My take on today’s White-throated Needletail off Helmsdale with @emilyrichens.bsky.social : seafordbirding.blogspot.com/2025/10/whit... #BirdingScotland

Operation Needletail turned into Needletail success after only 15 minutes in the field! Plucked on Helmsdale as a likely location and at 0740 the White-throated Needletail was spotted by @emilyrichens.bsky.social and spent 9-mins with us before heading south! BOOM #BirdingScotland

Now back from Shetland and on the train between Inverness and Beauly I spotted a Snow Goose in with the pinkies. Due to viewing difficulties around Kirkhill, it took me a while to re-locate, but eventually did. 40 Barnacles also here too. #BirdingScotland

Our final full day ended with watching the Siberian Thrush all to ourselves. Other bits today included 20+ Storm Petrels heading out of Muckle Roe, a Snow Bunting, a few Yellow-broweds and a Pec Sand. #BirdingShetland

No vehicle as Steve went off for the Sibe Thrush, so I hiked from Ronas Voe to Urafirth via a few sites and struck gold at the latter by flushing an elusive Rustic Bunting. My Corncrake was again in its quarry, and the day ended with a Red-breasted Flycatcher in the Esha Ness geo. #BirdingShetland

Two days in the north of Shetland and steadily trickling along in far from ideal conditions with Rosefinch and Corncrake the best finds so far, plenty of Yellow-broweds still to be found and a superb Otter. A Tree Pipit skulking in long grass today was the biggest disappointment! #BirdingShetland

A walk up Tom A Choinnich (Glen Affric) with @emilyrichens.bsky.social & Tommy Saunders gave stunning panoramic views, 15 Ptarmigans, 3 Ring Ouzels and most surprisingly, 3 Twite. Superb! Lots of bird ringing in our garden today too 😄. #BirdingScotland

Here’s 30, from over 4,000 Pink-footed Geese which fought their way SSE during a six-hour stint today near Lairg. How a gale force westerly is conducive for migration I’ll never know. #BirdingScotland

Making the most of a day off, today I ventured NW to Balnakeil. A top morning with a Barred Warbler being the notable find, but other migrants/mustelids comprised two Hawfinches, Lesser Whitethroat, Garden Warbler, both Otter and Stoat, and five were Ruff nearby. A top site!! #BirdingScotland

Tarbat Ness: a later than normal visit with Nan was better than expected, with a Whinchat and Swift present, but a flock of 17 Coal Tits ‘high-flying’ out to sea was a cracking sight! Lots of Painted Ladies too. #BirdingScotland

Two weeks tomorrow until the Loch Ness Marathon. Having done it twice before, I’ll be running alongside the fiancee this time to support her in aid of her chosen charity (Mountain Rescue). Training has gone smoothly and now it’s time to tackle the beast!

2 weeks to go!! Very touched by the immense support given already by friends & family. Very much looking forward to it, no doubt my biggest challenge yet, and hopefully I do you all proud! 🥰 @matt-eade24.bsky.social www.justgiving.com/page/emilyri...

A brilliant 5.5hr seawatch today from my now beloved Portgower site. The moderate ESE winds delivered with two Cory's Shearwaters, 4 Great Shearwaters, 97 Sooty Shearwaters and 11 Arctic Skuas. Some of the large shears were very close inshore. #BirdingScotland

A female 'Highland' Darter seen yesterday up near Lairg. Still a few Common Hawkers about, but the Highland Odonata season is slowly coming to a close now. @dragonflydamselfly.bsky.social

Udale Bay was alive with birds this morning. No hoped for Curlew Sands, but five Ruddy Shelduck, ca. 25 Scaup, three Slav Grebes, a Black-tailed Godwit amongst throngs of other species. #BirdingScotland

I think someone ‘hibernated’ for too long! Odd to hear him ‘bubbling’ and showing off to a nearby female in September. #BirdingScotland

Conditions looked OK so I opted for a seawatch up near Helmsdale. Unfortunately only 4 Sooty S’waters, 27 Manx S’waters, a Puffin, a Great Northern Diver and 7 Whimbrel noted in six hours, but a ‘Goliath’ form of Basking Shark was the highlight… absolutely huge! #BirdingScotland

A 15 mile run up and over Ben Wyvis (1046m) this morning was highlighted by a superb juv Dotterel. Sadly I was too sweaty and breathless to find it on the deck, so two lovely and close flight views was all I could muster… I’ve missed that purring call! #BirdingScotland

Yesterday, walking a 2km stretch of stream which runs through a remote bog moorland up near Caithness, I counted no fewer than 99 Black Darters. Never witnessed such excellent numbers before! @dragonflydamselfly.bsky.social #ScottishDragonflies

A jaunt on the Ullapool to Stornoway Ferry with @emilyrichens.bsky.social & Matt Broadbent was a great day out, only if the standard fare was seen: ca. 30 Sooty S’waters, 1 Leach’s Petrel, ca. 35 Storm-Petrels, lots of Bonxies & 10 Arctic Skuas, & many Minke Whales. #BirdingScotland

A top day hiking 14 miles in the Glen Affric range, with Ptarmigan being the commonest bird (22 seen)! Other than that, amazing views once the cloud had lifted. #BirdingScotland

This Water Shrew was found dead this morning, apparently succumbing to carrying a blade of grass across a trail as it was firmly gripping such when I moved it… poor lad! #UKMammals

Azure Hawkers are still roaming the remote boggy moorlands, this male today, not too far away from Glen Affric! @dragonflydamselfly.bsky.social #UKDragonflies

