New blog post: #birdringing #birdbanding wirralbirders.blogspot.com/2026/04/ring...

New blog post. Final day of our Thailand tour: #Thailand #birding wirralbirders.blogspot.com/2026/04/thai...

He’s at it again. Little Owl singing in trees behind house last night #littleowls #cheshirebirding #ukbirding #pwc2026

Female Northern Wheatear caught and ringed under licence @hilbrebirdobs.bsky.social this morning. A very worn 2nd calendar year bird #birdringing #birdbanding

Retrapped this venerable old Meadow Pipit @hilbrebirdobs.bsky.social today. 1st ringed by @hilbre.bsky.social on 18/5/2018 making it nearly 8 years old #birdringing #birdbanding

It may be the last day of March but I’m pleased to see this Hare in field opposite house this evening. They’re still just about hanging on in this area.

Wader fest on pond opposite house this morning. Y’days Curlew still present, 2 Oystercatchers (1 limping) & 5 Lapwings #ukbirding #pwc2026 #cheshirebirding

Parasitic Purple Toothwort at Ness Botanic Gardens y’day. One of the few places this naturalised chlorophyll lacking plant can be found in the UK #botany #NessBotanicGardens

Checking the field opposite house this evening and found this Curlew! Patch year tick #pwc2026 #cheshirebirding #ukbirding

Definitely a finch day at our Ness Botanic Gardens ringing demo. Greenfinch, Redpoll, Goldfinch & Chaffinch all feeding with good fat scores.

Great day Ness Botanic Gardens doing a ringing demo helping Merseyside ringing group . Weather held and we caught a good selection of birds including a new species for the site, Redpoll, and our 2nd Cetti’s Warbler. Plenty of people attended despite the forecast

New blog post : #Thailand @marcbuzzard.bsky.social @alandaviesbirds.bsky.social @jay-shrike.bsky.social wirralbirders.blogspot.com/2026/03/7-do... The penultimate one

Another job done in one of our heligoland traps @hilbrebirdobs.bsky.social thanks to a grant from @britishbirds.bsky.social charitable trust. Ramp on Newton replaced with new marine ply. Once the hail stops it’ll be given a protective coat of paint!

New blog post: #Thailand wirralbirders.blogspot.com/2026/03/doi-...

Sunrise @hilbrebirdobs.bsky.social. No new birds ringed and the early morning frost reminded us of the old saying ‘never cast a clout ‘till May is out’ A beautiful morning with Reed Bunting, alba Wags, Goldfinch, Chaffinch, Greenfinch & Siskin passing overhead

My 2nd Oystercatcher of the year just dropped into field opposite house this morning. 12 Lapwings also present #cawos #cheshirebirdibg #pwc2026

Little Owl has been singing constantly day & night locally. Tonight’s it’s in our front garden. Its territory is pretty big & it seems to be doing a regular circuit #cawos #littleowl

The long staying male Scaup showed well @hilbrebirdobs.bsky.social yesterday. A massively declining species. Once common in Liverpool Bay it’s now a scarce visitor #cheshirebirding #ukbirding

New blog post: #Thailand wirralbirders.blogspot.com/2026/03/5tha...

Plenty of Rock Pipit activity @hilbrebirdobs.bsky.social . Especially for @suffolkseawatcher.bsky.social! At least 3 unringed birds around paired up with colour ringed birds. CAI one of the 1st birds we ringed is back again after not feint seen since Sept 25

Cracking male Wheatear @hilbrebirdobs.bsky.social this morning. Appeared after having a bath in the pond and flew onto Obs new chimney pot to inspect the workmanship before drying off on the roof

Garden beginning to wake up. Yellow Rattle showing in our wildflower patch and a large number of self seeded Snake-head Fritillaries.

