Smashing through the summer doldrums with a real blockbuster! On news that the stunning Long-tailed Shrike in Glos had been refound late am, it wasn’t long until we were blasting down the M5! @mybirding.bsky.social #436✅ Great to see many familiar faces, West Mids well-repped of course! ✊

Happy to grab back a Long-tailed Shrike in Gloucestershire this afternoon! @ochrurosbirder.bsky.social

Western Reef Heron #435 ✅ Major relief to pick this up last night when it was looking like another dip! @mybirding.bsky.social

Dream twitch for the stunning Western Reef Heron today. Little Egret was less impressed 🪶 #LowCarbonBirding #UKBirding

Blood, sweat, tears & another nervy drive to Wales after work! We were the only 2 birders on site this evening, a huge relief to pick up the Western Reef Heron feeding in channels around the river mouth! ✅🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿@mybirding.bsky.social

Well this is a tense wait after not being able to go all week!! Very high tide mind! @mybirding.bsky.social #westernreefheron

Round up of my 2-week spring trip to Orkney & Shetland with @ian-m-grant.bsky.social and Richard Powell. Combined effort of 125 species throughout the trip with 100 seen on Shetland. Brit tick in the form of Black-headed Bunting ✅ Not too shabby at all!

Bird of the day was a Greenish Warbler, which sang frequently, but took a while to see, couple of decent views eventually. A Quail singing outside our digs at Griesta, both last night & today, first heard by Richard, whilst on recycling duties ♻️ Mountain Hare and Otters were mammal highlights.

Whilst the first image looks like a vampire movie scene, it was an evening trip to Mousa. A truly magical experience seeing Storm Petrels returning to the broch 🖤 Today began watching the Western Subalpine Warbler at Troswick, which sang & called occasionally. This beast of a Glauc was at Grutness.

Puffin bothering at Sumburgh & a shouty Redshank near my digs.

No sleep till Lerwick! After a late night ferry crossing & less than 6 hours sleep, the female King Eider showed in Lerwick off Gillie’s Pier. Later at Boddam, a nice small flock of confiding waders contained this Little Stint and a Knot in summer plumage. A flock of 16 Bonxies at Spiggie.

Last day on Orkney. Delighted to see my second ever White-billed Diver which was still at Houtan ferry terminal, despite not being reported since 22nd May 📷 by @ian-m-grant.bsky.social Over the last couple of days also catching up with Puffins, Little Terns, 2 LT Duck. Big walk around Mull Head!

Despite being highly mobile, this gorgeous male Black-headed Bunting at Deerness showed well at times #434 ✅ Photo by @ian-m-grant.bsky.social Elsewhere, distant White-tailed Eagle, SE Owl, point blank views of Arctic Skua & Bonxie. Black Guillimot for year. Pair of sp Red-throated Diver.

Orkney, just wow, blown away by this place! 💚 2 Spot Fly & Lesser Whitethroat at Binscarth. Loch of Bosquoy - Ring-necked Duck, Little Gull & Arctic Terns. Bonxie, GND & RB Mergs Finstown. Pod of Risso’s Dolphins at Marwick. Earlier in the day a stunning male Hen Harrier @ian-m-grant.bsky.social

Musselburgh stop off on the way up to Orkney & Shetland. Many Eider, including some with broods of ducklings, Sandwich Tern, Kittiwake, Bar-tailed Godwit, Ringed Plover, Gannets & 2 Roe Deer. Nothing out of the ordinary, but good to be away & looking forward to hopefully some great birding.

Spotted Sandpiper At Earlswood this morning. First one I’ve seen in Britain with the spots on! Followed by a fruitless search for Hoopoe at Ansley and then the female Black-winged Stilt at Brandon, almost certainly one of the recent pair returning @mybirding.bsky.social

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