Good start to our visit to Portland with brief appearance by Portland's first Pallid Harrier, 2cy male, in the Crown Estate Fields this morning! #ukbirding @PortlandBirdObs

Mean densities of Small tortoiseshell (A urticae, kleine vos) on Dutch Butterfly Monitoring transects and flexcounts in April 2025 up to now. Once a widespread species, now almost only found in the W and N of the country.

Venus Pool with @spastreetbrewer doing some scrub clearing by Fen Hide. Cattle, 6 Little and 2 Great White egrets, 2 Egyptian Goose, Canlag, 3 Goosander, 43 Snipe, 195 Lapwing, 25 Redwing, 1 Fieldfare, 2 Chiffchaff, 3 Yellowhammer etc #ukbirding #ukwildlife #shropshirebirding

Garden moths in Shrewsbury better last night 18/11 including 2 Juniper Carpet and a Spruce Carpet, Sprawler etc but no migrants. Male Dytiscus marginalis a bonus now in the garden pond. #ukmoths #mothsmatter @BC_WestMids

Venus Pool this 4 GWE (inc strictly audition), 1 Cattle, 8 Little, 8 Egyptian Goose, 355 Greylag, 443 Canada, 1 Canlag, 16 Teal, 2 Gadwall, 6 GCGrebe, 2+ W Rail, 2 singing Cetti's, m Blackcap on Mistletoe, 1 Chiffchaff, 33 Redwing, 1 Yellowhammer etc #ukbirding #ukwildlife

A few pics from a week in Suffolk - Purple Sand defying gravity on the sluice at Minsmere and distant Water Pipit there on Wednesday pm (gull roost had 2 Yellow-legged Gull but no cachinnans seen, surprisingly). #ukbirding

Garden moths in Shrewsbury last night included 2 Sprawler (nfy), 2 Figure-of-Eight and Grey Shoulder-knot, the last nfg. Also a lone Silver Y to keep migrant hopes alive. #mothmatter #ukmoths @BC_WestMids

At Minsmere yesterday a Gem found near the visitor centre. An actual migrant moth. #mothsmatter

Yellow-horned Poppy, Glaucium flavum, still flowering on the beach at Minsmere yesterday for #wildflowerhour

VP WeBS Cattle Egret new for patch yr and WeBS, 11 Littles (biggest roost of yr), 4 GWE, 76 Cormorant (most sinensis), 61 Teal. 2 Wigeon, 21 Shoveler, 25 Mallard, 6 Tufted (+8CF), Goosander (CF), 70 Lapwing, 40 Snipe, W Rail, Cetti's etc

Venus Pool to 0955 Crossbill to W calling (patch yearly), 2610 Woodpigeon, 325 Starling, 160 Jackdaw, 29 Skylark, 9 Redwing, 4 Redpoll SW, Swallow to S. Pool had just 2 GWE, 3 Littles, 33 Teal, 12 Shoveler, 5 Gadwall etc. Seed eater numbers not large but nice light.

Tried for the Wood Lane Purple Heron that had flown off at about 0800, found by John Morris. Work party underway so no joy early and mid pm. Returned at 4 and it had just flown back in per 2 birders on site! It stayed a few minutes then flew again. Salop tick!

Venus Pool with @spastreetbrewer an adult Whooper Swan dropped in 1220, increase in Snipe (35+), 3 GWE, 3 Little Egret, 10 Wigeon, 8 Shoveler, pair of Stonechat by the arable field, 120 Lapwing, Canada x Greylag, Goosander etc. #birds #ukwildlife #ukbirding

VP early morning 3 GWE, 3 L Egret, 1CY Peregrine put everything up, Green Sand, 122 Lapwing, 5 Egyptian Goose, 5 Wigeon, 34 Redwing, Siskin, Redpoll, 2 Chiffchaff, 1st returning Yellowhammer, patch 1st Ring-necked Parakeet over a surprise. #ukbirding

VP today with @janettem34 an egretfest with the low water levels - an outrageous (this is VP) 8 GWE (the 5 we had on 4 Oct was a county record), 1 ad Little and 3 Grey Heron. Also 7 Egyptian Goose, Green Sand, 41 Cormorant, Red Kite, 80 Redwing, Siskin.

VP to 0945 with @DaveChapman67 - 5 GWE together at one stage with much coming and going, 2 Littles, 6 Egyptian Goose, m Wigeon, Goosander, Kingfisher, 2 Swallow, 3 Stonechat, 4 Chiff, Red Kite, Dutch ringed Cormorant etc

A 2cy #CaspianGull was the highlight of another @_BTO #WinGS at The Mere, Ellesmere tonight with @pilning. Also 8+YLGs, 95 Herrings and 8370 LBBGs (of which 3000+ arrived in a single column in the last 20 mins! 😱) #lovegulls

Called in at Slimbridge on the way back home from Portland. One of the 2 Garganey showed better than the other. Also 3 Spotted Redshank, 16 Ruff, 275 Blackwit, 6 Avocet etc #ukbirding

Portland today in NW with showers scudding through later. 7 Balearic and 3 Arctic Skua (for me) the best on the sea. A few more passerines than yesterday with one of the Tree Pipits and a Pied Fly trapped at the obs. Small Tortoiseshell now rare on Portland #ukwildlife #butterfly

The Bill was quieter on the sea so a good day to try Weymouth. At Lodmoor found this 1w Caspian Gull along with 320+ Meds, Marsh Harrier, 3 GWE (1 colour ringed but didn't get the code), Barwit, 12 Blackwit (not all playing nicely), 8 Dunlin, 9 RP, Wigeon etc #ukbirding #birds