claws very very happy

After 3.5hrs.of drizzle, the Goonhilly Downs Lesser Kestrel eventually showed superbly this morning, once the sun came out - perching and foraging as close as 30m from us! An absolutely gorgeous bird - I never thought I'd be close enough to see the white claws of this dapper little falcon in the UK!

Smestow Valley 3rd Cattle Egret and my 2nd in Valley took me a little while to be certain as was very distant and didn't want the light to be playing tricks on my brain. Sadly a buzzard flew close and it flew north. Cattle Egret Grey Partridge Corn bunt all from the same spot happy days

Nice to find a cattle egret until flushed by buzzard at 1608 plus hobby and grey partridge. Furnace Grange, Smestow valley @staffsbirdnews.bsky.social

Smestow Valley 75 species at 1pm ##westmidsalldayer Red-legged Partridge, Little Owl, Gadwall, Hobby & Ring-necked Parakeet added @pmandrews1973.bsky.social @westmidbirdclub.bsky.social

Smestow Valley 70 species at 10am #westmidsalldayer Highlights: Grasshopper, Cetti's, Reed & Garden Warblers, Lesser Whitethroat, Wheatear, Yellow Wagtail, Redpoll & Corn Bunting @westmidbirdclub.bsky.social

Maybe only site to get corn bunting @pmandrews1973.bsky.social

Team Blithfield on 75 species by 8:05am. Highlights of Wood Sandpiper, 3 Whimbrel, Ruff, Wheatear, Dunlin and Caspian Gull so far. More to get. #westmidsalldayer

#westmidsalldayer Smestow Valley Team reach 52 with Gropper lesser white and Garden wblr the best so far @kevin-clements.bsky.social @themoorehen.bsky.social etc

Early start (04.10) at Whitemoor Haye for the ##westmidsalldayer Good luck all involved @westmidbirdclub.bsky.social

And so it begins. Dawn at Blithfield. Good luck to all participating in today’s #westmidsalldayer

I'll tell you a funny story. I arrived at Landguard at 6.50am today to see a few birders looking into the fenced area. And there was this Tawny Pipit in front of me on the grass before the fenced area! ✅️ no 376 @rarebirder.bsky.social @birdguides.bsky.social @suffolkbirdgroup.bsky.social

Good luck to all sites participating in tomorrow's West Midlands All-Day Birdwatch. Sadly the only rain is just before dusk + the wind moves westerly; hopefully enough birds already in circulation to create a few surprises. Please keep social media updated with #westmidsalldayer

Don't forget it's the West Midlands All Dayer tomorrow! See how many bird species can be found on your patch in 24 hours 💪 Share your results by using #westmidsalldayer

Great day birding with @yellowbellyontour.bsky.social yesterday. Deeping: 3 Cattle Egret, Common Sand, Swift, Common Terns, LRPs. Frampton: hot & tiring! Grantham: Gropper & this very nice Garden Warbler. Lincs #138 for year. @lincsbirding.bsky.social #ukbirding #birds #warblers #birdsseenin2026

6 dotterel Cambridgeshire worst video ever but there is also a 7th wader in loose group i cannot id due to heat haze and distance that's alot paler. Its not in summer plumage the 7th bird is much paler bird and appears stockier

1 Bar-tailed and 1 Black-tailed Godwit still from quarry entrance at Whitemoor Haye. Also 1 Whimbrel, 2 Redshank and 1 Common Sandpiper @staffsbirdnews.bsky.social @westmidbirdclub.bsky.social Original post deleted due to error, only 1 Barwit, sorry

For the 10k yday was ‘epic’! A stop at a flood pool on Pendeford Hall Lane after work revealed a pair of Shelduck - a full fat 10k ✅! Inspired by this a walk later to Pool Hall after was fruitless but a stop at Bhylls Floods near home revealed 3 Gadwall (2m,1f) a site ✅ 105 for 10k year #ukbirding

Totally inappropriate conditions for what's usually our rain bird: Wood Warbler trapped at the Obs under a crystal-clear blue sky

@westmidbirdclub.bsky.social Stafford Swift Project team fitted 8 swift boxes with a solar charger in St. Austin’s Church, Wolverhampton Road, Stafford. It is a hotspot for nesting swifts, so hoping for some success. Thanks to WMBC for sponsorship of the swift project.

