In on the recent Taiga action with this adult and juvenile, present at Backaskaill this morning. My first, anywhere away from the Yare Valley birds of winters past #BirdingOrkney Third find tick in under two weeks, having not added anything since May 2023! @patchbirding.bsky.social

Juv Long-tailed Skua past Mull Head this morning #BirdingOrkney Two Lesser Whitethroat, Garden Warbler and Whinchat the best migrant offerings, but all lingering birds. No sign of Brown Shrike today

Brown Shrike still present this morning for its fourth day #BirdingOrkney Finally a rest bite tomorrow from the wind, so hopefully some action on the sea or a chance to unearth some new arrivals...

Here’s a wee clip of the utterly fabulous Brown Shrike found by @papaybirder.bsky.social on neighbouring Papa Westray today. I do so enjoy a little dirty Papay twitching 😜 All part of the joys of #WestrayBirding + 🙅🏻‍♂️

Orkney's 5th record of Brown Shrike, present in the garden of the Manse today #BirdingOrkney A species that I always thought should have one day been on the cards for here #PWC2025 #RareBirdsUK

Black Tern, Druridge Bay Country Park September 2025. #NEBirding

Baird's Sandpiper in the North Wick this evening #OrkneyBirding 7th Orkney record, 1st for Papay and a species I have always imagined finding here #PWC2025 Present for all of about five minutes but thankfully obliged for the camera #RareBirdsUK

Rosefinch around Whitehowe this afternoon #BirdingOrkney One that was missing from the island year list last year. Always surprises me how scarce these seem to be in Orkney, outside of the North isles. Just a lack of coverage from mainland?

Wryneck can be frustratingly skulking at times. Other times, less so... #BirdingOrkney Another new bird this morning #PWC2025

Buff-breasted Sandpiper hanging out on the Papay airfield today #PWC2025 #BirdingOrkney Two or three recorded most autumns within Orkney, but only my second island record.

Until today I had only seen four Wryneck on Papay, in what is now my 9th year on the island. This afternoon, I found THREE different birds within less than two hours! #OrkneyBirding #PWC2025 Five Garden Warbler and three Pied Fly also amongst a small number of common migrants

Pectoral Sandpiper above the North Wick this afternoon, plus a surprise reappearance by the Greenish Warbler in the willows outside Hundland #BirdingOrkney Refound here the day after being seen at Fowl Craig but not seen since. Couple of Pied Flycatchers, my first of the year here #PWC2025

My first Papay tick of 2025 in the form of a White-rumped Sandpiper, briefly in the North Wick this morning. No sign this afternoon, but made up for by finding this Greenish Warbler in the far geo at Fowl Craig! #OrkneyBirding #PWC2025 Also a Great Shearwater offshore whilst watching it

A trip out to the Eastern end of the Moray Firth with Guide Charters out of Macduff gave us a close encounter with a Sooty Shearwater which stayed with the boat for over 15 minutes. Another highlight was a Pomarine Skua that did a fly-by. #birdingscotland

A life-sized bronze statue has been unveiled on the island of Papa Westray, Orkney, in memory of the last known Great Auk Pinguinus impennis killed there in 1813. The statue is an exact replica of the preserved remains of the bird, which are held by the Natural History Museum.

Two Great Shearwater past Mull Head this morning plus 53 Manx and 57 Sooty #BirdingOrkney Also first major arrival of Wheatear with over 100 birds between Mull Head and Fowl Craig

A drake Garganey, vermiculations don’t get much better. #birds #ukbirds #phonescoping vimeo.com/813700534

Young Ruff in the North Wick this morning. A new breeding species for Papay #OrkneyBirding Despite seeing the male, several times over the late spring/Summer period, they were remarkably discrete and almost avoided detection completely #PWC2025

Full spooned Pomarine Skua past Mull Head at 08:05 followed 15 minutes later by an adult Long-tailed Skua #OrkneyBirding First time I have recorded all four Skua species on the same Papay seawatch. Also 31 Manx and 4 Sooty in 1.5hrs from 07:30

Before and after. That's what happens when you get 80mph winds in August...

This leucistic Sand Martin ghosted past me as I walked along the causeway at Farmoor Reservoir this morning. Smart looking bird! #UKbirding

A brilliant few days camping and exploring around Brora. An area where I worked on an RSPB contract back in 2013 and have been keen to return to ever since. One of three

As far as I know, there are no confirmed breeding records of Black Redstart in Lothian, but this one at Torness doesn't look long out the nest. Thanks to @mattjsilk.bsky.social for putting me on to one of the strangest colour/pattern abnormalities I've seen - it's a House Martin! #BirdingLothian

Anybody able to offer any reassurance that this can be easily fixed? Not been dropped or accidentally damaged in any way but something has shifted out of place and the focus no longer aligns. Really don't want to be without them for another three months, just as autumn is kicking off! #BirdingGear

Aberlady around high tide today. Huge numbers of Sand Martins around spit, resting on beach and in dunes. Min 800 but prob 1200+ as noted by @jpgnic.bsky.social recently. Also 3 Little Gulls & 8 Arctic Terns, 126 Sanderlings, 23 Dunlins, 6 Grey Plover etc. #BirdingLothian

1st summer Little Gull at Mull Head this afternoon plus the first three young Arctic Skuas on the wing #OrkneyBirding more of the latter still to come and especially good to see after the 2024 season, when birds failed completely

Never seen this many Jellyfish together in one place before. Falling tide at the top of the North Wick this afternoon

Some great video of this bird by Michael McKee. The tension building before it appears in frame about 1.5 mins in… #rarebirdsUK michaelmckee.co.uk/videos/video...

