As 2025 draws to a close, time to reflect on a great year, 5 Suffolk ticks; pallid harrier, zitting cisticola, Turkestan Shrike, Brown Shrike and... WT Eagle(!). I wonder what 2026 will bring? More records submitted to Bird track too. Happy new year to you all.

Nice bike ride today to Carlton Marshes and back, an 8 mile round trip to blow out some cobwebs and see the smart drake Smew, although distant. At least one chiffchaff nearby and a Cetti's gave a nice burst of song by Oulton Dyke. Good to bag myself a copy of the Suffolk Bird 2024 report too!

Black-winged Kite in the last dregs of daylight, distantly at Ludham bridge, Norfolk. Amazed at how much it hovered. #ukbirding #norfolkbirding

Certain to be far better but for now, a few record shots of todays Great Shearwater as it passed Waxham this morning. Hell of a buzz!.. #NorfolkBirding

Hoping all my followers had a great Christmas! It was a sunny and bracing Boxing Day wander around the patch this afternoon, main highlight was this smart continental blackbird that let me film 2ft away, didn't care about me at all!

Happy Boxing Day Boxes remind us that simple things can bring comfort A warm spot, a quiet pause, a moment to belong Boxes provide comfort, structure, and emotional support. This should be recognised more formally I am happy to be the official Box Appreciation Ambassador

Found this striking partial-albino male Blackbird today at Bowness-on-Windermere… 23.12.25

A Mediterranean Short-toed Lark (Alaudala rufescens) currently just across the Channel near Calais www.faune-france.org/index.php?m_... another species overdue re-entry onto the British List #UKBirding 🪶

Whilst WhatsApp is the main way birders share news, does anyone use Discord? Been experimenting recently with setting up a server for local birders to join, general chat channels as well as bird news, insect news and photo threads. Easy to use and navigate. I'll stop if interest isn't there!

Biggest balls in europe

Ringing Data Reveal Britain's Oldest Honey-buzzard and a Record Year for Siskins www.rarebirdalert.co.uk/v2/Content/R...

A Purple Sandpiper at Cemlyn, ringed in Sweden but almost certainly bred in Svalbard. The 2024 ringing report from @btobirds.bsky.social, containing more fascinating info, features in BirdNotes alongside recent sightings, incl. potentially Wales' first Bufflehead www.birdnotes.wales/blog/tiny-ri...

Counts carried out this autumn on the Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan border have logged more than 5,000 Sociable Lapwings – one of the largest gatherings of this Critically Endangered species recorded in recent decades:

Some interesting factsheets linked here!

Trypophobia alert 🫣 This is an Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus) from Central America & Western United States, filling his acorn larder If Trypophobia is new to you, it is an aversion to the sight of repetitive patterns or clusters of small holes or bumps

Excellent @britishbirds.bsky.social paper from @lesserspotnet.bsky.social et al. using passive acoustic monitoring. LS detected at >60% of sites in southern England, most of which had no recent records. Drums/calls very few over thousands of hours. Birders' chances of an encounter clearly very low!

Night night sweet dreamies Whatever self-care means to you, find time for it every day. Take a bath, read, call someone you love, anything that makes you feel loved

🇺🇦‼️ One of the Hardest Moments in Ukrainian History 🇺🇸 Misled by Russia’s manipulative narrative of supposed military dominance, the U.S. has shifted pressure onto Ukraine instead... Read more ⬇️ theukrainianreview.info/one-of-the-h...

This #InternationalMensDay we’re reminded that suicide is the leading cause of death for men under 50 in the UK. We all have mental health, and talking about it matters. Check in with the men in your life. Reach out. A small conversation can make a big difference.

Divers still at Covenham Reservoir this morning @lincsbirding.bsky.social @lincswildlife.bsky.social @rarebirder.bsky.social #Birds #UKBirding

Went to twitch the Pallas Warbler in central Lowestoft this morning, dipped that but came away with a self found sibe chiffchaff... small victories and all that...

Eastern Black Redstart at the point near the green beacon. Pic: T Willoughby. #spurnbirds @rarebirder.bsky.social

In the autumn I spend some time looking for Purple Emperor larvae. Before hibernation they spin silk threads to ensure their seat leaf stays attached. Eventually some leaves remain hanging by a silken thread and spinning in the wind. This gives away the caterpillars location - here alongside a bud.

After a couple of days away, a walk around the patch at Dip farm proved it was 'on fire' to an extent, some scattered tit/crest flocks held at least 7 firecrest, sadly not much else and no Pallas warbler. Still some life in autumn yet...

The sights and sounds of Camden this afternoon

Outstanding views of the Pallid Swift at times over the middle of Top Fields - thanks @alanlewiswildlife.bsky.social for letting us know it was showing so well up there

BAD NEWS! Should the swift brick vote have taken place earlier today we would have won. Tories whipped YES but by the time of the vote, support had gone home just like 2 years ago. It is an AGONISING reality. Tell your MP & [email protected] what you think. GUTTED.

