One of six puffins seen on the water just off the island.

Black guillemot flashing its red legs.

A slightly different view of a European shag

Sandwich terns alighting on a buoy.

A nice little Puffin Island cruise up the Menai Strait from Beaumaris this afternoon. Still early in the season, but I saw everything you would hope to see - just not in great numbers. #Birds #BirdingWales #Anglesey #WildlifePhotography #UKWildlife

Razorbill enjoying some early Spring sunshine.

Lesser Black-Backed Gull

2 razorbills and a common guillemot.

South Stack Lighthouse

Family holiday on Anglesey in Wales meant we had to make the obligatory visit to South Stack Lighthouse. Although a couple of weeks too early, it was still great to see some of the sea birds venturing onto the cliffs to start squabbling over nest sites. #Birds #BirdingWales #WildlifePhotography

Blackbird

Sand Martin

Sand Martin

Kestrel

Lots of birds enjoying the sunshine today at Seaton Wetlands. It has also brought the first significant wave of Summer migrants across including these sand martins that were already prospecting and preparing nest sites. #Birds #DevonBirds #WildlifePhotography #UKWildlife

Great crested grebe with an unfortunate

Great crested grebes mirroring each other’s movements.

Great crested grebes weed dancing.

Great crested grebe pair prospecting nest sites.

Great crested grebes ‘weed dancing’ is a sure sign Spring is in the air. Their courtship starts face to face, imitating each other’s movements. They then swim in opposite directions, dive and re-emerge with weed. Finally, they swim towards each other, rise up and dance. #Birds #WildlifePhotography

It certainly would. Although I think you get different races of them in the US.

Female red-breasted merganser with what appears to be fishing line caught in its bill.

Sandwich Tern

Great Black-Backed Gull

Dark-bellied Brent Goose

I very frustratingly missed the forsters tern in Poole Park this afternoon. Some other birds showed themselves very well. It’s only after looking at the photo that I’ve noticed the merganser appears to have fishing line caught in its bill. #Birds #DorsetBirds #WildlifePhotography #UKWildlife

Great White Egret in flight

Great White Egret landing.

Great White Egret

Great White Egret with a fish.

I felt lucky to get such good views of this great white egret at Chard Reservoir this afternoon. It flew towards me and then spent some time fishing close by. Lucky for me - not so much for the fish. #Birds #WildlifePhotography #UKWildlife #SomersetBirds #Egret

That’s very kind. I was caught between being disappointed that the photo wasn’t pin sharp, with photographic artefacts like branches and leaves in the way. But then my thinking moved in the same way as yours thinking that this actually depicts the constant movement of this group of birds.

I believe they both (all) fall into the family regulidae - so very much related.

This is very cool! Thanks for sharing.

Finally, the sun appeared yesterday so I went exploring around Seaton Wetlands. Male and female shelducks looked great in the sun. Firecrest played hard to get in the bushes and my first coot in the Axe Valley - I never imagined they’d be a rarity! #DevonBirds #Birds #UkWildlife #WildlifePhotography

For someone so concerned about English, I would’ve thought yours would be better.

We are in the south-west of England. A truly beautiful part of the country.

I guess at Frampton Marsh, these would be pink-footed geese coming back to roost at the end of the day. I’ve seen them same in Norfolk and it is quite the spectacle! The noise as much as the sight.

I’m not particularly familiar with birds from that side of the Atlantic, but if memory serves from a trip to Costa Rica years ago, I think this is a great kiskadee.

Hi, I use a Nikon D7500 with a Tamron 150mm-600mm lens. It works very well in good light but struggles in anything less. No tripod, just handheld for these shots.

Hi, I use a Nikon D7500 with a Tamron 150mm-600mm lens. It works very well in good light but struggles in anything less.

Dark-bellied brent geese in flight

Very pale common buzzard

Great cormorant in flight

Pied avocet

Went to explore Exminster Marshes this morning and it was also fantastic! I don’t know why it’s taken over a year living in Devon to start properly exploring these places. Loads of birds spending their winter feeding on the slightly flooded fields. #Birds #DevonBirds #WildlifePhotography #UKWildlife

Siberian lesser whitethroat

Eurasian blackcap

Black redstart

Siberian lesser whitethroat

Some unseasonable birds seen in Seaton during my lunch break today. The lesser whitethroat is thought to be of the Siberian subspecies which is really cool. There are apparently two of them over-wintering in this very small oasis in Devon. #DevonBirds #WildlifePhotography #UKWildlife #Birds

Little Egret

Spotted Redshank

Eurasian Wigeon

Slavonian Grebe

First time properly exploring the Lower Otter Restoration Project at Buddleigh Salterton and it was fantastic! The current ‘star’ - slavonian grebe - was distant for photos but resplendent in glorious sunshine. The spotted redshank showed well. #Birds #DevonBirds #WildlifePhotography #UKWildlife

Just read your blog about your wander around. There were two water rails and a cettis down the footpath behind the football club recently - not sure if you ventured that way.

It must have been you I saw walking along the river while I was down there playing with ice with my son. There are some nice paths around Axminster. Where was the green sand?

I like this one a lot!

Today’s Christmas Eve offering is the Bohemian waxwing. An unusual winter visitor to the UK in Winter except every now and then during ‘eruption’ years when continental food sources fail. A photographers’ favourite with its ‘wax-tipped’ wing tips. #Birds #WildlifePhotography #UKWildlife #Waxwing

It’s European, but I don’t know how far South in Europe it extends or how far East towards Asia it extends.

This is exactly what I mean - there are some great names for birds around the world! I wonder why snow fairy though, do they migrate to Spain in Winter?

As far as I’m aware, not a plover. The body is plover-like but in my experience, the plover family would have shorter bills. I think oystercatchers are a family unto themselves with different species around the world. All classed as wading birds.

I found the comments on the last post about bird names in other languages fascinating! Today pictures of long-tailed tits - there must be some good names for these little, charismatic, unstoppable, insect-guzzling miniature forces of nature! #Birds #UKWildlife #WildlifePhotography

I’ll bear that in mind

Let’s see if I can continue my recent hot streak with today’s bird of the day. A few photos of various Eurasian oystercatchers (haematopus ostralegus) from over the years. As my good friend calls them, “Magpies with carrots on their face”. #Birds #WildlifePhotography #UKWildlife #Oystercatcher