Thomas Miller

Last days in Oxford 1w male Bluethroat, Otmoor Up until today I was pretty certain that my last few days as a permanent resident of Oxfordshire would end with a...

Quick turnaround for a blog post about today's Bluethroat event in Oxfordshire, written from Flamborough #ukbirding

tmbirding.blogspot.com/2025/10/last...

Non-local birding Rainbow over Portland Bird Observatory I've had some rather good birding trips away from Oxfordshire over the last few weeks, which I'll aim...

Dual blog posts summarising local birding and some trips away over the past couple of months. Now I've got the backlog cleared can hopefully be a bit more timely with future trip reports this autumn! #ukbirding

tmbirding.blogspot.com/2025/09/loca...
tmbirding.blogspot.com/2025/09/non-...

Yellow-browed Bunting trapped, ringed and released at the Swannery. It's flown to the hedge which runs alongside the Swannery grounds and the bird may be viewable from the permissive path heading west from Grove Lane.

Back of camera photo of Glossy Ibis

Getting in on the influx - Glossy Ibis just flown low west over Port Meadow just now, photo taken straight into the sun! Think this is the 7th one I have seen on patch #ukbirding

Mine of Dialectica scalariella on Viper's Bugloss (Echium vulgare)

Larva of Dialectica scalariella, exposed from its mine

Adult Dialectica scalariella

Collected leaf-mines of Dialectica scalariella on Viper's Bugloss/Echium vulgare from Freshwater Bay, Portland (VC 9) on 13th Sept - adults emerged on 25th Sept

@portlandbirdobs.bsky.social @dorsetbutterflies.bsky.social

Had this bird at Ferrybridge on 13th- it's a really nice one isn't it!

Juvenile male Stonechat in the hand

Some good vismig on patch with the change in wind over the past two days so decided to go out ringing yesterday with @plewin.bsky.social and caught over 200 birds. 81 Chiff, 33 Blackcap, 33 Mipit, a late Whitethroat and the first Stonechat ringed on site being the highlights #ukbirding

LESSER KESTREL on #StKilda! Retrospectively identified from Will Miles' excellent images on 16th Sept. We'd recorded a Kestrel from 12th, possibly the same bird, but sadly not relocated today.
@birdguides.bsky.social
@scottishbirding.bsky.social
@hebridesbirds.bsky.social

Nice - something seriously odd happening with Casps in the southwest this year...

With @tmbirding.bsky.social finding so many Caspian Gulls at Portland, I was hopeful some might make it to Keyhaven (still scarce here). At least two 1w birds yesterday and a third today, plus a bonus distant Grey Phal #patchbirding #ukbirding #hantsbirds

Juvenile Sabine's Gull over the sea

Juvenile Caspian Gull over the sea

The Portland Caspian Gull deluge continued today with at least 3 new birds (3 seen together at Culverwell + another or one of the same on this morning's seawatch). Wrecked Sabine's in Chesil Cove also good to see after fleeting views of one off the Bill earlier this week #ukbirding

1cy Caspian Gull sitting on grass

A new and rather pristine-looking cachinnans today. Pied Fly best of the rest of this morning's efforts #ukbirding

Seemingly a small influx of Caspian Gulls at Portland in amongst thousands of gulls brought in by inclement weather - 3 in the area including this massive male showing point blank off the Bill @portlandbirdobs.bsky.social #ukbirding

BOOTED WARBLER trapped in the Crown Estate Field

Sadly not but feel free to message me any further questions

Yes - 250 is way too low for all but the most stationary birds in bad light. Shutter speed is the most important variable which is why I don't recommend using any of the P, A, or S dials. In M mode you can keep aperture the same, have auto ISO and then just change shutter speed depending on light

You want s-is (sync image stabilisation) on as well, especially when using such a low shutter speed

Yeah tbh I wouldn't recommend aperture priority at all for bird photography. Go into manual mode with auto iso. Shoot wide open (so at F4, no need to change). Shutter speed between 1000 and 2000. Adjust exposure compensation if dark bird against bright sky. That'll do you well for most scenarios

Stonking Oxon county Mega on Friday in the form of a Marsh Sandpiper. Write-up here:
oxfordbirder.blogspot.com/2025/09/oxon...

Photos courtesy of @tmbirding.bsky.social

Not the storm-driven small gull (or spinny wader...) that I was hoping to find, but these are always such a delight - adult winter Little Gull currently at Farmoor, dip-feeding on F2 #ukbirding

What settings/mode are you using and what lens?

Bonaparte's Gull (centre) accompanied by Black-headed Gulls

I was about to give up in the miserable weather on Saturday when I noticed an unusually large roost of gulls on Keyhaven Lagoon. Persistence led to patch gold - Bonaparte's Gull! Appears to be the 1st for the reserve. #patchbirding #ukbirding #hantsbirds

It's not possible but realistically there will be people in the hides tomorrow I think

That looks really super - interested in exactly what tripod plates you've used, so will message

Have done!

Yes - on ebird. Does it need a tag or something to be included as a feeding bird?

Had a pleasant time yesterday evening watching this juvenile Little Stint at Farmoor (before all the Marsh Sand excitement). Interesting to see that its favourite food was flying insects. Photos were a bit soft in the poor light and intermittent heavy rain but managed to salvage a few #ukbirding

Digiscoped image of Marsh Sandpiper

Ropey pic of the juvenile Marsh Sandpiper found yesterday at Standlake Pit 60 by Jeremy Dexter but not confirmed until this morning. In the pouring rain! #ukbirding

Image description: a reed warbler in the hand. The bird‘s right side is visible, warm brown all over, with its head and long pointed beak facing right.

Image description: a sedge warbler in the hand. The bird, facing right and away, is mottled brown and black across its back and wings. It has a strong pale supercilium above the eye.

Image description: myself holding a juvenile female Sparrowhawk. The bird is held towards the camera and is looking to the left. It has dark grey upperparts with chestnut fringes on the feathers. The underparts, including tail, are white with dark brown barring. It has yellow legs with curved black talons, a round bright yellow eye and a yellow hooked beak, tipped with black.

Image description: a tree pipit in the hand, showing the characteristic strong supercilium and deep chunky beak. The bird has green-brown upperparts with black markings, and pale yellow-buff underparts with strong dark streaks.

Autumn getting into full swing at our Oxford ringing site today 🍂 62 birds, mostly blackcap and chiffchaff.

Highlights were the first willow warbler of the autumn, a juvenile female Sparrowhawk, a rare pulse of acros for the site and the hoped-for addition of tree pipit to the site ringing list!

Tree Pipit in the hand on Port Meadow

After getting back from Suffolk at midnight it was a brutal turnaround to be out ringing on patch early morning, thankfully paid off with this Tree Pipit. After ticking this species heard only last week was a joy to see in the hand. Less happy about a flyover WTE report this afternoon 😡 #ukbirding