#BirdNotes
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stewchat.bsky.social
Drake Ring necked Duck at Hedgely was looking very dapper yesterday despite the mist and overcast skies.
#Northumberland #Birdart #BirdNotes #LowCarbonBirding #BirdingUK
January 19, 2026 at 7:13 PM
onlyveesaz.bsky.social
Thanks to everyone who voted for my White-winged Dove photo! 🥉 🪶🌵☀️
https://www.birdnote.org/explore/field-notes/2025/03/birdnotes-20th-anniversary-photo-contest-winners
March 28, 2025 at 1:28 PM
penrhynbirder.bsky.social
A successful breeding season for Hen Harriers on @rspbcymru.bsky.social nature reserves, another pulse of Leach's Petrels pass #NorthWales and the first Redwings of autumn. The week's @northwaleslive.bsky.social BirdNotes.

📷 Nick Hopkins. #BirdingWales

www.birdnotes.wales/blog/autumn-...
Autumn birding: a walk of hope
Walking the coast path at Pen Cilan, south of Aberdaron in Sunday’s sunshine, I scoured every bush and field for autumn migrants. Wheatear and White Wagtails pausing en route to the continent were...
www.birdnotes.wales
September 23, 2026 at 6:10 AM
stewchat.bsky.social
2026 appears to be the year when Green Woodpecker became twitchable in #Northumberland. Birders heading for a lone bird at Mitford this week. Never 'common' but used to be found at many widespread sites...a sad start to the year. #fieldnotes #BirdNotes #BirdSketches #BirdArt
This bird wintered around our garden in 2010. One flying south along the coast path was unexpected. Full note treatment for one at tree barren Boulmer.
January 11, 2026 at 8:51 AM
penrhynbirder.bsky.social
The long-awaited first proven nesting of Great White Egrets in #Wales, with young fledging from nests on an #Anglesey wetland. Read all about it in this week's @northwaleslive.bsky.social BirdNotes.

📷 @rspbcymru.bsky.social and Bob Garrett. #BirdingWales

www.birdnotes.wales/blog/first-f...
First for Wales: Great Whites breed on Anglesey
​Exciting news from Cors Ddyga, the wetland restored in the Cefni Valley over the last quarter century, where RSPB Cymru has announced that four Great White Egrets have fledged from two nests this...
www.birdnotes.wales
August 20, 2025 at 5:42 AM
penrhynbirder.bsky.social
A Purple Sandpiper at Cemlyn, ringed in Sweden but almost certainly bred in Svalbard. The 2024 ringing report from @btobirds.bsky.social, containing more fascinating info, features in BirdNotes alongside recent sightings, incl. potentially Wales' first Bufflehead

www.birdnotes.wales/blog/tiny-ri...
Tiny rings that reveal birds’ lives
A colour-ringed Purple Sandpiper at Cemlyn on Sunday is the same one seen in the Anglesey bay last winter, having been ringed in June 2024 at Nidingens bird observatory, an island off southwest...
www.birdnotes.wales
December 8, 2025 at 6:13 PM
penrhynbirder.bsky.social
Wild victims of bird flu increase - will it be the worst winter yet in Europe? @btobirds.bsky.social reminds birders we can play a role in monitoring #HPAI

Plus the week's #NorthWales sightings in @northwaleslive.bsky.social BirdNotes. 📷 Tony Pope. #BirdingWales

www.birdnotes.wales/blog/wild-vi...
Wild victims of bird flu on the rise
As ‘flockdown’ rules require keepers of birds to introduce strict biosecurity measures in Wales, increased deaths of wild birds have raised fears that it could be the worst winter yet for bird...
www.birdnotes.wales
November 17, 2025 at 7:02 PM
penrhynbirder.bsky.social
Quite an autumn for seawatchers in #NorthWales: the week's highlights, including a mainland Wryneck, in @northwaleslive.bsky.social BirdNotes.

And exciting news from @btobirds.bsky.social and @birdsinwales.bsky.social.

📷 @zoobirder.bsky.social #BirdingWales

www.birdnotes.wales/blog/storm-a...
Storm Amy adds to Welsh seabird autumn
Weekend storms brought passage seabirds to North Wales, with hardy birders at storm-lashed watchpoints to see skuas, shearwaters and petrels perfectly at home in these conditions. Sabine’s Gulls...
www.birdnotes.wales
October 6, 2025 at 5:35 PM
penrhynbirder.bsky.social
Autumn migration from #NorthWales and summer #seabird breeding totals from @northwaleswt.bsky.social's Cemlyn colony in @northwaleslive.bsky.social BirdNotes.

HT @n-richards.bsky.social and @bardseybirdobs.bsky.social.

📷 @marcbuzzard.bsky.social #BirdingWales

www.birdnotes.wales/blog/never-t...
Never tire of watching 'crests
In Holyhead’s Breakwater Country Park last week, I scoured the trees and bushes for migrants. Realistic enough not to expect a lost waif from North America, although Veery , Mourning Dove and...
www.birdnotes.wales
October 13, 2025 at 5:09 PM
penrhynbirder.bsky.social
The largest flocks of European White-fronted Geese in #NorthWales since the 1980s were driven west by heavy snow in northern Germany last week. These and other sightings in @northwaleslive.bsky.social BirdNotes.