A Plain Clay was the highlight from last night’s trap, this being classed as Nationally Scarce B. Lots of the attractive Antler Moths too. Beauly, Scotland! #UKMoths

Scotch Argus are now out in good numbers, this individual near Garve this morning. #UKButterflies

Had a bit of time yesterday afternoon to visit Tarbat Ness for a seawatch. Not much happening, but a close Bonxie, Puffins & Arctic Terns were nice and around the walls were some robust Frog Orchids. #BirdingScotland

Two Lempke’s Gold Spot were this morning’s highlight from Beauly, amongst a huge catch in our MV! #UKMoths #TeamMoth @emilyrichens.bsky.social

More boggy wanderings in Caithness delivers once again during a fine raptor survey, with a female Azure Hawker and a beauty of a Golden Eagle. A fair few White-tailed Eagles about too. @dragonflydamselfly.bsky.social #UKdragonflies #BirdingScotland

More excellent Odonata action at work today in Caithness. @dragonflydamselfly.bsky.social #UKDragonflies

Never thought I’d get a Northern Emerald in the hand! This in addition to some excellent Odonata alongside Loch Maree today. @dragonflydamselfly.bsky.social #UKDragonflies

16 years to the day I first visited the Cairngorms and today with @emilyrichens.bsky.social proved just as successful, with a host of excellent Odonata encountered. The one not captured was Northern Emerald which showed brilliantly in flight, all within a space of a few hours! #UKDragonflies

Some lovely photographic opportunities out on the moorland today, with my first Large Heath of the year and one of many Common Sandpiper territories. #UKButterflies

Tarbat Ness: Other than an uber-elusive (and dark) Lesser Whitethroat in the plantation, all activity was out to sea with two Arctic Skuas, a Bonxie, Puffins and a dozen Manx Shearwaters. Plenty of Heath Fragrant Orchids also about. Also the contents from this morning's moth trap! #BirdingScotland

This Saxon moth (locally distributed in Central & Northern Scotland) was the highlight from yesterday’s catch, which also included Small Angle Shades and some other nice bits. #UKMoths #Moths

A pristine male Azure Hawker at a private site north of Lairg today, among typical bog moorland favoured by this species. You can tell it was a hot day by how blue it is!! @dragonflydamselfly.bsky.social @emilyrichens.bsky.social #dragonflies

It’s strange for a southerner to see people rushing to set eyes on an Avocet, but apparently this pair is the first record for Lanarkshire!! Nice to be a few minutes up the road when news broke today! #BirdingScotland

Slowly but surely more diversity in our moth trap, with last night’s h’lights being 3 Brussel’s Lace (locally distributed in Scotland), a Beautiful Golden-Y and our first Spectacle. #TeamMoth #UKMoths

Raptor surveys amongst the moors of the north rarely get better than today's. Finding a Merlin nest was unexpected, sky-dancing Hen Harriers, a brute of a Goshawk up against a Red Kite and two Ospreys at head height made for a memorable day! #BirdingScotland

Only my second and third orchid species of the year, but two of my favourites: Coralroot & Lesser Twayblade #ukorchids

Finally our first hawk moths of the year up this way, with Poplar and Elephant in this morning’s trap. A Sallow Kitten also a nice catch! #Moths @emilyrichens.bsky.social

A bike ride up the beautiful Strathfarrar this morning was alive with wildlife. Spotted Flycatchers everywhere, a Wood Warbler, Redstart, four Whinchats and lots of Tree Pipits, in addition to Chimney Sweeper moths, Pearl-bordered Fritillaries and a Golden-ringed Dragonfly! #BirdingScotland

Grasshopper Warblers appear to be everywhere in the Highlands where there is suitable habitat. Never tire of seeing them, just a shame they like using fences to sing from! #BirdingScotland

A few days have been spent on Skye this week with @emilyrichens.bsky.social where this female Emperor Moth stole the show. Stacks of Grasshopper Warblers, Cuckoos, a few Bonxie & a Minke Whale were other highlights. #UKMoths #BirdingScotland

A top day working on Skye! The eagles still patrolling the skies, a Whinchat on territory, countless warblers (mainly Willow & Grasshopper) and my first Odonata of the year. #BirdingScotland

Tarbat Ness: still quiet on the sea and in the bushes. Offshore were six Great Northerns (why can't one just have a white bill!), a close Manx Shearwater and distant Bonxie, plus the acrobatic Bottlenose were again lingering close to the point. #BirdingScotland

A blast from my near past. Randomly looking through PNG videos from 2019 – a King-of-Saxony Bird-of-Paradise from Yasukom! One of 21 BoP species seen, sadly a civil ‘war’ at Tari Gap meant three others remained unseen 😢 #BirdingAbroad

Early morning surveys are usually worth the effort, a case made ever more so today with lovely views of Black Grouse, where five males enticed two females into the arena, resulting in a mating pair! Displaying Greenshank, Golden Plover, Curlew and an Osprey made for a top morning. #BirdingScotland

A Puss Moth in the trap this morning, followed by a day of work seeing Grasshopper Warbler, Hen Harrier, 11 Black Grouse and half an Emperor Moth, followed by an evening at Udale Bay with Osprey, Barnacle & White-fronted Geese and 8 White Wagtails… not bad at all! #BirdingScotland

Reading one of my favourite bird books while two Ospreys hunt in front of me along the River Beauly! #BirdingScotland

An hour’s seawatch at Tarbat Ness today produced my first Manx S’water, Bonxie and Sandwich Terns of the year, plus 35 Scoter all going north. The bushes were mostly quiet but it felt promising. A nice pod of Bottlenose Dolphins also offshore. #BirdingScotland