Who doesn't love a Christmas Sanderling? Taken today at New Brighton.

Took a trip over to Carnarfon today to see this Bufflehead at Foryd Bay. Also a fly-by Merlin.

Buntings at Leasowe Lighthouse today: Lapland and Snow.

A cheeky record shot of the Black-Faced Bunting at Spurn yesterday.

Firecrest at the. Great Orme this afternoon.

Had a fantastic last morning in Poland seawatching north of Gdynia. What an eye-opener… 12 duck species, in huge numbers, inc these Velvet Scoters, Red & Black-Throated Divers (BTD pictured), Little Gulls and then this Rough-Legged Buzzard, which came in-off the sea - spotted by @robml1.bsky.social

Poland day 3: Spent the day walking the banks of the Vistula close to the mouth of the river. Highlights included 2 White-Tailed Eagles & Common Cranes plus Marsh, Willow, Crested, Northern Long-Tailed (see photo) & Bearded Tits. Also Goosanders, Goldeneyes & Red Squirrel. With @robml1.bsky.social

First 2 days birding around Gdansk in Poland with @robml1.bsky.social Heavy skies and low light (mostly in woodland) made things tricky, but have had a fantastic time so far. Highlights: Black Woodpecker, Great Grey Shrike, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker & Barn Owl (scarce here).

Spurn day 2 - a lot of walking, a lot of searching and a lot of Goldcrests... we saw 50+ individuals during the day. These, and Arctic Skuas plus good numbers of Divers on the sea made for a really enjoyable day - topped off by this Brown Shrike seen at Hunmanby late afternoon.

Spurn day 1 - hoping for a fall of scarce/rare migrants brought in on the North Easterly breeze today... not to be, alas. Still had a very good day - Black Redstart, Jack Snipe and Spotted Flycatcher the highlights.

Finally decided to take the plunge and go mirrorless yesterday. Took my new Canon EOS R7 to @RSPB_BurtonMere today for a trial run... it took a little getting used to, but quite pleased with it so far.

🪶France continued: a showy Jay, Western Bonelli's Warbler & a distant European Honey Buzzard (I think ... happy to be corrected).

🪶France (continued): Black Kite, Black and Common Redstarts & Crag Martin (still more to come).

🪶Just come back from a few days visiting friends in Corèze and Dordogne in France with Katey. Took the opportunity to keep my eye open for any decent birds that might pop up whilst we were shown around. Wasn't disappointed: Melodious Warbler, Red-Backed Shrike, Hobby & Serin (more to come)

🪶Female Red-Backed Shrike Cilcain, Flintshire, today. I do love a Shrike!

🪶Back at Seaforth NR this morning to see a newly arrived Roseate Tern. Photo 4 shows Roseate together with Common Tern for contrast. With @merseybirder.bsky.social @gnature.bsky.social & @lancsbirder7.bsky.social

🪶Bod Petryal and Clocaenog forest in North Wales today. Connected with Pied and Spotted Flycatchers, Wood Warbler, Redstart, Crossbill and Redpoll plus Osprey at Lyn Brenig. Not so shabby, although woodland photography is fun: capturing little birds amongst the foliage can be a challenge!

🪶At Seaforth NR this morning to see a pair of Garganeys that had recently dropped in. Having caught up with them, I spent time photographing some of the other birds available at this brilliant reserve. Common Tern, Shelduck & Mediterranean Gull. @merseybirder.bsky.social @lancsbirder7.bsky.social

🪶Went for a walk in the sunshine this morning with my wife around Coed Llangwyfan and Penycloddiau (North Wales). Apart from the stunning scenery, we saw/heard multiple singing Garden Warblers, Redstarts, Cuckoos and many other warblers (no Wood Warblers ☹️). Also this smart Tree Pipit, a year first.

🪶RSPB Burton Mere this morning. Spent most of my time watching this Spoonbill preening and then collecting nesting material.

🪶Up early this morning to try and catch up with the Golden Oriole at Woolston Eyes Nature Reserve... stood around for 2 hours with nary a sight nor sound of it. Good thing that there were other birds to look at: Pochard, Black-Necked Grebes and a loud and showy Song Thrush.

🪶Had a pleasant wander around RSPB Burton Mere today. Wood Sandpiper, Red Knots in flight and Sedge Warbler the photographic highlights.

🪶East Anglia day 4 with @colscho1.bsky.social. Returned home today via RSPB Lakenheath for Hobbies and Cranes, then to Graffham Water for this stunning Spotted Sandpiper. Also saw a smart drake Smew nearby. A perfect end to great trip.

🪶E Anglia day 3 with @colscho1.bsky.social around RSPB Minsmere. The morning started with up to 4 singing/displaying Woodlarks and a showy Nightingale, and ended with an equally obliging Bittern. In between we saw Dartford Warblers, Stone Curlews, Bearded Tits, Kittiwakes and lots more. Tremendous.

🪶East Anglia day 2 with @colscho1.bsky.social - spent the morning in a panic when BirdGuides went down for several hours 😆. Still had a great day, with a Wood Sandpiper & Turtle Doves being year ticks for us plus a Temminck's Stint for Colin. Photos of Sedge Warbler, Avocet, Swallow & Marsh Harrier.

🪶Day 1 of my E Anglian trip with @colscho1.bsky.social. Started with a stop at Cossington Meadows where we were entertained by a singing Savi's Warbler, then on to RSPB Ouse Fen for this bruiser of a Great Reed Warbler plus my first Common Tern of the year. Also Garden Warblers, Bitterns & Cuckoos.

