WanderingBirder.bsky.social
@wanderingbirder.bsky.social
Birds, mammals. Surveyor, ecologist, consultant, lapsed ringer, former wanderer... now somerset based with occasional adventures elsewhere.
Photo is with Chatham Robin, NZ
Photo is with Chatham Robin, NZ
Two 1w Little Gulls with at least 40 Kittiwake off of Burnham on Sea this morning. The Kentish Plover distantly on the island on the falling tide #Somersetbirding
November 23, 2025 at 10:40 AM
Two 1w Little Gulls with at least 40 Kittiwake off of Burnham on Sea this morning. The Kentish Plover distantly on the island on the falling tide #Somersetbirding
Buff-breasted blob still at CVL this morning in the usual spot. Wood Sand, two Greenshank and Glossy Ibis in Villice bay. Two Glossy Ibis in Heron Green Bay #Avonbirds
September 4, 2025 at 6:22 AM
Buff-breasted blob still at CVL this morning in the usual spot. Wood Sand, two Greenshank and Glossy Ibis in Villice bay. Two Glossy Ibis in Heron Green Bay #Avonbirds
Impressive numbers of small waders roosting at Wall Common today, with >1100 Ringed Plover and >500 Dunlin. Curlew Sand, Little Stint and a few Knot and Sanderling among them. On the land a few Wheatear (photo) and a Whinchat. Perhaps my last Swift of the year passed west overhead #somersetbirding
August 24, 2025 at 8:33 PM
Impressive numbers of small waders roosting at Wall Common today, with >1100 Ringed Plover and >500 Dunlin. Curlew Sand, Little Stint and a few Knot and Sanderling among them. On the land a few Wheatear (photo) and a Whinchat. Perhaps my last Swift of the year passed west overhead #somersetbirding
A few returning waders on the rising tide at Stert point this morning. 6 Knot, 7 Whimbrel, Sanderling and Bar-tailed godwit. Vis mig Yellow wag and Mippit #somersetbirding
July 27, 2025 at 4:38 PM
A few returning waders on the rising tide at Stert point this morning. 6 Knot, 7 Whimbrel, Sanderling and Bar-tailed godwit. Vis mig Yellow wag and Mippit #somersetbirding
The glow of Glastonbury festival clearly visible 14 miles away from RSPB Greylake last night. A few hundred sand martins at dusk and a few snipe chipping in the darkness #somersetbirding
June 26, 2025 at 7:07 AM
The glow of Glastonbury festival clearly visible 14 miles away from RSPB Greylake last night. A few hundred sand martins at dusk and a few snipe chipping in the darkness #somersetbirding
A Desert Wheatear... on a playing field near Bristol... in June #rarebirdsUK
June 15, 2025 at 8:56 PM
A Desert Wheatear... on a playing field near Bristol... in June #rarebirdsUK
A week’s birding on Papa Stour has been quiet until I found this Great Snipe this afternoon. It was in the boggy valley between Gorda Water and West Voe.
June 2, 2025 at 7:20 PM
Excellent male Iberian Wag candidate, Otterhampton Marsh, Steart @8.55. Flew off towards the river. Great views for about 1 min, called when it flew, spot on acc to xeno-c. No photos or recordings though.
May 18, 2025 at 8:58 AM
An unexpected garden tick and Somerset tick this morning in the form of a Turtle Dove!
May 14, 2025 at 6:30 AM
An unexpected garden tick and Somerset tick this morning in the form of a Turtle Dove!
