Today a Holly Blue in our Colchester garden was my FFY. Then at Abberton Res 4+ Green Hairstreaks were showing well between Gwen’s and Island hides

Enjoyed seeing my 4th Adder of the year with this male on Mersea island Essex today. Attempting to climb a sandy cliff face.

This Hummingbird hawk-moth in our Colchester garden today was our 2nd this year. Plus a Small White butterfly our FFY during brief sunny intervals.

Enjoyable day yesterday with the Bonaparte’s gull at Abberton, and the Ring Ouzel on Billets flood fields. Also 2 Cattle Egrets, my first Cuckoo and Common Terns of the year. And great to see lots of familiar faces there #essexbirding

We’ve been having almost daily visits by this Fox. It’s in great condition and generally unfazed by garden life, and here it’s having a snooze. P.s it is in the photo #foxoftheday

Right on cue my FFY Dark-edged bee-fly in our Colchester garden this a’noon, equalling previous years of 2022, and 2024 when my earliest sightings were also on the 18th March.

Abberton this morning. The Drake Canvasback still at Billets screen. and 2 Lesser Scaup (m&f) still from St Andrews church viewpoint. #essexbirding

After getting some more photos of the ringed Lesser Redpoll in our Colchester garden, we have managed to read the number and have found out where it was ringed. It was ringed as a first year bird on the 26/10/25 at non other than just down the road at Abberton Reservoir #essexbirding

The Abberton WTE from this morning unsuccessfully hunting a Herring gull, it caught it twice but it still got away #essexbirding

That was a great morning at Abberton church watching the White tailed Eagle. Always distant but nice to see it hunting (unsuccessfully) for Coot and it even caught a Herring gull which somehow got away. Last seen flying N around midday #essexbirding

4 Redpolls again in our Colchester garden this morning including this ringed bird again ( last seen on 11th Feb) #essexbirding

A visit to Shut Heath woods EWT this morning produced 2-3 Nuthatch, 4 GSWoodpeckers in clouding some drumming but no sight or sound of the hoped for LSWoodpecker. Back home in the sunshine produced Red Admiral and Comma both my FFY #essexbirding

At least one Firecrest is still putting in an appearance in our Colchester garden this week, also 4 Redpolls still, a pair of Blackcaps and c50 Redwings still in the area devouring the Ivy berries. And this low flying Red Kite #essexbirding

Up in Suffolk and Just had these 2 Common Cranes interrupt my breakfast. They flew East over Wenhaston appearing to drop towards Blythburgh at 07:05 this morning @birdguides.bsky.social @rarebirder.bsky.social #Ukbirding

Bit of a long shot but one of the Redpolls here in Colchester is ringed on its right leg. A single metal ring. Can’t quite make out all of the numbers but there is a ‘K’. The bird has pointed tail feathers so a 2nd cal year. #essexbirding #birdringing #bto I’m hoping to get some clearer shots

We have now got 8 Redpolls coming to our Colchester garden. Here they are still feeding on Stinging Nettle seeds. #essexbirding

A quick wizz to Abberton this morning in the fog produced a Brambling still at the end of Lodge lane with Chaffinches. An Abberton tick for me, number 210. Glossy Ibis still at Copt hall. And returning home a Great white Egret flew E over the garden. Our 2nd record here. #essexbirding

Our Redpoll count has gone up to 3 now in our Colchester garden. With the addition of a female today. Here she was pecking around the buds of our Elder tree. Also the males were feeding on Stinging Nettle seeds that I hadn’t cut back yet. #essexbirding

I’m enjoying sticking my head out of the bathroom window for the Lesser Redpolls. They are feeding on the new buds on our Elder tree #essexbirding

2 Lesser Redpolls enjoying the rain in our Colchester garden again this morning. Plus Blackcap still singing away #essexbirding

A gloomy start to the day here in our Colchester garden. 1 Lesser Redpoll still around and a sign that spring is not too far away, here’s our male Blackcap singing which it’s been doing since Jan 26th. ( my earliest singing bird ) #essexbirding

This Lesser Redpoll dropped down into our Colchester garden early this morning. Only my 3rd that has landed here. Also the Firecrest is still visiting our Holly tree. #essexbirding

This male Blackcap ( one of a pair ) is still feasting on Ivy berries in our Colchester garden today. Also 60+ Redwing have been hanging around also feeding on nearby Ivy berries. In the past couple of days a few Goosanders have flown over SW towards Abberton in the evenings #essexbirding

Enjoyed a visit to Abberton this morning with the kids. The 3 Tundra Bean geese and 5 Smew ( 3 drake) were my highlights. Plus 6 RCPochard and Scaup. The Essex birding massive were out in force, and nice to see some friendly faces. #essexbirding

Happy New year! 🎉 These are some of our garden highlights from this year including Osprey, GWE and Crossbills as garden ticks. Also adding Brown Argus as our 28th butterfly species. And discovering White Admiral larva. Looking forward to what 2026 has to offer 🤞 All the best #essexbirding

A visit to Abberton this morning produced the 4 Little Stints in hide bay still ( lost to view when birds spooked ) plus a Raven flew through, 1 BNGrebe and fem Scaup from island hide. 2 Slav grebes together and 77 Goosander from LDLH c’way. #essexbirding

Our Colchester garden White Admiral larva is still in situ today. Having made a hibernaculum leaf which later shrivelled up, it has chosen to stay where it is rather than make a new one elsewhere on the branch.

