Mike Pollard
Nature recovery, birding and photography.
Curlew conservation.
Bird Recorder for NE Wales.
Most bird pics with OM-1 Mark II plus 150-400mm f4.5 lens
🏳️🌈Own views.
- A couple of Dark-bellied Brent Geese (left) with the more common Pale-bellied Geese at Y Foryd near Caernarfon yesterday.
- #Turnstone on the shore at old Colwyn yesterday afternoon during a welcome spell of warm sunshine. #birdingWales
- Fab afternoon to be watching seaduck off the North Wales coast. Plenty of birders out looking. Really nice views of four Velvet Scoters at Llandullas, then two drake Surf Scoters at Old Colwyn. My best views of both species along this coast so far 😀. Thousands of Common Scoter too. #birdingWales
- The Velvet Scoters
- Reposted by Mike Pollard[Not loaded yet]
- The wintering female Black Redstart at Horton's Nose, Rhyl, this morning in some welcome☀️. Feeding succesfully around a small patch of pebbly dune habitat that is protected with chestnut paling fencing (that also makes a useful perch), with a couple of Stonechats for company. #birdingWales
- Delighted to catch up with the first winter Lesser Yellowlegs @ the Clwyd Estuary this morning. Feeding mostly in the saltmarsh, and occasionally on the mudflats. A little smaller and more dainty than the Redshanks nearby. @alexhj.bsky.social @birdsinwales.bsky.social #birdingWales
- #Dippers are remarkably hardy birds - this one was repeatedly diving into freezing water and perching on ice & snow. Good to see it finding lots of food too. Photo taken on the River Dee at Mar Lodge near Braemar at the weekend. #birdingscotland
- More Short-eared Owl pics from yesterday afternoon on the Dee Estuary.
- Nipped over to England today @rspbburtonmere.bsky.social where nice to see a Willow Tit - very agitated due to the presence of a Stoat! Also Lesser Whitethroat (possibly Siberian). Finished off at Little Neston where at least fabulous 5 Short-eared Owls hunting across the marshes.
- Reposted by Mike PollardFinal proofs of @birdsinwales.bsky.social Welsh Bird Report 2024 uploaded to the printer in Treorchy. Many thanks to Ian Spence for his design work and Alun Lambert for the cover photo. Christmas holidays mean that it won't arrive with members until next month, but hopefully worth waiting for...
- One of four #Turnstones feeding around puddles in the car park at Pensarn Beach this afternoon, catching the last rays of sunshine. #birdingWales @waderstudy.bsky.social
- I’ve created a North Wales Birds 2026 Calendar using my favourite photos from the past year. £10 each includes postage. Message me if you’d like one. Pics from Great Orme, Connah’s Quay, Cilcain, Gronant, Anglesey, Bardsey (cover). A4 & plenty of space to write on 😀. #birdingWales #northwales
- Pleasantly suprised to see six Pale-bellied Brent Geese feeding on the saltmarsh quite close to the beach car park at Point of Ayr. This area is often used for dog walking but thankfully it was undisturbed for much of this afternoon. No sign of the Bufflehead, though. #birdingWales
- Exciting to catch up with the drake Bufflehead that graced Point of Ayr #RSPB over high tide today. No sign of rings & behaving like a wild bird. @rspbcymru.bsky.social @britishbirds.bsky.social #birdingWales @birdsinwales.bsky.social @rspbburtonmere.bsky.social @penrhynbirder.bsky.social
- Black-headed Gull with a shrew captured as the high tide flushed small mammals from the saltmarsh at Flint Castle, Dee Estuary. Jack Snipe (record shot) flushed by the rising tide, then landing in grass within the castle for a few minutes before heading off up the estuary. #birdingWales
- #Curlews feeding on pasture beside the Dee Estuary at high tide this morning. This one has an impressive bill - must be a female. @birdingWales @birdsinwales.bsky.social @curlewaction.bsky.social
- #Curlew feeding at very low tide at Llandullas this afternoon. 4000+ Common Scoter offshore, plus two Surf Scoter - adult drake and a 'female type' - quite a long way out & diving synchronously much of the time. Also Kingsfisher hunting the rock pools. #birdingWales
- Back in October I was delighted to achieve a 'highly commended' with my winter #Fieldfare in the @birdsinwales.bsky.social photo competition☺️ & presented with a WOS calendar by @iolowilliams.bsky.social at the annual conference in Aberystwyth. @omsystem.bsky.social
- male #Sparrowhawk in lovely late afternoon light - Dee Estuary. #birdingWales
- Willow Tit at Llyn Brenig this morning. Visting feeders near the visitor centre, but also foraging in the trees nearby. #birdingWales @richardkbroughton.bsky.social
- Male Reed Bunting and Stonechat feeding on/from Reedmace at Gronant Dunes this morning. 46 species seen, including a female/immature Merlin, two Marsh Harriers and a flock of Sanderling that included a one-legged bird hopping along the beach! #birdingWales
- North Norfolk today. Hume’s Leaf Warbler & Barn Owl @ Holme NOA; Pallas’s Warbler @ RSPB Titchwell where also at least 6 fabulous Firecrests. Fab day to be out in the field despite the chill wind.
- @rspbframptonmarsh.bsky.social this PM. Stonechats finding hairy caterpillars; eastern-type Chiffchaff & huge flock of Golden Plover gathered towards dusk. Highlight was a male Hen Harrier hunting the saltmarsh late on. Site has been incredibly dry; starting to look like a wetland again 😀
- Another angle on the Shorelark at Great Orme yesterday. It landed for a few minutes on the cairn above the cliffs from where it had a good view of the assembled birders! #birdingWales
- 'Larking Around!' Second time lucky for me with the Great Orme Shore Lark this morning. @birdsinwales.bsky.social #birdingWales
- A couple of distinctive-looking leucistic #Oystercatchers at Gronant yesterday. Very attractive-looking birds too. #birdingWales
- Some of the #Natterjack Toad breeding pools at Gronant have been freshly scraped to rejuvenate them for the next breeding season. Nice to see them filled with water. @arc-trust.bsky.social @cofnod.org.uk
- My first Snow Bunting of the year feeding at the top of the beach at Gronant this morning. Gorgeous sunny weather - couple of Skylarks singing! @birdsinwales.bsky.social #birdingWales
- Reposted by Mike PollardWorrying reports of bird flu (avian influenza) are coming in, including an outbreak in Whooper Swans in the Fens. Other waterbirds are also being affected, and cases are rising. 📷 Sick Whooper Swan by Kane Brides #UKBirding #BirdingWales #BirdingScotland
- Grey Plover fly-past at Point of Ayr yesterday - in final stages of wing moult. Nice to capture those black 'arm-pit' feathers. @birdsinwales.bsky.social #birdingWales
- An excellent crop of Yew berries this autumn is attracting plenty of thrushes, finches and Starlings. Cilcain. @birdsinwales.bsky.social #birdingWales
- Reposted by Mike Pollard[Not loaded yet]
- Two juvenile #Sanderlings at Point of Ayr yesterday, the one of the left still has most of the juvenile feathers, the one on the right has a nice fresh set of grey scapulars. @birdsinwales.bsky.social #birdingWales
- This flock of Eider was the hightlight of a couple of hours at Point of Ayr over high tide in windy conditions. Also nice views of Sanderling and Rock Pipit on the beach. @birdsinwales.bsky.social #birdingWales
- Spent some time looking at gulls on the Dee Estuary during the falling tide this pm and picked out a 2nd winter Mediterranean Gull, still quite a scarce bird in these parts. @birdsinwales.bsky.social #birdingWales
