Woolston Eyes has had a ‘duck’ purple patch in the 1st quarter of 2024 with Lesser Scaup, Ruddy Duck, a pair of Ferruginous Ducks and a pair of Garganey. All photos David Spencer Great reserve attracting rare birds. Why not become a permit holder. woolstoneyes.com

As part of mental health week work gave me an extra 45 minutes on top of my lunch break to do an activity that I enjoy, so off I went to the ever faithful Turtle Dove site. So special to see three birds purring in the trees and chasing each other.

I’ve avoided twitching Rough-legged Buzzard in the hope I’d end up finding my own, so it was pretty epic to do just that on Wednesday at Rattray Head. In-off the sea and then SW inland, what a cracker! Found a pair of RBS the next day too at Longhaven, a find tick for me. Mega.

It’s been a long time coming! Brilliant evening with Scilly Pelagics 10km SE StMary’s last night: my first ever #WilsonsPetrel (4), 40Euros, 5 #Great & 37 Cory’s Shearwater +4 #BlueShark, 5 BottlenoseDolphin, 150+ SB CommonDolphin, 15 Atlantic Bluefin Tuna … one mind blown 🤯🙏

"Another Wilson's" pretty much sums up the day Scilly Pelagics rounded off in the Turks Head 🍻

Up the Wilson's

Five #WilsonsPetrel together in the slick (plus a single European Stormie) part of a record-breaking day-total of 105+ with Scilly Pelagics on Sunday

Absolutely mega mega Porthgwarra seawatch today from 06:50 to 17:45 Wilson's Petrel 2 (others had up to 6) Cory's Shear 1214 Great Shear 66 Sooty Shear 141 Balearic Shear 29 Manx Shear 12,000 ph Long-tailed Skua 3 Arctic Skua 4 Pom 1 Bonxie 1 Skua sp 1 Euro Storm Petrel 268 1/2

Seeing the record 105 Wilson's Storm Petrel on 4th August Scilly Pelagics was the clear highlight of recent trip to Scilly/Cornwall for me - hard to do the spectacle justice in photos

My first ever day on Shetland surpassed even my most optimistic expectations. Weather was glorious, & with Oriole Birding Gary Elton (Norfolk guided birding) we saw Pallas’s Grasshopper, Lanceolated & Barred Warblers, Corncrake, Red-breasted Flycatcher etc. Great finds Dan Owen Dan Beadle Jack Morris

Dream day! Two burns checked: one with Lanceolated Warbler in it and another with Pallas’s Grasshopper Warbler in it. With Dan Beadle and Jack Morris (JM pics).

Won't have many better days of bird finding than the Lanceolated and Pallas's Grasshopper Warblers Dan Owen Jack Morris and I found on Shetland today. Couldn't really ask for much better views of the Lancy, or the PGW as it fed in the burn! Pics JM

After a mental day twitching on Wednesday (pics to follow) it was nice to get some birding in with a walk up Spurn. Unfortunately couldn’t quite pull out our own mega but fantastic views of Arctic Warbler made it worthwhile.

Heading back to London after a crazy few days on the Yorkshire Coast. So pleased to have connected with the Pale-legged Leaf Warbler before its departure. Nice to get some absolutely mega views and see so many familiar faces.

Olive-backed Pipit is a species I have wanted to see for a very long time, having only seen probable flyovers and dipped on Scilly previously. My luck changed when one was found only 5 minutes away, a quick dash and dream views were secured!

No. What happens in Doñana DOES NOT STAY in Doñana. After more than two years of work, we’ve published an article demonstrating that the poor condition of Doñana negatively affects waterbirds across the ENTIRE continent! Thread below! 🧵 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/gc…

WOOLSTON EYES – Cover for the 2024 Annual Report, should be hitting members ‘in boxes’ in the near future, watercolour on Arches paper, a prolific year for Yellow-browed Warblers at the site, prompted me to use this species as its one that may not turn up in the future.

Can you tell us how he died, where, and why?