Ian Moore

A productive weekend for the 10k year reaching 85 with 4 additions. A Water Rail at Compton Wetlands on 21/2 plus 2 Green Wood yaffling. A walk around the Trescott area farmland yday am produced a pair of Grey Partridge & 3+ Corn Bunting. 3 Yellowhammer, 13+ Skylark & 1 RL Partridge too #ukbirding

Another venture to the 10k border at Mere Farm near Highgate today, this time for a flock of 12 Barnacle Geese inc two yellow (R) & red (L) colour-ringed birds that joined the 3 Russian Whitefronts & c200 Greylags yday. 81 now for 10k year, as they did a fly around into circle airspace #ukbirding

Thanks Kane - much appreciated. There will be better shots / video grabs by others but this is the best I could get of the yellow rings on each today. It looked like same number on other side of ring too i.e. 00 & 55

Yep that’s correct. It looks like a pair with an unringed bird in tow. Both ringed birds have yellow ring / black number on right leg & red ring / white number on left leg. The one bird looks like 5 (yellow) and 9 (red), the other bird has 0 (yellow) and we’ve not managed to get the red yet

A walk along the canal yday morning from Dimmingsdale to Bratch Locks revealed the drake Mandarin from Dec’25 was still present & became no.79 for the 10k year. Quiet otherwise but a good total of 9 singing Song Thrush added their uplifting vocals along the way #ukbirding

Ended Jan on 75 for the 10k, my best start since started keeping a total in 2022. 1st Feb added another 3 to the total inc 5 Pochard (2m,3f) on Himley Great Pool, a scarce bird in my 10k now (didn’t see any in 2025!). 3 Gt C Grebe & c60 Siskin other 2 additions, roosting Tawny Owl too #ukbirding

Thought they might have been same. We don’t get many Pochard these days do we, didn’t see any in my 10k last year, and the five is the most I’ve seen in 10k for many years 🫣 Get decent no. of Tufties in West Park but the regular wintering drake Pochard is long gone now

Were the 5 Pochard yday 2 drake & 3 fem? Same number of birds at Himley Great Pool this afternoon

It’s so hard to know with these 1-2 Pinks in with Greylags as to whether they are local feral or wild birds. Sat was the first day the ad Pink has been reported in this flock. Would be nice if some Beans decided to join the party

Interestingly there was a classic adult Pink-foot there on Saturday. That bird could be a ‘feral’ local bird wandering around with the Greylags & may be one of the parents of these two birds 🤔 I’m pretty sure I saw that right hand bird on Sat too but dismissed it as an ‘odd Greylag’

A venture to the very edge of my 10k this anoon for the 3 Russian White-fronted Geese (2ad+1w) at Mere Farm, near Highgate was successful plus picked out an ad Pink-footed & 1 Egyptian amongst 300+ Greylags. 3 Stonechat (2m,1f) around too. 75 for the 10k year @staffsbirdnews.bsky.social #ukbirding

Last few photos processed for end of Dec’25. Although much more regular in Staffs now, any encounter with a Goshawk (the avian terminator) is still a pleasure…although I’m not sure the Sparrowhawk keeping a watchful eye would agree! Male Stonechat & drake Mandarin the supporting cast #ukbirding

2w Caspian Gull in West Park, Wolverhampton on 27/12/25 (also present 1/1/26). A fairly small bird & likely the same bird that has been regularly seen at Belvide this winter & was also present at both sites last winter, compare 1w photos from 4/1/25 #caspiangull #gulls #ukbirding

4/1/26 a quiet last day off b4 work until last hr walk to Pool Hall fishery: Jack & 2 Common Snipe in tiny patch of unfrozen ditch, Great Egret, 3 Teal, Shoveler & 7 Goosander on ice / small area of unfrozen pool. 2 Tawny Owl dueting at dusk & in flight. 68 for 10k in 2026 in 4 days #ukbirding

