a sleeping male Common Scoter
Potteric Carr got in on the today's Common Scoter action when a fine drake was found. But probably the rarest bird I'll get this year was a Willow Tit. Its the first I've had in months and could well be the last 😔
Red Grouse
Whooper Swans
heather moors in the Peak District
A glorious day for a walk in the Peak District. Got a few birds I've not seen in long while, like Red Grouse and Dipper. A group of 18 Whoopers on Langsett Res was a nice surprise.
Sorry to hear that Clive Byers died yesterday. There'll be many who knew Clive a lot better than I did but I considered him a friend. Always fun, always helpful to a fellow illustrator and always happy to provide a floor to crash on.
A great guy I wish I'd known better.
Have a read of this review which compares them www.scopeviews.co.uk/Zeiss10x40SFL.htm
Jack Snipe at Potteric Carr. Found with the thermal imager. Phonescoped hence not getting it all in frame.
Bittern
Bittern
Bittern in a reedbed viewed through thermal imager
Great views of Bittern at Potteric Carr. First picked up in the reeds through the thermal and then it walked out into the open. #phonescoped
ELs are still made but close focus is downgraded to 3.3m. Swaro NL Pure are probably the best, followed by Zeiss SF and Leica Noctivid. You could downsize to x32 to lighten the load without losing much image quality.
What’s your budget?
#birdinggear
1st winter Mediterranean Gull with Black-headed Gulls
Adult winter Mediterranean Gull with Common Gulls
1st-winter Med Gull at Lakeside and adult Med Gull at Lound in the last few days of 2025. Quite pleased with the results, phonescoped with the little Kowa TSN-55A. Hoping for a proper white-winger in the next few weeks🙏
First #patchbirding twitch of the year for this juvenile glaucous gull at North Shields Fish Quay, which gave good views late this afternoon before heading off towards South Shields Pier. I didn't see one here last year, so it was great to see this one so early in 2026. #nebirding
Rohan Spark top before repair
Rohan Spark top after repair
Collar on Rohan Spark top repaired by Alpkit. Should get a few more years wear out of it now.
Its Isle of Axholme Community Group on FaceBook. Link should work if you have a FaceBook account
Post on FB by Paul Greaves yesterday www.facebook.com/share/g/1DNp...
Chirpity says MT 99%
I assume your CI coat has a waterproof membrane. Paramo doesn’t have that. I’ve still got a Paramo Cascada. It’s too warm in the summer, it’s heavy and doesn’t keep me dry. Some people swear by them and some don’t.
You could try blister plasters until they are broken in. Should be completely unnecessary of course.
Beat that @rarebirder.bsky.social 😂
Whooper Swans
Stayed at Potteric Carr until dusk hoping for a gull roost that failed to materialize. So a couple of Whoopers and a murmuration were consolations
It was nice to see a couple of Spot Reds at Potteric Carr this morning. Pity they were flushed by a marsh harrier. #patchbirding #yorkshirebirding
#birdinggear
One of the most incredible WTF!! moments I have witnessed in 41 years birding Belvide. 8 White-rumped Sandpiper on the north shore between 4pm-5.30pm. Just short of a British Record of 11 on the outer Hebrides. Thought I'd lost the plot when I saw them. Still pinching myself. #UKbirding
Many thanks to Mandy Gregory for sending on these images of the white throated needletail over @tophilllow.bsky.social yesterday. Perhaps it remembers where East Yorkshire’s premier insect diner is…
@flamboroughbird.bsky.social
I'm finding the #chirpity app great for quickly processing #nocmig recordings. Had to laugh this morning when it identified me bringing in the recorder as a Bearded Tit 🤣 @chirpity-nocmig.bsky.social
Great bird, great find, great photos 👍
My Cascada jacket didn’t keep me dry from day 1
No way!
Juv Sabine's Cogden found b.y @notquitescilly.bsky.social it flew east at around 9.00am...
