My evening dog walk yesterday on Hayling Island took a turn for the better when this Bonaparte’s Gull turned up in the growing feeding flock offshore. An extremely unexpected find!

The Port Meadow Ring-billed Gull blog post is now out, photos will be replaced in due course with better versions as I don't currently have the computer I usually use for image processing with me. Some identification pointers inside #ukbirding tmbirding.blogspot.com/2026/03/a-da...

A nice fly-by from this 1w Caspian gull at Keyhaven today. My 5th individual in the last 4 weeks. #patchbirding #ukbirding

To the meres tonight hoping for storm-driven waifs, and hit the jackpot with a juv 💥SABINE'S💥 on The Mere, #Ellesmere 🤩 Just the 3rd modern #shropshirebirding record! It stayed to roost alongside an adult #CaspianGull, 10 YLGs & 5,400 LBBGs #happydays #loveautumn #ukbirding

Mega estuary watch from Severn Beach today. Personal totals: Sooty Shearwater (1st on Severnside for 51 years!), juv Sabine's Gull, 2 Grey Phalarope, 2 Leach's Petrel, 4 Storm Petrel, Black Tern, 3 Common Tern, distant Skua sp, 10+ Manxies, 8 Kittiwake, Med Gull, Hobby and 4 Curlew Sandpiper. Insane

With @tmbirding.bsky.social finding so many Caspian Gulls at Portland, I was hopeful some might make it to Keyhaven (still scarce here). At least two 1w birds yesterday and a third today, plus a bonus distant Grey Phal #patchbirding #ukbirding #hantsbirds

The Portland Caspian Gull deluge continued today with at least 3 new birds (3 seen together at Culverwell + another or one of the same on this morning's seawatch). Wrecked Sabine's in Chesil Cove also good to see after fleeting views of one off the Bill earlier this week #ukbirding

I was about to give up in the miserable weather on Saturday when I noticed an unusually large roost of gulls on Keyhaven Lagoon. Persistence led to patch gold - Bonaparte's Gull! Appears to be the 1st for the reserve. #patchbirding #ukbirding #hantsbirds

After our summer break here is the Oxon birding review for the last 2 months. Nothing too unexpected, but with the Crossbill irruption gaining pace and some early Wader action there’s been enough to keep us going. That being said, bring on autumn! #UKbirding oxonbirding.blogspot.com/2025/08/summ...

Interesting to watch these Starlings evading a hunting Marsh Harrier in Oxon this week. The evening sky made for a nice background. #ukbirding

Nice to find this very smart Lesser Yellowlegs on an impromptu walk around the Lymington-Keyhaven reserve yesterday evening. Presumably the individual seen in West Sussex on 19/06. Tricky shooting into the light but a very obliging bird. #ukbirding #patchbirding #hantsbirds

Doom-mongering on a grand scale... #UKBirding

Fantastic news 19 Lesser Spotted Woodpecker nests found and being watched/monitored by our volunteers so far. Most have 4 chicks, well fed by the adults. Nests are so difficult to find & these are only a tiny proportion of the several thousand LSW pairs in Britain, but all very positive this year.

Hobby catching mayfly taken whilst unsuccessfully looking for the Red-footed Falcon a couple of days ago. One of my favourite images from the OM1 so far #ukbirding

Nice to find a Hudsonian Godwit at Titchfield Haven this morning.Awful light but top bird 👍

Lengthy write up of the candidate 3cy Baltic Gull + other local finds in latest blog post. Lots of thoughts on moult and plenty of non-gull photos as well #ukbirding tmbirding.blogspot.com/2025/05/two-...

Finally managed to salvage this abysmal spring - Temminck's Stint was a nice find at Northern Cross Valley Way this morning. Not a regular bird in the county, with the last record 2023 and prior to that 2018 #ukbirding

Redstarts! After recording my earliest ever on the New Forest patch this year (23/03), the last couple of days have seen a significant arrival. Wonderful to have at least 16 singing males in the area this morning #ukbirding #patchbirding #hantsbirds

Point blank views of this Spotshank and Greenshank duo at Keyhaven on Monday @hosbirding.bsky.social #ukbirding #patchbirding #hantsbirds

Our AGM and Members' Day will be taking place this Saturday, 29 March, at St Swithun's School, Winchester. Great variety of talks including on Woodlarks, Roseate Tern breeding and an update on White-tailed Eagles. Free for members, £5 non-members. No need to pre-book www.hos.org.uk/welcome-to-t...

Still pretty static migration-wise but this Little Ringed Plover over northeast was displaying some rather odd behaviour, flying around the floods with its legs extended in an almost petrel-like fashion - photo stack to show the sequence #ukbirding

Not the best pics, but surprised to see this Red Kite tucking into a Long-tailed Tit in the New Forest recently. Whether it was caught alive or as carrion I can't say #ukbirding #patchbirding

Some sunset Cattle Egrets and a Tufted Duck x Common Pochard hybrid at RSPB Otmoor on Tuesday #ukbirding #BirdHybrid

A flight shot of the Eurasian Wigeon x Northern Pintail hybrid from a recent visit to Keyhaven, Hants #ukbirding #patchbirding #BirdHybrid

Latest Port Meadow blog update has now been posted with the first Sand Martins and LRP's now on the year list. There is still some good gulling with plenty of Caspians, YLGs and Med Gulls to be seen. portmeadowbirding.blogspot.com Photos courtesy of @tmbirding.bsky.social

