Green Heron... an angle I never expected to see let alone photograph! Note the dragonfly at top of frame. 😀 #birds #photography

Saw my first Adders of the year in Northumberland this lunchtime, including this beautiful pair (female at the front) #UKwildlife #snakes

Sanderling at the Long Nanny, Northumberland yesterday. I knew they were salt-adapted to deal with marine prey, but don’t recall seeing one (apparently) drink seawater before #birds #waders #UKbirding

Had my first White Wagtails of the spring today… this was one of four amongst 43 Pied Wags in a freshly tilled field just west of Boulmer, presumably grounded by one of the afternoon’s showers #NEbirding

There’s still a few European White-fronted Geese hanging around from the winter’s exceptional influx - here’s one of two at Hauxley today #NEbirding

A Great White Egret was the star of my East Chevington @webs-gsmp.bsky.social count today before it headed south. A Grey Heron was far more obliging @everyheron.bsky.social #NEbirding

New selfie… I can see myself reflected in the eye of this Slow-worm, out along the Carey Burn in the Cheviots yesterday #ukwildlife

Top night in Manchester bouncing up and down to the Wu-Tang Clan. A long drive home with aching knees now!

The sound of a Cetti’s Warbler on the Northumberland coast today. But not just any old Cetti’s Warbler… quite possibly the most northerly Cetti’s territory in the world (unless there’s one further up the coast I don’t know about). #NEbirding

Brent Geese at Seaton Pt this afternoon - four (of six) Pale-bellied and one Dark-bellied (second left) #NEbirding

It’s the time of year to be out finding, recording and enjoying rare breeding birds, but it’s vital to put their welfare first. Here’s some advice from @markaeaton.bsky.social, and there’s a blog here tinyurl.com/RBBPsafe [1/2] youtu.be/5xXc9Dl7vwk?...

Enjoyed the company of Purple Sandpipers at Stag Rocks today. Sat quietly with the dogs on the north side letting the birds come to us. Unlike the clueless togger who walked along the tide’s edge to the south then stood there wondering why there were no birds to photograph 🤦‍♂️ 😠 #WaderWednesday

After the Taiga Beans at Hoppen Kiln, stopped on the way past Monks House Pool just in time for four Tundra Bean Geese to fly in for a drink. Great timing. Eight goose species (two Beans + Euro White-front, Pinkfoot, Barnacle, Pale-bellied Brent, Canada and Greylag) in an hour or so 🙂 #NEbirding

Fancied beans for lunch, so popped up to Hoppen Kiln to admire the 11 elegant Taiga Bean Geese. Fantastic swan-like necks on some of them, shown off when a heron flew over (unfortunately after I’d stopped videoing 🤷‍♂️). #NEbirding

A great opportunity…

A short (distant) video of the white Hare at Buston, Northumberland this evening #UKmammals #wildlife

32 Whooper Swans heading towards Iceland over Alnmouth this afternoon #NEbirding

Had a superb weekend in Kent courtesy of @lesserspotnet.bsky.social’s workshop, hearing of all the exciting developments in Lesser Spotted Woodpecker monitoring & research, topped by great views of the birds themselves 😍 - my first for a decade!

My first visit to Abberton Reservoir for 30 years was very productive, although terribly murky, 3-5pm. Canvasback, Lesser Scaup, 4 Gtr Scaup, Ring-necked Duck, Drake Smew, Black-necked Grebe & Spoonbill - not a bad couple of hours #ukbirding #rarebirdsuk

What a thrill, my first 🇬🇧 Beavers! Saw two along the River Stour east of Fordwich, Kent this evening - located in the darkness by the loud wood-munching sounds! #ukmammals #uknature

4+ Water Pipits commuting between cut reedbeds at Westbere and the water meadows to the south this evening, as viewed from the north bank of the Stour #kentbirding

Early spring is by far the best time to record breeding Goshawks as they display over territories, particularly on calm and sunny days - here’s some encouragement from RBBP Secretary @markaeaton.bsky.social #ukbirding #ornithology youtu.be/hVgl6jYOX6A?...

Snow Bunting mid-snack at Chibburn Mouth, Druridge Bay #NEbirding

New 'letter to the editor' criticising a previous paper published in Ecological Indicators is well worth a read: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... Includes this quote 'At least two of them (Marazuela Pinela and López Espí) are self-proclaimed silvestristas—the Spanish term for songbird trappers'

I had to go past Blyth today, so it would’ve been rude not to say hello to the White-billed Diver in the harbour. My social media has been swamped by amazing photos of this bird, so thought I’d offer some crappy video instead 😂 #NEbirding

Just passed what must have been two Ruddy Shelducks on a flash on the east side of the A1 near Bowburn, Durham #NEbirding

