Caspian Gull at Snaresbrook Eagle Pond this afternoon

2025 saw my UK list up to 268 with 19 new birds. Among my favourites were American Pipit, Great Reed Warbler, Western Sandpiper & Marsh Sandpiper - the key being a long time alone with the bird close by. Obviously going to be harder to see new stuff, but I still have some shocking gaps.

Went looking for Russian White Fronted Geese at RSPB Rainham Marshes and found a goose with a white front (!) and a very well behaved Spoonbill.

Down from Edinburgh to Fareham for Christmas just as a male Cirl Bunting rocks up just beyond my old school. Family might be wondering where I’ve disappeared to tomorrow….

Long-tailed Ducks off the Musselburgh sea wall in the late afternoon sun #BirdingScotland

Water Rail, Penicuik #BirdingScotland

Water Pipit and Rock Pipit, Cocklemill Burn, Fife earlier today. The latter being rather easier to photograph #BirdingScotland

Bathing Song Thrush, Fife #BirdingScotland

Water Pipit showing well at Cocklemill Burn, Fife this lunchtime (near the second bridge) #BirdingScotland

Drake Ring-Necked Duck at Darnrig Moss near Slamannan this lunchtime. Flew East at 1:30pm #BirdingScotland

Black redstart, Torness sea wall @birdinglothian.bsky.social

Since I’m racing a cross country in Cumbernauld this afternoon, took the chance to find the Taiga Bean Geese flock north of Slamannan (not that easy to find!)

Another week, another Red-breasted Flycatcher - this one at Barns Ness old campsite this afternoon #BirdingScotland

Snipe and curlew at Musselburgh

Nice Red-breasted Flycatcher at Holy Island today, plus Yellow-browed Warbler, Spotted Flycatcher and Merlin the highlights

Nice street art on my run through Stoke Newington earlier this afternoon #Foxoftheday

Spotted Redshank at Musselburgh old scrapes yesterday afternoon. Showing almost as well as the Marsh Sandpiper #BirdingScotland

Pectoral Sandpiper still at the new scrapes Musselburgh this morning #BirdingScotland

Purple-backed Fairy Wrens, Kings Park, Perth WA. Very shy but showed eventually

Red-tailed Black Cockatoos, Perth

Laughing Kookaburras, King’s Park, Perth WA. Not a marsh sandpiper in sight!

Also at Musselburgh scrapes, this Lesser Black-Backed Gull was suggesting to this fox that it hunts elsewhere

2 juvenile Little Stints still at Musselburgh old scrapes at dawn this morning (+18 Ruff) #BirdingScotland

A Wheatear at Torness this morning and Stonechats aplenty at Barns Ness

2 Sooty shearwater north at 10:15 the highlights of a morning at Torness #BirdingLothian

Just the four tern species at JMCP sand spit this afternoon - Arctic, common, sandwich and roseate (one adult in each photo here). No sign of black or little, sadly #BirdingLothian

I’ve enjoyed seeing some cracking white-winged scoter photos on here this week. This is no such photo! (Musselburgh 6 am this morning) #BirdingScotland

A couple of smart knots on the old scrapes at Musselburgh this afternoon #BirdingScotland

Western Sandpiper with breakfast, Maidens Ayrshire, June 21 #BirdingScotland

Since I was in Ayrshire, rude not to! Everyone’s favourite Western Sandpiper showing nicely at Maidens this morning

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Good morning , thank you to @andrewlathameac.bsky.social‬ for today's #foxoftheday , a garden visitor .

Nest building Red Squirrel in Glen Feshie featuring wonderfully camouflaged tail!

Spotted Flycatchers, Aviemore on Saturday morning

And a few Pied Flycatchers

Nice early start up to Aviemore rewarded with this cracking Wood Warbler

Stock dove matching my current mood by the sea at Musselburgh

Dotterel on Carnethy summit - the perfect bird on a perfect afternoon @birdinglothian.bsky.social

Male Dotterel just west of Carnethy summit on path. Very confiding @birdinglothian.bsky.social

Wood Sandpipers (at least 6 present) and a very smart Greenshank at Cley this morning

A selection of distant, heavily cropped photos of some of the 5 Temminck’s Stint at Cley Marshes this morning, each with different wader species for scale

Smart drake garganey and lesser yellowlegs at @nosterfieldnr.bsky.social this morning but for me it was this garden warbler and lesser whitethroat that stole the show

Star of a great day’s birding was this wonderful great reed warbler at RSPB Ouse Fen in Cambridgeshire

The garden warbler is a very shy bird - except when it absolutely isn’t! Nosterfield NR earlier today. Drake garganey and lesser yellowlegs were just the support act for this chap

Smart male Kentish Plover through the heat haze at JMCP earlier today

Whinchats braving the cold north wind early this morning, Kelphope Burn, Borders

Tree pipit and redstart singing near Gladhouse earlier today

Yellow wagtails at Skateraw - at least 4 by the minor road to Torness

Greater whitethroat at Aberlady Marl Loch early this morning. Also singing lesser whitethroat but he wasn’t posing for photos

Fifer lifer for me - woodchat shrike in the fields North of Pittenweem (with a supporting cast of corn buntings in full song)