The Port Meadow Ring-billed Gull blog post is now out, photos will be replaced in due course with better versions as I don't currently have the computer I usually use for image processing with me. Some identification pointers inside #ukbirding tmbirding.blogspot.com/2026/03/a-da...

An appalling record shot in the gloom this evening of a very good find - @tmbirding.bsky.social pulled a first winter Ring-billed Gull out of the hat at Port Meadow. A really superb find and reward for much dedication. Fortunately there are some much better photos!

Apparently patch birding does all come good in the end. 1w Ring-billed Gull this evening and glad some people managed to connect after my rather garbled attempt at putting news out. Blog post to follow #ukbirding

Blogging slowly continues #ukbirding tmbirding.blogspot.com/2026/02/smal...

Traditional collage of record shots of a rewarding yr's local birding. Highlights: Red-foot, Savi's Warb, Marsh Sand, Bluethroat, Twite & Tundra Bean; most of all friendly year-listing with @conormackenzie.bsky.social @tmbirding.bsky.social Simon Myers & Peerawant Chiaranunt collectively 202 species

Starting to focus on the blog again, ahead of preparing South Africa write-up #ukbirding tmbirding.blogspot.com/2025/12/patc...

More of the current wild goose influx today with @tmbirding.bsky.social's flock of 21 Russian White-fronted Geese on Port Meadow a rare chance to see undoubtedly wild birds at this urban site. Inevitably disturbed by dogs off lead - hard to conceive that there was once a regular wintering flock here

Just landed in South Africa for birding trip and upon opening my phone the first message I see concerns a Spotted Redshank on Port Meadow (would be a patch tick). Disastrous scenes

Like many others enjoyed the two Pallid Swifts and Dusky Warbler at Foreness Point this morning, no opportunity for frame filling photos unfortunately as the birds were high over the housing estate but pleased to get a few shots with both in the frame #ukbirding

Sorry for the late news, ridiculously busy first couple of hours so not had time to post a photo of the Black-faced Bunting trapped in the Crown Estate Field on the first net round of the day - ta to Duncan Walbridge for this pic

As usual it seems I've totally failed at finding my own birds during my visit to Portland but at least managed to connect with this Pallas's Warbler at Avalanche Road this morning - a particularly difficult individual to see and photograph well #ukbirding

Could not believe my eyes whilst surveying on Wraysbury Reservoir this morning when this juvenile Sabine’s Gull flew into view. Incredible views of a species I’ve only seen once before - just wish I had a better camera! #UKbirding @berksbirdclub.bsky.social @birdguides.bsky.social

A 1cy Caspian Gull currently in Sennen Cove. Digiscoped pic as it's miles off on the island #cornwallbirds #ukbirding

One of the most incredible WTF!! moments I have witnessed in 41 years birding Belvide. 8 White-rumped Sandpiper on the north shore between 4pm-5.30pm. Just short of a British Record of 11 on the outer Hebrides. Thought I'd lost the plot when I saw them. Still pinching myself. #UKbirding

Quick turnaround for a blog post about today's Bluethroat event in Oxfordshire, written from Flamborough #ukbirding tmbirding.blogspot.com/2025/10/last...

Dual blog posts summarising local birding and some trips away over the past couple of months. Now I've got the backlog cleared can hopefully be a bit more timely with future trip reports this autumn! #ukbirding tmbirding.blogspot.com/2025/09/loca... tmbirding.blogspot.com/2025/09/non-...

Yellow-browed Bunting trapped, ringed and released at the Swannery. It's flown to the hedge which runs alongside the Swannery grounds and the bird may be viewable from the permissive path heading west from Grove Lane.

Getting in on the influx - Glossy Ibis just flown low west over Port Meadow just now, photo taken straight into the sun! Think this is the 7th one I have seen on patch #ukbirding

Collected leaf-mines of Dialectica scalariella on Viper's Bugloss/Echium vulgare from Freshwater Bay, Portland (VC 9) on 13th Sept - adults emerged on 25th Sept @portlandbirdobs.bsky.social @dorsetbutterflies.bsky.social

Some good vismig on patch with the change in wind over the past two days so decided to go out ringing yesterday with @plewin.bsky.social and caught over 200 birds. 81 Chiff, 33 Blackcap, 33 Mipit, a late Whitethroat and the first Stonechat ringed on site being the highlights #ukbirding

LESSER KESTREL on #StKilda! Retrospectively identified from Will Miles' excellent images on 16th Sept. We'd recorded a Kestrel from 12th, possibly the same bird, but sadly not relocated today. @birdguides.bsky.social @scottishbirding.bsky.social @hebridesbirds.bsky.social

With @tmbirding.bsky.social finding so many Caspian Gulls at Portland, I was hopeful some might make it to Keyhaven (still scarce here). At least two 1w birds yesterday and a third today, plus a bonus distant Grey Phal #patchbirding #ukbirding #hantsbirds

The Portland Caspian Gull deluge continued today with at least 3 new birds (3 seen together at Culverwell + another or one of the same on this morning's seawatch). Wrecked Sabine's in Chesil Cove also good to see after fleeting views of one off the Bill earlier this week #ukbirding

A new and rather pristine-looking cachinnans today. Pied Fly best of the rest of this morning's efforts #ukbirding

Seemingly a small influx of Caspian Gulls at Portland in amongst thousands of gulls brought in by inclement weather - 3 in the area including this massive male showing point blank off the Bill @portlandbirdobs.bsky.social #ukbirding

