Thomas Miller

Unfortunately have had this exact issue with SFLs - diopter drifted and became uncollimated after a few weeks of use. Ended up returning but should be a straightforward service I think

Darvic-ringed intermedius Lesser Black-backed Gull sitting on pontoon

Field sketch of the Lesser Black-backed Gull

Don't often get to read Darvics at Farmoor but managed a German LBBG (HO93L) and a British BHG sitting on pontoons last night. The LBBG also posed nicely for its sketch - looks like it started its wing moult in winter, as the white tips of the replaced primaries are already quite worn #ukbirding

Thanks, was fun writing this one

Sweden - a tale of three twitches The Wilson's Snipe twitch A few weeks back I mentioned to Ben Sheldon the possibility of organising a Sweden trip. This had been on the card...

New blog post chronicling my recent Swedish trip with @sheldonbirds.bsky.social - Wilson's Snipe being the highlight. Lengthy read #ukbirding

tmbirding.blogspot.com/2025/07/swed...

Thanks Tom, that's very kind. I feel like Casp is easy to caricature (long thin bill, flat face, dark eye) but hard to get a field sketch to look like the actual individual, where the Casp "je nais se quois" is often much more subtle - especially with the big males which can be quite mich-like

Reduced numbers of gulls overall in the northerly wind - maybe 20-30 YLG if that

Field sketch of male Caspian gull in notebook

The male Caspian gull came much closer last night. Sketch is a bit overworked compared to the amount of detail seen in the field (and too much "fiddling" with some areas after it had flown). But it has ended up looking a lot like the actual bird which I guess is the most important thing #ukbirding

Out of interest - what's ruling out a thin-billed michahellis here? Especially with the limited black on T6 tip

Blurry Caspian Gull photo

An image of the Caspian Gull past sunset - a massive male bird. Perhaps some imagination required

Field sketch of Yellow-legged Gull

First eyestrain session at the Farmoor roost for months, 2cy Caspian Gull, fresh juv Common Gull, good count of approx. 53 Yellow-legged Gull (no juvs yet). No close birds to sketch so had to make do with distant ones on the water (focusing on 2cy mich) #ukbirding

Finished at home with a slight colour wash in some areas. Not sure if I like it better or worse now. I may take the watercolours into the field next time as it's harder than I thought to remember what the backlit lighting effect was like #ukbirding

Field sketch of a Greenshank with reedbed in the background

Another nice evening spent field sketching. 3 Greenshank at Otmoor, chose the easy option of drawing it at roost. Plus LRP heard #ukbirding

Done a bit of moth trapping in my parents garden in London (VC16) recently - apart from a Light Crimson Underwing last week the best moth has seemingly been this Rest Harrow. In the MV this morning, dispersed quite far from the coast! #teammoth

Stockholm Mick. Highly recommend

Not sure exactly how accurate this head pattern is, especially with the bird being quite far away, but I guess the mantra is always draw what you see, not what you know...

Scope and sketchbook with Common Sandpiper drawing

Nice evening visit to the Stanton St John pond, barely more than a puddle now - bit of an influx of sandpipers with 4 green and a common (both patch ticks). Recent visit to the Lars Jonsson exhibition has of course resulted in immediate redeployment of the sketch book #ukbirding

Fabulous to see the major new Lars Jonsson exhibition in Stockholm (till Oct) - lots of new material as well as some iconic field guide plates from the past: they are superb in close up

liljevalchs.se/en/kalender/...

Singing male Blyth's Reed Warbler, Knivsta, Stockholm, July 2025

Juvenile Bearded Tits, Hjälstaviken, Sweden, July 2025

Great Grey Shrike, Värmland, Sweden, July 2025

Two Temminck's Stints, Sweden July 2025

Lots of other good birds in Sweden including singing Blyth's Reed W, Icterine W, Black Woodpecker, Capercaillie, Red-backed & Great-Grey Shrike, Honey-buzzard, Caspian Tern, Cranes, WT Eagle, many waders moving already etc: eBird trip report here:
ebird.org/tripreport/3...

Adult Ring-billed Gull, Stockholm, July 2025

Adult Baltic Gull, Stockholm, July 2025

The Wall of Gulls - Lars Jonsson's exhibition "invisibilis" at Liljevalchs, Stockholm

Adult Ring-billed Gull, Stockholm, July 2025

A full-on Gull Experience to Remember in Stockholm on Tuesday with stunning views of the adult Ring-billed Gull that is spending the summer in central Stockholm, @tmbirding.bsky.social up close and personal with Baltic Gull & Lars Jonsson's incredible Wall of Gulls at his current exhibition

Adult (probably female) Great Grey Owl, Sweden, July 2025

Fledgling Great Grey Owl, Sweden, July 2025

Forest clearing near sunset, Värmland, Sweden

Ultra-long distance record shot of Sweden's first Dalmatian Pelican sleeping on a rock at 3.8km range: Gävle, Sweden, June 2025

Back from an epic few days birding in Sweden with @tmbirding.bsky.social. Long days with much squeezed in - from the utterly superb Great Grey Owl to the sublime - watching displaying Wilson's Snipe on a magical misty night - to ridiculously distant Dalmatian Pelican
www.youtube.com/shorts/zgkxN...

This bird looks rather odd to me - although not typical either I'm wondering if it could actually be a michahellis?

Nemapogon ruricolella, resting on my finger

Argyresthia glaucinella

Stephensia brunnichella

Great night mothing in Wytham Woods on midsummer's day - warm weather brought in 121 species including (presumed) Nemapogon ruricolella, Argyresthia glaucinella, and a very handsome Stephensia brunnichella

@tmbirding.bsky.social #mothsmatter

Yeah looks like its Pete Potts, Devon-ringed

Thanks Brendan that's really helpful. Will let you know how I get on. I think it may be the closest place to me where large numbers of gulls are still accessible to view in summer!

Thinking of visiting Cottenham Long Drove for summer gulling in the next few weeks, would appreciate any tips about where the flocks loaf/what conditions are currently like as never been before @cambsbirdclub.bsky.social

The local pond is continuing to deliver - apart from the run of (increasingly dubious) fuscus candidates it's been getting some early wader passage - colour-ringed Blackwit and juvenile LRP new-in this morning. Amazing for a puddle in the middle of nowhere. Wood sand surely on the cards #ukbirding

Insanely cool part of the world, very lucky to be working on these birds. Though can't say I'll miss the mosquitoes (or the sweet Gudbrandsdalen cheese, if I'm honest...). Excited to see what we learn when we sequence these guys (and their European-wintering cousins)! ☺️ #ornithology

A perplexing gull As a starter, note the pristine white tips to the inner primaries - surely these would be far more worn if the primaries were a year old... ...

Write-up of yesterday's gull - undecided in the end so any thoughts welcome #ukbirding

tmbirding.blogspot.com/2025/06/a-pe...

I'm now considering the possibility that this is somehow a 3cy LBBG with severely delayed moult (+ hormonal deficiencies affecting eye and bare-part colour etc.), mostly due to pale scaps and early (for fuscus) onset of active moult in inner primaries. Can't find pics of ringed 3cy matching this tho

Think it's fine for a male fuscus. Concern is the colour of the scaps mostly