Last night, Peers voted against Swift bricks: rejecting a simple, proven way to help one of our fastest declining birds recover. ❌ We share @hannahbournetaylor.bsky.social's disappointment & frustration. The vote came late, but with government refusing to back it, its fate was already sealed.

Good morning & welcome to #Caturday New month. New possibilities. A fresh page waiting to be written, full of lessons, laughter, and little victories. Here’s to moving forward with courage, kindness, and curiosity

⚠️ Please report sightings of dead birds for possible testing for Avian Influenza. ⬇️ 📌 In England, Wales & Scotland: www.gov.uk/guidance/... 📌 In Northern Ireland: www.daera-ni.gov.uk/... 📌 In Republic of Ireland: aviancheck.apps.serv... #UKBirding #BirdingWales #BirdingScotland

Iceland’s Varied Thrush. I wonder where that’s going, when it heads South?

A successful twitch to Upper Hollesley common to see the smart first winter Brown Shrike, it often kept low out of the chilly wind that cut across the heath, but some good views were had. Nice to see Crossbills and Yellowhammer and several stonechats, thanks to @richardcsmith.bsky.social for driving

Berwick Bank could kill more birds than any other individual wind farm on the planet, according to the RSPB and conservation partners www.rarebirdalert.co.uk/v2/Content/N...

3 Northern Long-tailed Tits showing well on Yell today. Got a feeling there may be a few decent photos of these birds appearing, as they're very accommodating! 😎👍 #YellBirding #Shetland #RareBirdsUK #Birdguides

Brown Shrike, Upper Hollesley Common this afternoon. My fourth new bird for Suffolk this year - all since May: Bridled Tern, Zitting Cisticola, Turkestan Shrike and now this. Unfortunately, it kept its distance from me

Good morning and welcome to Fish For Tea Friday There's a Japanese legend that says: 'If you feel like you're losing everything, remember, trees lose their leaves every year, yet they still stand tall and wait for better days to come.' Please believe in yourself ❤️

There were plenty of Harlequin ladybirds swarming around Gunton church tower in the afternoon sun, more than I'd like to see but interesting to see the many different patterned morphs they arrive in.

A calm, warm afternoon walk around the patch following a bout of suspected Covid, plenty of goldcrest spread about, blackbird, song thrush and a redwing were enjoying the berries, the odd chiffchaff mixed in with 2 different tit flocks. 2 peregrine over Corton road were unexpected.

What an epic return! 🤩🌍🐦 A common snipe tagged in April 2025 near Olomouc is back in Czechia after migrating to the Yamalo-Nenets AO (east of the Urals) – a round trip of over 7,500 km! #HABITRACK #ornithology #birdmigration #snipe

Red-tailed shrike Dunwich, Suffolk, 05/10/2025 #suffolkbirding #birds

A great day at Dunwich Heath, Suffolk. This Turkestan Shrike performed beautifully in the October sunshine. It was a day that also produced my first Yellow-browed Warbler of the autumn and flyover Glossy Ibis and White-tailed Eagle.

A morning of both quality and quantity at Dunwich with the Turkestan Shrike, plus 4 flyover Glossy Ibis, 3 spoonbill, WT Eagle and GW Egret. Several house martin passed through. 2 Dartfords were nearby, Hobby and 2 redpoll over but the YBW stayed hidden. All topped off with an Ipswich derby win!

An evidently very slow news day for the EDP, another young a green reporter and editor appearing to conflate a red list species is a bird that is numerically rare... 🤦🤦

Meadow pipits are often taken for granted but not this one that was found all by itself in the front garden and then transferred to the back garden, a most unexpected find so far today.

A couple of stonechats on the brambles by Gunton beach was the only noteworthy change this evening, several chiffchaff also about including one that was keen on feeding on the dunes with the stonechat! Tawny owl calling on a neighbours roof was first from the house for a couple of years!

Yellow-browed Bunting trapped, ringed and released at the Swannery. It's flown to the hedge which runs alongside the Swannery grounds and the bird may be viewable from the permissive path heading west from Grove Lane.

The 'mini Redstart fest' continued today, taken by surprise a bird in a front garden along Gunton Church Lane turned out not to be a Robin when it shimmered its tail when alighting into an Oak tree. Later another along the disused railway drew the usual wrath from a Robin and not to be seen again.

Given the winds the past few days it was disappointingly quiet this morning. Highlights being a redpoll over, plus several siskin and mipits. A few song thrush calling and 2 red kite south. Main highlight was 3 wall brown Gunton warren clifftop.

I was just just browsing...

Couldn't improve on yesterdays common redstart, this evening a breezy and largely birdless walk around the patch, far too windy and too clear perhaps.