Rob Swift

#Birds #Birding 🦉

An enjoyable visit to Musselburgh Lagoons, East Lothian recently. The highlight being 16 regal Whooper Swans🤩… also plenty of Waders (shorebirds). Very impressed with the well thought out, vast new scrape area with a backdrop of the distant, Edinburgh skyline. .

Fiery-throated Hummingbirds thrive in the rainy highlands of Costa Rica. Paraiso Quetzal Colibri Garden, Cartago, Costa Rica #birding

Even minus its upper tail covert plumes, this male Resplendent Quetzal is a stunner. The extraordinary sheen on the Birds plumage gives it a ‘wet look’! Observed in fantastic #Panama, April 25… a must see Bird for me, fulfilled. 😌#Birds #Birding #Birdphotography 🦉🪶

A view of a river at sunset. By combining many exposures I have multiple images for single birds flying through the scene, making the appearance of trails. One bird flies in an arc across the scene close to the camera and the sunlight can be seen shining through its tail feathers.

Homage to Xavier Bou: little swifts at the Olifants River high-water bridge, Kruger National Park. Unstacked from video taken with an Iphone 14. #birds #photography #SouthAfrica #iPhone

Close-up of a bright blue bird with a spiky turquoise crown and red legs perched on a wet branch, head tilted downward against a dark green blurred background.

The weather is shifting now in the mountains of northern #CostaRica, with more rain and less food in the forests, and some birds are now starting to come down to the banana feeders for a snack.

This male Red-legged Honeycreeper wanted me to see his new hairdo. At @tapirvalley.bsky.social

#birds

This 2nd winter Caspian Gull was at the west end this afternoon. Also a great turn out for this mornings work party, where we cleared a load of encroaching willow scrub along the south east bay and Scott hide reed bed.

One of two Northern Long-tailed Tits on the island of Yell, Shetland early this morning. It was like watching excited golf balls with wings and I'm not sure there is a word that can justify their beauty.

#BirdingScotland #UKbirding #RareBirdsUK #Birds #UKWildlife

A Eurasian Woodcock, intricately marked in hues of brown, reaches the beach at Cley after a lengthy sea crossing in rough winds only to be met by a hunting Peregrine.

The Peregrine knocked the Woodcock into the sea where it initially floated while the Falcon tried to pick off its prize, but ultimately lost its life in the surf

The juvenile Peregirne Falcon gives up on the hapless Woodcock and leaves with just a tail feather as a reminder of its efforts.

The cruelty of bird migration laid bare at Cley this morning as a tired Woodcock reached the end of its sea crossing to be met by a hungry Peregrine. Knocked into the water the Woodcock ultimately succumbed to the rough breakers while the Peregrine left with just a tail feather. #NorfolkBirding

A delayed Volunteer work Party season, but it kicked off this morn @WestMidBirdClub Belvide Reserve, Staffs with 16 souls turning out. A lot of willow regrowth cut .. here Mike, Kevin & I worked in the main Scott Hide Reedbed to clear some stubborn regrowth. A nice 2-3hrs ‘willow workout’! 🤪👍🏻

More from #Panama Trip April ‘25..a marvellous Birding Country. Rare Capped Heron in the Darien, Green Heron, Imm’ Little Blue Heron and close Great Blue Heron! #Birds #Birding #Birdsseenin2025

Finally finishing the processing of images from the superb Panama trip April ‘25! Trogon time 🤩- six species seen including White-tailed, Orange-bellied, Black-tailed & female Gartered on show 💥

River Sow Meadows, Stafford early AM..this guy has been on a vizmig session for a fair while, so I joined him for 90 mins to see 1240 Wood Pigeon, 38 Skylark, 18 Linnet, c30 Meadow Pip & 641 B H Gull S/SW. Also on site 3 Cetti’s, 2 Stonechat & 26 Teal. 😁 @staffsbirdnews.bsky.social #Birds #Birding 🦉

@staffsbirdnews.bsky.social Radford Meadows, Stafford this AM-2 Ruff, 102 Lapwing, 2 Cetti’s, 6 Siskin, 44 Wigeon, 4 Ring-necked Parakeet, Goosander, 30 Fieldfare flock, 12 Skylark flock, 9 Redwing, Chiffchaff. 👍🏻

An image of Colin McShane using a monocular in a circular frame over a background of white, green and pale pink colouring. Wording top left reads: Winner Bernard Tucker Medal Colin McShane. The BTO logo is top right of the image, and the silhouette of a Robin is bottom right of the image above the wording winner BTO awards 2025.

