Tucklesholme this morning - Common Sand, Red Kite, 8 Common Tern, 1 Oystercatcher. Branston Ashy Pit - 2 Arctic Tern, 15 Common Tern, 1 Ringed Plover @mybirding.bsky.social @staffsbirdnews.bsky.social

Our 2nd ever Bonaparte's Gull today following the 1st summer bird between 16th-22nd April 2020. We're on 🔥at the moment.

Nice to watch the 1st-summer Bonaparte’s Gull at Belvide this evening at Belvide after work. My second Boney’s of the year & a Staffs ✅ Landed briefly on Chappel Bund before it went off towards the west end.

A quick jaunt down the motorway this evening for my 2nd Staffs Bonapartes Gull. Patience payed off when it landed on the Chappell Bund briefly before being chased off by Black Headed Gulls

Whitmoor Haye this afternoon with @mybirding.bsky.social Quail still singing, 1 Whimbrel, Hobby, Common Sandpiper @staffsbirdnews.bsky.social

An enjoyable visit to Brandon Marsh today. The 2 Black-winged Stilts continued to show well on East Marsh. Also 2 Garganey, at least 4 Hobby, Gropper reeling and Great White Egret. Nice to see @tbart.bsky.social

Full circuit of Tucklesholme this am. First Cuckoo of the year, Com Sand, Red Kite, 3 Little Egret, 4 Com Tern. Whilst the management of the reserve is very poor, extensive scrub in the wider area is bursting with warblers, esp Sedge & Whitethroat @mybirding.bsky.social @staffsbirdnews.bsky.social

Bits & bobs around Staffs yesterday. Whitemoor Haye - Whimbrel, 3 Common Sand, Slav Grebe (sp) & 2 Garden Warbler. Branston Ashy Pit - Wood Sandpiper, 2 Dunlin & Common Sand. Blithfield- 2 Black Tern, 5 Yellow Wag, GWE @mybirding.bsky.social @staffsbirdnews.bsky.social

Lesser Spot again at Middleton car park this am. Down on the reserve Bittern, 3 Dunlin, 2 Com Sand, White Wagtail & first Garden Warbler of the year. Loads of Reed, Sedge, Willow Warb & few Whitethroat. Bluebell carpet in the woods. Nice to see @dawnbirder.bsky.social on her low carbon adventures 😎

Tucklesholme - first Sedge Warblers, Reed Warblers & Whitethroats of the year (2 of each). Blithfield this afternoon- 1st-winter Kittiwake still, 1 Red Kite, 2 Yellow Wagtails, 3 Common Sand & 10 House Martin @mybirding.bsky.social @staffsbirdnews.bsky.social

Drake Ring-necked Duck still Chasewater on main lake from causeway. 2 Common Sand @mybirding.bsky.social @staffsbirdnews.bsky.social

Yesterday, a day in north Wales with @mybirding.bsky.social Annual Black Grouse pilgrimage, with 5 males - showed well, but lekking behaviour was lacklustre perhaps due to the relentless cold wind. Also Red Grouse, first 4 Wheatear of the year, Goshawk & 8 Golden Plover in transitional plumage.

Easter holiday weekend birding 🐣 Nice to watch Alvecote’s Hooded Merganser busily feeding for an hour or so this am. Nice find @archieraven.bsky.social Let’s hope it’s the real deal 🙏 Lesser Spotted Woody at Middleton car park. Wader passage on jubilee 2 Blackwit, 2 Dunlin, 2 Common Sand.

Hooded Merganser (fem) at Alvecote Pools, Warwickshire today. Fully-winged, wary and scoffing voraciously all day. It also doesn’t appear to carry any leg rings. #peakybirders #patchbirding #localpatch #ukbirding 🪶

At Belvide today, a smart male Brambling at the car park feeder was not the year tick I was expecting. Also Black-tailed Godwit, LRPs, Red Kite & Kingfisher @staffsbirdnews.bsky.social

Belvide this am: 1 Swallow, along with c40 Sand Martin, 2nd Summer Caspian Gull, 1 LRP, 2 singing Blackcap, 8 Fieldfare & 1 Red Kite @mybirding.bsky.social @staffsbirdnews.bsky.social

One male Ring Ouzel still Lutley Wedge in horse paddocks.

