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CM @manchesterbirder.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

After watching it for 4 hours this morning the Pallid Harrier gave a single close(ish) flyby, hunting Teal and Snipe on the reservoir shore. What a bird! #ukbirding #birds

A juvenile Pallid Harrier flying left to right showing orange undersides ad patterns on the underwing

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CM @manchesterbirder.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Juvenile Pallid Harrier at Belmont attracting quite the crowd this morning. #ukbirding #birds

Distant juv Pallid Harrier perched on a tree

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CM @manchesterbirder.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

My friend Danny, who is a fairly new birder, took these while birding on the GM/Lancs border near Belmont early afternoon today. An amazing find for him, juvenile Pallid Harrier only 6 days after we watched the Marshside one together. Likely the same bird. #ukbirding #birds

Back of camera photo of a juvenile Pallid Harrier

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Jonny @suffolkseawatcher.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Can people help share this far and wide? Great blog detailing a proper injustice - that seems to go unchecked year on year! Meanwhile over the border - Norfolk are smashing it! ♠️ tringa24.wordpress.com/2026/10/03/a...

tringa24.wordpress.com

A Tale of Two Coastlines – Norfolk Delivers, Suffolk Dithers

Norfolk has just committed £384,000 of developer mitigation money to protect beach-nesting birds on its coast. Suffolk is sitting on £1.74 million collected for exactly the same purpose. On 2 Octob…

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CM @manchesterbirder.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Some excellent birding at Spurn today, which was alive with common migrants. My favourite of the day was this showy Brambling. #ukbirding #birds #BirdsSeenIn2026

A male Brambling, a finch, perched on a pale stem in front of undergrowth. The Brambling has a fading black head and upper body, black tail and wing stripes, and a bright orange breast and wing.

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CM @manchesterbirder.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

So that was September 2026. Some absolutely brilliant views of some very interesting birds, and a lot of variety locally. #ukbirding #birds

A collage photograph of birds from top left to bottom right:
Brambling
Pallid Harrier
Grey Phalarope
Buff-breasted Sandpiper
Nightjar
Spotted Crake
Whinchat
Baird's Sandpiper
White-winged Tern
Barn Owl

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CM @manchesterbirder.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

I know there's foliage obscuring these shots of a Brambling, but the orange flashes on the wing and body just make me happy. #ukbirding #birds

A male Brambling, a finch, flying in front of undergrowth. The Brambling has a fading black head and upper body, black tail and wing stripes, and a bright orange breast and wing.

A male Brambling, a finch, flying in front of undergrowth, with some grass stems obscuring it. The Brambling has a fading black head and upper body, black tail and wing stripes, and a bright orange breast and wing.

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CM @manchesterbirder.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Some excellent birding at Spurn today, which was alive with common migrants. My favourite of the day was this showy Brambling. #ukbirding #birds #BirdsSeenIn2026

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CM @manchesterbirder.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Just as the Pallid Harrier came in close, a ringtail Hen Harrier confused things - those looking for a white rump on a Harrier as their distant ID feature suddenly had to take more care! The fourth pic is of the Hen Harrier, on a remarkable 10 raptor species day for some birders. #ukbirding #birds

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CM @manchesterbirder.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

A brilliant day of raptor watching at Marshside today, and the highlight was the juvenile Pallid Harrier that (after a 5 hour wait) flew in close enough for a rubbish photo. #ukbirding #birds #BirdsSeenIn2026 for England

A juvenile Pallid Harrier in flight, orange body, pale face and neck collar with shadowed wings against a background of white seed heads and plants.

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CM @manchesterbirder.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Settings all wrong for the juvenile Black Tern fly-by, but I quite like how it looks. #ukbirding #birds

A juvenile Black Tern against a very dark background (actually trees). The exposure settings were all wrong, so the bird looks like it has caught sunset and fades into the black background.

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CM @manchesterbirder.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

A blurry screen grab of the long-staying juvenile Black Tern at Pennington Flash this evening. #ukbirding #birds

Juvenile Black Tern stretching its wings in preparation for flight from a guano stained green buoy.

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CM @manchesterbirder.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Fly-by Snipe at Pennington Flash this evening #ukbirding #birds

A Snipe, a small brown streaked with black and white wading bird in flight, showing a tapered tail and long bill from underneath

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West Coast Birdwatching @westcoastbirds.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

HELP NEEDED! There is a stranded Manx Shearwater in the West Midlands (SOLIHULL) that needs a ride back to the coast. Can anyone in that area help? Even to take it some of the way and pass on to another volunteer? Please call 01437 723193 if you can help 🙏

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CM @manchesterbirder.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

This Sparrowhawk was in pursuit of a Magpie over the water at Pennington Flash #UKbirding #birds

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CM @manchesterbirder.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

A very distant juvenile Black Tern at Pennington Flash this morning. #ukbirding #birds

A juvenile Black Tern, shades of grey and black and white perching on a bright green buoy on a lake

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CM @manchesterbirder.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Grey Phalarope is a Manchester mega... unless it's in Lancashire. A blog about the Danelaw, local patching, being even more Coot-like than Red-necked Phalarope, and rare birds on boundaries. #UKbirding #birds

themanchesterbirder.blogspot.com

Grey Phalarope (just) in the Danelaw, I mean, Greater Manchester

Worthington Lakes is a set of reservoirs on the very boundary between Greater Manchester and Lancashire. There will be grumbles about this,...

