Tom Bedford

Two male Blackcaps

Female type Blackcap

Fox and Muntjac Deer

A frozen Lye Valley boardwalk

-3° in the Lye Valley, Oxford, this morning, but wintering warblers were the highlight. A record winter count of 6 Blackcaps, plus 2 Chiffchaffs, were present. Pyracantha berries were most popular with the Blackcaps.
@friendlyevalley.bsky.social
#patchbirding
#oxford #ukbirding

Red-throated, Black-throated & Great Northern Divers

Divers still at Covenham Reservoir this morning
@lincsbirding.bsky.social
@lincswildlife.bsky.social
@rarebirder.bsky.social
#Birds #UKBirding

Good news; the section of Lye Valley fen boardwalk destroyed by arson in the summer has been repaired by Oxford City Council Parks staff- thanks! @friendlyevalley.bsky.social

Grey Wagtail 👍🏻

October Review Highlights October continued the county’s excellent run of rarities, with three standout highlights punctuating an otherwise fairly quiet ...

October Oxon Birding round-up is now up! A superb month with the county in fine form for rarities: Bluethroat lingering into the 1st week, then a Pec Sand and finally two Twite – a real inland mega these days. And all 3 found by the same birder! #UKbirding oxonbirding.blogspot.com/2025/11/octo...

Bringing the Birds of the Lye Valley to the people of Headington Quarry, Oxford, this evening. Great to share pictures and stories about local birds with so many interested people. I’m repeating this talk in January, watch this space!
@friendlyevalley.bsky.social
#patchbirding #headington #Oxford

A medium sized all white bird with a black beak, black legs, and yellow feet is perched on a branch of an oak tree. To the left of the photo from top to bottom is the tree trunk. The Egret is surrounded by still mostly green leaves, while in the background are a number of fallen autumn-coloured leaves.

Delighted to spot this Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) in the Valley this morning. An occasional visitor here, they love fishing in our ponds. 😍
#birds #UKWildlife #OX3 #OxfordshireFens 📷
@everyheron.bsky.social @judywebb.bsky.social @tverc1.bsky.social

Kingfisher, Lye Valley, Oxford.

Finally caught up with the Kingfisher that has been visiting the Lye Valley top ponds. Also a Blackcap and a couple of Chiffchaffs are still hanging on into November in the Lye Valley woods.
@friendlyevalley.bsky.social
#ukbirding
#OxonBirding

@headingtonnews.bsky.social 🙂

Flyer designed by the local eco group. Thursday 6th November, 7:30pm, Coach House, Quarry Road, Oxford OX3 8NU - see you there!

If you are in the Oxford area next Thursday, I’m giving a talk on the birds of the Lye Valley area. It’s a multimedia presentation (pictures and calls!) covering the resident and migratory birds recorded in this part of the city. See you there!

@friendlyevalley.bsky.social
#Oxonbirding
#Oxford

Birds of the World - Comprehensive life histories for all bird species and families Species accounts for all the birds of the world.

Are you ready for the annual eBird/Clements taxonomy update? Happening as soon as tomorrow! Details at ebird.org and explore the species on Birds of the World (birdsoftheworld.org). The site will be open access from 29 Oct-7 Nov.

birdsoftheworld.org/bow/home

Comet Lemmon

Comet Lemmon and the trail of a satellite (showing how much the wind was moving my telescope!).

Comet Lemmon was visible between the clouds over Headington, Oxford this evening. Pictures taken on my phone, through my birding ‘scope.
#CometLemmon #Oxford
@headingtonnews.bsky.social

Twite at Farmoor Reservoir

Twite at Farmoor Reservoir

Twite at Farmoor Reservoir

Twite is a rare bird in Oxfordshire, the last being in November 2011. News of two birds at Farmoor late afternoon led to mad dash out to the reservoir on the bike, but great views in fading light and rain
#Oxonbirding
#UKbirding

ML643926755 - Soundscape: A montage of bird calls over Warneford Meadow, Oxford. Beginning with calling Goldcrests (0:02) and autumn-singing Chiffchaffs (0:17); then migrating Chaffinches (0:25); a fl... Macaulay Library ML643926755; © Tom Bedford; Oxfordshire, England, United Kingdom

The first hour of light produced a decent selection of overhead migrants over the Lye Valley area, Oxford, this morning, incl the 8th Linnet and 5th Brambling records for this site. The audio highlights are here:

macaulaylibrary.org/asset/643926...

