Week one in my new role as Field Operations Coordinator at @longpointbirds.bsky.social. Migration monitoring is in full swing at Old Cut, with a few hundred kinglets and creepers ringed! Here’s a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. 🇨🇦🪶

Wow! Up close with a drake Ring-necked Duck today in Norfolk, Ontario! #birdringing @emmabuck.bsky.social

An arrival of Golden-crowned Kinglets at Long Point’s Old Cut today! 🇨🇦🪶

Red-winged Blackbird at Long Point Causeway yesterday. Always full of character! 🇨🇦🪶

Over 500 Sandhill Cranes have been utilising the marshes beside Long Point Causeway in recent days 🇨🇦🪶

Brown Pelican plunge-diving (and dispersing a shoal of fish!) along Cozumel’s waterfront in January 🇲🇽🪶

In addition to several endemic bird species, Cozumel is home to a handful of regionally endemic subspecies. Pictured from January are Bananaquit, Western Spindalis, Rufous-browed Peppershrike and Mangrove Warbler. 🇲🇽🪶

Cozumel’s wastewater treatment plant offered great views of Ruddy Crake, Black-necked Stilt and Northern Jacana (check out those carpal spurs in the last pic!) in early January 🇲🇽🪶

The endemic Cozumel Emerald was easy to locate in suitable habitat across the island in early January 🇲🇽🪶

Four vireo species encountered in Mexico over the turn of the year: White-eyed, Yucatán, Cozumel and Mangrove. The Cozumel Vireo proved surprisingly difficult to find - an island endemic that has declined due to predation by non-native boa constrictors. 🇲🇽🪶

Two endemic Mexican wrens from December and January: Yucatán and Cozumel 🇲🇽🪶

Yellow-crowned Night Heron at Río Lagartos in late December 🇲🇽🪶

Excellent views of Common Pauraque on Cozumel and in Calakmul over the festive period 🇲🇽🪶

Within Canada, the Band-tailed Pigeon is confined to southwestern British Columbia. This forest specialist is North America’s largest pigeon and the closest living relative of the Passenger Pigeon. 🕊️📸 from Vancouver Island this week. 🇨🇦🪶

Bald Eagle keeping a watchful eye over Vancouver last week #CanadianBirding

British Columbia’s first-ever Taiga Bean Geese (middendorffii) gave fabalis views in Port Renfrew yesterday. Hot on the heels of Canada’s first Taiga Flycatcher, they continue this winter’s run of Taiga vagrants in the province. #CanadianBirding

Wilson’s Plover on Cozumel’s coast in early January 🇲🇽🪶

Magnificent Frigatebird over Cozumel in early January 🇲🇽🪶

Ocellated Turkeys offered excellent views at both Calakmul and Cobá in late December. Endemic to the Yucatán Peninsula, they are one of only two extant turkey species in the world. 🇲🇽🪶

Crested Guans aren’t normally seen in areas near humans due to hunting pressure. However, they can be approachable in protected areas, as was the case in Cobá on 27 December. 🇲🇽🪶

The Great Curassow is a secretive member of the Cracidae family, rarely encountered away from protected or very remote areas. This male gave a fleeting view in Zona Arqueológica de Calakmul on 30 December. 🇲🇽🪶

The Mayan Antthrush is an elusive ground-dwelling inhabitant of humid lowland forest, which can prove very difficult to see. I was delighted with this encounter at Camino Vigia Chico on 02 January! 🇲🇽🪶

A Pink-footed Goose (VLF) I saw in east Norfolk in Sep 2021 with Jack Morris had been ringed in NW Iceland in Jul 2017. It’s since been seen elsewhere in Norfolk, Lancashire and Caithness. Jack was also responsible for the Caithness sightings: in 2024 and again this week! 🇮🇸🧪🌍 #UKbirding #birdringing

A Black-headed Gull (2F06) I ringed in Southend-on-Sea in February 2023 was in a Dutch colony at Zoetermeer by the following month. It’s now back in the same colony for its fourth consecutive season, having been seen there this week! 🇳🇱🧪🌍 #EssexBirding #BirdRinging

Woodpigeon ringed via a homemade walk-in trap on Monday. The transition from grey to white in the upperwing coverts is difficult to appreciate in the field. #EssexBirding #BirdRinging

This pair of colour-ringed Brent Geese (LZGH & LZGT), pictured off Leigh-on-Sea on 10 February, were ringed on Terschelling 🇳🇱 in May 2018. Since then, they’ve been regularly seen at Leigh-on-Sea in winter and at various locations on the Dutch coast in spring. 🧪🌍 #EssexBirding #BirdRinging

