The ultimate technophobe, it's taken me three months to 'pluck up the courage' to set up and take out the new camera. Glad its first day coincided with two good birds @flamboroughbird.bsky.social. Dotterel & Lapland Bunting yesterday, both so much scarcer over recent years.

I was on cloud 9 this morning after being lucky enough to find these 2 Dotterel. Great to also catch up with this confiding Lapland Bunting, my first for 4 years. Quality not quantity, a brilliant day at Flamborough!

Found 2 Dotterel @flamboroughbird.bsky.social in field just south of motorway hedge @birdguides.bsky.social

Catching the end of this morning’s seabird passage at Flamborough from midday. 1 Sooty Shear, 4 Arctic Skua, 1 Black Tern, Manxies, 6 Brent Goose south, several RT Diver, 3 Com Scoter. Passage of Little Gulls. Whinchat in bramble near motorway hedge, with 5 Stonechat @flamboroughbird.bsky.social

And the Leach’s Petrels kept coming…..phenomenal passage around New Brighton/Leasowe. Up to 30 birds, some over Leasowe beach on low tide. Also Manx, Sarnies, Med Gull & Merlin. Picking up the Cheshire Baird’s Sandpiper on way home. Fantastic day! @mybirding.bsky.social @dawnbirder.bsky.social

If life gives you westerlies, make your way west 🪶 Afternoon at Leasowe & morning at New Brighton spotting lifer: Leach's Petrels. Manxie & Swallows too. A group of juve Herring gulls playing with a ball was fun. Good to bump into @ochrurosbirder.bsky.social @mybirding.bsky.social #LowCarbonBirding

No words needed!

Revisiting the Eastleach Long-tailed Shrike, which was looking fabulous in the morning sun. Also 3 Whinchat, plenty of Corn Buntings, Yellowhammer & Peregrine. At Slimbridge 8 Spotshank, 2 Garganey, Spoonbill, 4 Cattle Egret & 20 ♻️Cranes. Great day in Gloucestershire with @mybirding.bsky.social

Joining the Warks Red-necked Phalarope party, having the bird all to myself for a while this afternoon at Kingsbury Waterpark. Also 3 Green Sand over.

Nice little fall this morning at Barr Beacon. Whinchat, 5 Wheatear, 2 Spot Fly, 2 Redstart, 1 Yellow Wag, few Whitethroat & Willow Warbler @mybirding.bsky.social #urbanbirding #migration

Yesterday with @mybirding.bsky.social #blueskydown last night. Ruddy Shelduck & Com Sand at Tuckles. Seconds of Pec Sand at Croxall wader-fest, with 2 Ruff, up to 5 Greenshank, 6 Green Sand, 2 Com Sand. Finally the Wood Sand at Chasewater & 3 Com Sands. @staffsbirdnews.bsky.social

Nice to see adult Pectoral Sandpiper this afternoon at Croxall, along with Ruff, 3 Greenshank, 2 Common Sand, 5 Green Sand and several Snipe. Somehow (until now) an omission on my Staffs list after seeing Pec in the 3 other WMBC counties! Staffs ✅ Nice find @pmandrews1973.bsky.social

Finally, BLUE-CHEEKED BEE-EATER in the bag. Proper c*smic m*nd fucker! @julianallen.bsky.social @baldbirder.bsky.social #peakybirders #orkneybirding #twitching #ukbirding 🪶

A few photos from a memorable trip to North Ronaldsay for BCBE with thanks to @baldbirder.bsky.social @archieraven.bsky.social @northronbirdobs.bsky.social for all there help and company

Barr Beacon season upon us @mybirding.bsky.social Thankfully last week's fire was relatively small, hedge of dreams survived! 🙏 Migrant passerine action with 2 Redstart (m & f), Wheatear (f), c15 Whitethroat, 5 Willow Warb, 3 Chiffy & imm Green Woodpecker. 2 Raven & 2 Parakeet amongst the residents.

Painted Lady & Small Tortoiseshell amongst many butterflies on buddleia at Hollybush Garden Centre.

Blithfield today with @mybirding.bsky.social 4 Sanderling & 17 Dunlin in Blithe Bay this am. Redstart & 2 Lesser Whitethroat near deep end. 2 Black-tailed Godwit, Curlew & 2 GW Egrets & an additional Dunlin noted in Tad this afternoon@staffsbirdnews.bsky.social

Sad news this morning that Bill Oddie has passed away. Fellow birder, fellow Brummie, President of West Midland Bird Club & a great inspiration to many. Never had the pleasure of meeting him, but learned a lot from him, very enjoyable books. A great advocate for nature & mental health, RIP Bill ❤️🐦‍⬛💐

Unexpected Staffs tick of Stone Curlew at Belvide this afternoon. Decent views once heat haze dropped. Second regional one.

Absolutely buzzing to have found this juvenile Stone Curlew with my pal Paul Smith on the north shore this morning. The first record for Belvide and only the 4th record for Stafforshire and the first twitchable bird in the modern day county.

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

MYBirding@mybirding.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Thank goodness! @ochrurosbirder.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.