The Secretive Skulker. The Lesser Whitethroat, a warbler which prefers dense scrub is described in bird books as "skulking". Their scratchy song is more often heard, than the bird is seen. He has been singing in the Ash tree for several days & I think a female has just arrived - 🤞. #Birds #BTO 🦉

Change of scenery with a visit to Doxey Marshes was well timed as a Whinchat came on just before I arrived. A dapper male & one of my favourite migrants. Also noted 2 Little Egret, 2 LRP, 6 Swift, 3 reeling Gropper, num Sedge Wblr. #staffsbirds

The 2024 report is dropping through letterboxes. Sorry for the delay, hope you enjoy it.

Having added Reed & Willow Warbler, Whitethroat & House Martin to the 10k over the last week I’d hit the 100 mark for the year. A trip to Highgate Common this am added 3 more; 2 duelling male Cuckoo, Garden Warbler & Bullfinch at last! 103 for the 10k year is already a record for April #ukbirding

64 species around Branston GPs this morning - Yellow Wagtail, Reed Warbler + Garden Warbler were year ticks. Also 2 Wheatear, Red Kite, 2 Mandarin + Yellowhammer. Eclipsed though by my first Staffs singing Corn Bunting for 5 years at Fisherwick. @staffsbirdnews.bsky.social

Pleasant afternoon at Furnace Grange Trescott- 2 plus White wagtail 5 plus Yellow wagtail 7 Wheatear in ploughed field. Me and @kevin-clements.bsky.social Min counts as the Wagtails were moving around fast and in and out the furrows. @staffsbirdnews.bsky.social

Early morning I headed to the N Staffs Moors. The area around Blackclough Farm was excellent and produced at least 5 Ring Ouzels. A pleasure to spend time with this upland species. Also 12+Wheatear, bubbling Curlew and Red Grouse.

A stop-the-car moment to photograph this greeting to Nigel Farage on his rather unspectacular visit to Shetland today. Apologies to any frogs offended. 🐸

The singing Red-spotted Bluethroat showed fantastically at Swineham this morning #ukbirding #dorsetbirds

Spring stepped it up a gear at #salopobs this morning with this gorgeous 2cy male 💥Pied Fly💥 in the paddock by the garden (first non-nocmig record), 8 Wheatears and 3 Willow Warblers moving thru, and lots more of all three hirundines #ukbirding #migration

Muck heap birding on Salisbury Plain this morning #ukbirding

Despite being in Disney, bins never far from hand. Regular birds such as Pied-Billed Grebe, Turkey & Black Vultures, Red-Tailed & Red-Shouldered Hawks, RB Gulls, Common Grackles, Palm Wblrs all easily seen. Way better however was on return to hotel where we saw 2 Swallow-Tailed Kites & a Bald Eagle

The magic of Magic Kingdom kept us enthralled today.More Florida regulars including point blank views of Anhinga.Surprising were 33 Cedar Waxwing as we waited for the Haunted Mansion.Best of all was a lifer with a Wild Turkey on the road as we left & a presumed roost group of 15 Swallow-Tailed Kites

A slightly more relaxed day today with a visit to Disney’s Epcot Centre. A great educational experience for Dave & more birds for me. Many confiding birds,but best being dark morph Short-Tailed Hawk, Bald Eagle,nesting Anhinga & sev heron/egret sp,a few flocks of Cedar Waxwing, male Baltimore Oriole

Today was spent at Universal Epic Universe. It was certainly epic and Dave was mind blown in Nintendo world using his Mario band to full effect. Not many birds today but more Cedar Waxwings which are clearly on the move in good numbers

After the business of the theme Park, we spent an hour late afternoon by the hotel pool so Dave could play. I checked the small pools and was chuffed to locate a Florida speciality with a drk Mottled Duck. Also seen Anhinga, DC Cormorant, Great Egret, Tricoloured Heron and 20 Cedar Waxwings

On walk from hotel to dinner, this drk Mottled Duck showed rather well paired to a female Mallard

Another day of theme park based activity, this time at Universal Studios. Lots more memory making for Dave. For me, Bald Eagle, tame Ospreys and more Cedar Waxwings