🪶A great day's birding today: Blue-Headed (Yellow) Wagtail at Meols, Wirral to start, then Temminck's Stint, Little Ringed Plover & Snow Goose (of unknown origin) at RSPB Marshside. Also saw Green-Winged Teal and the year's first Swifts. Off to Norfolk & Suffolk with @colscho1.bsky.social tomorrow.

🪶Today’s offering from Leasowe Lighthouse: a singing Sedge Warbler and a late afternoon Ring Ouzel.

🪶Went for a stroll with Mrs S along the coastal path west of Flint Castle this morning. Was rewarded with close views of feeding Sand Martins that nest in the sand cliffs below, plus fly-by Sandwich Terns and this bonus Black-Headed Gull trying to work out how to eat its lunch... hilarious!

🪶Yesterday, this Lesser Whitethroat flew from bush to tree around me, diving for cover each time, thus evading photographic 'capture'. Not so today... patience was the key!! There's a lot to be said for standing still and letting the bird come to you 😁 Nice meeting up with @batnrat.bsky.social

🪶Spent an excellent couple of hours around Leasowe Lighthouse this morning. Barn Owl, Whimbrel and Grasshopper Warbler were the photographic highlights plus a singing, but elusive, Lesser Whitethroat.

🪶Had a pleasant walk along Burton Marsh this morning. Although the drizzly weather probably drove most birds under cover, this Cetti's Warbler and Common Whitethroat sat out nicely during the gaps in the rain.

🪶Spent a nice few hours mooching around RSPB Burton Mere in the morning sunshine. Saw Little Ringed Plovers, reeling Grasshopper Warblers and Wheatears, plus Avocets, Spotted Redshanks and Common Sandpipers (all pictured). Heard many Cetti's, Reed and Sedge Warblers and Common Whitethroats singing.

🪶Out birding around Wirral again with @colscho1.bsky.social this morning. It was a pretty slow start with nothing much to report, however things warmed up nicely late on with these two very smart male Whinchats and a reeling Grasshopper Warbler at Burton Point.

Spent a nice morning at Seaforth NR with @colscho1.bsky.social. Highlight was this Russian White-Fronted Goose ID'd by Colin - a first for the reserve apparently. Also photographed: Bar-Tailed Godwits in flights and a posing Linnet. With @merseybirder.bsky.social.

🪶A quiet day around Leasowe Lighthouse today in terms of new migrants, although I did get to see my first Whitethroat of the year. Also a Mistle Thrush, which was too close to ignore.

A good day birding around Wirral today with 5 year firsts seen, including Ring Ouzel, Willow and Sedge Warbler. Bird of the day was this overflying Osprey at Leasowe Lighthouse. With @grayo1977.bsky.social

🪶Went over to RSPB Conwy to see the Bonaparte's Gull that was found there this morning. Spent some time watching it feed along the shoreline, hoping that it might oblige with a fly-by, until everything was spooked by this Osprey and it flew off. Not sure whether to laugh or cry 😄

🪶A couple of very dodgy records shots of the Yellow 'Channel' Wagtail seen at Leasowe Lighthouse today. The glaring sunlight/heat-haze combo made this one a bit of a challenge. Nice bird, even though it is only a Yellow Wagtail variant and not a full species.

🪶Just a typical spring afternoon at Leasowe Lighthouse on the Wirral Peninsula: sunny weather, singing birds and good company. Male Blackcap, Common Buzzard, Female Northern Wheatear and Male Common Redstart. With @grayo1977.bsky.social

🪶A couple of slightly less poor shots of the Great Grey Shrike at Leasowe taken this afternoon.

🪶Took my grandson for a stroll around Leasowe Lighthouse this morning in my quest to get him into birding. We had only been there for 20 minutes when I saw this little beauty. I have only seen one Great Grey Shrike in the UK and that was about 4 years ago... I must take Michael out more often 😁

🪶Sometimes you just can't help yourself... Stonechat looking great in the sunshine.

🪶Female European Green Woodpecker feeding on ants today.

First day back in the UK after returning from Cyprus early this morning... walked around Frodsham Marshes with @colscho1.bsky.social looking for Water Pipits. After seeing four possibles in flight, this bird decided to pose for us. Made the long walk back to the car a little more enjoyable.

🪶Cyprus day 7 and the last morning birding in the Paphos Archeological Site. Not that many birds around this morning, but what I did see would have made my year in the UK, let alone a day! Red-Throated Pipit, Woodcut Shrike & this rather handsome Rüppel's Warbler. A great end to a fantastic trip.

🪶Cyprus day six... back to Akrotiri where we saw a variety of waders, including Marsh & Wood Sandpipers plus my first ever Black Francolin (forgive the hazy record shot!). Then connected with between 40 & 50 Purple Herons on the return to Paphos. Also saw Tawny Pipit and Bimaculated Lark at Mandria.

🪶Cyprus day 5... another excellent day in and around Paphos. Highlights: Bluethroat, Finsch's Wheatear, Caspian Plovers, Stone Curlews, Semicollared Flycatcher, Bonelli's Warblers and finished with the endemic Cyprus Scops Owl. Finsch's Wheatear, Stone Curlew, Flycatcher & Scops Owl pictured.

🪶Cyprus day 4... Paphos and further up the south west coast today. The star of the show was this late-staying male Finsch's Wheatear - definitely not a bird that you see every day! Also appearing were:a Greater Short-Toed Lark, a European Serin and a Wryneck.