Birder/Naturalist/Wildlife guide - @Nature_Scotland and @shetlandnature. Midlands/Argyll/Shetland birder. Bluesky: @theodec97.bsky.social Insta: tdc_wildlife
Joined October 2015
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A magical Shetland Orca encounter yesterday with the 64's pod hunting the coast underneath me and @shetlandnature guests in the clear, blue waters of @SumburghHead!
Highlights of 109sp from my Shetland trip: RF Bluetail, W Bonelli's Warbler, King Eider, Am Wigeon, Barred Warbler, 2 Coue's Redpolls, Firecrest, 2 AGP's, Grey Phalarope, Little Gull, GWE, Kingfisher and.. self found Orca!
ALT Unusually showy Barred Warbler
ALT Grey Phalarope
ALT 1stW Little Gull
ALT Long-tailed Ducks
Chestnut Bunting! Just back from a well timed visit to Shetland, I couldn't not pay a visit to this superb and insanely rare 1stW Chestnut Bunting found by my good friend and colleague @shetlandnature
A superb 5 day trip to Islay, guiding with @Nature_Scotland, best of 112sp inc: finding this smart Richardson's Cackler and Russian Whitefront. Plus Juv Snow Goose, Snow Buntings, GW Egret, Seaducks, waders and Geese galore!
Tiree Autumn trip 2026: No megas here, but 107sp and a nice range of scarcities kept us busy enough.
2 juv Buff-breasted Sands, 2 juv American Golden Plovers, Juv Pec Sand, 1stW Ring-necked Duck, 3 Glossy Ibis, Barred Warbler, Pied Fly, 1stW Med Gull, 2 juv Sabine's Gulls.
11.5 weeks guiding on Shetland this spring all done!
Not the best spring for common migrants but a few scarcities and rarities made it through including 5 lifers for me - Eastern and Western (No Pic) Subalpine Warblers, Greenish Warbler, Pacific Diver and Red-throated Pipit.
Orca have been thin on the ground here this spring. Friday's close encounter was well overdue!
4 members of the 27's pod made up of Vaila "27" and her tiny calf and Bull "34" and young bull "150" pictured here. Off the Knab and Gulberwick.
This "Queen" King Eider has given me the run around since I arrived on Shetland!
A gorgeous duck up close, when I eventually caught up with her at Gulberwick on 27/05. My 2nd in the UK and 1st female!
Finding this dark morph Honey Buzzard in a garden in Levenwick back on 25/05 was a bit of a surprise, a stunning bird to see up close! It was sporting some serious tail damage and taking a battering from the local Hoodies.🤞it reached its destination.
My 7th UK Pectoral Sandpiper at Leebitton, Shetland and best views yet of this superb Nearctic wader, feeding just a few metres away on the seaweed wrack.
My 1st new bird of summer on Shetland with this Red-throated Pipit ✅️ at @SumburghHead this morning, while a nursery pod of c30 Risso's Dolphins swam by just offshore! – at Sumburgh, Scotland
Theo de Clermont retweeted
An interesting goose paired to a Tundra Bean. The all pale peachy-pink bill, white halter and small dark spots on the upper belly perhaps point to it being a Tundra Bean X Russian Whitefront hybrid rather than an aberrant Tundra Bean. With Ash McElwee and @Arcticprince
Draycote with @bobhazell this am: 1stW ♂️ Scaup, R-B Merganser, 3 G-N Diver, Pochard, 50 Lapwing, 3 Chiffchaff, Kingfisher, Grey Wag, Redpoll.
Tricky roost tonight: Adult Med Gull, 2W Caspian Gull, 2 YLG, 26 Goosander. @Draycotebirding – at Drayton, England
Next onto Stubb Mill for the Black-winged Kite✅Superb but distant views of it hovering and hunting over the marshes and alighting in a few trees.
Finally we headed to Ludham Airfield for a nice mixed herd of 19 Bewicks and 21 Whooper Swans. @wildrainsbrook 2/2
Big day trip to Norfolk yesterday with @wildrainsbrook, starting at a gloomy Sheringham, where the 1stW male Eastern Black Redstart✅was enjoying the inverts the gardener was digging up in the esplanade flower beds!
A good Warwickshire birding day last week to start the year off:
Showy YBW and Sibe Chiff (intergrade) at Hurley.
An unshowy Firecrest at Brandon Marsh.
Finished off with 9 gull species in the Draycote roost, highlighted by an Adult Iceland and Adult Glaucous gulls.
A local scarcity this afternoon, female Red-breasted Merganser (1stW) with Goosanders at Boddington Res. @bonxie #Northantsbirds – at Drayton, England
A very confiding Olive-backed Pipit at South Gare this morning, happily feeding away in the long grass.
Only my 2nd in the UK and my 1st since 5 years ago at Flamborough. @teesbirds1 @nybirdnews
Cackling Goose from Islay showing Taverner's type features: longer and heavier built, larger bill shape but still steep forehead and darker breast blending into black.
An educational bird to see, but ID seems a bit of minefield even across the pond! 😂
An amazing 11 days @Nature_Scotland guiding/birding on Islay just gone.. 120sp and plenty of rare goose action.
sf Richardsons's Cackling Goose, my Glossy Ibis in Scotland, sf Y-B Warbler and an old friend the returning Red-breasted Goose. 1/3