Sunset at Speke Hall, Liverpool this evening with the sound of the singing male Great-tailed Grackle duetting with Song Thrushes. It might have hopped off a transatlantic boat, but is still a fantastic bird to see and hear #UKbirding #rarebirdsUK

After ten days cooped up with a 🦠, great to get the cobwebs well and truly blown away by Mogwai at the Glasshouse tonight

I’ve spent this week with the lurgy 🦠 - housebound, trying not to cough a lung out - so was grateful for this male Brambling in the garden yesterday brightening up my day. Alnwick #NEbirding

Most of the six Tundra Bean Geese at Hauxley today. Such elegant, beautiful birds. The quiet exclamation near the end is due to the mustelid that nearly ran over my foot. #NEbirding

The small Canada-type goose at Hauxley today - with Pinkfeet, Tundra Beans, Barnacles and Whitefronts west of the reserve entrance. Pinkfoot-sized, with a shorter neck, but that bill looks too big for a Cackler. #NEbirding

Absolutely Goose-tastic in Northumberland this morning. Finally caught up with the Taiga Bean Geese (thanks @graphicstew.bsky.social) and probably saw more Tundra Bean and European White-fronts than in the last ten winters combined. The small Canada-type at Hauxley remains intriguing #NEbirding

Ross Back Sands - a large diver went north at 2.30pm, high, with much head-lifting but too distant to confirm my White-billed suspicions. 12 Long-tailed Ducks, 3 Little Gulls, sea otherwise very quiet. 3 Slav Grebes and the regular male Pintail x Mallard hybrid (photo) in Lindisfarne bay #NEbirding

Here are my ropy photos of the small 'white cheeked' goose found by Dave Dack at Hauxley today. I find it a bit puzzling. It was small - about White-front size, although clearly a bit fatter and possibly a bit longer-boded. It was obviously short-necked #NEbirding #UKrarebirds 🧵

I was late for a meeting with @bou.org.uk colleagues this afternoon, but they were kind enough to accept my excuse of being delayed by a roadside Otter! This was hunting crabs below Warkworth weir, Northumberland today #UKmammals #UKwildlife

I missed a turning in the south of Northumberland this morning and had to drive the long way around… as a result, found a pair of Red Kites seeing an intruder off from their territory. A really thrilling encounter #NEbirding

After failing to find any Bean Geese around Whittle Dene this morning, delighted to catch up with two Tundra Beans on patch at Boulmer before dusk #NEbirding

Absolutely gobsmacked. One of the most amazing birding sights I’ve seen in Northumberland - here’s some of the 30 Cranes (up to 38 were reported by others) that spent the afternoon in a field next to the A1 just north of Alnwick. #NEbirding #UKbirding #birds

We're hiring Field Ornithologists and Surveyors! Apply now ➡️ www.bto.org/jobs 📝 Full and part time opportunities. 📆 Closing date: Tuesday 17 February. #Ornithology

Still loads of Kittiwakes along the beach at Seaton Point today (& 1 Little Gull). Also a Puffin fishing offshore, and a Woodcock flushed from the beach #NEbirding

The very last of the 39 Snipe pushed off the at Buston by the rising spring tide… this one really didn’t want to go! #NEbirding #WaderWednesday

Short-eared Owl, probably keeping an eye out for that eagle, at Buston today #NEbirding

More Little Gulls skipping over the waves - this adult was one of three just south of Alnmouth today #NEbirding

Some very flighty pipits at Buston Links Marsh this afternoon - including definitely one, probably two and possibly four Water Pipits. At one point seven birds were in flight, but likely to have included Rock Pipits pushed off the saltmarsh by a very high tide #NEbirding

Incredibly murky today, one of those days when the gloom never lifted. But a couple of Little Gulls dancing over the waves at East Chevington were a ray of light #NEbirding

So it may have looked a bit like a huge fluffed-up chicken in foul (fowl?) weather conditions at East Chevington this morning, but this unringed, untagged young White-tailed Eagle was absolute delight #UKbirding #NEbirding

Second great gig of the weekend - Midlake in Sunderland. If you don’t know them, listen to ’Roscoe’ on the streaming service of your choice and then come back and thank me 😉.

A magical evening… front row at the sold out Glasshouse for the Unthanks celebrating 20 years with a hometown gig. Musical perfection.

BLOG: Ian Woodward, senior research ecologist at @btobirds.bsky.social, describes how combining data from the RBBP and the BTO’s Heronries Census has improved our knowledge on the UK’s Little Egret population, as in new @britishbirds.bsky.social paper #birds #ornithology rbbp.org.uk/2026/01/30/l...

Always a pleasure when the @birdsinwales.bsky.social Welsh Bird Report arrives at RBBP Towers. I doubt there’s another report packed with this much info in the UK. Well done, as always, to @penrhynbirder.bsky.social and team for a fantastic job.