To even the most hardened, experienced birders amongst you, you’ve got to admit, this bit of fluffy, soft cuteness has to make you smile and go ahhhhhhh. 😊👍 This evening on a local boating lake. Gorgeous!
This is just how touch and go migration is. A continental Blackbird was watched coming in off the North Sea
@spurnbirdobs
Shattered, it pitched down twice in the sea 50 yards from shore. To great cheers by those watching, it eventually made landfall safely. Amazing migration!👍
Birding somewhere in Another place today. Travelling up to Ormskirk so stopped at Crosby to see
@GormleyNews
Statues. Cool! 😎 Sanderlings, Pink footed Geese, Common Scoter, singing Skylarks and lots of gulls to look through. Great to meet and chat to
@austinmorley402
too 😊👍
One thousand, one hundred and fifty seven Mediterranean Gulls in the fields at Llanon, Ceredigion at the moment! With more arriving too. An amazing sight. Who could have predicted such an increase in numbers over the past 20 years! 5 Yellow Wagtails in the fields too 👍
Old school birding equipment. Sat on a log in a silent woodland. A few squeaks of this 40 year old toy and the branches around me were bouncing with crests, tits, Treecreeper and nuthatch. Get just as much a thrill using it now than I did back in the day 😊👍
Ever since I was a child, when I see an old piece of corrugated iron, I can’t help but look underneath. 999 times out of 1000 I get nothing but just now and then.............. 😊👍🐍!!!
Tragic scenes of Avian Influenza / Bird flu in a mid Wales Black headed Gull colony near Welshpool. Vibrant and noisy only a week ago and today dead and dying birds littering the colony. So so sad. Feeling helpless ☹️
This female Ring Ouzel followed me up Tal-y-Fan this afternoon, sometimes approaching to within a few feet. She called continuously ‘tuck .. tuck’ bouncing up the footpath behind me. Stunning ‘fish-scale’ effect on its underparts. Yn Gymraeg / In Welsh - Mwyalchen y Mynydd 🏴😊👍
A bit late to the party but a one to one moment with these beauties on the patch today was a moment to savour. Dotterel on the Great Orme, Llandudno (Hutan Mynydd ar y Gogarth 🏴)
What a stunner of an American Wigeon at
@RSPBCymru
Cors Ddyga this evening. The white cheeks indicating the sought after ‘Storm Wigeon’ variant of the species! Never knew this before today. 100,000+ murmurating Starlings, 2 Ruff, Marsh Harrier, Peregrine, 160 Black t Godwit too👍
Aberffraw is the place to be to see Short eared Owls this winter with up to 12 present. Patience and they come close to the road. Concerning to see photographers standing on top of dunes and trampling all over the dune system flushing them. Please stick to road and footpaths.
Absolutely gutted to find this freshly dead Long-eared Owl at the end of our road in Penrhyn Bay, Llandudno this morning. What a waste of an amazing bird. Just shows they are out there though and gives hope of finding an alive local bird one day 😢
Now 4 Juv Dotterel showing extremely well on the Great Orme at the north end. A beautiful sunrise with a trickle of migrants - 2 Golden Plover, Wheatear, 3 Grey Wagtail, 2 Goldcrest and a few Willow Warblers. My first 7 Siskin over too with a small passage of Meadow Pipits 👍
I was watching the constant westward arrival of Common Scoter off Llanddulas this morning (2000+) when this very young Mediterranean Gull landed on the rocks right in front of me. I certainly lost my Scoter concentration for a bit!
Fantastic views of the Rose coloured Staling in Llandudno Junction this morning near Nant y Coed. Using the car as a hide managed a few shots. It looks a young male to me. Possibly the juvenile bird that was there last year? Beautiful bird and thanks to Steve for finding it 😊👍
A superb day with
@CymruNatur
which started off with finding a Yellow-browed Warbler and 2 Firecrest on the Great Orme. The female Long tailed Duck at
@RSPBConwy
and then amazing point blank walk away views of a Long-billed Dowitcher at Morfa Madryn. An unringed bird too!
