Enjoyable few days with @scillypelagics.bsky.social from 21st to 25th last month. I had never seen an adult Sabine's Gull so well, and this bird was absolutely pristine, so was it any wonder everyone on the boat was fawning over it? Absolute stunner. Plenty of Cory's and Great Shears too.

Mightily delayed post with some highlights from @oriolebirding.bsky.social Finland tour back in June. No two tours are the same, headlining act came from Great Grey Owl but Eurasian Eagle Owl in woodland was a treat! Point blank Garganey was left field and you can't tire of Siberian Jay.

Ropey shot of the Song Sparrow from yesterday at Flamborough. That's two decent consecutive springs for transatlantic passerines on the North-East coast, with Dark-eyed Junco at Hartlepool during April last year and Indigo Bunting at Whitburn in May.

The 5 Dotterel currently at North Gare are proof positive that showy birds are always the most memorable. At one point they approached to within 15ft or so, they truly are fantastic waders.

Guiding for @oriolebirding.bsky.social in Mallorca last week. Fantastic scenery, weather, and of course birds. A flypast Caspian Tern at s'Albufera was a nice surprise, and 2 Slender-billed Gulls at Salobrar de Campos were unseasonal. Here are a few photos of just some of the highlights.

My phone scope picture of the drake Spectacled Eider from Thursday gone. Whilst I don't pursue a WP list, I've got no immediate plans to visit Alaska, so Texel (Netherlands) seemed a no-brainer. @alexanderlees.bsky.social has an excellent thread on this species vagrancy to the WP
#SuperSeabirdSunday

I wasn't expecting this Jack Snipe to be present with so much standing water around since the weekend. Its hypothesised that this species has high site-fidelity, but its never actually been proven. There has been at least 1 Jack Snipe within roughly this same 5 square meters since start of November.

I can't actually remember the last Shorelark I saw in the county, so called in to see this smashing little individual at Seaton Snook this PM, it showed well and I managed excellent views of at least 100 Twite as they busied around the saltmarsh.

Got back from guiding in South Africa last week with an @oriolebirding.bsky.social group. Some fantastic birds seen over the two weeks, here are two species that emit a very different feel to anything we have here in Europe; Acadia Pied Barbet and Cape Sugarbird.