Image of a partially submerged Bonaparte's Gull.

Image of a partially submerged Bonaparte's Gull.

Image of a Bonaparte's Gull in flight.

Image of a Bonaparte's Gull (below) alongside a Black-headed Gull (above).

Increasing fractions of a 1st-winter Bonaparte's Gull 😄 showing under/upper-wing markings & coloration, plus structural diffs compared to Black-headed Gull. Lynch Cove (Dorset), April 2026. Nice find by @luvaducksbutt.bsky.social

Bonapartes still at Lynch cove 11.29 this morning , lesser whitethroat singing @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social @birdguides.bsky.social

1w Bonaparte’s Gull still present at Lynch Cove / Littlesea. Also 1 Whimbrel east, 1 Whinchat & 1 L W’throat.
@dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social
@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social

OMGGGGGGGGGGG 🇧🇪 Wout van Aert wins 🇫🇷 Paris Roubaix!!!!!!!

So it was a Shelduck that I saw very distantly (bins only) from Dancing Ledge! 2 Puffin reasonably close into the ledge. Otherwise 7 Swallows, 4 W’throat & a few WW were best of rest in testing E wind.
@staldhelmsbirder.bsky.social

Superb find, Paul. And an overdue Dorset tick for me. 👏👏👏

Ouch, I feel your pain - literally! Next time we meet up I can bore you with tales of the numerous exercises I do to counteract PFPS, viz Patellar-Femoral Pain Syndrome. If you haven’t done so already, it’s worth researching on t’interweb 🦵😖

I happened to pass you (by car) as you were cycling the final, no doubt welcome, few hundred metres home along Worgret Rd. I’ve been tempted to ride that route myself, only it’s c60 miles for me. So until I get a couple of titanium knee replacements, that’s about 15 miles too many 😆

Just dropped through my Dorset letterbox this morning. Great work by all involved, plenty of art to add to the excellent photos. If the web has drawn you away from County bird reports & bird clubs, have a rethink. They are an essential part of our birding communities culture 🙏

Aha! Just saw your ebird entry, and can see that it’s the site that I have been visiting. So I guess I must also be going to the wrong spot at that location! Any hints gratefully received 😉

Well done, Mick. I tried a (former?) traditional spot a couple of days ago but drew a blank…again. The quest goes on…

Later this month new Government legislation comes into force clamping down on harm caused by dogs in the countryside.

The SSSI and Ancient Woodland is home to a range of rare wildflowers, birds, butterflies and other species.

Digiscoped record shot of a Forster's Tern on Brownsea Island lagoon, 4 March 2026.

After a couple of blank years (for me) it was nice to bump into this returning individual again on #BrownseaIsland whilst carrying out a bird survey with @studlandbirds.bsky.social. I imagine there aren't too many places in the UK where you can see Forster's Tern & WT Eagle on the same day 😃

Red-rumped Swallow at Radipole, Weymouth, 2 Mar 2026.

Red-rumped Swallow at Radipole, Weymouth, 2 Mar 2026.

Trying to 📷 today's agile, overhead Red-rumped Swallow at Radipole, Weymouth was always going to be something of a fool's errand. The autofocus on my Nikon P950 never seems to be quite up to the task (user blames tools 🙄). Cracker of a bird tho. Shout out to finder @remblax.bsky.social #DorsetBirds

Pale-bellied Brent Goose on Long Island, Poole Harbour, 24 Feb 2026.

A distant shot of today's lonesome Pale-bellied Brent Goose enjoying the sun (remember that?) + a snack on the Long Island, Poole Harbour sand spit. Nearby, 3 or 4 Firecrests were seen around the Middlebere cottages. Ace to hear lots of resident birds in full voice today.

@harbourbirds.bsky.social

Little Gull, Holes Bay, Poole. 10 Feb 2026

Little Gull, Holes Bay, Poole. 10 Feb 2026

Little Gull, Holes Bay, Poole. 10 Feb 2026

Little Gull, Holes Bay, Poole. 10 Feb 2026

A smart adult Little Gull at Holes Bay, Poole this morning. One of my all-time favourite gulls, despite the dank and dreary weather. Again 🤨

@harbourbirds.bsky.social
@dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

As a spectacle wearer myself, I totally understand where you're coming from 🤓😅

White-tailed Eagle landing on a gravel track at Arne Moors, Dorset. 31 January 2026.

White-tailed Eagle landing on a gravel track at Arne Moors, Dorset. 31 January 2026.

How it started 👍

How it ended 🤦‍♂️

White-tailed Eagle (adult) coming in to land at Arne Moors, Dorset.

Also in the wider area: Goshawk, Merlin, Marsh Harrier, Buzzard, Kestrel. All told, a pretty decent morning for raptors.

@harbourbirds.bsky.social #DorsetBirds

🤔😄

Killdeer at Ripley Farm Reservoir, Hampshire, 23 Jan 2026

Killdeer at Ripley Farm Reservoir, Hampshire, 23 Jan 2026

Killdeer at Ripley Farm Reservoir, Hampshire, 23 Jan 2026

So, getting myself goretex'd up to the eyeballs for a 2nd look at the 'Ripley' Killdeer guaranteed not a single drop of the wet stuff. Hurrah! But, ever the whingeing birder, the direct sunlight conspired to thwart the hoped-for frame-filling photos 🙄😅 These were the best I could manage. #HantsBirds

Wet and then some! I haven’t been so completely soaked through whilst birding for many years 🚿😭

Shout out to Graham Armstrong for (re)locating the RN Grebe in Bramble Bush bay.

Brownsea Island lagoon, Poole Harbour

It was an atmospheric scene from the Avocet Hide, #BrownseaIsland early this AM as I joined @studlandbirds.bsky.social for a wildfowl & wader counting session. Plenty of the usual suspects on the lagoon, plus a bonus Red-necked Grebe off south shore later.
@dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social
#DorsetBirds

Brambling at West Morden, Dorset. 3 Jan 2026

Brambling at West Morden, Dorset. 3 Jan 2026

Brambling at West Morden, Dorset. 3 Jan 2026

At least 2 Bramblings in with the large mixed finch flock around stubble fields just N of West Morden Farm. Quite hard to pick out, plus they were fairly camera shy, as these record shots attest. Bitingly cold so I wasn't hanging around for better pics! 🥶.
#DorsetBirds @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

Hah, duff gen as usual from the east Dorset birding collective! HHOJ 😂

Of course, no problem. Many of the local birding paparazzi were there today, so I imagine there'll be some fine pics popping up this evening 🙂

Plus a superb supporting cast: 3 Slav + 5 BN Grebes, Several GN Divers, Greater Scaup, c10 Goldeneye, Mergansers, Wigeon, Brents, and a super-close fly-by WTE w/ fish catch. An excellent day's birding, with great company!

🙏

@dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social
#DorsetBirds

A pair of Smew with 2 Wigeon, Poole Harbour, 31 Dec 2025.

A pair of Smew with a Goldeneye (left), Poole Harbour, 31 Dec 2025.

A pair of Smew with a Red-breasted Merganser (left), Poole Harbour, 31 Dec 2025.

A drake Greater Scaup (right) with a Red-breasted Merganser, Poole Harbour, 31 Dec 2025.

Pretty chuffed to find a drake Smew at Brand's Bay, Poole Harbour this morning. c 30 secs later @moorebirdsbybike.bsky.social picked up its redhead mate nearby! First drake in Dorset since one on this exact date in 2008, apparently 😯. Enjoyed/ticked by many local birders.
@harbourbirds.bsky.social