Toby Phelps
@phelpstoby.bsky.social
Birds. Mostly Chester and Pembrokeshire.
Must be protein free,
Seriously gammy knee,
I love Pipits, me.
(M.Doyle, 2022)
Must be protein free,
Seriously gammy knee,
I love Pipits, me.
(M.Doyle, 2022)
Ring Ouzel feasting on hawthorn berries by Manorbier beach this afternoon. At least 1 Firecrest around too. Also a Yellow-browed Warbler heard calling (unfortunately not seen) on Thursday and good movement of finches most mornings! Lots to look at at the moment! #birdingWales
October 18, 2025 at 1:52 PM
Ring Ouzel feasting on hawthorn berries by Manorbier beach this afternoon. At least 1 Firecrest around too. Also a Yellow-browed Warbler heard calling (unfortunately not seen) on Thursday and good movement of finches most mornings! Lots to look at at the moment! #birdingWales
Enjoyable day seawatching at
St Govan's Hd yesterday.
Sabine's Gull 4 (2 Ad, 2 Juv)
Cory's Shearwater 1
Balearic Shearwater 1
Sooty Shearwater 4
Grey Phalarope 2
Plus a big push of 'Commic' Terns (c700) early morning and a flock of 29 Pale-bellied Brent Geese west!
#birdingWales
St Govan's Hd yesterday.
Sabine's Gull 4 (2 Ad, 2 Juv)
Cory's Shearwater 1
Balearic Shearwater 1
Sooty Shearwater 4
Grey Phalarope 2
Plus a big push of 'Commic' Terns (c700) early morning and a flock of 29 Pale-bellied Brent Geese west!
#birdingWales
September 1, 2025 at 8:12 PM
Enjoyable day seawatching at
St Govan's Hd yesterday.
Sabine's Gull 4 (2 Ad, 2 Juv)
Cory's Shearwater 1
Balearic Shearwater 1
Sooty Shearwater 4
Grey Phalarope 2
Plus a big push of 'Commic' Terns (c700) early morning and a flock of 29 Pale-bellied Brent Geese west!
#birdingWales
St Govan's Hd yesterday.
Sabine's Gull 4 (2 Ad, 2 Juv)
Cory's Shearwater 1
Balearic Shearwater 1
Sooty Shearwater 4
Grey Phalarope 2
Plus a big push of 'Commic' Terns (c700) early morning and a flock of 29 Pale-bellied Brent Geese west!
#birdingWales
Manx shearwaters streaming past St Govan's Hd this evening. Estimated over 11,000/hr between 5.30-6.30pm. Awesome!
8 Puffin and 2 Sanderling past too. #birdingWales
8 Puffin and 2 Sanderling past too. #birdingWales
May 26, 2025 at 8:36 PM
Manx shearwaters streaming past St Govan's Hd this evening. Estimated over 11,000/hr between 5.30-6.30pm. Awesome!
8 Puffin and 2 Sanderling past too. #birdingWales
8 Puffin and 2 Sanderling past too. #birdingWales
This superb breeding plumage Grey Plover spent 4 days at Tenby south beach. No sign of it this evening so I assume it has continued on its northward migration #birdingWales
May 25, 2025 at 8:05 PM
This superb breeding plumage Grey Plover spent 4 days at Tenby south beach. No sign of it this evening so I assume it has continued on its northward migration #birdingWales
2 Bar-tailed Godwit and 4 Dunlin and on Tenby South Beach this evening. Other bits and bobs in recent days include several Whimbrel, a Tree Pipit (at Skrinkle on Fri) and a few singing Lesser Whitethroats and Garden Warblers #birdingWales
May 5, 2025 at 8:43 PM
2 Bar-tailed Godwit and 4 Dunlin and on Tenby South Beach this evening. Other bits and bobs in recent days include several Whimbrel, a Tree Pipit (at Skrinkle on Fri) and a few singing Lesser Whitethroats and Garden Warblers #birdingWales
Yesterday morning there was an impressive feeding raft of Manx Shearwaters off Presipe beach. Maybe about 300+! A little flurry of migrants in the bushes at Skrinkle including my first Grasshopper Warbler and Common Whitethroat of the year #birdingWales
April 12, 2025 at 1:18 PM
Yesterday morning there was an impressive feeding raft of Manx Shearwaters off Presipe beach. Maybe about 300+! A little flurry of migrants in the bushes at Skrinkle including my first Grasshopper Warbler and Common Whitethroat of the year #birdingWales
The colour-ringed Wheatear I recorded at Manorbier on the 24th March was ringed on Lundy as a one-year old breeding male in May 2023. He was also seen in the same territory last year. Let's hope he's made it back there this year! #birdingWales
April 8, 2025 at 9:59 PM
The colour-ringed Wheatear I recorded at Manorbier on the 24th March was ringed on Lundy as a one-year old breeding male in May 2023. He was also seen in the same territory last year. Let's hope he's made it back there this year! #birdingWales
My 4th Black Redstart of the spring, a female-type, on the road to RAF Manorbier this morning. Later seen on the coast path near Presipe. Also a female Wheatear and a few extra Chiffchaffs about. #BirdingWales
March 29, 2025 at 10:49 AM
My 4th Black Redstart of the spring, a female-type, on the road to RAF Manorbier this morning. Later seen on the coast path near Presipe. Also a female Wheatear and a few extra Chiffchaffs about. #BirdingWales
Wheatears! 7 this morning behind the RAF Manorbier range (2 females, 5 males). One of which was colour ringed!