Congratulations to Colin McShane, winner of The Bernard Tucker Medal! Thanks to his unique survey methods for roosting Jack Snipe, utilising a thermal imager, there’s been an increase in birds ringed. He’s inspired researchers & bird clubs, resulting in the deployment of 16 GPS tags. Thank you Colin

A Fieldfare with a red berry in its mouth perches on the branch of a tree which is covered in berries.

New @birdtrack.bsky.social migration blog! ➡️ www.bto.org/our-work/new...

Reports of winter thrushes are on the up, there’s been an increase in Yellow-browed Warblers after a below average autumn so far & records of Short-eared Owls arriving off the sea along the east coast of England. #Ornithology

Sparrowhawk killed with banned poison in Aberdeenshire – Police Scotland appeals for information Press release from Police Scotland: APPEAL FOR INFORMATION FOLLOWING THE DEATH OF A BIRD OF PREY IN ABERDEENSHIRE Detectives are appealing for information after a bird of prey was poisoned in Aberd…

Victorian attitudes towards birds of prey /predators in general remain stubbornly persistent in many parts of the UK.

#RaptorResearch #WildlifeCrime #BirdingScotland

raptorpersecutionuk.org/2025/10/07/s...

...also on the ringing front: we've received notification of a fantastic recovery of a Firecrest ringed here last October that was controlled a few days ago by a ringer in the Czech Republic - the first movement of a UK-ringed Firecrest to the Czech Republic or indeed to anywhere in central Europe

Our first pulse of Icelandic Redwings on Barra today, though other migrant passerines remain in very short supply. #BirdingScotland

Storm Amy at @westmidbirdclub.bsky.social Belvide Reserve dropped in a Grey Plover & Curlew Sandpiper this AM. + Dunlin, 4 Ringed & 6 Golden Plover, BN Grebe, Drake Goldeneye, Peregrine,10+ Great Egret. A large tree casualty, is now blocking the spill weir, woodland path @staffsbirdnews.bsky.social

Tricolored heron in the rain, Phinizy Swamp Nature Park, Georgia. This is the same bird as in this video: bsky.app/profile/matt...
#birds #wildlifephotography

….a bit of last light Snipe photography this eve, after checking in with the Stewardship mowing contractor @westmidbirdclub.bsky.social Belvide Reserve, Staffs. Now all ready for the winter season refill. 👍🏻

@staffsbirdnews.bsky.social Radford Meadows, Stafford this morn. Whinchat, Wheatear, 5 Stonechat, 3 Cetti’s, Lt Egret, 5 Snipe, c120 Lapwing, c50 Wigeon, Shoveler, c150 Teal, 340 Greylag. Skywatch- Peregrine, 3 Sparrowhawk, 11 Buzzard, + 17 House Martin, 14 Swallow, 17 Meadow Pip, 3 Skylark south. 👍🏻

Drake Long-tailed Duck still at Clifton GP on the north pit this morning for his third day.

Beginning to transition from summer to winter plumage, both of which are impressive in equal measure.

Possibly the same drake seen at this site last year.

#WorcsBirds #UKBirding

Gorgeous Grey Phalarope, early morn, in habitat @westmidbirdclub.bsky.social Belvide Reserve, Staffs. UK. The first time I’ve ever seen the species out of the water. The mind ‘boggles’ where it will be wintering in a few weeks… middle of the Ocean? 😌 🦉 #Birds #BIRDING #Birdphotography #UKBIRDING

I’ve just set up a contractor to do some extensive mowing @westmidbirdclub.bsky.social Belvide Bird Reserve, Staffs. Expect some disturbance today, then Sunday 21st or Tuesday 23rd. 👍🏻@staffsbirdnews.bsky.social