Winter thrushes been very scarce this year in my part of Cheshire. The defrosts have finally brought some Fieldfares down to the windfall apples l. This 1st year fem caught & ringed under licence this morning #birdringing #birdbanding

All my local patch lists from 1st Jan to current day just added to @BirdTrack. 107 lists exported from Bird Journal as a csv file and uploaded #ukbirding #cheshirebirding

New blog post: wirralbirders.blogspot.com/2025/12/hilb... #ukbirding #cheshirebirding

An unexpected catch @hilbrebirdobs.bsky.social this morning when a Dunlin was trapped and ringed #birdringing #birdbanding

Another colour flagged Turnstone added to our project today @hilbrebirdobs.bsky.social One of our flagged birds from spring 2024 was seen on Hilbre again this year after returning to the Arctic to breed and then coming back again

Nice to see these Purple Sandpipers roosting in a traditional place @hilbrebirdobs.bsky.social over the high tide. Hilbre has the distinction of recording the 1st ever Greenland sighting of a UK ringed Purple Sandpiper

Oystercatchers moving from the rising tide @hilbrebirdobs.bsky.social this morning and waves crashing against the north end

A stunning December day @hilbrebirdobs.bsky.social Long shadows, bright skies, mince pies & hot brews. Another few days and the daylight hours start getting longer

The pond opposite our house is slowly filling up with water again after being invisible all summer. It’s beginning to attract wildfowl again with 6 Mandarin & 12 Mallard this morning on a dark wet December day #ukbirding #cheshirebirding

New blog post: #seychelles wirralbirders.blogspot.com/2025/12/coco...

The benefits of colour ringing. This flagged Grey Plover @hilbrebirdobs.bsky.social today was ringed at Altcar on 22/3/19 & has been reported 30 times since with the last sighting almost exactly 1 year ago on Hilbre! #birdringing #birdbanding

Just as well we’ve got 14 sitting down for Christmas dinner. He’s definitely safe as not big enough. In our garden and strutting around like he owns the place #ukbirding

Volume up. Sitting in the house whilst it’s still pitch black outside & heard Little Owl calling from fields in front of us. Glad to know they’re still around but haven’t discovered where yet #ukbirding #cheshirebirding #littleowls

New blog post: #seychelles #birding wirralbirders.blogspot.com/2025/12/cous...

Adult winter plumaged Med Gull in field behind house partially hidden by trees. Taken through bedroom window. Good find among 300 B H Gulls, 100 Common Gulls a few Herring Gulls & a single Lesser Black Backed Gull #ukbirding #patchbirding #cheshirebirding

New blog post: wirralbirders.blogspot.com/2025/12/seyc... #seychelleswildlife

After seeing several fly-past Seychelles Kestrels I was stoked to find a pair at a nest hole at the top of a tall tree near our hotel! #Seychelles #Praslin

Even though they’re an introduced species to Seychelles Red Fody is still a stunning bird. Even managed a record shot of a scarce yellow morph #seychelles

Synchronised bathing by a couple of Ground Doves on Praslin (Seychelles) during a shower of rain #seychelles

Amazed by the number of waders here on Praslin (Seychelles). Birds I’d expect to see back in UK & incredibly tame. Curlew Sand, Wood Sand, Greenshank, Grey Plover, Turnstone, Bar-tailed Godwit, Whimbrel & Curlew #seychelles

Saw a Hawksbill Turtle in the surf 1st thing this morning but it didn’t come ashore. Took a walk along the beach this evening & she’d come ashore later & laid her eggs when we were out! Photo of trail to nest & there was another trail returning to sea. Rangers will mark it tomorrow #seychelles

Worth skipping breakfast to get to Vallée de Mai early this morning for close views of this endemic Seychelles Parrot! By the time I left there were hordes of people & no parrots. Two distant Seychelles Kestrels completes the set of Praslin endemics #seychelles #birding

A real surprise over dinner tonight when a Wedge-tailed Shearwater crash landed into the restaurant. Known locally, apparently, as ‘pukey birds’ after their habit of vomiting over rescuers. Waitress pushed it into a dark corner with a broom #seychelles

Caught up with another Seychelles endemic this afternoon on a stroll back from the beach. Seychelles Bulbul! Added another new species for the holiday list in Black-crowned Night Heron

4 endemics from our current trip to the Seychelles - Seychelles Magpie Robin, Seychelles Fody, Seychelles Warbler & Seychelles Blue Pigeon. First 3 all photographed on Cousin Island reserve & the pigeon at our resort on Praslin #seychelles

Snow on the Carneddau in N Wales viewed from @hilbrebirdobs.bsky.social y’day. Incredible light. Visibility 60 miles+ and could see some of the Lake District peaks

Purple Sandpipers in low light at high tide y’day @hilbrebirdobs.bsky.social 8 counted so hopefully we’ll soon have double figures wintering around the island

Frosty start to the morning and a dusting of snow on top of Moel Famau when I looked out the study window

Beautiful rainbow(s) from the garden y’day afternoon just after we finished our walk around the village. Highlight was my biggest flock (20) of Fieldfare so far this winter period

Rough seas @hilbrebirdobs.bsky.social today & bitterly cold. -2 with wind chill from a northerly F6. Plenty of waders around with 6 Purple Sandpipers roosting with Turnstone & Redshank in Niffy Bay

New blog post: #ukbirding wirralbirders.blogspot.com/2025/11/ston...

Back to Grovesnor Park, Chester this morning to try & catch & colour ring Moorhens for National Waterbird marking scheme. No new birds but retrapped H23 ringed July 2024. Now to repair one of the traps where rat chewed through before I could release it

11 Whooper Swans just flown over the garden heading NW presumably towards Martin Mere! Patch gold. Only my 3rd sighting in 9 years living here #pwc2025 #cheshirebirding #ukbirding

The pond opposite our house is just beginning to fill up after being completely dry all summer. I can just see the water for 1st time since spring. These 2 Wigeon just dropped in! #ukbirding #patchbirding #pwc2025

Just picked this up from the framers and hung it on my study wall. A beautiful drawing from an original photo of the Siberian Rubythroat I found on Fetlar in 2019. Thanks to @ruths-portraits.bsky.social for doing such a beautiful commission for me #ukbirding

German colour ringed Curlew back @hilbrebirdobs.bsky.social for its 2nd winter & having a good preen. 1st seen in November 2024 #birdringing #birdbanding

This young female Goldcrest was ringed on 15th Oct @hilbrebirdobs.bsky.social and recaptured a week or so ago. We recaptured it again today. Very unusual to have one staying almost a month. It’s put on 0.1g! #birdringing #birdbanding

Female Kestrel drying off in the November sunshine @hilbrebirdobs.bsky.social this morning #ukbirding

Merlin off the west side of @hilbrebirdobs.bsky.social this morning. We later found the remains of a Ringed Plover that had presumably killed

New blog post: #birdringing #ukbirding wirralbirders.blogspot.com/2025/11/bird...

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