Finally joined the Forster’s Tern club. What a cracking bird, showing well on Brownsea Island lagoons today #433 ✅ Also 2 Spoonbill, Sandwich Terns, lots of Meds, Greenshank, 2 RB Merg, Red Kite & 3 Red Squirrels. Brimstones on the wing. Perfect early spring day & last full day of holidays.

Nice to pick up this 1st-winter Bonaparte’s Gull on the Hayle from causeway this afternoon. Also ad winter Little Gull, lots of Meds & a Kittiwake in the Hayle, but not managed Ring-billed yet. Around the wider area also catching up with Purple Sands, Dipper, Manxies, Chough & common seabirds.

Lesser Yellowlegs hanging around on the river outside Tesco in Truro. Showing very well until flushed downstream by a Redshank. Every little helps! 💰

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Fair to say that Warks Hume’s Warbler showed much better than expected & was vocal at times. Mostly high up though, not good for the neck. Might need to go back to chiropractor after that! Redpoll & Siskins also. Quick visit to Ladywalk after. Showy Water Rail by A Hide, 4 Pintail, Oyc & Tawny 🦉

Naughty clean up Leicestershire day.American Wigeon, Smew Eyebrook. R N Grebe and Kittiwake at Rutland. LT Duck at Watermead CP and Lesser Scaup at Swithland. @ochrurosbirder.bsky.social

Mop up of ducks etc in Leicestershire with @mybirding.bsky.social Drake American Wigeon & at least 7 Smew at Eyebrook. Red-necked Grebe off the dam at Rutland & excitement when a Kittiwake dropped in. Long-tailed Duck at Watermead & finally the female Lesser Scaup at Swithland res.

Trip just into Somerset. Good views of the Kentish Plover at Burnham at last, RN Grebe dip at Cheddar, struggled with the RN Duck (not) at Chew and sneaked in a Common Sandpiper tick back on the Severn! 100 Common Gull counted at Chew! @ochrurosbirder.bsky.social

Great to be out birding again after being struck down by a flu bug last week. Burnham-on-Sea provided best ever views of the female Kentish Plover. Cheddar Res 2 Black-necked Grebe & 3 Scaup, but no sign of the Red-necked Grebe. Drake Ring-necked Duck at Chew Valley Lake @mybirding.bsky.social

Great day in Hampshire with Brendon Fagan. My 2nd UK Killdeer was the highlight. The Great-tailed Grackle took his time to show but show well he did. Little Gull, White-tailed Eagle and Great Northern Diver the best of 9 year ticks. #ukbirding 🦉 🪶

Finally joined the Killdeer club at Ripley today #432 ✅ (bird pictured from Cape May, 2013). Also Little Gull on the res & WT Eagle nearby. The photogenic, ship-hopping Great-tailed Grackle at Calshot was a real character to watch and walked past my car upon arrival. @mybirding.bsky.social

Please don’t judge me! Loving life down south. @ochrurosbirder.bsky.social

A cheeky morning twitch of the Mow Cop Shore Lark. Followed by Willow Tit & Grey Partridge on the way home, two birds that are sadly becoming increasingly hard to catch up with these days. Home in plenty of time for afternoon tea & cakes for my Mum’s 83rd birthday! 🎂 @mybirding.bsky.social

Misty drizzly day in Avon/Glos. Weather dull, but birding wasn’t. 3 Penduline Tits at Aust & first Blackcap of 2026. 2 Water Pipits Northwick Warth. Slimbridge - 94 WF Geese, 64 Bewicks, Ruff, Dunlin, Avocet, Blk-Tailed Godwit, Ruff, Water Rail, Peregrine & 3 more Blackcap @mybirding.bsky.social

Some photos of the Harlequin Duck yesterday. With thanks to @robertvaughani.bsky.social for finding it in the first place.

