Another twitching anniversary today: 19 yrs to the day since a lot of us ticked the 1st Pacific Diver for Britain, on a private pit at Farnham, Yorkshire. Many thanks to the managers at the Treves factory alongside the site, who allowed us to park and view from their grounds - v much appreciated!

Caught up in other things, so forgot that yesterday was the 30th anniversary of me seeing this bird. Thought it looked a bit weird for a Bonxie at the time, but didn't know enough (nor did many others, seemingly). Took 25 years before I could tick it - still much needed by many other birders.

Mind-blowing message from Dave P this evening - he's just found a new live nest cam in NZ - Kakapo! And there was I thinking my 1st British Killdeer for 32 years was going to be bird of the day. www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfGL...

Worth a watch: www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ffF...

Fun raid down into Devon today, despite the weather: Red-necked Grebe, 9 GNDs, 9 Com Scoter off Broadsands, plus c.15 Cirls in the 2nd car park. GND in Brixham harbour and Grey Seals showing v well. The Little Stint and 2 Spoonbills still on Big Marsh North at Otter Estuary NR (formerly LORP).

Wet Moor absolutely on fire this pm: Bonaparte's Gull, 3 Bewick's Swans, 50+ Whitefronts, 5 Tundra Beans, Garganey, and plenty of Cranes. That after a brief Penduline Tit at Shapwick Heath this am (on 30th anniversary of my 1st ones at Dungeness), plus a Firecrest. Not a bad day!

Tundra Bean Goose still behind west pool at Dunster Hawn 11.45.

OTD 24 Nov 2001. A surreal but generally successful day's twitching round East Anglia: an oiled Snowy Owl in Felixstowe, what would become the 1st modern-day accepted Baikal Teal at Minsmere, dipping Ross's Goose by 30 mins in Norfolk, but seeing the v late 1st-winter Gull-billed Tern at Titchwell.

Desert Wheatear still by Bridging Camp 1.20pm favouring dung heaps by footpath and showing v well. Also Black Redstart. #dorsetbirding

2 of the 3 Snow Bunting seen at Bossington today #somersetbirds

Brilliant it was too, even though the rest of my carload stayed in the car out of the biting wind until I banged on the door and yelled 'I've got it!' Great artwork as ever, Stew.

This may answer your question, Dawn @debalmer.bsky.social

Nice views of the Red-breasted Flycatcher behind Avalanche Road Hump c.4pm today, depite the foul weather.

Fabulous! #gothmoth

Wryneck, Firecrest, and Marsh Harrier the best of a relatively quiet few hours for me @portlandbirdobs.bsky.social today.

Good to hear that European fans at the Ryder Cup have been giving the American fans (some of whom overstepped in their shouts on the course) a good taste of football chants, e.g. (according to BBC website): 'Stand up if you're seven up' 'Sacked in the morning' 'Can we play you every week?' 😀

Little Owl calling just outside the garden just now - 1st I've heard here for at least 3 years.

Rn Phal views fairly distant this am but in direct comparison with Grey Phal, so differences obvious. My 4th in Somerset (Meare Heath 2006, Steart Marshes 2015, Holnicote 2020) with good views of the Rb Shrike at Portbury later too. Cheddar has been on fire recently. Somerset yearlist now up to 210.

Burnham seawatch not as varied as yday but 3 Grey Phals at 2.05pm and 2 more at 3pm, plus Manx. If all diff individuals I've seen 12 Grey Phals in Somerset in last 2 wks and found 8 of them! Would swap a few for @burnhambirder.bsky.social's "Sab's flushed by L-t Skua' at low tide this am though.

V enjoyable seawatch off Burnham, esp the hour up to HT: Leach's Petrel, juv Sab's Gull, Bonxie (flew off inland), Grey Phal, plus juv Marsh Harrier, Peregrine and at least 1 (poss 3+) Harbour Porpoise.

Cheddar Res this pm: Little Tern 2, Black Tern 1, Glossy Ibis 7, Curlew Sand 3, Little Stint 3, Ruff 4, Knot 1, Blackwit 2, Common Sand 3. Plus 15+ Ringed Plover, 7+ Dunlin, and 54 Great White Egrets.

Fantastic trip from Falmouth with @ak_cruises. Others have posted numbers and photos of birds. 1000’s of birds in changeable weather. Wilson’s Storm-Petrol, Euro Stormie, Cory’s, Great Shearwater, Scopoli’s Shear, Sooty Sheat, Fulmar, Manx, Balearic and Sunfish.

Beast. 😍

V hot dragonfly transect at Ham Wall this am/early pm. Highlight 20 (!) Lesser Emperors, including 2 ovipositing pairs. 25+ Brown Hawkers, 12 Emperors, 3 Southern Hawkers and 1st Migrant Hawker of year. Temp in car on return to car park read 42 degrees!

OTD 2 yrs ago in Taman Negara: Gould's Frogmouth, Garnet Pitta, but only heard Rail-babbler. OTD in PNG 1 yr ago a fabulous morning's birding up the Telefomin Rd, with Sooty Shrikethrush being a lifer for Birdquest, never mind our group. Lots of goodies: Splendid Astrapia lived up to its name too.

OTD 2 yrs ago was 1st day of 3 at Taman Negara, Malaysia with Tropical Birding - Malayan Crested Fireback plus lots of subtle babblers and bulbuls. OTD 1 yr ago the Tabubil area in PNG produced Torrent-lark, Salvadori's Teal, Carola's Parotia, Obscure Berrypecker, and (just for me) Papuan Eagle!