11 Ring Ouzels on the Great Orme this morning including a fine flock of 7 behind the cemetery. 3 birds by copper mines too and this showy Male feedings round the gravestones. It’s a good year for them this year with many being seen along coast and hills 👍
Walrus 😊👍 still showing at Dinbych-y-Pysgod (Tenby) this morning. Brilliant! 4 adult summer Med Gulls at Llanrhystyd on the way down too were a bonus. Family twitch makes all the more sweet 👍
There might be no Albatross, but when you’re watching Arctic Skua, Short-eared Owl, Barn Owl, Corn Buntings, Yellowhammers, Peregrine, Tree Sparrows and thousands upon thousands of seabirds … all is good 😊👍
@Bempton_Cliffs
An excellent morning in the hills with
@birdingwithlevi
and
@CymruNatur
. Amazing views of 25 Black Grouse lekking, many Red Grouse, Goshawks including a perched bird, Crossbills and hundreds of Fieldfares. Amazing! Grugiar Ddu a Coch, Gwalch Marth a Gylfingroes 🏴👍)
At 6am I was doing the dreaded annual Christmas food shop in Llandudno. At 10am I was watching this beauty nr Preston. Karma perhaps? and the secret to a happy 27 year marriage. Home to make lunch too
#giveandtake
Belted Kingfisher, R. Darwen, Lancs. Great start to Christmas 😊👍
Only birders can relate to the excitement of hearing rattling windows, crashing wheelie bins + whistling through keyholes through the night. The buzz + adrenaline caused by birds like this adult Pom Skua with spoons flying close inshore is the reason why. with
@ZSpaull
today😊👍
Unbelievable! Just had a relaxing half hour watching the Red Kite spectacle at Nant yr Arian feeding station, Ceredigion. Just as it calms down and everyone leaves an adult Black Kite flies in! Might be coming here regularly to feed? Typical my camera battery died this morning😩!
Wow! Didn’t expect that. After doing a bunk yesterday
@DylanMEdwards1
just picked up a yellow wag flying along the estuary. A brisk walk to Benarth hide
@RSPBConwy
and the Iberian Wagtail was sat outside calling loudly! 3 Wheatear, 8 Ringed Plover, 5 Dunlin, 4 Whimbrel too.
So lucky to have Chough where I live. These 12 birds are roosting nearby and leave each morning in a SW direction. They fly as far as the eye can see towards Glan Conwy. Each evening they return, flying back over my house. Proper characters and an iconic bird of Wales 👍 🏴
Sometimes things happen for a reason! Gutted that today’s
@westcoastbw
pelagic was cancelled due to the weather. To compensate, I took my niece to see the Kites at Nant-yr-Arian. Didn’t expect a heart pumping moment when an adult Black Kite joined the frenzy! A find’s tick😊👍 ☑️
Wow! What a day. Welsh day listing record smashed with 150 species of bird seen with
@millstone_grit
@AlexHJ25
and
@HCBirding
on May 18th, 2019. First bird 2am a Cetti’s Warbler and last at 10pm a chipping Snipe at Llyn Aled! Amazing day and will live long in the memory 😊👍
Fun with a Firecrest. Eyeballed this beauty in Gloddaeth Woods today. Probably a different bird from yesterday as in a totally different area. Worth getting a soaking for! 😊👍
Wow! Never thought I’d see one of these in North Wales. Caught at Pensychnant last night, this Clifden Nonpareil was the first for . Also a cracking Black Arches thrown in. Chuffed to bits.
@MigrantMothUK
Great morning’s birding on foot from house - definite cold weather movement with a few birds arrived. 2 Firecrest in Gloddaeth Woods, Water Pipit by the farm, 3 Golden Plover, 22 Skylark, Green Woodpecker (Nant-y-Gamar), Water Rail, Purple Sands, 121 Shag and 174 Curlew 😊👍
Crazy number of Mediterranean Gulls at Llanon. I counted 1157 in the fields earlier and they have been arriving in dribs and drabs from the north ever since. Certainly upwards of 1250 there now. 8 Yellow Wags was also a crazy count for West Wales. 22 colour rings read so far.
