Final #BirdsSeenIn2026 post from recent trip to see family in #SouthCarolina #USA - Snow Goose, Ross's Goose, Bufflehead, American Wigeon (+ probable Lesser Scaup), Painted Bunting and Rusty Blackbirds. All around the area of Patriots Point, Mount Pleasant (near Charleston).

4 of the incredible (to me) 47 species seen during a morning #birding walk around the neighbourhood, near Moncks Corner, #SouthCarolina #USA - American Moorhen, Downy Woodpecker, Hermit Thrush and Loggerhead Shrike #BirdsSeenIn2026

Some of today's #BirdsSeenIn2026 #birding sightings from around the Moncks Corner area of #SouthCarolina #USA - Bald Eagle (immature), Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Great Norther Diver (aka Common Loon) and Vesper Sparrow.

Currently watching this lovely little American Kestrel - near Moncks Corner, #SouthCarolina #USA #BirdsSeenIn2026

Twitched the (now) famous Burrowing Owl at Fort Sumter, #SouthCarolina #USA today. It roosts on a cannon, within 1 of the gun emplacements and you have to get a tourist ferry to see it. Also saw White Pelican, Purple Sandpiper and Savannah Sparrow #BirdsSeenIn2026

Some #birding sightings from around the Moncks Corner area of #SouthCarolina #USA Black-and-white warbler, Brown Pelican, Greater Yellowlegs and White Ibis #BirdsSeenIn2026

1st day of a fairly short visit to see family in #SouthCarolina #USA As ever, there are great #Birding opportunities within 10 minutes walk - pair of Bald Eagle, Canvasback, American Coot and Ruddy Duck ##BirdsSeenIn2026

A close encounter of the Peregrine kind #UKBirding in #Bedfordshire this morning #BirdsSeenIn2026 #wildlife #nature

@upperforthbirds.bsky.social Sorry, but I'm now unsure if the female Scoters at Kinneil are Common or Velvet.

Also 5 Velvet Scoter (1m, 4f) distantly offshore at Kinneil Lagoon. They're swimming upriver, in the main shipping channel (between Culross and old power station area). @upperforthbirds.bsky.social #BirdingScotland

At least 29 Scaup offshore at Kinneil Lagoon just now. They're in groups of 5,7 and 17, which I've never seen before here (usually 1 group). Hybrid drake Tufted x Scaup and Spotted Redshank also @upperforthbirds.bsky.social #BirdingScotland

Quite a lot of hair #ice seen during today's ramble. I don't think it's been above freezing all day, but I love this type of #weather

Great to see the local Dippers back today (Breich Water, near Addiewell) after a few weeks absence. I wonder where they go in the meantime? @birdinglothian.bsky.social #BirdingScotland #Birding

Another magical Hen Harrier experience in the @birdinglothian.bsky.social #BirdingLothian area. The bird landed directly in front of me, then sat in the winter sunshine for about 20 minutes (as I stood frozen, trying not to breathe!).

Day seventeen of #ArtAdventCalendar Tonight I’m sharing this painted stone of the Seven Whistlers. Years ago, when people heard the Whistlers flying at night, they thought of it as a bad omen. Sailers would refuse to sail the next day, and miners would avoid the mines.

An amazing day #Birding in the @birdinglothian.bsky.social area today, with this stunning male Hen Harrier 1 of the highlights. Other notable birds were Goshawk, Red Kite and Green Sandpiper #BirdingLothian

Even though these are all common birds in the #USA I still can never resist spending time watching them: American Robin, Hermit Thrush, Tufted Titmouse and White-breasted Nuthatch. All seen in #CentralPark during our recent visit to #NYC #NewYork #Birding

@birdcpk.bsky.social I'd be interested if anyone has been able to/can get the details of the band on this Black Duck at the Central Park Reservoir. I couldn't get anything other than I think it begins with 15 - thank you.

Homeward bound after our whirlwind trip to #NewYork #NYC

Red-tailed Hawk eating a squirrel in #CentralPark #NewYork The bird was just above the path, with most people walking by without even noticing it.

Starting a few hours #birding in #CentralPark #NewYork #NYC

Arrived in #NewYork for a few days as a tourist, with a quick jaunt this evening around the area of the Empire State Building and Grand Central Station.

At least 165 Taiga Bean Geese (+ some Pinkfeet), just north of Slamannan now, including "old friend" V8 #BirdingScotland #UKBirding

Jack Snipe #UKBirding in #Bedfordshire today. As ever, the bird was left undisturbed.

