simon ghilks

@scally_ray @Merlintag @waderquest Nice photo Ray, so not a mythical bird after all 😊. Hopefully I'll be around for the next one.

AUDENSHAW RES, G. Man. - Its been 29 years since the last sighting! found by Rob and Sonia this afternoon a stunning SPOTTED REDSHANK with @Merlintag , its been a great last week or two for waders, a Manchester suburbs mega. @waderquest

@scally_ray @Merlintag Thanks Ray, seems to be the case that the more hours you put in the luckier you get. Seen some crackers on there this year.

@simonghilks @Merlintag Very well deserved to you both 👍

A first for Audenshaw Reser this morning with @Merlintag. Fair to say we were rather excited.

Just a Whimbrel catching crabs as the sun went down. Vilamoura Marina.

@jessphillips You ain't no hitchhiker, you're driving the bus.

Turning 42 on Monday but at labour conference so celebrating tonight. I am the meaning of life the universe and everything

Every year on my birthday my mates and I go out and end up back at someone's house to watch #strictly

@BritishSpiders Thank you for taking the time to reply.

@simonghilks Simon, this is certainly not a typical pattern but the consensus is that it IS the ‘delta’ form of Gorse Orbweb Spider (Agalenatea redii)

@BritishSpiders is this a Gorse Orbweb? I can't find it's exact likeness in British Spiders guide book. Seen in a scrubby area in east Manchester.

@scally_ray Thanks Ray, super painting, looking forward to hanging it on the wall, it will bring back great memories of that little jewel of a bird.

FIRECREST - Watercolour on stretched Arches paper, a nice recent addition to my Manchester list with a bird found by my friend @simonghilks at the unlikely venue of Dukinfield Park, anything can turn up anywhere!

@moreton_birding Limpkin?

Lots of people suggested Kagu for my alphabet painting, so I decided to go for it! Think it was a good choice! Open to any ideas for L !

Distressing sight this morning on patch. Pink-footed Goose, likely Avian Flu victim. East Manchester location.

Sparrowhawk - too focused on the small birds in the hedgerow to notice us parked up beside it. Thanks to Ewan from @Nature_Scotland for the evening out with @Jack_Waldie and Ian. #sparrowhawk #mull #birding #birdphotography #wildlifephotography #ThePhotoHour

Stumbled across a very chilled out Adder on a family trip to #GallowayForestPark today. Never managed to see one in the UK before.

@Alexander_Lees Yep, got my sums wrong. This is devastating. Couldn't imagine nearly a quarter of a tonne of dead wild birds in one place, mind blowing.

@simonghilks Sandwich Tern weight = 130 – 310 g, so around 1000 terns = 200 kg... they reported 500 dead adults recently and then juv mortality even higher.

200 kg of dead Sandwich Terns. In one day.

@Alexander_Lees Whoops my bad, nothing like half a million but if mostly chicks over 1000 maybe 1500 birds. Mental aritmatic all over the place.

@RichardJMurphy Not only have we shot ourselves in the foot, we checked the gun was loaded, took careful aim, fired a shot checked our aim was true and unloaded the full chamber into the same foot.

Me, on LBC this morning:

@EmmaKennedy Sleep, language, memory, although I'd swap sleep for my teenage eyesight if it were an option.

Lovely Sedge Warbler on local patch this morning, scarce bird in Tameside.

Bit surprised to say the least to see these chaps at Audenshaw Reservoirs this morning.

@caitlinmoran Visible farts

Also: pies cooling on a windowsill; people's pupils turning heart-shaped on seeing something they like; dogs running away down a street with a string of sausages; bags of gold coins.