Whilst Common Snipe have been plentiful on my New Forest patch this winter, Jack Snipe have proved tricky. Very pleased to finally get good views of them on the last couple of visits #ukbirding #patchbirding

A lovely afternoon for a wander at Keyhaven - 87sp, the highlight being great views of this Slavonian grebe, which is starting to get its 'horns'. The Spoonbill was very confiding too! #ukbirding #patchbirding

This smart Pintail x Wigeon hybrid (Pingeon? Wigtail?) was showing well at Keyhaven today. Now present for its 4th winter. #ukbirding #patchbirding

Last week, 56,000 #btgodwits were counted in the rice fields of the #Tagus estuary, the highest concentration of the species in the EAF. In this rice field alone, 36K godwits were recorded by drone! #LifeGodwitflyway

A few recent raptors from the New Forest #ukbirding #patchbirding

January update to my #NewForest #patchbirding blog newforestpatchbirding.blogspot.com/2025/01/janu...

The threat is considered severe enough to require significantly increased biosecurity measures for captive birds and yet the chasing of potentially infected gamebirds across the countryside can still continue.....bonkers. #Ornithology #BirdingScotland raptorpersecutionuk.org/2025/01/27/n...

Another fab session at Eastleigh SF, we caught 115 birds, 81N & 34 rt/c. Chiff 65N 25RT 2C, goldc 3N 4RT, wren 5N 1r/t, bluti 1n 2R/t, lotti 2 & treec 2, & 1 ea cetwa, firec, sparr. Eight of the r/t chiffs were from previous years between 2 and 5 years ago. #ukbirding #birdringing

Happy New Year everyone. I have updated my #NewForest #Lowcarbon #Patchbirding blog with a summary of 2024. newforestpatchbirding.blogspot.com/2025/01/patc...

This showy Red-necked Grebe was a long overdue patch tick for my Keyhaven-Pennington list. A ringtail Hen Harrier heading through the solent gave me a 2nd patch tick a few minutes later! Along with Thursday's Lesser Yellowlegs, a great start to 2025 #ukbirding #patchbirding

Not the best shots, but great to see this Hen Harrier on a very frosty morning in the New Forest #ukbirding

White-tailed Eagles are a pretty regular sight on the Hampshire coast these days, but I still get a thrill each time I see one. Especially when they fly straight over you, scattering 1000s of waders and wildfowl! #ukbirding #patchbirding

Lovely views of this pristine adult Iceland Gull along with a first winter Glaucous Gull at Boddam 👀 Voe, #Shetland this afternoon. #BirdingScotland #ukbirding #RareBirdsUK #birds

Our @batumiraptorcount.org Autumn Report is now online! Ever considered coming to Batumi to watch the incredible migration of 1+ million raptors 🦅, either as tourist or volunteer? Let our richly illustrated reports convince you to come next year. www.batumiraptorcount.org/autumn-repor... 🪶

Happy to say that this year's @batumiraptorcount.bsky.social Autumn Report will be bigger, better and more beautiful than ever. Coming soon. Making it has inspired me to share more of my #raptor #birdmigration photography here, so a teaser of some of the pictures I've contributed this year. 🪶🦅

Classic winter birding at Keyhaven yesterday with 92 sp; highlights including Water Pipit, GND, Long-tailed Duck, close views of Merlin, 203 Knot (a good count here) and a sizeable Marsh Harrier roost #ukbirding #patchbirding

A round up of Novembers birding in Oxon. A surprisingly busy month for the county bookended by county megas - albeit of differing scales of national rarity. Booted Eagle, Velvet Scoter, Snow Bunting and Bearded Tit the major highlights. #UKbirding oxonbirding.blogspot.com/2024/12/nove...

Lovely to watch the feeding behaviour of this Long-tailed Duck up close at Keyhaven yesterday. It frequently had its alula extended (apparently part of their diving action), and tended to surface with a very muddy bill! #ukbirding #patchbirding

This 1st winter Long-tailed duck was a nice surprise at Keyhaven today, feeding close in on one of the lagoons with the Tufted Ducks! #ukbirding #patchbirding

I've spent a lot of time looking through the gulls at Keyhaven in the past month for scant reward, so was very surprised when this 1st winter Caspian Gull flew straight past me! Just enough time to grab some record shots, and it was gone. #ukbirding #patchbirding

Siberian Chiffchaff trapped in the Crown Estate Field - two photos of the same bird in shade vs bright sunshine

This Dartford Warbler sat contented for a good few minutes after tackling a sizeable caterpillar #ukbirding #patchbirding

A showy Greenshank at Keyhaven this afternoon. 82 sp including my first Brent of the winter, but very low numbers of Dunlin and Ringed Plover #ukbirding #patchbirding

This Lesser Spotted Woodpecker was very difficult to see on the New Forest patch this afternoon! Also a very tame Grey Heron that looked rather out of place strolling through the heather and myrtle #ukbirding #patchbirding

A striking pale-naped, dark-headed juv Marsh Harrier (probably fem) at RSPB Otmoor in Oxon this evening. One of several migrant harriers seen in the last few weeks, this brings my total to 15 different MH individuals for the site so far this year #UKbirding #patchbirding