Fabulous Formosa: Mountains and mudflats, tea and temples plus a great selection of colourful endemic bird species all contributed to my very enjoyable eight-day solo birding trip to Taiwan in mid-January - https://t.co/PcFPinrRgw #birds #birding

Echos of the Tian Shan - an away day by train (don't ask) to catch up with the Newlyn Hume's Warbler - still a rare bird out west https://t.co/GD5DQ16uy5 @CBWPS1

Nice run out west this morning for the candidate pale morph Rough-legged Hawk frequenting the stubble fields around Skewjack Farm. Probably nothing here to help ssp ID - a super discovery by @reuben_veal1 & @MrJohnChapple and very well worth a visit @CBWPS1

Not Quite Flamborough..... But a whiff of Eastern promise on St Mary's today with two blythi type Lesser Whitethroats and the first Radde's Warbler that I have seen on #Scilly for 39 years! @scillybirds

Disembarked from the Scillonian at lunchtime and walked straight into the Star Castle Isabelline Wheatear which proved to be quite a performer @scillybirds

Nine days later than intended but finally heading for my alt office on St Mary's

This morning's Gull-billed Tern was a fine, if unexpected, end to my long weekend on Scilly - perhaps more remarkable is that it is sharing Porthcressa Bay with a Pale-bellied Brent Goose!

Another day, and another mega in the form of two Scopoli's Shearwaters, but the star of yesterday's @Scillypelagics outing was the sumptuous young Sabine's Gull that drifted effortlessly over our heads before hanging around the slick and offering quality views to all onboard

A showy South Polar Skua under blue skies was the undoubted highlight of a superlative day out with @Scillypelagics - much anticipated and widely appreciated by all on board The Sapphire

A return visit to Hayle late yesterday evening where under flat grey skies and diminishing light the Franklin's Gull found the previous day by @lawlor157 cut a lonely figure on the exposed mud of Copperhouse Creek before heading off to roost @CBWPS1

Tucked up under its favoured bank on yesterday evening's high tide in tricky light made viewing the Hayle Semipalmated Sandpiper less than easy - but patience was rewarded with some nice views of this smart little wader - the third at this site since 2020 @CBWPS1

Low nos (110/46) in my SW74 (VC1) trap on 23/7 but some goodies : My 1st Trachypepla contritella (Kiwi Enigma) - expanding fast in W. Cornwall. Mompha propinquella (White-headed Mompha) and Bryotropha affinis (Dark Moss-moth) - few VC1 records + Pammene fasciana (Acorn Piercer)

After two memorable weeks time to say farewell to Kazakhstan - a trip full of quality birds and unforgettable landscapes delivered by Louis-Philippe (guiding) and Anna (driver and logistics queen) of Silk Road birding check them out at https://t.co/Jon18bLPrw

Our penultimate day in the Kazakhstan mountains was spent in areas dominated by dwarf juniper & spruce at 2500m with (clockwise)- Sulphur-bellied Warbler, White-browed Tit-Warbler ♀️, Eversmann's Redstart ♀️and Black-throated Accentor - tmw back up to >3000m

Dropping in altitude to Big Almaty lake I realized a long held birding ambition in the form of Ibisbill and a dazzling array of passerines included Himalayan Rubythroat and Red-mantled Rosefinch.

Built to measure cosmic radiation at 3300m the buildings of the Soviet era Cosmo Station in the mountains above Almaty are home to some rather special high altitude species clockwise - Güldenstadt's Redstart, Plain Mountain Finch & Altai Accentor

Last night we camped under a full moon deep in Kazakhstan's Taukum Desert surrounded by a family of Turkestan (Pander's) Ground Jays - a charismatic species found only in Central Asia

The gnarly old poplars of Kazakhstan's Ile river delta are home to the range restricted and vulnerable Yellow-eyed Pigeon whilst at our nearby digs Pallid Scops Owl provided the after dinner entertainment - tomorrow onto the Pander's desert.

Final morning around Kanshengal before crossing the Taukum Desert. If a lone Pallas's Sandgrouse amongst the flocks of Black-bellied drinking from trackside puddles was not enough @GrahamPhotoBlog the went and located a group of 6 Caspian Plovers. Might just manage a 🍻tonight!

A long day in the Kazakh steppe ended at sunset in a migrant trap at the edge of the Taukum Desert where this overshooting Long-tailed Shrike was both unexpected and welcome!