Not what I expected this morning! A once on a life time few hours spent in 3 fields. 30,000+ birds over, a Lapland Bunting drops in, a Richard Pipit follows and then
@ArfonWilliams4
and I bump into this as we run after the Pipit. Superb birding at Llanon, Ceredigion this morning!
This showy Jack Snipe was the star bird of the morning’s birding at Bangor Harbour near the pier. Another seen
@RSPBConwy
. 80 species seen by 1.30pm including Slavonian Grebe, Dipper, Water Rail, Goldeneyes + lots of Eider. Good to start the day with
@birdingwithlevi
+ co. ☺️👍
Good timing when
@chorltonbirder
refound the Long-billed Dowitcher late afternoon just as I was leaving work. This time at Llanfairfechan Saltmarsh so was a home county tick😊👍 great to see
@DylanMEdwards1and
@dafyddeds19
as always.
Dawn breaks, deep on Tregaron bog, far from human life. A chorus of bubbling Curlew, chipping Redshank, drumming Snipe, warbling Willow Warblers and crying Peewits. A Water Vole splashes, 5 Pintail burst into the air while a Little Ringed Plover arrives from its journey. Bliss!
A superb Male Red-backed Shrike on the Great Orme this afternoon and still showing well this evening at Pen-y-Gogarth NR near the copper mines. Found by Pete A it’s the 2nd record for the Orme and 1st spring male. It’s been a great few days for North Wales 😊👍
The possible ‘Ocularis’ Wagtail still present at Llanrhystyd, Ceredigion on flooded fields. Stands out a mile amongst the Pied and White Wags present, even at distance. Thanks to
@WomforurneNature
for pics.
@BirdGuides
Just allocated two whole days to find one of these. Within ten mintures this amazing beauty landed in front of me. Still shaking (and emotional)! With
@CymruNatur
on our Pyrenean adventure 😊👍🇪🇸
#Wallcreeper
Arrived
@spurnbirdobs
and walked straight up to a lifer! Eastern Subalpine Warbler as the sun is setting. Thanks to
@TimsBirding
for putting us onto it. What a bird and hopefully just the start to great weekend with
@CymruNatur
😊👍 Telor Brongoch yn Gymraeg 🏴
A stunning morning on the Great Orme. Grounded migrants included at least one male Ring Ouzel, 2 male Common Redstart, 15 Willow Warbler and 22 Wheatears. 437 Meadow Pipit flew west along with 9 Tree Pipit while offshore 3 Velvet Scoter, 7 Eider and 1500+ Scoter 👍
#LocalBigYear
Thanks to
@birdingwithlevi
for the great updates on the Bridled Tern at Afonwen today. Timed it well and had views of it feeding offshore with Sandwich and Common Terns. 3 Arctic Skuas offshore were cool as were the many Med Gulls in the tern flock. Picture by Levi Gravett 😊👍
The Firecrest
@rspbconwy
showed well early morning in the reeds from the boardwalk. That Fire coloured crest flaring in occasions as it moved through with a Long-tailed Tit flock. 2 Chough and Goldeneye best of the rest.
It’s a duck day! 16 species of duck in North Wales topped off with an amazing drake Baikal Teal found by
@chorltonbirder
at Foryd Bay, 1st Caernarfonshire record. What were the chances that I decided to wear my
@AlulaUk
t-shirt to go birding today. I’ll try that tactic again😂👍
Lots of learning over the past 24 hrs! This bird, which stood out amongst the regular White and Pied Wagtails at Llanrhystyd is now thought to be an aberrant White Wagtail. Not enough white in coverts + ear-covert patch wrong. We’ll all be ready for the next Sibe Wag though ☺️👍
An afternoon with
@ArfonWilliams4
watching gulls from the Weobly Inn. 1st winter Bonaparte’s Gull was star find, 1st sum Caspian Gull, ad. Iceland Gull, 2 ad. Yellow legged Gull and 40+ Mediterranean Gulls. A bonus flyover Snow Bunting too.