@friendlyevalley.bsky.social
#ukbirding
#vizmig

Great find and pictures Conor, what a memorable experience!

Thanks Phil, good luck next year too!

Thanks Geoff, that means a lot 🙏🏻

A week on Fair Isle: seeking still air I first visited Fair Isle in 1986 as a seventeen-year-old, benefitting from a Richard Richardson bursary to cover the accommodation costs at the bird observatory. As an inexperienced inland birder,…

A longer blog post about a week on Fair Isle with @sheldonbirds.bsky.social: www.outofthebluesky.co/2025/10/11/a...
Many thanks to all at @fairislebirdobs.bsky.social, a fantastic place with incredible food! Honourable mentions for @lukemarriner1.bsky.social and @philwoollen.bsky.social
#ukbirding

Good to hear it stayed for you Phil 👍🏻

👌🏻

A male Siberian Thrush emerges from cover at Asta Loch, Shetland, Oct 2025

Red-breasted Flycatcher peeping out from cover in South Raeva Geo on Fair Isle, Sept 2025

A migrant Common Redstart finding shelter in the derelict buildings near the summit of Ward Hill on Fair Isle

Landscape looking south along the West Side of Fair Isle

Leaving Shetland after 8 super days birding Fair Isle & Shetland with @tombedford.bsky.social. A superb mix of rarities, scarcities, common migrants, seabirds & spectacular scenery based at the brilliant @fairislebirdobs.bsky.social - thanks to all. eBird trip report ⬇️
ebird.org/tripreport/4...

Plane on the runway at Fair Isle Airport

View of Sheep Head, Fair Isle, from the air

Very poor record shot of Olive-backed Pipit, Fair Isle, 3 Oct 2025. Unstreaked and olive-toned mantle and coverts visible here

Very poor record shot of Olive-backed Pipit, Fair Isle, 3 Oct 2025. Unstreaked and olive-toned mantle visible here, also a hint of the strong white supercilium on the left hand side of the bird's head

A bit of relief to get flight off Fair Isle this morning ahead of impending arrival of Storm Amy, otherwise we'd have been stranded till Monday! A great first visit, capped off by @tombedford.bsky.social and I finding an Olive-backed Pipit (first seen yesterday evening, not confirmed till today)

Record shot of Corncrake in flight by North Light, Fair Isle

Head of male Red-backed Shrike

Red-breasted Flycatcher, South Raeva, Fair Isle

Day 3 on Fair Isle: SE gale again, but pre-dawn rain & heavy cloud brought in new birds with many Song Thrushes & Goldcrests in sheltered geos. Highlights of the day a Corncrake by North Light (@tombedford.bsky.social photo), stunning male Red-backed Shrike trapped at Obs & Red-Breasted Flycatcher

Just back from a pelagic trip out to the Whittard Canyon area on the continental shelf edge with @scillypelagics.bsky.social @scottinscilly.bsky.social @nomadbirder.bsky.social Madeiran Storm Petrel reclassified from MEGA!!! to scarce summer visitor in one evening with 84 counted last night! 😂

Bat carrying.

Sooty Shearwater

Sooty Shearwater

Sooty Shearwater

Sooty Shearwater

An exceptional day river watching at Severn Beach. Highlight was the 1st Sooty Shearwater record for 51 years. I even managed to see it from upstairs for my 169th species seen from home. Other sightings included Sabine's Gull, 3 Grey Phalarope, 3 Leach's Petrels, 4 storm Petrel, Arctic Skua etc

Coal Tits migrating at Falsterbo...

Their excitable flocks were wizzing past at eye-level into a strong head-wind today, then climbing south.

eBird Checklist - 10 Nov 2023 - Fish Dragging Location - 2 species Submitted by Nova Scotia Bird Records.

Common Grackles are great generalists - likely to have survivorship on boats as they do things like [checks notes] killing and eating Snow Buntings! see: ebird.org/checklist/S1... 4/4

Mostly cloudy in Oxford, but a brief glimpse of the lunar eclipse over Headington this evening, the Earth’s shadow covering the right-hand side.
#lunareclipse
#oxford
@headingtonnews.bsky.social

August Review Highlights One of the many great joys of birding is the appearance of a total wildcard. A totally unexpected species that not even the mos...

A round up of an exciting month of birding in Oxon - topped by a 2nd for the county and proper grip back for those who missed the 1st. Other highlights include an unseasonable Wood Warbler, a storm blown Shag and a southward bound Honey-buzzard #UKbirding
oxonbirding.blogspot.com/2025/09/augu...