Pomarine Skua, Arbroath #birds #birdingscotland

A rewarding night on the hill, finding a Storm Petrel singing at Mull Head. Several pairs breed on the Holm but I'm not aware of any previous breeding records from Papay itself #OrkneyBirding Also a Minke Whale surfacing close inshore at 00:40 whilst scanning the sea for Stormies!

*IMPORTANT* Please read & share, it could save you or a loved one from a lifetime of chronic system-wide illness. 🙏❤️ Today I was diagnosed with Lyme Disease.😔 I was bitten by 4 ticks 30 days ago & had a red rash come up around one of the bites, that soon started spreading... *Continued below

With two male Wilson’s Snipes (the North American ‘version’ of our Common Snipe) displaying in Sweden, you have to wonder whether there could be one hidden away on a British moor or marsh. The display sound is distinctly different - have a listen here #UKbirding youtu.be/dam0sDp6Xig?...

3 July. Musselburgh. 99% of the time views of Surf Scoters are, at best, scope views. Today was the closest I've ever seen one - just over the seawall with 21 Velvets #BirdingLothian

A question for #BirdingGear Does anybody have any tested recommendations for a lightweight, portable, folding chair that would be a good option for use when sea watching? A sheltered spot, but maybe time for an upgrade from my current pile of stacked rocks...

An absolute delight to find, relocate and then spend time with this sub adult type Long tailed Skua on North Hill this morning #birdingScotland First seen over the North Wick so one for #PWC2025 A wee gem of a "birders bird"

In its June issue, Birding magazine featured an extraordinary article by world-renowned birder Peter Kaestner, the first person to see over 10,000 bird species. Now, his article “Birding Planet Earth: Fifty Years Later" is available online for all to read: www.aba.org/birding-plan...

The best new #binocular we have seen in a long time! The NEW RSPB Sparrowhawk ED 8.5x42 and 10x42 are here. Featuring truly outstanding optics with a wide field of view, compact size and thanks to the durable magnesium body, weigh just 700g. ⬇️ www.birders-store.co.uk/rspb-sparrow... #BirdingGear

Finally in on the ongoing Crossbill arrival thanks to this obliging individual, feeding amongst the Rosa Rugosa around Holland early this morning #PWC2025

Other highlights: Pine Marten, Downy Emeralds, 3 Golden Eagle, WTEagle, Ospreys, Crested Tits, 3 singing Wood Warbler, Tree Pipits, Redstarts, Whinchats, Spot Flycatchers, plenty of Cuckoos and an abundance of Willow Warblers. #birdingScotland just short of 90 miles in total

Camping at the top of Loch Affric with a 2nd pair of Black throated Diver for company #birdingScotland Couldn't have asked for better weather

A few highlights from Glen Affric #birdingScotland #Dragonflies Details in the photo captions

Finishing a week, walking and camping the Affric/Kintail Way from Cannich. The view from Sgurr nan Ceathreamhnan above the SYHA Glen Affric hostel

Another Little Stint, here on Thursday. Drake Scaup and Canada Goose new for the year plus lingering RNDuck and two pairs of Tufted Duck with young #PWC2025 My first breeding record of the latter for here #Orkneybirding

‘Reflections of…’ Lapwing on the Aln Estuary, #Northumberland. #birds #nebirding #birdsoftheworld

Don't think I have ever shown these properly. A selection of some of my printed A5 cards #UKbirding #BirdArt

Sanderlings in the North Wick this afternoon plus my first Ring Ouzel of the year around the outer edge of the Hill #Orkneybirding May finishes with an island total of 141 for the Papay year list. Not a bad total, considering the lack of spring migrants (no Garden Warbler, Pied Fly or Redstart)

Pectoral Sandpiper at Mull Head this morning #UKbirding #Orkneybirding

Twite, posing along the east road this evening. A species which seems to be in short supply here this year #Orkneybirding Ring necked Duck still present, plus a 1st summer Little Gull yesterday.

Papay's 2nd record of Ring necked Duck on Tredwell this morning #PWC2025 Now approaching 20 records, its remarkable to think that, by the end of 2015, there has only been six records of the species within Orkney #Orkneybirding

Finally, a switch from the relentless Northerly winds, coming over the weekend. Wouldn't otherwise be hopeful, but any change in the weather has got to be better than more of this! A pretty woeful spring for migration within the Northern Isles #UKbirding