@BTO_Ceredigion
@BirdGuides
A wander around the fields between Llangefni and Cors Ddyga this lunchtime was rewarded with this stunning hunting Merlin. Also Great White Egret, 3 Red Kite, 200 Black tailed Godwits, Kingfisher and a Ruff
@AngBirdNews
The Merlin (Cudyll Bach 🏴) was a new
#pwc2023
bird👍
Sat in work when a colleague comes over and says he’s been trying to catch me all week to show me a bird he has in his garden in Llandudno junction. It’s been there since Monday. A quick look at his phone pic and bingo! He’s found a fine Rose-coloured Starling. Nice one Steve😊👍
Finally caught up with the American Golden Plover at Cemlyn this morning. Nice bird with 80+ Golden Plover. Great to watch it flying around in the flock above us. With
@CymruNatur
@keelebirder
Storm Bella delivered 7:30-10:30 Little Orme- 2 Little Auk (1 very close in!) 81 Red th Diver, Great N Diver, 37 Gannet, 139 Fulmar, 21 Eider, 43 Scoter, 5 G C Grebe, 34 Kittiwake, 6 Shelduck, 14 Razorbill, 12 Guillemot, 6 R B Mergansers, 100+ Common Gulls, 3 Porpoise + 10 Chough
Defo worth checking out those local little willowy pools now winter has kicked in. 5 Chiffchaff in various shades of olives and browns around the Dinerth field pools, Penrhyn Bay this morning. No siberian types jumped out. Also cracking Firecrest with the Goldcrests in there too.
3 Lapland Buntings, 2 Snow Buntings, Ring ouzel, 4 Wheatear, on Orme. Also 2 Crossbill, 2 Swallow, 3 Sand Martin, 3 Redpolls, 14 Siskin, 89 Woodpigeon, 12 Alba Wagtail, 213 Meadow Pipit, 18 Magpie, 57 Chaffinch over Great Orme before breakfast. Also an amazing sunrise!
Team work makes the dream work! Great day spent with great people dismantling + relocating the famous
@spurnbirdobs
seawatching hide. Can’t move a bone in my body this evening though! Hopefully hide will now last another 10 years and not fall in the sea!
@CymruNatur
@jonnie_fisk
Pied Flycatchers - an iconic Welsh Oak woodland species. Yesterday’s walk through
@Ynys_hir_RSPB
produced many singing males chasing newly arrived females. Yn Gymraeg - Gwybedog Brith 🏴
Get in! Pallas’s Warbler showing well Llys Helyg drive, Great Orme in Hawthorne opposite large pines 200 yrds north of car parking spots! Worth the early morning cycle 😊👍
At least 12 wonderful Woodvock in Glanwydden fields this evening. A stomp around the fields with the torch produced 4 very close ‘bright eyed’ foxes, a badger + 3 Redwings. How on earth can you call Woodcock fair game in the shooting world?!! The poor things stand no chance 😡
Great morning at Conwy RSPB
@RSPBConwy
- flushed a point blank Jack Snipe along estuary track when
@Penrhynbirder
called to say he was watching 5, yes 5 Garganey from the boardwalk! Also Spotted Redshank, Cetti’s Warbler and 2 Scaup showing well 😊👍 happy days!
