Geoff Williams

Calling it quits for now after 6+ hours in Tad Bay; hopefully back later for more. Unable to add wildebeest or zebra to day list on the sweeping savannahs.
Team Blithfield now on 96 (level with Belvide) - latest additions incl Spot Fly, Wheatear + Whitethroat
#WestMidsAllDayer

White-tailed Eagle flew west of Skeffling and landed on a muck heap off of Out Newton Road in Skeffling.

Please park sensibly and don’t block residents access

White-tailed Eagle now drifting north towards Holmpton

#Spurnbirds
@rarebirder.bsky.social @birdguides.bsky.social

Well that's me done at Chelmarsh for the #WestMidsAllDayer. Bit of a mixed day with a lot of disturbance. Lots of sailing going on also strimming around the scrape.
Common birds missing GSW, kestrel and m thrush etc, but some good birds as well Ruff, barn owl, yel wag, redstart & spot fly. Total 72

Visited Rattlechain Lagoon today with 2 fellow members of Sandwell Naturalists. Thanks to their expertise and eagle eyes we managed to find a good number of Small Blue butterflies and their eggs, on Kidney Vetch. They are astonishingly small ! Photo shows a single egg at the base of the flower.

YouTube video by Frode Falkenberg Lekking Great Snipes

Epic start of the Great Snipe-season. The mapping area has been expanded to include the southern part of the Hardangervidda in 2025. Like the lek in this video, from Indre Telemark. The lek is at 1050 meters above sea level, and 21 males were playing two nights ago.

youtu.be/K5cmoULfuPQ?...

UK friends! Tonight Birdsong makes its UK TV debut on BBC4 at 9pm. It will also be available on BBC Player thereafter. Please spread the word! Extract taken from The Times.

Blithfield Blythe Bay 1 adult Whooper Swan, and a Gt Egret.

Chelmarsh Reservoir, 3 Velvet Scoter, 1 Pintail, 1 Great Egret, 2 Red Kite and 5 Snipe were the highlights.

The 7 Lesser White-fronted Geese are heading south over the Humber

This mornings Caspian Gull at Sheepwash, a real brute. Plumage indicates this is the bird that was at Sandwell Valley on 3/01 & it is again present on Swan Pool, SV this afternoon. Nice to be able to track birds through the landscape #WestMidsBirds

Indian vultures: Decline of scavenger birds caused 500,000 human deaths A new study links the vulture decline in India to deadly bacteria spread, causing about 500,000 deaths.

The 50 million-strong vulture population plummeted to near zero because of diclofenac, a cheap non-steroidal painkiller for cattle. The decline of vultures led to the proliferation of deadly bacteria & infections and the deaths of about 0.5 million people over five years. www.bbc.com/news/article...

The Black-faced Bunting showed briefly at Donna Nook today, also around were Twite, Spoonbills, Gt Egret and a nice selection of waders.

Another Bank Day.
I never dreamt that one day Whooper Swans and Pink Footed Geese would be flying over my house, 1000’s Brent Geese would be feeding at the bottom of my Garden and Rock Pipits and Curlews would be seen on my morning dog walks. For a born and bred Bucks Birder - Lincs is incredible.

A few waders still at Bllthfield 4 Curlew and 3 Ringed Plover.

Water levels high at Blithfield Reservoir today so wader numbers much reduced, highlights were 2 Cattle Egret, 13 Great Egret, 1 Red Kite, 15 Ringed Plover, 1 Wheatear and a Rock Pipit.

A juvenile Red-backed Shrike, 4 Wheatear, Whinchat and 3 Redstart were at Donna Nook today and a Pied Fly was at Saltfleet.
40+ Wheatear were at Saltfleet yesterday but a dead one on the beach today reminds me they don't all make it and I wonder just how many are killed by the offshore wind farms?

Back at Saltfleet Lincs and in 2 days had Greenish Warbler, Wryneck, American Wigeon, several Pied Fly, Redstart, Corn Bunting and Spotshank. I love east coast birding.

Get yourself a caravan at New Inn CP, Saltfleet, Lincs, plenty of rare birds about and we could do with more birders to find them.

Blithfield Reservoir this morning 2 Wigeon, 12 Gt Egret,2 LRP, 28 Ringed Plover, 1 Dunlin, 1 Ruff, 1 Whimbrel, 6 Greenshank, 1 Green Sand, and 1 Common Sand.

A Scottish colour ringed Osprey was at Blithfield reservoir this morning sat in Blythe Bay, this bird has been reported here previously per Tim Mackrill. Other birds seen were a Barnacle Goose, 5 LRP, 30 Ringed Plover, 1 Dunlin, 4 Greenshank, 1 Green Sand. and a Common Sand.

Blithfield Reservoir this morning, a good count of Gt Egret with 9 in Blythe Bay and 13 in Tad Bay but could be some movement between bays, waders included 17 Ringed Plover, 1 Dunlin, 2 Ruff, 2 Curlew, 1 Redshank, 5 Greenshank and 2 Common Sandpiper.