Dave Helliar
@dhelliar.bsky.social
Local patch birding in Somerset, Devon & Dorset & anything to do with natural history. Retired & now trying to do my little bit to help the natural world.
A rare day off patch today to see the Killdeer at Ripley, Hampshire, always distant & with the sun behind, but nice views thru scope! Had to wait for the Great-tailed Grackle at Holbury to appear, but what a character 'Bluey' is! #HantsBirds
January 23, 2026 at 6:09 PM
A rare day off patch today to see the Killdeer at Ripley, Hampshire, always distant & with the sun behind, but nice views thru scope! Had to wait for the Great-tailed Grackle at Holbury to appear, but what a character 'Bluey' is! #HantsBirds
Patch gold with this superb drake Goldeneye at #ChardRes today (less than annual here) Bit of waterfowl movement with 5 Wigeon & 5 drake Shoveler also present + 9 'local' Tufties. #PWC2026 @somersetbirds.bsky.social
January 19, 2026 at 3:09 PM
Patch gold with this superb drake Goldeneye at #ChardRes today (less than annual here) Bit of waterfowl movement with 5 Wigeon & 5 drake Shoveler also present + 9 'local' Tufties. #PWC2026 @somersetbirds.bsky.social
A few hrs spent on the Devon/Somerset border today & pleased to find a couple Brambling in a Chaffinch flock, also 140+ Linnet & 955 Lapwing. No GP with them today, but 75+ seen recently. Good to see several fields sown with winter bird food crops & supplementary seed feeders #DevonBirds #PWC2026
January 17, 2026 at 8:01 PM
A few hrs spent on the Devon/Somerset border today & pleased to find a couple Brambling in a Chaffinch flock, also 140+ Linnet & 955 Lapwing. No GP with them today, but 75+ seen recently. Good to see several fields sown with winter bird food crops & supplementary seed feeders #DevonBirds #PWC2026
Watched & listened to this Dipper in full song for several minutes as it perched above a very swollen River Axe near my Dorset patch this afternoon. @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social #PWC2026
January 15, 2026 at 6:53 PM
Watched & listened to this Dipper in full song for several minutes as it perched above a very swollen River Axe near my Dorset patch this afternoon. @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social #PWC2026
Red Kite over my house in Chard at 13:00 today in overcast weather. The local Starlings didn't like much! @somersetbirds.bsky.social
January 14, 2026 at 7:54 PM
Red Kite over my house in Chard at 13:00 today in overcast weather. The local Starlings didn't like much! @somersetbirds.bsky.social
Seems pretty common in Somerset. This tree had at least 4 Blackcap eating the berries on 7th January.
January 12, 2026 at 7:20 PM
Seems pretty common in Somerset. This tree had at least 4 Blackcap eating the berries on 7th January.
The thaw in the weather had a few things moving today. Pair Pintail & a GWE at the Dorset patch & 7 Wigeon at #ChardRes
@dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social & @somersetbirds.bsky.social
@dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social & @somersetbirds.bsky.social
January 12, 2026 at 6:14 PM
The thaw in the weather had a few things moving today. Pair Pintail & a GWE at the Dorset patch & 7 Wigeon at #ChardRes
@dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social & @somersetbirds.bsky.social
@dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social & @somersetbirds.bsky.social
Fluffed-up Stonechat on a frosty morning at the Dorset patch today. 90% of the lakes are still completely frozen, meaning most waterfowl have moved on, just 6 Teal, 8 Tufties, pair Mandarin & a Little Grebe braving it out. 12 LT Tit seeming to find food in the willows. @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social
January 10, 2026 at 7:08 PM
Fluffed-up Stonechat on a frosty morning at the Dorset patch today. 90% of the lakes are still completely frozen, meaning most waterfowl have moved on, just 6 Teal, 8 Tufties, pair Mandarin & a Little Grebe braving it out. 12 LT Tit seeming to find food in the willows. @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social
Adult Mediterranean Gull at #ChardRes this morning. NFY #PWC2026 Also GWE still present, 15 Tufties, 30+ Mandarin & GC Grebe are slowly returning after the freeze, now 22 from a low of just 5 (39 present before freeze) @somersetbirds.bsky.social @patchbirding.bsky.social
January 8, 2026 at 12:30 PM
Adult Mediterranean Gull at #ChardRes this morning. NFY #PWC2026 Also GWE still present, 15 Tufties, 30+ Mandarin & GC Grebe are slowly returning after the freeze, now 22 from a low of just 5 (39 present before freeze) @somersetbirds.bsky.social @patchbirding.bsky.social
GW Egret at #ChardRes for its' forth day. At least 4 Blackcap feeding on Mistletoe berries in this impressive tree near Donyatt. Exploring Dowlish Wake STW gave at least 19 Chiffchaff & set-a-side fields held 2 Stonechat, c.100 Linnet, 40+ Chaffinch, Greenfinch & Siskin @somersetbirds.bsky.social
January 7, 2026 at 7:01 PM
GW Egret at #ChardRes for its' forth day. At least 4 Blackcap feeding on Mistletoe berries in this impressive tree near Donyatt. Exploring Dowlish Wake STW gave at least 19 Chiffchaff & set-a-side fields held 2 Stonechat, c.100 Linnet, 40+ Chaffinch, Greenfinch & Siskin @somersetbirds.bsky.social
A couple hours spent at my Dorset 3km #PWC2026 patch gave a cracking Firecrest & Redpoll (both NFY). Teal have increased to 63; a flock of 16 Lapwing over; Water Rail heard & Marsh Tit very vocal, also this Fox seen in a still frozen landscape. @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social @patchbirding.bsky.social