The 2 Firecrests were back in my Colchester garden again today, and showed very well for a few minutes. Also a Redpoll sp flew over #essexbirding

Showing Ivy a Raven that just cronked over our Colchester garden this a’noon. 2 Red Admirals still on our Buddliea. Y’day 4 Crossbills flew over plus a pair of Blackcaps in the garden. #essexbirding

A nice surprise whilst washing up were 2 Firecrests in our Colchester garden this morning. My first locally this autumn/winter and maybe the same returning pair that overwintered here last year. #essexbirding

A Swift species Common/ Pallid was feeding back and forth over the junction of Warren lane and Maldon road Colchester at 11:00 this morning. I was on the way back from the shops with the kids and had no optics ! I alerted the local birders and wizzed home and back but no sign of it. #essexbirding

A record phone shot of Comet C/2025 A6 Lemmon in yesterday’s evening sky. (Just Below centre) #astronomy

This Great White Egret flew E over our Colchester garden today and was a nice garden ✅. Also our first autumn Siskins and y’day 4 Redwings over #essexbirding

10+ Crossbills flew low east over my garden here in Colchester, NE end of Fridaywoods just gone 11am. #essexbirding

Managed to get over and see the Turkestan Shrike y’day at Dunwich. As always with Shrikes an absolute cracker… #rarebirduk

2 Clouded Yellows at Gt Wigborough church this morning also 2 Wall Browns, Small Heath and Common Blues still on the wing. 6 + Goldcrests there also. Water levels still dropping at Abberton #essexbirding

I hadn’t check on our garden White Admiral larva for a while, and checking today I noticed its hibernaculum had completely shrivelled up leaving the caterpillar still active outside of it. Hopefully it will make a new one soon.

A fantastic mad rush to locally twitch the Arctic Warbler in Essex at Great Wigborough church this evening. Initially a no show, i felt a dip coming on and then refound by Stuart. Well done on the finders @snixon66.bsky.social and @chrispoole050.bsky.social. 👍 My 2nd for Essex #essexBirding

This very worn male Brown Argus was briefly in our Colchester garden today. And was a long awaited garden tick. In the last 8 years of living here It becomes garden butterfly species number 28.

Going through some photos taken in our Colchester garden from last week and this Small White has recaught my eye. It has an interesting concave outer edge to the wing spot ( Southern Small White like? ) but I’m guessing it’s within range and variation of a late summer Small White.

This Hummingbird Hawk-moth was still around our Colchester garden today. Plus another Willow Emerald Damselfly this time in our conservatory. Plus a Small Heath on our Water Mint.

This Willow Emerald Damselfly was nice to see in our Colchester garden today. ( 1 or 2 annually in last few years ). Plus 2 Hummingbird Hawk-moths together. Our best year by far for this species with almost daily sightings.

On the 27th July our garden White Admiral larva had already made its hibernaculum. First photo. The leaf cut off squarely and symmetrically folded over and joined by silk. I believe it started hibernating soon after. Today’s photo shows it all still intact. @bc-cambs-essex.bsky.social

Digi Binned photo of the smart and very showy Juv Wood Sand at Abberton this morning. NE corner of LDLH c’way. Typically i left my camera at home on this morning’s visit there with the kids. #essexbirding

My first Jersey Tiger of the year unexpectedly alighted on my daughters head on a visit to Colchester zoo just now.

Today one of our White Admiral larva in our Colchester garden was still present whilst the second one has gone AWOL. Its leaf mostly eaten with what maybe its latrine left behind in silk? Maybe wandered off to find a new leaf, I did have a look but still can’t find it. @bc-cambs-essex.bsky.social

Some better shots of our garden White Admiral larvae here in Colchester. 2 caterpillars found so far. @bc-cambs-essex.bsky.social @ukbutterflies.bsky.social

About 3 weeks ago we had a White Admiral lay eggs on our garden Honeysuckle here in Colchester.This morning I’ve had a look again and we have this larvae sitting on the end of its ‘pier’ which has made my day. I’ve never seen their larvae before and had always wanted to. @bc-cambs-essex.bsky.social

A walk into Fridaywoods Colchester, Cherry tree lane area produced a male Purple Emperor in the usual territory NE side of gravel crater. ( This territory has now been used for the last 8 years that I know of ). Plus 3 Silver-washed Fritillaries and a White Admiral in that same area.

15 species of butterfly in our Colchester garden today including this Silver-washed Fritillary some WLH including this female on bramble flowers. The Lavender was alive with Large Whites and Bees, now the sky is filling with flying Ants