OTD 2 yrs ago I was at Bukit Fraser, Malaysia with Tropical Birding, seeing among others Red-bearded Bee-eater, Bamboo Woodpecker, and the exquisite Himalayan Cutia. OTD one year ago I was in PNG with Birdquest, stuck in Port Moresby as our flight to Tabubil was cancelled. It got better!

30 years ago today, 2 July 1995, James McGill, Alastair Stevenson, and I were at Wyke Down, Dorset listening to a Quail calling from a barley field. Legging it up the footpath, we flushed another one! The 1st Quail I'd ever seen, and I've only seen one more in Britain since, again by chance.

Osprey in tree at Bridge Marsh, Seaton 6.30pm, viewed from gateway off A3052. Been around all afternoon, apparently, though mobile over short distances. #devonbirding

Red Kite low W over my garden just now.

Desert Wheatear still showing v well at Somerdale, Keynsham 2.50pm at least.

V enjoyable dragonfly transect at Ham Wall this pm. Brown Hawker, 3 Norfolk Hawkers, 2 Lesser Emperors the highlights, but also NFY Black-tailed Skimmer and Small Red-eyed Damsel. Birds included flyover Bittern and Red Kite.

Reminder: Nobel-prize winning PCR (1983), used in basically all genetic tech today, was only possible because of extremophile bacterium discovered in 1964 in Yellowstone funded by a small ~$80k NSF grant with no obvious application at the time. #science 🧪 www.richmondscientific.com/how-a-discov...

White Stork circled over Loxtons at Ham Wall c.12.25 then headed W past Durstons peat works. #somersetbirding

Two years ago today I was in Spain, twitching an Ancient Murrelet. Only a short trip, but brilliant fun: birdingtales.blogspot.com/2023/08/anci...

N'land trip in nos: 137spp (5 in Durham), 4 N'land ticks (Temminck's, Am Goldie, Quail, GWE), 11 YTs (Red and Black Grouse, Grey Part, Am Wigeon, Smew, Puffin, Arctic and Roseate Terns, Am Goldie, Quail, Pinkfoot). Plus Woodcock, Am Black Tn, 2 Spoonbills, 8 Dotterels, 3 Wood Sands, Ruddy Shelduck.

She made me wait a bit this morning, but showed v well in the end. Stuck watching v close range Arctic Terns while I waited - what a hardship! 😀Back in Somerset now, just as drift migrants are starting to turn up. Oh well, I had a brilliant week - 137 spp recorded, brilliant scenery too.

Cracking 1st day of Northumberland trip. Black and Red Grouse and Woodcock on Durham fells at dawn, then Grey Partridge, Am Wigeon, Smew, Puffin, Arctic and Roseate Terns, Temminck"s Stint, Wood Sand, the "Buston Teal", and Dotterel.

10 years ago today, an amused reception committee was waiting for me at @portlandbirdobs.bsky.social , watching me arrive sweaty from Top Fields before flinging myself to Norfolk for a gripback I never expected to get, and certainly not so quickly: birdingtales.blogspot.com/2020/05/citr...

Bit late in the day, but 8 May is the 8th anniversary of @0100011s.bsky.social leaving the barbers halfway through a haircut. The reason? A showy Spectacled Warbler on the slopes at Portland Bill, 1st for Dorset and only the 9th British record. Sadly it sloped off overnight.

I worked out last night that the Purple Heron I saw over the weekend was my 19th in Somerset and 7th on Shapwick Heath NNR. Mostly twitched, of course, but I have found 2: Catcott Lows, 8 May 2005, and Westhay Moor, 23 September 2020 (the latter with Trevor Ellery while waiting for a Spotted Crake).

So, in the past week I've seen: 16 Poms, Night Heron, Purple Heron, Temminck's Stint, Bluethroat, Red-footed Falcon, and 2 Black-winged Stilts. Throw in 2 Glossy Ibises, Wood Sand, 2 Red Kites, 5 Garganey, singing Wood Warbler and Spot Fly, and a bunch of other common migrants and it's not been bad!

1st summer Purple Heron showed well at Meare Heath early evening. Seen to pluck a Four-spotted Chaser from a stem and ate it before it dropped to the reed edge and started fishing. #somersetbirding

Roseate Terns on Coquet Island webcam now. I'll be up there in about 10 days or so - can't wait. www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gG2...

Late afternoon whizz up to a breezy Slimbridge for Temminck's Stint. Nice if distant views, plus Glossy Ibis, Wood Sand, Common Sand, 3 Ruff, 4 Garganey, and a pair of Cranes. Well worth the effort!

1s Purple Heron at Meare Heath now on 1st tank W of Ashcott Corner c/pk and showing well 10.07am. #somersetbirding

Sub-ad Purple Heron 9.40am in front left edge of reedy island on 2nd tank on Meare Heath. Showing reasonably well, considering. Found by @marshallpaul.bsky.social . #somersetbirding

At last! An accessible (at least to hear) Nightingale in Somerset this year along Bridgwater-Taunton canal by bridge at Cogload Junction. Same place as last year, and completely undisturbable unless you fancy trespassing, tackling barbed wire and thick brambles, and playing with high-speed trains.

Out early this morning, and what better way to celebrate my birthday than with flocks of Poms (16 in total past Portland Obs, though I missed a couple), plus an apparent female Surf Scoter. This pm in Somerset not so good - ternfest at Burnham was over by time I arrived and dipped Purple Heron again