Any help tracking down the project would be gratefully appreciated.
Lundy maybe?
Also 2 Black Redstarts, a female-type and a new(?) adult male.
#birdingWales
Any help tracking down the project would be gratefully appreciated.
Lundy maybe?
Also 2 Black Redstarts, a female-type and a new(?) adult male.
#birdingWales
March 24, 2025 at 9:19 PM
Wheatears! 7 this morning behind the RAF Manorbier range (2 females, 5 males). One of which was colour ringed!
Any help tracking down the project would be gratefully appreciated.
Lundy maybe?
Also 2 Black Redstarts, a female-type and a new(?) adult male.
#birdingWales
Any help tracking down the project would be gratefully appreciated.
Lundy maybe?
Also 2 Black Redstarts, a female-type and a new(?) adult male.
#birdingWales
A few more common migrants appeared in the strong northerlies this morning, incl. a nice hirundine flock at Tenby Marsh with 2 House Martin, 6 Swallow and 11 Sand Martin. A Willow Warbler there too.
Red-throated Diver off Tenby South Beach and the Hoopoe still at Kiln Park.
#birdingWales
Red-throated Diver off Tenby South Beach and the Hoopoe still at Kiln Park.
#birdingWales
March 23, 2025 at 10:51 AM
A few more common migrants appeared in the strong northerlies this morning, incl. a nice hirundine flock at Tenby Marsh with 2 House Martin, 6 Swallow and 11 Sand Martin. A Willow Warbler there too.
Red-throated Diver off Tenby South Beach and the Hoopoe still at Kiln Park.
#birdingWales
Red-throated Diver off Tenby South Beach and the Hoopoe still at Kiln Park.
#birdingWales
A smart but mobile male Black Redstart above Presipe beach, Manorbier the highlight today. Yesterday a couple of White Wagtails and a Firecrest.
Still waiting for that first Wheatear though!
#birdingWales
Still waiting for that first Wheatear though!
#birdingWales
March 22, 2025 at 8:52 PM
A smart but mobile male Black Redstart above Presipe beach, Manorbier the highlight today. Yesterday a couple of White Wagtails and a Firecrest.
Still waiting for that first Wheatear though!
#birdingWales
Still waiting for that first Wheatear though!
#birdingWales
Hoopoe still present at 07.45 this morning at Kiln Park, Tenby, near the railway bridge. #birdingWales
March 19, 2025 at 8:35 AM
Hoopoe still present at 07.45 this morning at Kiln Park, Tenby, near the railway bridge. #birdingWales
Not seen a Wheatear or Sand Martin yet! #birdingWales
March 18, 2025 at 6:02 PM
Not seen a Wheatear or Sand Martin yet! #birdingWales
Nice to catch up with the drake Black Scoter off Hoylake late morning! Good views despite distance and haze. A couple of Long-tailed Ducks offshore too.
March 8, 2025 at 6:53 PM
Nice to catch up with the drake Black Scoter off Hoylake late morning! Good views despite distance and haze. A couple of Long-tailed Ducks offshore too.
A nice day out on Anglesey today, helping out with the annual Chough survey. Saw two birds on my section and managed to catch up with the Red-necked Grebe at Valley Wetlands RSPB later on. 57 Pochard and a few Goldeneye there too #birdingWales
February 8, 2025 at 8:29 PM
A nice day out on Anglesey today, helping out with the annual Chough survey. Saw two birds on my section and managed to catch up with the Red-necked Grebe at Valley Wetlands RSPB later on. 57 Pochard and a few Goldeneye there too #birdingWales
A nice Siberian Chiffchaff along with with 9 common chiffchaffs at Neston stw this morning #UKbirding
January 11, 2025 at 10:06 PM
A nice Siberian Chiffchaff along with with 9 common chiffchaffs at Neston stw this morning #UKbirding
I did get out for a bit of a South Pembs bird race on 2nd Jan. It was a great day with loads of birds! I saw 98 species throughout the day, including Slavonian Grebe, Whooper Swan, Black Redstart, Great Northern Divers etc.