Another bunch of Mediterranean Gull colour rings read, now up to 35 different rings read over the past few days. 1000+ Med Gulls still at Llanon this morning, 7 Whimbrel, 7 Yellow Wagtail, 6 Turnstone, 3 Sanderling, 30 Sandwich Tern + 2 Kittiwake. Leucistic Oystercatcher too😊👍
A hat-trick of Sawbills at
@RSPBConwy
early this morning with this superb ‘redhead’ Smew feeding happily on Sticklebacks in front of the far screen. Also 5 Red breasted Mergansers and 2 Goosanders at first light. Off to work in a good mood 😊👍
This is Sandwich Tern, white ring KNT. First picture is at Rhos Point, North Wales on 03/09/2017. Next three pics are the same bird at Gansbaai Harbour, Western Province, on 02/01/2018. 8500+ miles in 4 months!! Amazing migration.
What a night and morning! Great scenery, superb walk, night skies, good company, great weather and this amazing beast. No matter what’s its origin it is a superb beast and felt privelaged to be there as it gave an amazing flyby!
@kevjsmith3
@HCBirding
@CymruNatur
@AledHughes12
A Welsh Corn Bunting! 😊👍 Rare as hen’s teeth these days. Good to see a small population surviving in the north east of the country. At least three see today with
@CymruNatur
@birdingwithlevi
A cool vismig Serin over the canal bank and visitor centre at
@spurnbirdobs
this morning. It spent 15 minutes wondering whether to fly south but U turned at the Warren each time. A great last morning bird before heading home 😊👍
Crazy views of 5 Chough in the middle of Llandudno today on
@SanSior
school field! Video taken through my binoculars! Iceland Gull, Barnacle Goose, 34 Pink footed geese were the highlights in atrocious conditions with
@angnatur
and
@CymruNatur
. Lots of fun in the rain 😊👍
What a day
@Bempton_Cliffs
! After missing the Black browed Albatross on Thursday and Friday, I finally got luck today. Some great flybys. Spent a wonderful few hours enjoying the sights, sounds and smells of this amazing seabird city. 😊👍
Two happy young lads seeing their first Black Grouse lek this morning. Birds didn’t disappoint, especially! Red Grouse showing at point blank range too. Highlight - an imm. Goshawk trying to take out two Black Grouse! Ring Ouzel and Wheatear too☺️👍
#catchthemyoung
Yn Gymraeg - Lleian Wen 🏴 In Welsh - The White Nun. Much better name than Smew. A superb drake in the setting sun at Llyn Cefni, Ynys Mon this evening. Ring necked Duck too (but didn’t get much attention!)
@AngBirdNews
Amazed, Fascinated and privileged to have witnessed this. It’s a Southern Hawker! Checked every hour through night. Began metamorphasising at 11pm and opened it’s wings at 4.05am. Amazing transformation from pond dwelling nymph to a dragon of the sky
@cofnod
@BDSdragonflies
Great news from
@BTO_Cymru
today that this adult Sandwich Tern (red KNB) seen at Rhos Point, North Wales 🏴on 24/7 this year was seen at Strand, Western Cape, South Africa 🇿🇦 yesterday. Glad he made it safely 😊 What a journey! 👍
@birdsandbike
@HCBirding
Great morning around NE Wales 🏴 in the rain and howling wind. Black + Red Grouse all to ourselves, a pair of Mandarin Ducks, Iceland Gull, Scaup, flock of Fieldfare, 3 Marsh Harriers, Great White Egret, thousands of waders and pink feet, adult Med Gull and Purple Sand 😊👍
This is my view over new year. Arrived in our cottage in South West Scotland to be greeted by a flyby Hen Harrier, Great Northern Diver, flocks of waders and a roaring sea. Looking forward to a few days of Geese, Ducks and family 😊👍🏴🏴
A Redpoll day today over the Great Orme with at least 80 birds counted. Some were stunning big pale things too. All disappearing off high to the NW. Our local little lessers don’t feed on limestone pavements either! 25+ Siskin, Yellow Wagtail, 3 Tree Pipit, Redstart too.
It’s nearly 9pm and the
@spurnbirdobs
Red-backed Shrike is still busy feeding. Also choked up a pellet 😊👍 what a bird! Thanks again to
@TimsBirding
for being on site so late to put us on to it. With
@CymruNatur
. Cigydd Cefngoch yn Gymraeg.