📷 @zoobirder.bsky.social #BirdingWales

www.birdnotes.wales/blog/a-gande...
A gander at winter geese
Widespread snow across Scandinavia and northern Germany last week led thousands of geese to cross the North Sea as their feeding grounds were covered; the Hamburg area saw 40cm of snow, the biggest...
www.birdnotes.wales
February 9, 2026 at 5:22 PM
penrhynbirder.bsky.social
We're not done yet and it's already the best autumn for Grey Phalaropes in #Wales since 2008. And oodles of Curlew Sandpipers too.

Catch up on recent sightings from around #NorthWales in the weekly @northwaleslive.bsky.social BirdNotes column. #BirdingWales

www.birdnotes.wales/blog/ocean-g...
Ocean-going waders arrive on stormy seas
Phalaropes are amazing creatures: small, slender and tough, habituated to some of the Earth’s most extreme conditions. Like curlews and sandpipers, phalaropes are waders; there are only three...
www.birdnotes.wales
September 15, 2025 at 5:11 PM
penrhynbirder.bsky.social
Nightjars make partial recovery and Dartford Warblers hold their own in Wales, say Heathland Bird Survey organisers.

Headlines from @btobirds.bsky.social and @rspbscience.bsky.social, plus recent sightings in #NorthWales, in @northwaleslive.bsky.social BirdNotes

www.birdnotes.wales/blog/three-c...
Three churrs for increasing Nightjars
Populations of Nightjar , Woodlark and Dartford Warbler have increased across Britain, say organisers of the Heathland Birds Survey.* Last spring, birdwatchers counted numbers of the two songbird...
www.birdnotes.wales
June 15, 2026 at 5:27 PM
penrhynbirder.bsky.social
Ashy-headed Wagtail, Red-rumped Swallow and White-tailed Eagle... there have been some rare birds around #NorthWales this week, but none as photogenic as this Hoopoe. Read more at @northwaleslive.bsky.social BirdNotes.

📷 Ashley Cohen #BirdingWales

www.birdnotes.wales/blog/hoopoe-...
Hoopoe swaps the Med for Flintshire
The first Hoopoe of spring was found at an equestrian centre near Gronant on Monday. It’s a bird frequently found by non-birders, so distinctive are its broad black-and-white striped wings and...
www.birdnotes.wales
April 20, 2026 at 4:54 PM
penrhynbirder.bsky.social
How wonderful to have them back. Swifts, House Martins and Spotted Flycatchers feature in this week's @northwaleslive.bsky.social BirdNotes, along with scarcer migrants seen in #NorthWales recently.

📷 Gary Eisenhauer #BirdingWales

www.birdnotes.wales/blog/screami...
Screaming has never been more welcome
With improved weather came the Swifts , a bit later than usual but the sight of a small ‘screaming’ party brought a smile to my face. Within a couple of days, our roofspace was occupied again,...
www.birdnotes.wales
May 25, 2026 at 3:49 PM
penrhynbirder.bsky.social
In this week's Daily Post @northwaleslive.bsky.social BirdNotes, recent sightings include a Pectoral Sandpiper and Cory's Shearwaters, plus good news from some of #NorthWales' #seabird colonies.

📷 @millstonegrit.bsky.social #BirdingWales

www.birdnotes.wales/blog/world-t...
World traveller visits Conwy wetland
A Pectoral Sandpiper drew visitors to RSPB Conwy last week, one of only half a dozen of these waders in North Wales in the last decade. Although sometimes elusive behind vegetation, its early autumn.....
www.birdnotes.wales
August 10, 2026 at 4:34 PM
penrhynbirder.bsky.social
The first Black-crowned Night-heron in NE Wales for more than 30 years leads this week's @northwaleslive.bsky.social BirdNotes. Plus tern colony news and a call for research help.

Thanks to Gareth Wynne Williams for finding and sharing the photos. #BirdingWales

www.birdnotes.wales/blog/rare-he...
Rare heron lands in Rhyl
There has been mixed news from tern colonies in North Wales. High tides in late May washed out many of the nests at Wales’ only established Little Tern colony at Gronant, and the few that remained...
www.birdnotes.wales
June 16, 2025 at 6:53 PM
btobirds.bsky.social
Our Dilys Breese Medal winner is Julian Hughes @penrhynbirder.bsky.social! Julian is editor of the Welsh Bird Report, Co-editor of The Birds of Wales and a dedicated birder. Taking part in many BTO surveys he uses his writing skills to regularly share BTO work, including in his BirdNotes column. 📝
An image of Julian Hughes holding binoculars features in a circular frame over a background of white, green and pale pink colouring. Wording top left reads: Winner Dilys Breese Medal Julian Hughes. The BTO logo is top right of the image, and the silhouette of a Robin is bottom right of the image above the wording winner BTO awards 2025.
October 16, 2025 at 5:46 PM
penrhynbirder.bsky.social
In this week's @northwaleslive.bsky.social BirdNotes:
- Greenland White-fronts arrive, but for how much longer?
- recent sightings across #NorthWales
- four awards and prizes at @birdsinwales.bsky.social annual meeting come north.