Little Owl box installed on gable end of our garage today. A nice floor covering of bark & dried leaves. For those wondering about my OCD it’s off centre as I used two existing holes from a defunct alarm system. Hopefully they’ll find it #Littleowls #cawos

Little Owl box almost ready to go up on gable end of our garage. Grey Squirrels taking over all boxes on farmland & we’ve had L Owl regularly in garden & squirrel won’t be able to get in! Fingers crossed 🤞 #Littleowls

New blog post. A bit out of sequence: wirralbirders.blogspot.com/2026/03/3doi... #Thailand

More maintenance on the heligoland traps @hilbrebirdobs.bsky.social today. A brisk F6 westerly made repairing the west side of the ‘Newton’ interesting! Internal baffles replaced on SK so we’re now ready for the new season

New blog post: wirralbirders.blogspot.com/2026/03/doi-... #Thailand

Busy day @hilbrebirdobs.bsky.social repairing one of Heligoland traps ready for the main migration. Birding time limited but did manage Scaup off N end. Probably the long staying bird at WK Marine Lake #cheshirebirding #ukbirding

Little Owl in our garden again tonight #littleowl #cheshirebirding #ukbirding

Now 3 singing Blackcaps around my local village patch. No Chiffchaffs yet. Very unusual

My 1st singing Blackcap of the year for my village #pwc2026 village patch in Cheshire. Unusual to get Blackcap before Chiffchaff!

Mandarin on one opposite house this morning. Once a patch mega now a regular visitor #pwc2026 #ukbirding #cheshirebirding

Landing on your doorsteps - The British Birds journal’s March 2026 issue Highlights: • Eurasian Curlew conservation • North American landbirds on boats • Britain’s first ever Canada Warbler britishbirds.co.uk/journal/volu...

Unicorn @hilbrebirdobs.bsky.social today? No, it’s a Chiffchaff with a pollen horn. One of two ringed at the Obs today

Great fun & nice speaking to these two this evening

Coal Tits aren’t annual @hilbrebirdobs.bsky.social but are most commonly seen in spring. These two were caught & ringed today

Nice spring passage of Robins @hilbrebirdobs.bsky.social today. Probably 10-12 birds on the island & 6 ringed.

Great day @hilbrebirdobs.bsky.social today with @steveonhilbre.bsky.social. The run of Stonechats continues with 1 ringed & this colour ringed bird photographed on Middle Eye. Ringed in August 2026 on Mull!

Sound up. Cold but bright Wednesday morning & a Song Thrush singing its heart out in our garden. One of the best bird songs in the UK #ukbirding #cheshirebirding

New blog post: #Thailand wirralbirders.blogspot.com/2026/03/wat-...

Little Owl showing in another previously favoured nest hole viewed from our garden this afternoon

New blog post: wirralbirders.blogspot.com/2026/03/khao... #Thailand

Pair of Mandarins dropped into pond opposite house at sunset tonight #ukbirding #cheshirebirding

Little Owl ‘singing’ from our garden this evening. Reminiscent of Scops Owl #ukbirding #cheshirebirding

1st Oystercatcher of the year just dropped into field opposite house & promptly gone to sleep. Photobombed by Gadwall #pwc2026 #cheshirebirding

New blog post: wirralbirders.blogspot.com/2026/02/khao... @alandaviesbirds.bsky.social @marcbuzzard.bsky.social @jay-shrike.bsky.social #Thailand

Our 2nd earliest ever Chiffchaff caught & ringed @hilbrebirdobs.bsky.social today with @steveonhilbre.bsky.social. Earliest was 23/2/2019. Pollen horn & fat score suggest local movement rather than long distance. Contrast in greater coverts indicates 2nd calendar year bird #birdringing #birdbanding

At least 7 Stonechats @hilbrebirdobs.bsky.social with @steveonhilbre.bsky.social today! Spring has officially begun. Skylark & Grey Wagtail over typically early spring birds & an increase in Robins around the island suggests they’ve started moving as well.

Nice to see some of our Rock Pipits back @hilbrebirdobs.bsky.social with @steveonhilbre.bsky.social & starting to pair up. CAK ringed as adult in 2023, CAX ringed as juv in 2024 & CBN ringed as juv in 2025

Great ringing recovery. Fem Sparrowhawk ringed as a 2nd calendar year bird Nov 2019 in my Cheshire garden. Photographed eating a Woodpigeon Nov 2025 in a garden 2km away. Thanks to @gninwodeoj.bsky.social for taking the time to get the ring number & report it #birdringing #birdbanding