08/03/2026 Blyth South Harbour, Blyth, Northumberland

White-billed Diver: My third white-billed diver (WBD), and the best one I've seen so far, the one that came the closest and showed the best!

WBD's are rare winter visitor to the UK, with around 20 to 30 birds recorded annually, primarily off the coast of northern Scotland, including Shetland, the Outer Hebrides, and Moray. 

WBD's are the largest of the UK divers, distinguished by a massive, pale, ivory coloured bill.  Breeding adults have black-and-white checkered backs; in winter, they are paler than great northern divers with a light, "fluffy" rear end 

There appears to be a bit of an influx of these bird this winter, with several in Scotland and along the East Coast in recent weeks.

 

28/01/2026 Newlyn Harbour, Cornwallhave not

Ross's Gull: A round trip to Cornwall, there and back in a day with Kris for company to see this gull. I know gulls evoke a wide spectrum of emotions and imagery, ranging from the nostalgia of coastal, seaside life to frustration regarding their difficulty to ID. But this gull is Top of the Pops.

These small gulls are a very rare Arctic winter visitor to the UK, with sporadic sightings mostly in northern Scotland, Shetland, and the east coast of England. 

These small, pink-tinged gulls are highly sought after by birders, often appearing between November and January. These are small, dove-like gull with a wedge-shaped tail, often with a pinkish breast (in breeding/sub-adult plumage), small black bill, and red legs.

Kris and I set off from Wigan at 2am arriving in Newlyn for around 9am were Kris saw the bird fly out of the harbour not long after we arrived. We had to wait another 2 hours for it to come back before getting better views. 

Formerly known as the Cuneate-tailed gull it is now known as the Ross's gull, is named after the British naval officer and Arctic explorer Sir James Clark Ross. He procured the first specimens of this species in June 1823 while exploring the Melville Peninsula.

The gull spent some time on the roof of the nearby Lidl, before feeding around the harbour entrance and in the harbour itself. This was one of my top targets on BUBO, but I have not had much chance of twitching one as they are becoming incredibly rare in recent years. 

13/02/2026 Lightshaw Flash, Abram, Wigan

Russian White-fronted Goose: A great local bird to catch up with, down the road from me and close rto where my old house is, these Russian whitefronts spent a few days on the banks of Lightshaw Flash SSSI. 

These are great birds, who doesn't love a rare goose? These small geese feature a white forehead (the "white-front"), pinkish-orange bills (distinguishing them from the orange-billed Greenland subspecies), and, when mature, bold black barring on the belly.

 

They come to the UK to flee the freezing Arctic tundra of Russia to spend the winter in the warmer British climate. And they favour wetland and farmland habitats, with major wintering populations often located in Norfolk, the Thames Estuary, and southern England.

Unlike the Greenland white-fronted goose (flavirostris), which winters mostly in the west and north, the Russian race is found in eastern and southern England. And this winter is shaping up to be a bit of an eruption yaer for white-fronted geese. 

There over 30n birds feeding on the grass in the feild along with 60 pink-footed and dozens of Canada and greylag geese. A real mix. 

15/02/2026 Mow Cop, Cheshire-Staffordshire Border

Shore Lark: This smart little beaut has been frequently spotted in a muddy field directly in front of the Old Man o' Mow rock face. This is an exceptional inland sighting

 

Shore lark are slightly smaller than a the more familiar skylark, with a bold yellow face, black eye mask, and a black breast band. Breeding males display prominent black feather tufts ("horns") on their heads and are one of my favourite British birds.

They are a scarce winter visitor to the UK and  most frequently spotted on the east coast, particularly in East Anglia and eastern Scotland, though they can appear elsewhere. Som to get one in on the edge of the Cheshire-Staffordshire border is a rare thing indeed. 

At the time of me writing this the bird is still being observed here so go, go tomorrow, go this weekend. If you do go, the area has been described as very muddy and exposed to wind and rain, so appropriate footwear and waterproof clothing are essential.