Green Sandpiper feeding in the muddy flood margin
Dark-edged bee-fly amongst dry leaves
Green-veined White Butterfly on a forest floor
Female Clarke’s Mining Bee
The #localbigyear list keeps ticking along 2 Green Sandpiper being the latest also good to get some insects enjoying the sunshine #Bee-fly 🪶 #ukbirding
First summer visitor of the year today with a Little-Ringed Plover found on a local flood a nice addition to my #localbigyear list. 🪶 #ukbirding
Now on 71 for my #localbigyear list for the Scaup found by @njs5870.bsky.social this weekend perhaps being the best so far #ukbirding
Finished up on 137 for my 2024 #localbigyear total. 3 more than my previous highest year - mainly thanks to @robgilb91.bsky.social and the great year he had at Lordship Lane.
Caspian Gull
#12DaysWild Day 8
#LocalBigYear 2025 10km from home off to a good start on 1st January with 60 species, including 1w Caspian Gull (photo at West Park, Wolverhampton & WMI site, Staffs), Marsh Tit, Ring-necked Parakeet, Peregrine, Raven, Stonechat, Golden Plover, Wigeon, Pochard & Goosander
Paddyfield Warbler
Stone Curlew
Caspian Gull
Knot
140 species for #LocalBigYear 10km radius from home 2024 including: Paddyfield Warbler (p1), Temminck's Stint, Stone Curlew (p2), Caspian Gull (p3), Whooper Swan, Osprey, Knot (p4), Sanderling, Grey Plover, Goshawk, Waxwing, GW Egret, LS Woodpecker, Le Owl, Ring Ouzel & Crossbill
Peek-aboo with one of the local barn owl
Knypersley res
The last day of november scored 2 barn owls this evening number 143 #localbigyear not alot at knypersley res in a rare visit to this site. #staffsbirds #staffsbirding #ukbirding
Female goldeneye
Sleeping in the rain
1 of 35 gadwall
The lone wigeon still remains
Morning at Trentham Gardens mix of weather snow, rain, and sun. Female goldeneye was 142 #localbigyear , 35 gadwall , wigeon , 60 tufted , little egret, 2 Fieldfare, 20 redwing and 47 mute swan. #staffsbirds #staffsbirding #ukbirding
Red-crested pochard
Sleeping male pochard
Still 1 wigeon about
Red-crested pochard
Trentham gardens
Drake red-crested pochard north staffs tick for me (141) #localbigyear also 34 gadwall , pochard , wigeon , 2 little egret, 3 Fieldfare , 12 redwing , little grebe, 74 tufted duck. #staffsbirds #staffsbirding #ukbirding
Hawfinch over keele hall area calling seen well in flight number 140 #localbigyear then again or a 2nd bird between the campus and keele village in flight. Also 100+ redwing, 31 Fieldfare, 12 greenfinch. #staffsbirds #staffsbirding #ukbirding
Male pochard trentham gardens
Great egret trentham
Trentham beaver chew marks
Trentham Gardens highlights Drake pochard first I've seen here for years, and 139 #localbigyear 1 or 2 great egret probably two , 20 gadwall , little egret,2 goosander , kingfisher.Earlier this morning i had a great egret fly over smithpool heading SW at 8:39 #staffsbirds #staffsbirding #ukbirding
Harvest Mouse nest
Roesel's Bush-cricket
Tapered Drone Fly - Eristalis pertinax
2 new additions to my #localbigyear list today, trentham gardens 1 great egret and c.150 Pink-footed geese over Betley Mere. Also at Betley plenty of Water Rail, Cetti’s, Harvest Mouse nest found and Roesel's Bush-crickets
#UKbirding
Also 138 for #localbigyear
Great white egret number 137 local year list
Wigeon pair
Goosander on the trent
Productive morning at trentham gardens with great egret (137 #localbigyear) 2 wigeon, 18 gadwall , goosander and 2 redwing. Dipped the berryhill ybw only had 40 mins to look before work but had 2 blackcap and willow tit while looking. #staffsbirds #staffsbirding #ukbirds #ukbirding
Female pintail
Pintail feeding
3 of 6 wigeon
Willow emerald damselfly
Trentham gardens this morning
Female pintail site tick & number 136 & a new personal best on #localbigyear also 6 wigeon , 10 gadwall , 4 teal , mandarin, 54 tufted duck , 6 little egret. Also willow emerald damselfly which was a staffs tick & local tick. #staffsbirds #staffsbirding #ukbirding
Wigeon
Wigeon
Gadwall
Wigeon and gadwall
Enjoyable morning at Trentham Gardens with a noticeable wildfowl increase
4 wigeon,14 gadwall
,2 mandarin ,25 tufted
,3 little egret ,25 house martin and Raven. Wigeon being my 135th species locally this year #localbigyear #staffsbirds #staffsbirding #ukbirding
Out with a torch to start the year list. 3 target spp in the bag. Jack snipe, common snipe and woodcock. @PatchBirding @BirdGuides @SkyeBirdsBob @CasualBirderPod #LocalBigYear
Although I missed plenty, I finished my 2022 #LocalBigYear around Newark on 160 species. Highlights included RN Duck, Nightjar, Turtle Dove, Crane, BW Stilt, Tem Stint, Pec Sand (2), Kittiwake, GN Diver, SE Owl, Ring Ouzel, Great Reed Warbler, as well as Siberian Chiffchaff (3).
No photos of the bird - too focussed on ruling out Hume’s on its one good view - but lucky to be cycling over Donnington Bridge just after Steve Roby found a Yellow-browed Warbler here. Species #135 for the Oxford Ringroad #localbigyear - a welcome get back after missing earlier!
Beautiful lunch time at Christ Church College - made even better by a quick view of a Black Redstart up on the top of the building. Had hoped for this species - #134 in the Oxford Ringroad #localbigyear
A 1st winter Dark-bellied Brent Goose on Port Meadow just now was an unexpected but welcome addition to the Oxford Ringroad #localbigyear - species #133
@_BTO @WeBS_UK Icelandic Breeding Goose Census count at dawn from Oglet on the banks of the Mersey. 4100 pink feet, bonuses of peregrine, Goldeneye, 3 red breasted mergansers, red throated diver, 225 fieldfare and crossbills overhead #localbigyear @NMBiodiversity @yoeGreenspace
Very distant on Port Meadow - so scarcely identifiable from this - but a Water Pipit creeping around this afternoon another great find by Phil Barnett. Species #132 on the Oxford Ringroad #LocalBigYear
Quick visit out to Farmoor where Yellow-browed Warbler elusive but seen & heard briefly & Black Redstart likewise both new species for 10km radius bicycle-powered #localbigyear now on 159 species
A Rock Pipit on Port Meadow this afternoon - great find by Phil Barnett after Grey Plover & YBW this autumn. - first Oxford city record since 2007. Now #131 for Oxford Ringroad #LocalBigYear after Mandarin on Friday.
The recent good run of waders continues with a Turnstone at Farmoor bringing up #155 on the 10km radius bike-powered #LocalBigYear. Also impressive numbers of Cormorants!
That time of year… Now a juvenile Grey Plover on Port Meadow - a really unexpected addition to Oxford Ringroad #localbigyear list - #129
With Curlew Sand & Little Stint at Farmoor today my low carbon (bike-powered!) #localbigyear based on 10k radius from home in Oxford reached 153 species. Still a few autumn/winter possibilities left…
A very vocal male Redstart on Burgess Fiejd just now + some nice flight views. Species #128 on the Oxford Ringroad #localbigyear