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CM @manchesterbirder.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

A few more of the very obliging Grey Phalarope in sunny Wigan this morning #ukbirding #birds #BirdsSeenIn2026

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CM @manchesterbirder.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

The Grey Phalarope found by Phil Rhodes yesterday showed incredibly well from first light at Worthington Lakes on the border between GM and Lancs. An absolute beauty of a bird #ukbirding #birds #BirdsSeenIn2026

A small grey, black and white wader with a dark eye patch and black bill and it's blurry reflection in water.

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CM @manchesterbirder.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Hopeless photo that doesn't do justice to the views of Buff-breasted Sandpiper at Bishop Middleham this morning, which showed well for a couple of hours after making us wait. Pectoral Sandpiper also showed in harsh and difficult light. Great to meet @andyfirth.bsky.social - thanks for your help 👍

A Buff-breasted Sandpiper, a pale buff coloured shorebird with a delicate beak, an obvious white eyering and scalloped plumage on the back is distant and walking in short green foliage.

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CM @manchesterbirder.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

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CM @manchesterbirder.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

The local Willow Tits seem very flighty at the moment, swooping in silently and vanishing as soon as any other passerines appear. This was the best I could do across 5 sightings in 90 minutes totalling less than 30 seconds of view. #ukbirding #birds

A Willow Tit perched on a twig, with a blurred twig obscuring its middle. Buff below, brown on top, white cheek patch and black cap and throat patch.

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CM @manchesterbirder.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Sometimes it's the commonest birds that bring joy on a dreary day. #birds #nature

A Blue Tit perching on a diagonally slanted dead branch. The bird is yellow underneath with blue on its head and a black and white face.

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CM @manchesterbirder.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

A few more of the Spotted Crake flying over the embankment at Titchwell today. I've seen a few Spotted Crakes, but never one in flight before. #ukbirding #birds #BirdsSeenIn2026

A blurry picture of a Spotted Crake in flight, showing a pale underwing and silvery-white spotted golden plumage

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CM @manchesterbirder.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

A poor and blurry photo of one of the Spotted Crakes in brief flight at Titchwell today. The usual excuses about light, camera, general incompetence all apply. #ukbirding #birds

A Spotted Crake, a small rail with spotted plumage and long dangling legs, a short triangular bill and blurred as roinded wings I flight over a reed bed embankment. A truly poor photo.

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CM @manchesterbirder.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Seeing the Spotted Crake at Titchwell got me thinking about the joy of seeing elusive birds and whatever the opposite of joy is of being in bird hides. A blog containing bad photography. #ukbirding #birds #BirdsSeenIn2026

themanchesterbirder.blogspot.com

Spotted Crake

My first Bittern was an incredible encounter at Leighton Moss in 1993. Sitting in Griesdale Hide with the 13 other people on the Bolton YOC...

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CM @manchesterbirder.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

September 15th. It's 26°C. I'm wearing shorts. School has been back in for around 2 weeks. We still have Halloween and Bonfire Night as commercial bullshit sell-alls before Christmas and Co-op is selling fucking mince pies

A photograph of a stack of co-op mince pies and a sign saying "it's never too early"

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CM @manchesterbirder.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Always a treat to see day roosting Nightjar, and especially one close to home. Interesting behaviour, watching the bird sway back and forth before preening. #ukbirding #birds #nature #BirdsSeenIn2026

A Nightjar perching on a medium thickness branch with green twigs and leaves visible framing the bird. The Nightjar is a long bird with a short but wide beak, and is coloured in excellent camouflage of browns and greys. One pallid grey foot is visible clinging to the branch.

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CM @manchesterbirder.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

themanchesterbirder.blogspot.com

Spotted Crake

My first Bittern was an incredible encounter at Leighton Moss in 1993. Sitting in Griesdale Hide with the 13 other people on the Bolton YOC...

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CM @manchesterbirder.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

A few more of the Spotted Crake flying over the embankment at Titchwell today. I've seen a few Spotted Crakes, but never one in flight before. #ukbirding #birds #BirdsSeenIn2026

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CM @manchesterbirder.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Bar-tailed Godwit dancing like nobody's watching (despite several of us watching) at the beach at Titchwell. #ukbirding #birds

A medium sized wading bird with pale undersides exposed as it appears to be twerking towards the camera

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CM @manchesterbirder.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Curlew Sandpiper at Titchwell today, a real treat to see one close in rather than half a mile away on the Lancashire saltmarsh. #ukbirding #birds

A small and elegant wader, peachy buff with brown upper plumage in colour. Its bill is decurved and black, and it has a strong white eyestripe

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CM @manchesterbirder.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

The more traditional, overexposed, too distant, not quite in focus shot of a rare and difficult to see bird standing remarkably in the open at Titchwell. I really love Spotted Crakes! #ukbirding #birds

A Spotted Crake, a small rail, golden plumage in the strong sunlight spotted with white and silver. Long legs and a triangular bill complete the image.

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CM @manchesterbirder.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

A poor and blurry photo of one of the Spotted Crakes in brief flight at Titchwell today. The usual excuses about light, camera, general incompetence all apply. #ukbirding #birds

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Lyme Disease UK @lymediseaseuk.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

In the UK, ticks can be active from February through November, with a smaller peak in activity between September and November. So if you’re heading out for an autumn walk, exploring the woods, gardening or enjoying the outdoors, remember to check for ticks when you get home.

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