January 6, 2026 at 5:35 PM
A couple hours spent at my Dorset 3km #PWC2026 patch gave a cracking Firecrest & Redpoll (both NFY). Teal have increased to 63; a flock of 16 Lapwing over; Water Rail heard & Marsh Tit very vocal, also this Fox seen in a still frozen landscape. @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social @patchbirding.bsky.social
80% of the lakes at my Dorset 3km #PWC2026 are frozen over & covered by overnight snow grains, looks pretty but all wildfowl are crammed on the last open water inc 44 Teal, 4 Gadwall, 2 Shoveler, 11 Tufties, 4 Lt Grebe & 21 Canadas! @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social @patchbirding.bsky.social
January 5, 2026 at 6:57 PM
80% of the lakes at my Dorset 3km #PWC2026 are frozen over & covered by overnight snow grains, looks pretty but all wildfowl are crammed on the last open water inc 44 Teal, 4 Gadwall, 2 Shoveler, 11 Tufties, 4 Lt Grebe & 21 Canadas! @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social @patchbirding.bsky.social
Nice afternoon spent on the South Levels, with 4 Tundra Bean Geese at Curry Moor; 5 Bewick's Swan, 17 Egyptian Geese & a Ruddy Shelduck at Muchelney Level; 52 White-fronted Geese & Marsh Harrier at West Sedgemoor & a few Cranes at Southlake Moor. @somersetbirds.bsky.social
January 3, 2026 at 8:26 PM
Nice afternoon spent on the South Levels, with 4 Tundra Bean Geese at Curry Moor; 5 Bewick's Swan, 17 Egyptian Geese & a Ruddy Shelduck at Muchelney Level; 52 White-fronted Geese & Marsh Harrier at West Sedgemoor & a few Cranes at Southlake Moor. @somersetbirds.bsky.social
Redhead Goosander at the Dorset patch yesterday (only the 3rd record here this year) & what was probably the same bird, seen briefly just over the border in Somerset at Perry Street Pond the day before. #PWC2025 @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social & @somersetbirds.bsky.social
December 15, 2025 at 1:01 PM
Redhead Goosander at the Dorset patch yesterday (only the 3rd record here this year) & what was probably the same bird, seen briefly just over the border in Somerset at Perry Street Pond the day before. #PWC2025 @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social & @somersetbirds.bsky.social
A rewarding day of #LocalPatchBirding visiting several sites all within 5 miles of home gave 2 Jack Snipe & 12 Common Snipe; 2 female Blackcap; a Firecrest & a total of 15+ Chiffchaff at two WWTW. @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social & @somersetbirds.bsky.social @patchbirding.bsky.social
December 13, 2025 at 8:43 PM
A rewarding day of #LocalPatchBirding visiting several sites all within 5 miles of home gave 2 Jack Snipe & 12 Common Snipe; 2 female Blackcap; a Firecrest & a total of 15+ Chiffchaff at two WWTW. @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social & @somersetbirds.bsky.social @patchbirding.bsky.social
A couple of hours spent on The Blackdowns, Somerset today, gave close views of Dipper & Grey Wagtail, also Kingfisher & a pair of Wigeon, but only 4 Teal. Nearby 2 Stonechat, 6 Skylark & a good count of 34 Snipe, but no Golden Plover or winter thrushes seen! @somersetbirds.bsky.social
December 12, 2025 at 8:45 PM
A couple of hours spent on The Blackdowns, Somerset today, gave close views of Dipper & Grey Wagtail, also Kingfisher & a pair of Wigeon, but only 4 Teal. Nearby 2 Stonechat, 6 Skylark & a good count of 34 Snipe, but no Golden Plover or winter thrushes seen! @somersetbirds.bsky.social
Decided to try the moth trap last night (7/12) as it was so mild, but only a Rusty-dot Pearl & 2 December Moth for the effort! South Somerset VC5 #Teammoth
December 8, 2025 at 5:36 PM
Decided to try the moth trap last night (7/12) as it was so mild, but only a Rusty-dot Pearl & 2 December Moth for the effort! South Somerset VC5 #Teammoth
The photos not going to win any prizes, but the Dawlish Warren Lesser Crested Tern was my first British tick since the Baikal Teal in 2022 (I don't twitch much these days!) #DevonBirds
December 4, 2025 at 5:47 PM
The photos not going to win any prizes, but the Dawlish Warren Lesser Crested Tern was my first British tick since the Baikal Teal in 2022 (I don't twitch much these days!) #DevonBirds
Now two Redhead & a drake Goosander at #ChardRes Photo taken at dusk this evening. @somersetbirds.bsky.social
December 3, 2025 at 6:12 PM
Now two Redhead & a drake Goosander at #ChardRes Photo taken at dusk this evening. @somersetbirds.bsky.social
A rather tatty Red Admiral in my garden in Chard today 3rd Dec!
@savebutterflies.bsky.social
@savebutterflies.bsky.social
December 3, 2025 at 6:09 PM
A rather tatty Red Admiral in my garden in Chard today 3rd Dec!
@savebutterflies.bsky.social
@savebutterflies.bsky.social
A rather dapper Peregrine enjoying the sun after the earlier frost at the Dorset patch today. #PWC2025 @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social
December 3, 2025 at 5:59 PM
A rather dapper Peregrine enjoying the sun after the earlier frost at the Dorset patch today. #PWC2025 @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social
The drake & Redhead Goosander showed quite well from the dam at #ChardRes early this am, shame the light was so poor! #PWC2025 @somersetbirds.bsky.social
November 27, 2025 at 10:20 PM
The drake & Redhead Goosander showed quite well from the dam at #ChardRes early this am, shame the light was so poor! #PWC2025 @somersetbirds.bsky.social