Some vis Mig from the garden this morning. Fieldfare, Redwing, Skylark & Siskin so far. My 1st Redwing locally. They’re late here #ukbirding

Oystercatcher numbers building up @hilbrebirdobs.bsky.social. High tide today meant many roosting on Hilbre as usual spots on Middle Eye covered by the sea

A Merlin flew past @hilbrebirdobs.bsky.social at high tide heading towards Point of Ayr. It spooked all the roosting waders as it flew west

3 of the 5 Purple Sandpipers roosting on the east side of @hilbrebirdobs.bsky.social over the high tide today

Six Purple Sandpipers @hilbrebirdobs.bsky.social this morning including this bird that flew in off the sea and landed on the old lifeboat slipway as I was sitting at the north end ! #ukbirding

New blog post: #ukbirding wirralbirders.blogspot.com/2025/11/a-la...

Again only 2 moths in the trap this morning. Pine Carpet & this new for garden / me Feathered Thorn #teammoth

A great read for anyone with an interest in the UK bird observatory network

Only two moths in the garden trap this morning. Pine Carpet and this Green-brindled Crescent (I hope!). New for me and the garden #teammoth #cheshiremoths

Pleased to see our 1st Purple Sandpiper of the winter @hilbrebirdobs.bsky.social this morning. They seem to be late arriving here this year

Stormy start to the morning @hilbrebirdobs.bsky.social and a F4 wsw. Unsurprisingly no new birds in but plenty of waders around the island

Sad to hear of the death of Chris Thorne in latest copy of BTO Lifecycle magazine. He was ringer in charge of Wicken Fen ringing group when I started as a trainee ringer there in 1976 #birdringing #birdbanding

There have been few gulls around locally so far this year but local farmer started ploughing maize stubble y’day. Heavy rain here and looking out bedroom window saw a few gulls congregating on field behind house. Checked them out & found this winter plumaged Med Gull! #ukbirding #cheshirebirding

Back in Grovesnor Park, Chester this morning trying to add to Moorhen colour marking scheme. Forgot it was half term so to much disturbance. Did see H23 & H24 who’d left the pond but are now back! #birdringing

Put the moth trap out last night more in hope than expectation. Surprised to catch a new species for me & the garden. Lobster Moth! #cheshiremoths #teammoth

Kestrel drying out in the warmth of the early morning sunshine on the slate roof of one of the old buildings @hilbrebirdobs.bsky.social

A quiet morning @hilbrebirdobs.bsky.social but 3 Brambling & a good number of Skylarks over were signs migration hasn’t stopped yet! 353 Pale-bellied Brent geese around the island today as well. #ukbirding #birdobservatory

Following on from my Little Owl heard from the garden last week there were a pair dueting as darkness fell this evening. Fantastic to hear them again after several blank years

Squadron of Pinkfeet flying low over the house this morning heading to local maize stubble #ukbirding #cheshirebirding

A great ringing demo today at Ness Botanic Gardens assisting Merseyside Rjnging Group. Over 100 birds (including retraps) processed. Starburst our 1st Treecreeper for several years #birdringing #birdbanding

New blog post: #ukbirding wirralbirders.blogspot.com/2025/10/of-h...

Any mycologists out there able to identify this cup fungi growing in our garden for me? Cheshire m, UK. Growing beneath an ornamental conifer. #fungi #mycology

Figure of Eight a new species of moth for the garden this morning #teammoth

This male Stonechat was a surprise @hilbrebirdobs.bsky.social today. Dropped in at north end over the tide and promptly disappeared and I never saw it again!

Quite a nice comparison between ‘our’ Wren, photographed on Hilbre today, and Shetland Wren (zetlandicus) photographed on Fetlar last week. Zetlandicus darker with spikier bill and also bigger

This young Grey Seal spent the high tide hauled out just below the SK heligoland trap @hilbrebirdobs.bsky.social today

My wife says I’m a simple soul. Something simple has just made me incredibly happy. For the 1st time for over a year we’ve got a Little Owl proclaiming his territory heard from the front garden #ukbirding

Autumns not over yet. Still Goldcrests migrating through with these two caught & ringed @hilbrebirdobs.bsky.social today #migration #birdobservatory

Good numbers of waders now roosting around @hilbrebirdobs.bsky.social These Turnstone & Redshank were some of the 100+ roosting on the steps leading to Niffy Bay

New blog post: #ukbirding wirralbirders.blogspot.com/2025/10/fetl...

Summer meets winter this morning at home in Cheshire. My 1st Fieldfares of winter period overhead whilst serenaded by a half hearted attempt at song by a Chiffchaff. Didn’t see a single Fieldfare on Fair Isle or Fetlar! #ukbirding

Shetland 2025 a wrap. A week @fairislebirdobs.bsky.social followed by a week on Fetlar. Good friends, good laughs, stunning scenery & some good birds. Total of 315,000 steps walked in wellies. Time to give my feet a well earned rest! Back for more in 2026.

A sad ending for a migrant Water Rail on Fetlar. Found a pile of feathers today where @colonelbirder.bsky.social had two Water Rails y’day at Everland. Probably taken by a Merlin

Bit of a shock to the system here on Fetlar this morning. 1st ground frost of the year made it a cold start out birding on our last morning. Water Rail added to the trip list!

Looking forward to reading this

The moment the sunset this evening at Houbie on Fetlar. Calling Curlew & Starlings as they headed off to roost

Golden Plover looking suitably aurum on Fetlar today. Aurum is the Latin for gold! Lovely to see good numbers of this beautiful wader - a rare sighting for me in my part of Cheshire

Shetland Wren, race zetlandicus, on Fetlar. Larger & darker than our Wrens at home with a subtly different song.

Fantastic to hear & see Whooper Swans flying in off the sea on Unst today

Trip off Fetlar for Unst today where we eventually saw the CV elusive Blackpoll Warbler. Yellow-browned Warblers & Lesser Whitethroat at Valyie, Norwick

Goldcrests always look grumpy / sad. Guess you’d be as well if you’d just flown across the N sea and found yourself on a wet & windy Fetlar! Amazing to think these 5g birds can fly across open seas in a westerly.

New blog post: wirralbirders.blogspot.com/2025/10/sibe...

1st winter Glaucous Gull flew into Funzi Loch, Fetlar for a brief wash & spruce up before flying off

Nice to see some flowering Oyster Plant on Fetlar. Thanks to @colonelbirder.bsky.social for the advice! A new one for me.

New blog post: #ukbirding wirralbirders.blogspot.com/2025/10/fair...

Sadly declining over much of their range in the UK @fairislebirdobs.bsky.social still has a good breeding population of these charismatic little finches. A rare bird in Cheshire I saw my 1st one winter in the 70s whilst a young birder at Alton Water, Suffolk

A few Brambling were turning up @fairislebirdobs.bsky.social whilst we were there last week. Feeding up before continuing their migration south! #ukbirding

Another new Moorhen ringed in Grovesnor Park Chester as part of the national scheme administered by Waterbird Colour Marking Group: waterbirdcolourmarking.org

Skylarks sadly rare near me in Cheshire so a real treat to see so many @fairislebirdobs.bsky.social on our recent trip #ukbirding

Great to have stayed at @fairislebirdobs.bsky.social for a week after watching the rebuild over the last 5 years. A fabulous place & a great team. We’ve already booked again next year. Now to lose the weight United on despite walking 23k steps/ day. The food was terrific.