BOOTED WARBLER trapped in the Crown Estate Field

Stonking Oxon county Mega on Friday in the form of a Marsh Sandpiper. Write-up here: oxfordbirder.blogspot.com/2025/09/oxon... Photos courtesy of @tmbirding.bsky.social

Not the storm-driven small gull (or spinny wader...) that I was hoping to find, but these are always such a delight - adult winter Little Gull currently at Farmoor, dip-feeding on F2 #ukbirding

I was about to give up in the miserable weather on Saturday when I noticed an unusually large roost of gulls on Keyhaven Lagoon. Persistence led to patch gold - Bonaparte's Gull! Appears to be the 1st for the reserve. #patchbirding #ukbirding #hantsbirds

Had a pleasant time yesterday evening watching this juvenile Little Stint at Farmoor (before all the Marsh Sand excitement). Interesting to see that its favourite food was flying insects. Photos were a bit soft in the poor light and intermittent heavy rain but managed to salvage a few #ukbirding

Ropey pic of the juvenile Marsh Sandpiper found yesterday at Standlake Pit 60 by Jeremy Dexter but not confirmed until this morning. In the pouring rain! #ukbirding

Autumn getting into full swing at our Oxford ringing site today 🍂 62 birds, mostly blackcap and chiffchaff. Highlights were the first willow warbler of the autumn, a juvenile female Sparrowhawk, a rare pulse of acros for the site and the hoped-for addition of tree pipit to the site ringing list!

After getting back from Suffolk at midnight it was a brutal turnaround to be out ringing on patch early morning, thankfully paid off with this Tree Pipit. After ticking this species heard only last week was a joy to see in the hand. Less happy about a flyover WTE report this afternoon 😡 #ukbirding

Zitting cisticola Walberswick, Suffolk, 23/08/2025 I thought I was having a good day with an image of one of the juveniles from the 1st recorded breeding of Zitting cisticola in the UK. On review I found four juveniles and the adult female🤯 @suffolkbirdgroup.bsky.social #suffolkbirding #ukbirding

Just watching Black Stork at Boyton Marshes and had two Dotterel in off the sea calling, did a couple of passes of the fields but don't think they landed #ukbirding

Juvenile Little Stint showing ridiculously well, as they always do, at Farmoor this afternoon - thanks to the finder #ukbirding

Been lucky enough to find one or two Greenish in #Northumberland in the past. Seen a good few more too... Here's an old submission... #Birdart #UKBirding

Quite unprecedented to get two patch ticks in a week - Marsh Tit used to be almost annual on Port Meadow before I arrived in Oxford (most presumably dispersing from Wytham), but since the decline of the local population it's become very infrequent. This is the first record for a few years #ukbirding

Passive sound recording has finally paid off - Tree Pipit is bird 162 for the patch. A single call barely heard in the field, but position marked and checked later. Photo by @pmbirding.bsky.social, who thought the setup looked quite amusing #ukbirding Volume up! macaulaylibrary.org/asset/640265...

Farmoor last night, 2 Caspian Gulls and a Black Tern. No sketching as testing out a dual scope/camera setup for seawatching but seemingly very useful for gull roosts as well. The 3cy Casp and Black Tern are crops from very distant video (35x mag) - the 2cy Casp is a normal photo #ukbirding

Don't often get to read Darvics at Farmoor but managed a German LBBG (HO93L) and a British BHG sitting on pontoons last night. The LBBG also posed nicely for its sketch - looks like it started its wing moult in winter, as the white tips of the replaced primaries are already quite worn #ukbirding

New blog post chronicling my recent Swedish trip with @sheldonbirds.bsky.social - Wilson's Snipe being the highlight. Lengthy read #ukbirding tmbirding.blogspot.com/2025/07/swed...

The male Caspian gull came much closer last night. Sketch is a bit overworked compared to the amount of detail seen in the field (and too much "fiddling" with some areas after it had flown). But it has ended up looking a lot like the actual bird which I guess is the most important thing #ukbirding

First eyestrain session at the Farmoor roost for months, 2cy Caspian Gull, fresh juv Common Gull, good count of approx. 53 Yellow-legged Gull (no juvs yet). No close birds to sketch so had to make do with distant ones on the water (focusing on 2cy mich) #ukbirding

Another nice evening spent field sketching. 3 Greenshank at Otmoor, chose the easy option of drawing it at roost. Plus LRP heard #ukbirding

Done a bit of moth trapping in my parents garden in London (VC16) recently - apart from a Light Crimson Underwing last week the best moth has seemingly been this Rest Harrow. In the MV this morning, dispersed quite far from the coast! #teammoth

Nice evening visit to the Stanton St John pond, barely more than a puddle now - bit of an influx of sandpipers with 4 green and a common (both patch ticks). Recent visit to the Lars Jonsson exhibition has of course resulted in immediate redeployment of the sketch book #ukbirding

Fabulous to see the major new Lars Jonsson exhibition in Stockholm (till Oct) - lots of new material as well as some iconic field guide plates from the past: they are superb in close up liljevalchs.se/en/kalender/...

Lots of other good birds in Sweden including singing Blyth's Reed W, Icterine W, Black Woodpecker, Capercaillie, Red-backed & Great-Grey Shrike, Honey-buzzard, Caspian Tern, Cranes, WT Eagle, many waders moving already etc: eBird trip report here: ebird.org/tripreport/3...

A full-on Gull Experience to Remember in Stockholm on Tuesday with stunning views of the adult Ring-billed Gull that is spending the summer in central Stockholm, @tmbirding.bsky.social up close and personal with Baltic Gull & Lars Jonsson's incredible Wall of Gulls at his current exhibition