Alan

Black-naped Monarch. A vision of electric blue zipping through the undergrowth

Stripe-eared Bulbul on Mount Phou Si a subtly lovely bird

Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher. About the only time one say still long enough.

Another day another Phylosc session. Eastern Greenish for me this one. A Greenish type call, single wing bar, long strong whitish super reaching forehead and towards nape, short primary projection … Mount Phou Si is the best place in Luang Prabang. Easy to get to, central in town, but the 200 steps straight up are challenging

#Laos #birding Luang Prabang, Mount Phou Si is the most reliable place. Early am is the best time (obvs). Rather unsettling, you can buy caged Scaly-breasted Munias for $1 from street vendors to release for ‘luck’. My $30 released c50 of them. I’m not sure I’m the lucky one #birdsseenin2026

White-capped Water Redstart. We found a couple of these.

Scarlet Minivet - quite common in parts of Thailand and across Asia

This is the back end of the spectacular White-rumped Shama … shame my photography skills aren’t.

1 of a possible 38 or so Phyloscs that knock about Thailand in the winter. Two-barred Warbler was the consensus.

Some spectacular birds in Thailand and Laos the past few days. And some less spectacular leaf warblers - several pages of them. Good to know that the locals struggle with them too … #birdsseenin2026

Taiga Flycatcher. Tonnes of these around the reservoir.

I have this down as Thick-billed Green Pigeon on account of its … thick bill but also eye crescent and tail pattern.

I don’t know what this is. Very large pipit or lark? Nothing seems to fit.

The forest & mountain beyond the immediate reservoir. Don’t let the slight Disney-esque feel of the place put you off. At the weekend this is where Chiang Mai people get a bit of R&R. Early weekday mornings it’s pretty empty.

Beautiful morning around Huay Tueng Thao reservoir nr Chiang Mai. 60sp identified. Loads of sp missed! Figuring out what’s what on yr own is part of the fun. But it’s super intense! The need & force to be ID’ing everything is strong within one - but it’s impossible without a guide
#birdsseenin2026

Hong Kong it’s the same - Tree Sparrows all over the place. @stevewg.bsky.social I wonder why?

Commonest Sparrow in BKK. Tree Sparrow. This group was nesting in and around a highway underpass. Why don’t they do this in the U.K?

A Plain Prinia …

Start of Thailand trip - Bangkok. Long way & with an early start to Chiang Mai tomorrow, today was a stroll in the park - Yellow Bittern, Javan Pond Heron, Pacific Swift & Indochinese Roller. Bird of the day? Tree Sparrow. Plenty of them in this vast urban metropolis weirdly …?

#birdsseenin2026

My first Little Owl for several years! Been a bogey bird of mine - just don’t seem to be able to ‘bump’ into them anywhere.

This one performed beautifully - flying between a few coppiced trees. At one point was mobbed by a few Great Tit, Greenfinch, Blackbird but they really didn’t seem to be too bothered by it.

Quite a decent size - I thought they were smaller - however despite being ‘small’ they’re well built and more ‘robust’ than I remember. Maybe that’s why i don’t see them - my search image is all wrong …

Not seen many of these over the years - for many reasons my last one was at least 10 years ago (don’t ask) - so it was cool to connect with one after some gratefully received local ‘gen’. Performed well within small area of water meadow/farmland
#birdsseenin2026
#littleowl
#patchbirding
#bogeybird

It’s not ‘just a big stripey Ringed Plover’. Although it IS big, and it IS stripey .. x

It’s long tailed and funky looking .. and a decent looking bird ..

… but it’s only when preening it suddenly showed all its good features / spectacular tail and orangey buggy rump.

I caved and went for the Killdeer today. Nice bird, a tick ‘n all that - and a good day out via a few other spots - but I got more excited about the Woodcock that flew over the road. There’s a lesson here for me somewhere. 🤔
#birdsseenin2026

That’s quality, Jack! And well done for being persistent and ignoring my Fieldfare suggestion! 🤪

👍

Fieldfare?