Reposted by WanderingBirder.bsky.social
Another birding paper! 🐦 Where do the Nearctic landbirds that show up in Europe each autumn come from? We usually assume they come from NE populations, pushed off course by bad weather - but is that the whole story? #ornithology 1/3
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
May 5, 2025 at 9:22 AM
Another birding paper! 🐦 Where do the Nearctic landbirds that show up in Europe each autumn come from? We usually assume they come from NE populations, pushed off course by bad weather - but is that the whole story? #ornithology 1/3
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
1st summer Purple Heron showed well at Meare Heath early evening. Seen to pluck a Four-spotted Chaser from a stem and ate it before it dropped to the reed edge and started fishing. #somersetbirding
May 3, 2025 at 8:55 PM
1st summer Purple Heron showed well at Meare Heath early evening. Seen to pluck a Four-spotted Chaser from a stem and ate it before it dropped to the reed edge and started fishing. #somersetbirding
Light overhead passage at Stolford this morning, with 321 Wood pigeon east, plus 101 Meadow Pipit, 18 alba Wagtail, 29 LBBG, and single figures of a few others. My first swallow of the year powered through. #somersetbirding
March 22, 2025 at 8:04 AM
Light overhead passage at Stolford this morning, with 321 Wood pigeon east, plus 101 Meadow Pipit, 18 alba Wagtail, 29 LBBG, and single figures of a few others. My first swallow of the year powered through. #somersetbirding
Most mornings I stand in my garden with a coffee and count all the birds. In the autumn I am often treated to some light vis mig, which today included a full fat house tick in two Hawfinches south! Also my first Fieldfare of the autumn, a modest passage of redwing, and a brambling #ukbirding
October 30, 2024 at 8:34 AM
Most mornings I stand in my garden with a coffee and count all the birds. In the autumn I am often treated to some light vis mig, which today included a full fat house tick in two Hawfinches south! Also my first Fieldfare of the autumn, a modest passage of redwing, and a brambling #ukbirding
My last Daurian-type Shrike was in Cambridgeshire in 2000, so this afternoon we took a short hop over the boundary to see the showy bird near Gillingham #rarebirdsuk #dorsetbirds
October 20, 2024 at 8:17 PM
My last Daurian-type Shrike was in Cambridgeshire in 2000, so this afternoon we took a short hop over the boundary to see the showy bird near Gillingham #rarebirdsuk #dorsetbirds
An excellent morning around Stert and Huntspill (Somerset) with merlin, osprey, 19 species of wader, including 3 Curlew Sand & 1 Little Stint, redstart, a fabulously confiding Sabine's Gull (📷) and topped off with a Tawny Pipit flying low overhead calling while we watched said gull 💯 #ukbirding
September 1, 2024 at 6:56 PM
An excellent morning around Stert and Huntspill (Somerset) with merlin, osprey, 19 species of wader, including 3 Curlew Sand & 1 Little Stint, redstart, a fabulously confiding Sabine's Gull (📷) and topped off with a Tawny Pipit flying low overhead calling while we watched said gull 💯 #ukbirding
Finally - a swallow buzzing over the garden this morning. Last year the first was March 27th.
April 7, 2024 at 7:49 AM
Finally - a swallow buzzing over the garden this morning. Last year the first was March 27th.
Drake Ferruginous Duck still at Westhay this morning, on 20 Acre. Seam out from the reeds on the south side then off towards the northwest corner.
#ukbirding #somersetbirds
#ukbirding #somersetbirds
April 5, 2024 at 6:14 AM
Drake Ferruginous Duck still at Westhay this morning, on 20 Acre. Seam out from the reeds on the south side then off towards the northwest corner.
#ukbirding #somersetbirds
#ukbirding #somersetbirds
A couple of hours out and about before a day of jobs (and garden centres, apparently).
Singing Willow warbler at Ham Wall plus four Garganey and a few Sand Martins giving a distictly more spring-like feel than the weather. Spotted Redshank still at Catcott. #ukbirding #somerset
Singing Willow warbler at Ham Wall plus four Garganey and a few Sand Martins giving a distictly more spring-like feel than the weather. Spotted Redshank still at Catcott. #ukbirding #somerset
March 23, 2024 at 10:29 AM
A couple of hours out and about before a day of jobs (and garden centres, apparently).
Singing Willow warbler at Ham Wall plus four Garganey and a few Sand Martins giving a distictly more spring-like feel than the weather. Spotted Redshank still at Catcott. #ukbirding #somerset
Singing Willow warbler at Ham Wall plus four Garganey and a few Sand Martins giving a distictly more spring-like feel than the weather. Spotted Redshank still at Catcott. #ukbirding #somerset
My first Wheatear of the year #ukbirding
March 16, 2024 at 9:14 PM
My first Wheatear of the year #ukbirding
I didn't see a shrike in the UK last year, so had a day out across the border in Dorset for the Great Grey near Wareham. Great views along with a range of southern heath species on a warm and balmy day
March 10, 2024 at 7:00 PM
I didn't see a shrike in the UK last year, so had a day out across the border in Dorset for the Great Grey near Wareham. Great views along with a range of southern heath species on a warm and balmy day
Twitching by train is all very pleasant apart from the cost. I had some meetings in Edinburgh this week so a detour for the Myrtle Warbler cost me £9.80, with my employer generously covering the other £330 in return for some of my time in the office #ukbirding
March 8, 2024 at 12:47 PM
Twitching by train is all very pleasant apart from the cost. I had some meetings in Edinburgh this week so a detour for the Myrtle Warbler cost me £9.80, with my employer generously covering the other £330 in return for some of my time in the office #ukbirding
Birding this morning on my under-watched and under-appreciated patch. Water levels up after recent rains, but 8000+ waders, 40+ egrets and a few cranes within a 10 minute walk of my front door can't be bad.
February 9, 2024 at 10:03 AM
Birding this morning on my under-watched and under-appreciated patch. Water levels up after recent rains, but 8000+ waders, 40+ egrets and a few cranes within a 10 minute walk of my front door can't be bad.