Six weeks after my last visit, I popped over to Clowbridge where the Red-necked Grebe is now largely sporting its summer plumage, though this 2cyr bird still retains its pale eyes. Today it was catching Bullheads (Miller's Thumb) rather than Perch! #LancsBirding #RareBirdsUk

2cy Red-necked Grebe still at Clowbridge Reservoir, 0930, fishing in the northeast corner, opposite end from the sailing club. @birdguides.bsky.social #RareBirdsUk

A real stretch for the R5, the Black Scoter was showing well in the scope a couple of hundred metres offshore straight out from Leasowe Lifeboat Station this am. The big head and thick neck almost as apparent as that bill! #RareBirdsUk

Black Scoter still off Hoylake @birdguides ##LancsBirding ##RareBirdsUk

It took 2.5 hours searching through the hordes of Pinks at Upper Thurnham y/day, but it was worth it when the fine Lesser White-fronted Goose popped up in the scope. Belly pattern looks the same as Norfolk bird. Origin? Who knows, but a great bird, now living with Pinkies! #LancsBirding #RareBirdsUK

This was something I'd never seen before... Albinism or leucism is something I guess you don't expect in a white bird!! Have many others seen leucistic/albino Whooper Swans? These two were along Moss Lane at Cockerham today, and certainly stood out from the crowd. #LancsBirding

Cracking Red-necked Grebe showing beautifully on Clowbridge Reservoir, Burnley, this morning. A bit far for my lens, but stunning light and nice still conditions. Aged as 2cy by the pale outer irides. #LancsBirding #RareBirdsUk

It's not often I have the pleasure of spending most of the winter back in the UK! I've managed to sneak out with the camera on a few occasions with varying degrees of success! Here's a few shots from the last few weeks... #RarebirdsUK #birding

It's been a cold, miserable day in the NW today, in stark contrast to the last few days when the local Barn Owls, including this pallid male, have been out and about in the winter sun. Happy New Year to all my friends and fellow wildlife enthusiasts. #Owls #BirdPhotography #UKBirds

Here's the moment a smart Black-collared Hawk snatched a piranha from a small river right in front of us! #Pantanal, #Brazil #Birding #BirdPhotography

This amorous pair of huge Hyacinth Macaws showed up in our lodge garden in #Brazil just at dusk, when it was really too dark for conventional photography. I used a bit of fill-flash to bring out the colour, producing a somewhat interesting, if different effect! #BirdPhotography #Birding #Parrots

I'm still catching up on photos and reliving encounters that I'd nearly forgotten about already! This incredible Red-legged Seriema, in #Brazil was as impressive to listen to as it was to watch! An amazingly charismatic bird! #Birds #Birding #BirdPhotography

I found this gorgeous pair of Oriental Scops Owls on a pre-dinner leg-stretch, just at dusk, at our hotel in Dalat, Vietnam. The contrast between the two birds was superb. #Birding #BirdPhotography #Canon #Owls

Well it's grim outside, so here's a bit of colour to brighten the day! These used to be known as Oriental Dwarf Kingfishers, but are now split as Black-backed Kingfisher (taken in Vietnam) and Rufous-backed Kingfisher (Bornean form motleyi) (see Alt text). #Birding #Kingfishers #BirdPhotography

We spent a lovely hour last Sunday watching a super pair of (Western) Barn Owls hunting voles up on't windy moors, close to home. Always a treat, but I could have done with a bit more light (ISO 6400)! #UkBirding #Owls #Birding #BirdPhotography

The stunning White-throated Rock Thrush has a similar breeding and wintering range to Pale-legged Leaf Warbler. Is it a species that will one day end up on our shores? It would certainly cause quite a stir! These individuals were on their wintering grounds in #Vietnam. #RareBirdsUk #Birding

Streaked Spiderhunter is a striking species found in the hill forests of southeast Asia. A sunbird on steroids, they feed on small insects and nectar. Another bird with amazing legs!! These individuals were at Dalat in #Vietnam. #Birding #BirdPhotography #Canon

Rusty-naped Pitta is a shy and elusive species through much of its range, being far easier to hear than see!! This fine male was very showy on my visit to #Vietnam, showing off his subtle hues in the dark undergrowth. Canon R5, 100-500 @500mm, 1/125s, f7.1 @ ISO 5000 #Birding #Canon #BirdPhotography

A winter dream...? everyone likes a 'robin' at this time of year, but one of these would make the winter for most UK birders! This fabulous male Siberian Blue Robin was on a recent winter trip to Vietnam. Look at those amazing legs!! #Birding #BirdPhotography

A 1st winter Eye-browed Thrush coming down for a drink on my winter trip to Vietnam. Now this would be a good one to find in your garden this winter!! #ukbirding #birding #birdphotography #vietnam

Perhaps of interest to UK birders, here's a more worn Pale-legged Leaf Warbler from a recent winter trip to Vietnam. A real forest undergrowth skulker, far more often heard than seen. And yes, the identity of this individual was confirmed by sonogram! #Birding #RareBirdsUK #BirdPhotography

While on the #Vietnam pitta theme, here's some fantastic male Blue Pittas that simply glowed out from the dark undergrowth. The form here is the reddish-breasted, endemic, willoughbyi, a little more colourful than those in Thailand for example. #Birding #BirdPhotography #Pitta

I'm just working through a photo backlog, looking for new images for our Birdquest website. Here's one that brightened my morning... a brilliant male Bar-bellied Pitta from #Vietnam. They don't come much brighter than this! #Birding #BirdPhotography

While on the peacock-pheasant theme, here's an encounter I had with a fantastic displaying pair of the Indochinese endemic Germain's Peacock-Pheasants at Cat Tien NP, #Vietnam . This demonstrates well where they get the name peacock-pheasant! #Birding #BirdPhotography

Probably the best of the superb gamebirds seen in #Sabah, #Borneo, was this male Bornean Peacock Pheasant. One of the best of an excellent and secretive genus, and a species that was so hard to see until recently. #worldbirding #birding #birdphotography

My recent trip to Borneo gave amazing opportunities to see some stunning 'gamebirds' up close and personal. One of my favourites was the superb Crimson-headed Partridge, an endemic to Borneo. This male was in the Crocker Ranges. #birding

This summer, ground cuckoos stole the show for me. Such fantastic birds. Remarkable to think that these two species, Bornean Ground Cuckoo (above) and Sumatran Ground Cuckoo were regarded as conspecific when I first visited the region! #BirdsSeenIn2024 #worldbirding #birdphotography #canonr5

Whilst on a #Ghana theme, here's the absolute bird star of the country, the incomparable White-necked Rockfowl (Yellow-headed Picathartes). These images, taken in near darkness, demonstrate the amazing quality of modern cameras and editing software. Enjoy... #canonr5 #worldbirding #birdphotography

Great to see so many over here on Bluesky, and so little nonsense in the feed... To celebrate, and brighten a dull day, here's some Egyptian Plovers from Ghana earlier this year.

My bird of the day today is another from a recent trip to SE Asia, the remarkable Oriental Bay Owl. Probably my favourite owl...