As Icelands go - this feels quite a chunky one. Almost Glaucous like … it’s not a Glauc obvs ..

Significant amount of brown in primaries and tail.

Based on bill shading/length, size, expression etc I think this is the same as that on the 14th but different to the original reported bird on the 6th.

Enough brown for Kumlien’s?

Finally managed to find the Newlyn Iceland Gull which I think is the same as reported on 14/1 but different to original on 6/1. Flew into the harbour, spent 5 minutes hanging about the main quay, then lost to view. 6 BT Diver, 1 RTD + several GNDs between Newlyn & Penlee Point #cornwallbirds

The male Marsh Harrier spent a few minutes harassing the imm then flew north.

Imm Marsh Harrier (1CY?) hung around for a few minutes and even perched.

Look at those tongues into the black primaries!!! Caspian Gull on the Hayle before it bailed as the tide came in.

It was Spring-like this afternoon in west Cornwall. Unfortunately the Iceland gull continues to elude me but 2 Marsh Harriers at Long Rock and the Caspian at Hayle were still there with the Curlew Sand, a Blackwit and Water Pipit with @liamlangley1.bsky.social
#cornwallbirding

RSPB launch urgent appeal to help protect Hayle Estuary sites

https://cbwps.org.uk/rspb-launch-urgent-appeal-to-help-protect-hayle-estuary-sites/

A winter plumage Red-necked Grebe sat on the sea below the railings. The bird is largely dark grey with pale flanks and a pale cheek. The bird has a dark cap and a straight, yellow bill.

An excellent weekend on patch started yday morning at the island where I picked up a distant Grebe in flight which promptly landed and disappeared. Half an hour of frustration this stonking Red-necked Grebe appeared below us (pic @lobb66.bsky.social) - an absolute patch mega! #PWC2026 #UKbirding

This Red-necked Grebe flew out of the bay but was lost as it pitched down 2kms offshore …

Miraculously, fortunately, skilfully (?) LL picked it up again just before it Swal around the NCI corner and lost forever

Interesting … ?

Interesting day yesterday - good St Ives seawatch with @liamlangley1.bsky.social who, in 20 mins, found, lost & refound a Red-necked Grebe. Merlin then thought I’d found a RB Gull … & finally I found a male Marsh Harrier nr Madron which might be the same one seen at Marazion
#cornwallbirding

Female RN Duck - this bird doesn’t exactly shout its presence. It likes to sit still in amongst the overhanging trees and vegetation. I know some have struggled to catch up with it.

Male Lesser Scaup. Still present in Helston. Still hanging out within feet of the path.

For a while it was like a blizzard and almost a ‘white-out’. But 5 minutes down the road at the Pallas’s it was blue skies and sunny … #cold

Pallas’s Warbler, 2 Lesser Scaup, fem Ring-necked Duck. The snow made it a very ‘noir’ day. Jammed in on the Pallas’s within minutes of arriving which was great ‘cos it was freezing! #cornwallbirding

About the only time the Garganey wasn’t asleep

Not an easy bird to pick out. It’s habit of spending more time with Wigeon than Teal helps.

Lone Golden Plover in the 300-odd Lapwing. Seems to have damaged its right leg.

No luck with the Boscathno Dusky Warbler. Male Marsh Harrier over Long Rock and the Garganey at Hayle made up for it … kinda …. #cornwallbirding

A typical view of the adult RB Gull

Paler grey mantle than Common, less white in the tertials, yellower, ‘stronger’ legs and a generally bulkier bird.

Caspian Gull - distinct structure and look; long legged upright look (when it walked!); dark, small ‘squinty’ eyes; straight long bill and dark-ish (not quite YL tho’) mantle points to Caspian.