A notable day in north Wales starting with the male Bufflehead. Shore Lark, Chough, Surf Scoter and Lesser Yellowlegs were the outstanding highlights of a day packed with birds. Forgive the rubbish screen grab of the scoter! #ukbirding #birds #BirdsSeenIn2026

Continuing the frozen theme ❄️⛄️ Firecrest showed incredibly well this morning in snowy Sutton Park. At Blithfield, far less snow. Red-throated Diver and the Tundra Bean Goose were both viewable from the dam. GWE & YLG also. Finally a male Merlin at Whitemoor Haye @mybirding.bsky.social

Revisted Ludham Bridge on Weds, despite baltic conditions & treacherous paths 🥶 A closer look at the ruins of St Benet’s Abbey. Much less birdy than BWK day due to the freeze but birds included 39 Russian White-fronted Geese, Bearded Tit, 2 Cranes, several Marsh Harriers & Red Kites. 23k steps.

First-winter Eastern Black Redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros phoenicuroides) at Sherringham. My first encounter with this subspecies, what an absolutely gorgeous bird! Thankfully looking much more healthy today than recent photos would suggest 🖤❤️

A bitterly cold but fabulous day in Lincs/Cambs ⛄️ Snow Goose at Deeping in Whooper flock, which also contained 3 Bewick’s Swans. LEO close to the hide. Green Sand in drainage ditch. Briefly a Tundra Bean Goose at Thorney toll. Finishing at Eldernell with Short-eared Owl & large Crane Flock.

A wintery start here in the West Midlands this morning ⛄️❄️ Taking it a bit slower today with a short trip to Whitmoor Haye. 2 Russian WF Geese still present. The 3 Slavonian Grebes showed brilliantly at south end of roadside pit, plus 2 drake Red-crested Pochard & Common Sand on small roadside pit.

Happy new year & shiny new list to all! 🥳 Cracking day around north Warks with @mybirding.bsky.social First bird of 2026 was Barn Owl. 67 species recorded, highlights being Yellow-browed Warbler at Hurley, 2 imm drake Scaup at Shustoke, 2 Cattle Egret Bodymoor Heath & 21 Pintail Lea Marston.

Wishing everyone a happy bird filled 2026 🪶 Ended on 253 with 11th hour Black-winged Kite. A cracking bird, blew my mind when it hovered like a Kes! Marsh Sand & Serin my other 2 lifers. Best #PatchBirding finds: Garganey & 4 Cranes. Lesser Yellowlegs: one of many enjoyable #LowCarbonBirding trips

Had a little spare time today, had a look at the Yellow-browed Warbler at Hurley in Warwickshire this afternoon. Always a good bird to watch, called once!

9 ticks this year ✅ Least Sandpiper Booted Eagle Black Kite Broad-billed Sandpiper Zitting Cisticola Black Stork Leach’s Petrel White-throated Needletail Black-winged Kite Woodchat Shrike was a WMBC ✅ 8 White-rumped Sands at Belvide were outstanding, followed by a single bird at Blith.

BW Kite, a stunning phone scope shot this morning at Ludham!

After the painful August dip, Black-winged Kite finally makes it onto my list! Not bad for the last tick of 2025 ✅ 💣 A great day at Ludham Bridge with @mybirding.bsky.social Also 7 Crane, 4 Bewick’s Swans, 31 White-fronted Geese, Bearded Tits, Whoopers, Pinks, Marsh Harrier, Red Kites.

A bit late to the BW Kite party, rewarded with good scope views. 4 Bewick, Whooper Swans, 30+ Russian WF & Bearded Tits. Ludham Bridge @ochrurosbirder.bsky.social

Holiday birding with a quick trip down to Aust today. 2 Penduline Tits showed well here, busily feeding on Typha. Also a female Blackcap in the village. Yesterday the YBW showed incredibly well in the ditch at Hurley sewage works. Probably the best views I’ve ever had & a Warks tick to boot.

Second time success with the Baggeridge Firecrest today with @mybirding.bsky.social The bird showed very well and for a prolonged period of time, we watched it very closely low down in holly.

American Golden Plover at Eyebrook. Often staying slightly aloof from its European cousins. Also 7 Whooper, RC Pochard, 2 Dunlin & YLG. Thornton Jack Snipe didn’t disappoint, first good ‘bobbing’ views in a while. Nice day out East. Few Goldeneye around, winter is coming ❄️ @mybirding.bsky.social

This smart juvenile White-rumped Sandpiper showed well this afternoon at Blithfield. Closer views than of the Belvide 8, it was great to spend some time watching this species again. Also 1 Dunlin, 6 Ringy & GWE @mybirding.bsky.social #westmidsbirding #staffsbirding