📷 @markaeaton.bsky.social

www.birdnotes.wales/blog/as-wint...
As winter arrives, what future for our rarest goose?
With the autumn pulse of migration over, much of what is seen in North Wales over coming months will depend on weather conditions across northern Europe. A brief stop at Llyn Trawsfynydd en route to.....
www.birdnotes.wales
October 27, 2025 at 6:29 PM
penrhynbirder.bsky.social
Welcome news about a #seabird whose Welsh population has probably never been higher. This week's @northwaleslive.bsky.social BirdNotes, with some recent sightings on land too.

#BirdingWales @rspbcymru.bsky.social @btocymru.bsky.social @smp-seabirds.bsky.social

www.birdnotes.wales/blog/black-g...
Black Guillemot: a seabird on the up
At a time when many of Wales’ breeding seabirds are in trouble, meriting the launch of a conservation strategy to which the new Plaid Cymru government committed in its election manifesto, some good...
www.birdnotes.wales
July 27, 2026 at 3:59 PM
penrhynbirder.bsky.social
Liverpool Bay is known for its Leach's Petrel passage when autumn weather conspires, but this is a #seabird in big trouble - for how much longer will we see them?

A roundup of #NorthWales sightings in Daily Post BirdNotes.

📷 @zoobirder.bsky.social #BirdingWales

www.birdnotes.wales/blog/leachs-...
Leach’s Petrels: no port in a storm
Bat-like as they fluttered into the teeth of a storm, Leach’s Petrels that passed the coast last week are truly marine animals. For a few hours on Tuesday and Wednesday, a northwestly wind pushed...
www.birdnotes.wales
September 14, 2026 at 3:33 PM
penrhynbirder.bsky.social
White Storks across the region, the first Pied Flycatchers back at breeding sites and news of Ring Ouzel surveys in Eryri this spring: the week's sightings wrapped in @northwaleslive.bsky.social BirdNotes.

📷 Kevin Hitch #BirdingWales

www.birdnotes.wales/blog/white-s...
White Storks seen across North Wales
The release of captive-bred White Storks at multiple sites in southern England is somewhat controversial, given doubtful historic evidence that the species was ever a regular breeder in Britain. One.....
www.birdnotes.wales
April 6, 2026 at 5:06 PM
penrhynbirder.bsky.social
Also in this week's @northwaleslive.bsky.social BirdNotes, a roundup of sightings in #NorthWales includes the first Sandwich Terns and Manx Shearwaters of the year.

But some winter visitors have been notably scarce, judging by the @birdtrack.bsky.social reporting rate for Wales.

#BirdingWales
March 16, 2026 at 6:10 PM
penrhynbirder.bsky.social
A rare, and brief, appearance by a Little Auk off #Anglesey headlines the week's @northwaleslive.bsky.social BirdNotes, as thousands more #seabirds starve in North Atlantic storms.

This and the week's other sightings in #NorthWales.

📷 John Oates #BirdingWales

www.birdnotes.wales/blog/winter-...
Winter storms wreck seaBIRDS
A Little Auk found swimming close inshore at Trearddur Bay for a few hours last week is an increasingly rare visitor to North Wales. It really is a small auk: at 165g (6.5oz), it is less than half...
www.birdnotes.wales
March 2, 2026 at 5:34 PM
penrhynbirder.bsky.social
Most only get to see Sabine's Gulls through a rain-spattered 'scope, but this was the week to see them up close during the biggest ever Welsh influx. The week's sightings in #NorthWales in @northwaleslive.bsky.social BirdNotes.

📷 Kevin Hitch #BirdingWales

www.birdnotes.wales/blog/gales-b...
Gales bring Arctic visitors to North Wales
​This month’s windy conditions has brought unprecedented numbers of seabirds close to Welsh coasts. It will take time to collate all the counts, but those of two species stand out. The national...
www.birdnotes.wales
September 22, 2025 at 6:04 PM
penrhynbirder.bsky.social
One Shore Lark does not make a winter... a story of Reindeer and climate change in @northwaleslive.bsky.social BirdNotes.

Plus recent sightings around #NorthWales, @cofnod.org.uk's 20th anniversary conference and a lot of Woodpigeons.

#BirdingWales

www.birdnotes.wales/blog/single-...
Single Shore Lark tells a global story
The black-and-yellow stripes of a Shore Lark were a welcome surprise on the Great Orme at the weekend. It is the only lark to have colonised Arctic tundra and alpine habitats – I have seen them in...
www.birdnotes.wales
November 10, 2025 at 5:40 PM