Iberian Chiffchaff, Hardwick Hall

A trip to Newton Aycliffe today gave me the opportunity to pop into Hardwick Hall to admire the hyperactive Iberian Chiffchaff #rarebirdsUK #NEbirding

Foxton Bends, the river Aln just west of Alnmouth, at high tide late afternoon today

Foxton Bends #Northumberland looking rather splendid this evening

Leaning out of the window to admire the sunset just now, I got the bonus of a singing Grasshopper Warbler in the brambles behind the house. Presumably last year’s territorial bird returning #NEbirding

Male Ring-necked Duck (middle bird)

Common Sandpiper

Hedgeley, late afternoon - highlights included the long-staying drake Ring-necked Duck, and the earliest Common Sandpiper I’ve seen in Northumberland #NEbirding

If birds did tribute bands…

Genius

What better way is there to spend the Easter 🐣 🐣🐣 weekend than birdwatching, and hopefully finding and recording rare breeding birds to help their conservation? There’s lots to look for in April, so here’s some ideas from RBBP Secretary @markaeaton.bsky.social #ornithology #UKbirding

Palmate Newt

Palmate Newt

Palmate Newt, discovered underneath me in Dumfries & Galloway this week. An unlucky newt as I (unknowingly) sat on it for ten minutes while having my lunch, but a lucky newt as it seemed to have survived the experience unscathed and ambled away 🤞 #UKwildlife

How long do I have to stare at that before I understand it? #feelingabitdim

nsojournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10....

And remind me to tell you some fascinating stuff about the ‘cheese’ in a Yellowhammer song sometime

Good stuff, although that Oddie joke is not amongst your best work 🤷‍♂️

A Green Heron stands in a still, glossy surfaced pond, head and beak pointing straight up as it locks onto a dragonfly flying overhead.

Green Heron... an angle I never expected to see let alone photograph! Note the dragonfly at top of frame. 😀

#birds
#photography

A pair of Adders, female at the front

Saw my first Adders of the year in Northumberland this lunchtime, including this beautiful pair (female at the front) #UKwildlife #snakes

Sanderling, at the Long Nanny, Northumberland. This bird dipped down into the water at the tides edge with its bill open, apparently drinking.

Sanderling at the Long Nanny, Northumberland yesterday. I knew they were salt-adapted to deal with marine prey, but don’t recall seeing one (apparently) drink seawater before #birds #waders #UKbirding

White Wagtail, Boulmer Northumberland

Had my first White Wagtails of the spring today… this was one of four amongst 43 Pied Wags in a freshly tilled field just west of Boulmer, presumably grounded by one of the afternoon’s showers #NEbirding

Adult European White-fronted Goose, Hauxley

There’s still a few European White-fronted Geese hanging around from the winter’s exceptional influx - here’s one of two at Hauxley today #NEbirding

Great White Egret, departing

Grey Heron

A Great White Egret was the star of my East Chevington @webs-gsmp.bsky.social count today before it headed south. A Grey Heron was far more obliging @everyheron.bsky.social #NEbirding

Slow-worm

New selfie… I can see myself reflected in the eye of this Slow-worm, out along the Carey Burn in the Cheviots yesterday #ukwildlife

The Wu-Tang Clan

The Wu-Tang Clan

Top night in Manchester bouncing up and down to the Wu-Tang Clan. A long drive home with aching knees now!

Well done for not grimacing them

Expensive, but worth every penny.

Hard to believe Tom, you don’t look a day over 150.

Bet when you started birding in the 1920s you never imagined there’d be Cetti’s Warbler here a hundred years later!

But are they holding breeding territories? Birds tend to be more widespread after late autumn/winter dispersal but don’t necessarily stay to breed (yet)

The sound of a Cetti’s Warbler on the Northumberland coast today. But not just any old Cetti’s Warbler… quite possibly the most northerly Cetti’s territory in the world (unless there’s one further up the coast I don’t know about). #NEbirding

Brent Geese at Seaton Pt this afternoon - four (of six) Pale-bellied and one Dark-bellied (second left)

Brent Geese at Seaton Pt this afternoon - four (of six) Pale-bellied and one Dark-bellied (second left) #NEbirding

Putting birds first, pt1 YouTube video by Rare Breeding Birds Panel

It’s the time of year to be out finding, recording and enjoying rare breeding birds, but it’s vital to put their welfare first. Here’s some advice from @markaeaton.bsky.social, and there’s a blog here tinyurl.com/RBBPsafe [1/2] youtu.be/5xXc9Dl7vwk?...

That would spoil the fun

Even my dogs have better fieldcraft than him! 🤷‍♂️🤡