Great to see a couple of Woodcock #UKBirding in #Bedfordshire today. Shot taken from a public footpath, with the bird left to continue its roost in peace #WildlifePhotography #Nature

Also in #Bedfordshire #UKBirding today, a very unexpected (found by Leo B) Ring Ouzel. Not a leucistic Blackbird as suggested by some, rather it's a Ring Ouzel with leucism.

Brent Goose at Stewartby Lake #Bedfordshire #UKBirding today.

Great to see a #UKBirding county 1st for #Bedfordshire this afternoon, after Matt Burgess found this drake Lesser Scaup. Big thanks also to @steveblain.bsky.social for getting the ball rolling on its true ID and Mike Illet for persevering to get the crucial open wing shots👏

We're now starting to get reports of dead Whooper Swans with rings. If you find a dead bird & feel comfortable doing so - check for rings using the below @btobirds.bsky.social advice 👇🏻 Collecting information on ringed birds helps better understand the impact on different age groups.

Please keep an eye open for dead & dying Whooper Swans (and other waterbirds), see thread below on how to report for possible sampling & please also report to @birdtrack.bsky.social so we can start to build a comprehensive picture of the spread 👇🏻

Tawny #Owl in #Bedfordshire #UKBirding today. The bird is quite safe (pretty high up) from any disturbance, and has been in this area for a while now.

A pretty depressing day counting sick & dead Whooper Swans. Avian influenza is within the population. Please report all dead birds for possible collection & testing. In 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿, 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 & 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 this is Defra gov.uk/guidance/repor… Reporting to @birdtrack.bsky.social also helps with monitoring.

Outstanding #UKBirding views of the juvenile Glossy Ibis at Harrold Odell Country Park #Bedfordshire today.

Now that's what I call a record shot 🙂 It's been ages since I've seen a Great Grey Shrike in Bedfordshire, so when news broke late this afternoon of a bird (found by Mark Newman) only 10 minutes from home it was a no-brainer to give it a go in fading light #UKBirding

Mr (left) and Mrs Roe #Deer seen during today's wanderings in the #Cambridgeshire #Fens #wildlife #nature #naturephotography

Record phonescope shot of the juvenile American Golden Plover at Eyebrook Reservoir earlier this morning #UKBirding

Playing "Where's Wally" with a Mediterranean Gull at Gypsy Lane East, Bedfordshire #UKBirding this afternoon. I'm lucky to see 1 of these a year here.

Only an hour up the road, so a trip to Rutland Water today for a look at the cracking juvenile Baird's Sandpiper #UKBirding

Another irregular #UKBirding visitor to #Bedfordshire as found this afternoon by @steveblain.bsky.social - (1 of 3 seen) Rock Pipit.

Pretty close views of a flyby Kestrel in the sunshine #UKBirding yesterday.

Not a regular visitor to Bedfordshire at all, and very close to home, so it would have been daft not to go and see the 2 Whooper Swans at Poppy Hill Lakes, Henlow. At least 4 Stonechats and a Whinchat (no pics) nearby too #UKBirding

Spent a fair bit of time at The Wash yesterday, watching waders (Greenshank shown) and Peregrines trying to catch them #UKBirding

Kestrel at Newbiggin, Northumberland #UKBirding the other day.

I'm not into #trainspotting (honest!), but thought this looked a bit different the other day in #Scotland Some details in Alt Text #trains

Good weather still holding on for my last day of this visit to #Scotland Back home via a bit of birding with a good friend in Northumberland this weekend.

Any sea-watch ninjas able to ID these skuas to species please? Seen (miles away) flying up the river Forth in Scotland this afternoon. I reckon they are "just" Arctic, but thought it was worth checking. Thank you #BirdingScotland

"Pair" of Scaup on the Forth, off Kinneil Lagoon. Also, 3 adult skuas (most likely Arctic, but appeared dainty, so will check poor shots), 19 juv Gannet + many Guillemot heading upriver with the tide #BirdingScotland @UpperForthBirds

Spotted Redshank at Kinneil Lagoon. It's currently on the Forth side, in the 1st channel running out of the lagoon #BirdingScotland @upperforthbirds.bsky.social

I've seen plenty of aberrant plumaged Carrion Crows over the years, but I'm sure that they have all been black/white or black/grey (when Hoodie hybrids), which made this 1 at Kinneil LNR the other day all the more noticeable #BirdingScotland @kinneil.bsky.social

Poked my head over a wall today after hearing a stag roar + got a bit of a surprise! Red Deer are uber aggressive with their rut at this time of year, so I quickly buggered off to avoid any unnecessary shenanigans 🙄