1st Manx Shearwater of the year past St Ives this am with a couple of Purple Sand. Then to Hayle Estuary to wrestle with the roosting gulls - picked out the sleepy Ring-billed Gull and the slightly less sleepier Caspian Gull. #cornwallbirding

Decent first seawatch of the year - with great attendance from the St Ives Crew with @liamlangley1.bsky.social @jonesgareth.bsky.social & Billy N. In other news - Scaup, female Goldeneye still present on Long Rock. #cornwallbirding.

This male Redstart was a real stunner back in early Sept. Hung around for a couple of days and replaced by a female.

A sunrise from Pewley Down

BirdTrack data

Pewley Down. Looks like that’s it for 2025. 200 visits & 88sp. Highlights - H Buzzard, Osprey, Whimbrel, Ring Ouzel, 2 Dartford W, 4 Tripits, 2 Wheatear, Lesser WTs - but bird of the year is Redstart with 25 bird-days of c10 different birds. Next year to focus on the life list & eBird #patchbirding

Female Greater Scaup in terrible light.

Same female Greater Scaup.

7 Black-necked Grebes present - probably more actually but it was cold.

Black Redstart bouncing around by the entrance to the causeway on bank of reservoir. Taken between the railings.

Another vain attempt to locate the Lesser Scaup on Staines Res. Did find 2 female Greater Scaup (or a super mobile one). GND, c7 BN Grebes and Black Redstart present. #patchbirding

Those are both tap-ins for you, Steve …

I’m not the biggest fan of boxing as a concept, but I do think we’re at the point where the only thing that’s going to prove to some people that they aren’t the main character with pro level skills at anything they want is to be punched in the face repeatedly.

Ha! Not even close, Steve. EBird has me at 193 but I only started ebirding properly midway through the year so I probably got to 200 and a bit more for Cornwall. 250 includes a couple of
Scotland trips and elsewhere for the uk. All the best for Christmas and 2026, Steve. See you in the new year.

A boc shot of the female Ring-necked Duck at the ‘pond’ at Tehidy CP. Couldn’t find it for a while and was about to retire out of the rain to the cafe when I found it preening up a tree. It jumped down after a few minutes to join the Tufties …

A late Arctic Skua past St Ives, Ring-necked Duck at Tehidy, Water Pipit at Hayle & 1000+ Golden Plover over the Island. That duck gets me to 250 for the year. And not a twitch in sight unless we’re counting a 20 mile detour for the Hudwit at Titchwell a while back … #cornwallbirding

Off the Island at St Ives this am with Billy N from 7:30 -11:20. A Bonxie, 1 Euro Storm Petrel, 5 Sooty Shears, 101 Manx, c75 Fulmar & c2000 auks in a blasting NW wind. ‘End of season’ feel to today. Billy also had a 1W Little Gull & the mandatory ‘possible’ that got away … 🙄 #cornwallbirding

A decent late season seawatch at St Ives today. 7:30-14:30 with @liamlangley1.bsky.social, Billy N and Adam H. My personal totals - 7 Sooty S, 1 Leach’s Petrel, 3 late Euro Storm Petrel, 149 Manx, 3 RTD, several GND a single BTD offshore & 4 Common Scoter #cornwallbirding

A female-type Blue-winged Teal facing left on the water. The white-spot at the base of the bill, broken pale eye ring, dark blue bill with a spatula re tip and sloping forehead separate the bird from an Eurasian Teal!

Nice to relocate the female-type Blue-winged Teal on Hayle with @lobb66.bsky.social this afternoon - after a week without a report and 45 minutes of trying to pin it down in crap light it felt almost as a good as a self-find! #UKbirding

Thanks Steve - yeah, inconclusive is the best I’ll get on this. It did look good in the field - but not seeing the wing/back end of it and it being not quite grey/dark enough consigns it to the ‘nearly’ bin. Thanks for your comment. 👍

A quality 45 minutes with @liamlangley1.bsky.social as we nailed the Hayle Blue-winged Teal originally reported last week. To go from a ‘dodgy looking Teal’ to full on blue forewing in flight was nice. #cornwallbirding

Pic thanks to Adam H