James B

@yorkbirding.bsky.social area is on fire so far this year. Highlights for me so far are waxwing, 30+ bean geese, shag, smew, 300+ white fronts,RC pochard, white-tailed eagle,twite, scaup, raven, and brambling. Thousands of birds moving through the @ldvnnr.bsky.social which is brilliant to see.

Brilliant start to the new year with a trip to the Netherlands. 5 life ✅s were black+middle spotted woodpecker, bufflehead, black-winged kite and ST treecreeper. Other highlights - RL buzzard, Hen harrier, hawfinch, goshawk and the small wintering population of flamingos.

It’s been a real purple patch for the #LDV over the last few days, with the highlight being a juvenile White-tailed Eagle + a male Hen Harrier, drake Smew, Glossy Ibis, two Scaup, two Caspian Gulls, two Tundra Bean Geese & up to 19 White-fronted Geese @yorkbirding.bsky.social

@yorkbirding.bsky.social ✅ 195 and Yorkshire tick ✅ 308 was the colossal white tailed eagle at thorganby yesterday, very happy I managed to catch up with it. Spotted redshank at bubwith bridge was nice too.

Life ✅ 383, lesser crested tern from starcross this afternoon. Top tier phone-scoping from me as per. Cirl bunting at the turf hotel was nice to see and great to catch up with @bird3r.bsky.social

Pallas’ warbler

Yellow browed warbler

Nice afternoon @flamboroughbird.bsky.social , no pallid swift for me but the Pallas’ warbler made up for it. Showed much better than the yellow browed which stayed deep in cover mostly.

Most painful dip I’ll probably ever experience, managed to miss the needletail at bempton, filey, and Scarborough. Had a great few days out anyways, at least the Caspian gull and snow bunting showed well. Great to see so many familiar faces.

After 3 trips and three dips it was amazing to finally get ID’able views of white-winged scoter at Musselburgh yesterday life✅ 381! The marsh sandpiper was showing well too, life ✅ 382. Red necked grebe and curlew sandpiper weren’t a bad support act.

Pechora pipit in Durham today, life ✅ 380! Great to see so many familiar faces. Mega way to kick off autumn.

Pectoral sandpiper from @ldvnnr.bsky.social this afternoon, an amazing find by @duncbye.bsky.social .Yorkshire ✅ 307 and @yorkbirding.bsky.social ✅ 193. great to see the clouded yellow butterfly at bank island too.

Incredible three lifer day down south yesterday. Bonapartes gull life ✅ 377 at oare, then life ✅ 378 black stork at boyton then life ✅ 379 the very vocal zitting cisticola to finish. Great to see @bird3r.bsky.social too

Stone curlew from outstrays yesterday, ✅ 306 for Yorkshire. Diabolical heat haze though

Recent life ticks, song sparrow and ortolan bunting bringing my life list to 376 and my Yorkshire list to 305

It's all about the context! Twitched a local Dipper this evening, a real York area mega. Presumably forced out of some moorland stream by the drought, to the River Foss. A confiding juvenile and a much-enjoyed York area tick! With @james-bya.bsky.social @yorkbirding.bsky.social

Young Dipper on the foss by new earswick nature reserve with @birdingdad.bsky.social earlier this evening. @yorkbirding.bsky.social

Lesser white fronted goose and black scoter, life ✅ 373/374 from a trip west last month, black scoter showed well not that it looks like it from my photo 09/03/2025

Just back from a trip to the Netherlands with Dad, The obvious highlight was the Texel Spectacled eider which stayed annoyingly distant. Other highlights included bluethroats and Lelystads Pygmy cormorant and storks. Big thanks to @david-walsh.bsky.social and @noahbai-123.bsky.social for the info!

Life ✅ 372 Eastern yellow wagtail in Lincs this morning. Quite flighty whilst I was there but the distinctive call made it relatively easy to pick up in flight.

Mega weekend down south with 2 lifers. First was booted eagle at Marazion yesterday morning ✅. Nice to find a yellow browed warbler whilst dipping pacific diver afterwards. Today least sandpiper at Steart was life ✅ 371. Then incredible views of Kentish plover to finish!

Amazing day in Northumberland despite dipping the ross’ gull. 2 life ✅ included the white billed diver and the buff bellied pipit, both showed very well! Other highlights were ring-necked and 40+ long tailed ducks. Great to see @bird3r.bsky.social and meet lots of new people too.

Clockwise from top left: pale legged leaf warbler, Hudsonian godwit, northern waterthrush, stejneger’s scoter

Clockwise from top left: bridled tern, indigo bunting, dark-eyed junco, myrtle warbler

Clockwise from top left: pallid harrier, black-winged pratincole, collared flycatcher, Caspian tern

Clockwise from top left: northern lights, canvasback, waxwing, white stork

2024 was an amazing year for birding and it was great to share it with so many old and new friends. Migfest was a highlight especially with a co-found pallid harrier! 16 lifers takes me to 367 for the end of the year!

Having done the long trek to Kent yesterday very grateful I saw the Ryhope scops owl back in 2017! Photo of my photo shown here.

Perhaps the best photos you’ll ever see of American yellow warbler and firecrest, taken at New Hythe GPs this morning. Phone binned since I foolishly left my camera at home. Warbler is life ✅ 367! Great to see so many familiar faces.

Life ✅ 366 and Yorkshire ✅ 303, snow geese at swine moor this afternoon

Little gull from bank island @ldvnnr.bsky.social on Friday. An overdue @yorkbirding.bsky.social ✅ for me

Black redstart on York minster

Hoopoe in Stamford bridge

Some recent @yorkbirding.bsky.social ticks for my first post on @bsky.app