It’s turnover time for Black-headed Gulls on Southend Seafront as they head to breeding grounds. Today I saw one that spent the winter in St. James’s Park, and last week one that hatched in the Lea Valley. This individual, pictured last month, was ringed in Amsterdam. #EssexBirding

This evening’s 25 km cycle to Hullbridge resulted in five Mute Swans receiving colour rings and a decent number of resightings of those ringed in previous years. #EssexBirding #LowCarbonBirding

Resident Mute Swans at Gunners Park have changed a few times in recent years due to mortality. The current pair comprises 4HFI (a returning female who hatched on-site, ringed in July 2024) and 4HFR (a male ringed in February 2025, formerly paired with his current partner's mother). #EssexBirding

A cycle along Southend Seafront this afternoon produced resightings of a 2011-ringed Black-headed Gull, BHGs I’d ringed in 2022 and 2025, plus a Starling from last winter. Mediterranean Gulls looked dapper. #LowCarbonBirding #EssexBirding

Abberton Reservoir this afternoon: Lesser Scaup, 3 Smew, Black-necked Grebe, 2 Greater Scaup, >30 White-fronted Goose #EssexBirding

Today’s visit to Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens marked the end of the winter waterbird ringing season in London. We ringed 19 birds and read rings on a further 92 individuals, including a 2014-ringed Egyptian Goose and 2 Mute Swans from Surrey. @bh-wlbirding.bsky.social #birdringing #UKbirding

I’ve seen 48 ringed Black-headed Gulls in London’s Royal Parks this week. Most were ringed in London, but individuals already sporting rings had come from Finland, Czechia, Germany and Denmark. Between them, they’ve generated over 900 resightings across Europe. 🧪🌍 #UKbirding #BirdRinging

Monday’s ring reading in London’s Royal Parks produced 161 rings read: 53 Greylag Goose, 43 BH Gull, 28 Mute Swan, 21 Coot, 6 Starling, 4 Canada Goose, 2 Moorhen, Common Gull, Egyptian Goose, Herring Gull & Woodpigeon. 22 km walked. @finchleybirder.bsky.social #LowCarbonBirding #BirdRinging (1/2)

A wonderful Woodpigeon ringed in Southend-on-Sea today. A really underrated species! #EssexBirding #BirdRinging

This morning’s ringing in central London featured Tufted Duck and Ring-necked Parakeet @bh-wlbirding.bsky.social #birdringing #UKbirding

22 birds ringed at Round Pond with @bh-wlbirding.bsky.social & crew today, including Tufted Duck, Black-headed Gull and Mute Swan. Plus a 2023-ringed Gadwall recaptured. #UKbirding #birdringing

Turnstones don’t usually come close enough to catch by hand at my coastal ringing sites, but this one did yesterday! #EssexBirding #BirdRinging

Firecrest at Gunners Park on yesterday’s 38 km cycle #LowCarbonBirding #EssexBirding

Mediterranean Gull 2H79 was leading the line at Southend-on-Sea Seafront yesterday. I ringed it there in February 2023 and it’s been seen regularly since, always within 2 km to the east, south or west. #EssexBirding #BirdRinging

35 km cycled yesterday in pursuit of ringed gulls. It’s nice to see Black-headed Gull 2F08 back for another winter at Westcliff Seafront, where I ringed it in February 2023. It visited Gothenburg (995 km NE) in April 2023. 🌍🧪 #EssexBirding #LowCarbonBirding

Red-crested Pochard in Southchurch Park yesterday. She’s been frequenting Southend’s parks for >5 years; usually found in Southchurch, often in Shoebury and occasionally in Gunners. #EssexBirding

Southend Seafront’s Starlings yesterday ~ often overlooked but quite endearing! #EssexBirding

Seven Coot received colour rings at London’s Serpentine yesterday @bh-wlbirding.bsky.social #birdringing #UKbirding

Hand-catching at the Serpentine today resulted in 17 birds ringed under licence, including the first Grey Heron in the 10 winters of @bh-wlbirding.bsky.social’s Royal Parks waterbird project! #birdringing

Distant gulls in rainy gloom. Leigh-on-Sea produced a Caspian yesterday and three Little Gulls today. #EssexBirding

Of today’s three Firecrests at Gunners Park, two had been ringed there on 13 December. The other was a new individual. #EssexBirding #BirdRinging

Gunners Park today: Greater Scaup, 10 Black-necked Grebe, Dartford Warbler & 3 Firecrest #EssexBirding

Yellow-throated Warbler in Calotmul, Yucatán, on 24 December 🇲🇽🪶

Willet and Royal Tern cruising the shoreline of Río Lagartos on 25 December 🇲🇽🪶