A nice way to start off the year #birdingWales
A nice way to start off the year #birdingWales
January 7, 2025 at 7:42 PM
I did get out for a bit of a South Pembs bird race on 2nd Jan. It was a great day with loads of birds! I saw 98 species throughout the day, including Slavonian Grebe, Whooper Swan, Black Redstart, Great Northern Divers etc.
A nice way to start off the year #birdingWales
A nice way to start off the year #birdingWales
4 Surf Scoter (3 drk, 1 female) off Gilman Point this morning (can just about make them out in the vid?!). Elsewhere the usual suspects seen, including an impressive 136 Red-throated Diver off Amroth. A w/p Black Guillemot and 6 Great Northern Diver off Tenby South beach this evening. #birdingwales
December 28, 2024 at 8:53 PM
4 Surf Scoter (3 drk, 1 female) off Gilman Point this morning (can just about make them out in the vid?!). Elsewhere the usual suspects seen, including an impressive 136 Red-throated Diver off Amroth. A w/p Black Guillemot and 6 Great Northern Diver off Tenby South beach this evening. #birdingwales
Over the years, I've spent a lot of time watching the thousands of Common Scoter that winter in Carmarthen Bay. I've never seen one up close, so it was extra special to watch this superb adult male feeding alongside the Great Northern Diver in Tenby Harbour yesterday afternoon. #birdingwales
December 23, 2024 at 11:06 AM
Over the years, I've spent a lot of time watching the thousands of Common Scoter that winter in Carmarthen Bay. I've never seen one up close, so it was extra special to watch this superb adult male feeding alongside the Great Northern Diver in Tenby Harbour yesterday afternoon. #birdingwales
It was great to watch this juvenile Great Northern Diver feeding on a good supply of shore crabs in Tenby harbour this afternoon #birdingwales
December 22, 2024 at 6:40 PM
It was great to watch this juvenile Great Northern Diver feeding on a good supply of shore crabs in Tenby harbour this afternoon #birdingwales
It's been a quieter autumn for me this year - especially after last year! Looking through the 2023 BBRC Report this evening brought back the best memories of last autumn's amazing events. I doubt I'll ever top it, but I certainly won't forget it! #BirdingWales
November 30, 2024 at 8:56 PM
It's been a quieter autumn for me this year - especially after last year! Looking through the 2023 BBRC Report this evening brought back the best memories of last autumn's amazing events. I doubt I'll ever top it, but I certainly won't forget it! #BirdingWales
A great morning looking for Hawfinches at Llanrwst in the Conwy valley. Lots of activity early on with at least seven birds seen! #BirdingWales
November 30, 2024 at 8:02 PM
A great morning looking for Hawfinches at Llanrwst in the Conwy valley. Lots of activity early on with at least seven birds seen! #BirdingWales
Lovely female-type Black Redstart at Amroth today #BirdingWales #UKbirding
November 22, 2024 at 9:02 PM
Lovely female-type Black Redstart at Amroth today #BirdingWales #UKbirding
North Pembs on Sat and South Pembs on Sun w/ @elyod95.bsky.social. Ace views of juv White-rumped Sand and Curlew Sand at Newport. Plus 3 Hen Harrier (2M + 1F) and a flyover Lapland Bunting at Dowrog. South coast quieter but a superb hunting Merlin + 2 Goosander at Bosherston #BirdingWales #ukbirding
November 21, 2024 at 10:58 AM
North Pembs on Sat and South Pembs on Sun w/ @elyod95.bsky.social. Ace views of juv White-rumped Sand and Curlew Sand at Newport. Plus 3 Hen Harrier (2M + 1F) and a flyover Lapland Bunting at Dowrog. South coast quieter but a superb hunting Merlin + 2 Goosander at Bosherston #BirdingWales #ukbirding
It's only taken me seven months to sort through all my photos and write up my trip report from a visit to The Gambia in March/April! Here's the link: ebird.org/tripreport/2... #birding #Gambiabirding
October 15, 2024 at 9:24 PM
It's only taken me seven months to sort through all my photos and write up my trip report from a visit to The Gambia in March/April! Here's the link: ebird.org/tripreport/2... #birding #Gambiabirding