A quiet day yday but still added Red Kite to the 10k year with one SW over Finchfield. Back out walking today and added a lovely ad male Goshawk cruising above a woodland in the cold winter sun. Fem Stonechat, male Kestrel, Treecreeper & a few other common bits took the 2026 10k up to 61 #ukbirding

A respectable 50 species in & around Wolverhampton for day 1 of 2026: 2w Caspian Gull again in West Park at 14:15 @rarebirder.bsky.social also 7 Shoveler & 2 RN Parakeet plus male Peregrine nearby. Pool Hall fishery in am held: Great & 6 L Egret, 26+ Goosander, Lapwing & male Kingfisher #ukbirding

Same to you mate! My 10k year total would have been a lot lower without the finds of you & your dad 👍

Cheers mate 👍
It’s very hard work at times for sure but then the rewards feel sweeter when you’ve put in the hard graft first

Ended 2025 with 118 for the 10k circle, down on 122 (2024) & record 126 (2023) but plenty of quality: Marsh Warbler & Whimbrel were 10k ✅’s. Firecrest, Dipper, Caspian Gull, Black Redstart, Hawfinch, Goshawk, Grey Partridge & Corn Bunting all noteworthy for in & around Wolverhampton #ukbirding

Last attempt of 2025 this am to add to the 10k year list failed but did find two 2nd records - 2 adult Goshawk inc this perched bird with was joined by a brave Sprawk! A distant Great Egret was the other. Peregrine, Kestrel, male Stonechat & remains of an unfortunate Barn Owl also found #ukbirding

2nd winter Caspian Gull showing very well in West Park, Wolverhampton this afternoon coming to bread. With the recent regular 2w bird at Belvide, I had an inclining that bird might be the returning 1w bird I found in West Park in late Dec24, so I dropped in today & there it was 😊 #ukbirding #gulls

I’ve now seen more Golden Plover (5) than Lapwing (4) in my 10k this year 🤯 Hard to believe this was ever possible years back but now a sign of the decline in the later and milder winters

A full day of 10k birding failed to produce an addition for the year but was just great to be out of the office! A drake Mandarin on the canal at Awbridge brightened up a dull grey day. 4 Golden Plover NE over Trescott mid anoon (only my 2nd 10k record of 2025) were the other highlight #ukbirding

Another addition to the 10k year today with the Firecrest in Whites Wood, Baggeridge CP showing well, although mobile, early pm (118). There aren’t many better birds in Britain in my opinion. Finish work on Thurs for this year, so might just push the 10k year up to 120 or above again #ukbirding

The last day of Nov produced an addition to the 10k with an imm male Goshawk causing chaos as it raided a local wood at 15:30 (117). 3 Corn Bunting, 8 Goosander over & 11 Red-legged Partridge the best of the rest #ukbirding

I know people say you need to fill your time when you’re retired but 🫣!! You’d have been better off painting that shed again 🤣

A very pleasant morn in the Trescott area produced my first Golden Plover of the year in 10k (116 now) but a covey of 12 Grey Partridge stole the show. Single Snipe & Lapwing were my first in area of ‘winter’ also 2 Stonechat, 2 fem Goosander, 2 L Egret, 3 L Grebe, Reed Bunt, Kestrel #ukbirding

With Sept+Oct unfortunately dominated by work, I only added two species to my 10k year - Jack Snipe & Red-legged Partridge to put me on 115, 2 short of this time last year & 5 short of my best in 2023. Hopefully Nov+Dec will be more productive…although work isn’t going to be any quieter! 😣

A walk around theTrescott area finally produced an additional in October to my 10k year with a single Jack Snipe (115 for year now). Without a thermal ydays bird flew out before I could see it, unlike this one at the same spot in 2022, found the old fashioned way with my eyes! #ukbirding

After the thrill of the Belvide White-rumped Sand flock on Sat it was a rather more routine (previous stomping ground) ✅ Whooper Swan at Gailey Reservoirs. Found by @thesnapper1978.bsky.social late on Sat it was still present in the fog with 11 Mutes on the sailing reservoir yday