What were your #Top5Birds or bird moments from the past week? Mine, in Suffolk: 1. Hoopoe! A fleeting view but, Wow! 2. Spotting an Artic Skua from the shore 3. Beautiful Roseate Tern at #Minsmere 4. Cute Shelduck chicks looking like humbugs 5. Surprise Little Owl! 🪶

Congratulations to the Swarovski Optik Women's Team for placing 1st in the top 20 international teams for the Global Big Day. And I'm very proud of the Casual Birder Podcast Team for placing 18th. With 37 members across 7 countries, we logged 392 species. An awesome event!

New episode! I was delighted to speak with Mary Colwell about Curlews - the UK's largest wading bird. She founded Curlew Action which works to reverse the population decline of Curlews in the UK. Mary shares her love of this beautiful wader and its haunting song. casualbirder.com/episode147 🪶

How did your #globalbigday go? The Casual Birder Podcast Team had 37 members in 10 countries and logged 367 species! Along with our fundraising for @birdlifeglobal.bsky.social it was a wonderful event! I was birding in Suffolk, UK & logged 89 species - a personal best for a big day! 🪶

What were your #Top5Birds or bird moments from the past week? Mine, in Suffolk: 1. 1st of year Common Tern 2. Beautiful Firecrest 3. Singing Nightingales 4. Purring Turtle Dove 5. Lesser Whitethroat singing Bonus moment: Seeing / hearing 89 species on the #GlobalBigDay, a new personal record! 🪶

What were your #Top5Birds or bird moments from the past week? Mine: 1. Watching Greylag Goose goslings experiencing the world 2. First of year Common Reed Warbler - species #148 of 2026 3. Close views of a Green Woodpecker 4. Seeing a Cuckoo! 5. First of year Corn Bunting - a surprise find! 🪶

I feel like a 90s New York rapper. Like “they been waiting and praying on my downfall,” but it’s literally the case. I actually want anyone to be able to listen. I think people will support that, voluntarily. And I really hope we can prove those haters wrong.

It’s the 1st of May and here in London it is a beautifully sunny day! The first bird I heard was a Ring-necked Parakeet calling. The first I saw was a Feral Pigeon (of course!😁) What was your 1st bird of the month?

What were your #Top5Birds or bird moments from the past week? Mine, in Essex: 1. Little Ringed Plovers calling & displaying 2. Surprise Black-winged Stilt 3. Wonderful Western Yellow Wagtail And back home: 4. Long-tailed Tit looking for insects 5. Sunlit Starlings showing iridescent plumage 🪶

What were your #Top5Birds or bird moments from the past week? Mine: 1. Sparrowhawk chasing a Blackbird across the garden 2. Visits from my Rook friend (Rooksy). 3. Listening to Sparrows chirping 4. Finding out two of our nestboxes have nests 5. Seeing 8 Great Tit chicks on my parents nestbox cam 🪶

New episode! John and I share our birding highlights from the start of 2026, from the Eastern Black Redstart and lifer Taiga Bean Goose seen in Norfolk to the Tawny Owl I heard on the last morning of January. casualbirder.com/episode146

What were your #Top5Birds or bird moments from the past week? Mine: 1. A Firecrest seen close to home on my birthday 2. In Gloucestershire, a Goshawk flying past treetops 3. First of year Bullfinch 4. A flock of 40+ Sand Martin 5. Green Sandpiper, species 137 of the year 🪶

What were your #Top5Birds or bird moments from the past week? Mine, in Gloucestershire: 1. Common Crossbill 2. Displaying Wren singing loudly 3. First of year Siskin and Redpoll, flying together 4. And in Hampshire, my first Swallow of the year and 5. Ruddy Shelduck 🪶

A go-to listen on a dull grey day when you need some spring in your ears. Episode 65 - Songs from the churchyard (50 mins) A lazy April afternoon in the sunshine of the churchyard at St Mary's, Gilston in Hertfordshire. > radiolento.podbean.com/e/songs-from... <

It’s the 1st of April and here in Gloucestershire it is a mild and cloudy day! The first bird I heard was a Blackbird, singing at first light. The first I saw was a Lesser Black-backed Gull on a roof opposite the hotel I’m staying in. What was your 1st bird of the month? 🪶

What were your #Top5Birds or bird moments from the past week? Mine, on an evening farmland walk: 1. Yellowhammer 2. Red-legged Partridge 3. Common Pheasant calling & drumming its wings loudly 4. Dunnocks singing softly in the hedge 5. Blackbirds calling their sharp metallic note as dusk fell 🪶

What were your #Top5Birds or bird moments from the past week? Mine: 1. Lifer Penduline Tit in France 🌟 and 2. First of year Swallows And back home: 3. Herring Gull chasing a Heron over our garden 4. Blackbird singing in the morning 5. Common Buzzard soaring in the blue sky 🪶

What were your #Top5Birds or bird moments from the past week? Mine - in France 1. Close views of Red-crested Pochard 2. First of Year Brambling 3. Lots of Hawfinch sightings 4. Rock Bunting - such striking markings 5. A 3 woodpecker day- Great Spotted, Eurasian Green, and Black! 🪶

What were your #Top5Birds or bird moments from the past week? Mine - from a foggy weekend in Estonia: 1. Lifer Grey-headed Woodpecker ⭐️ And from the French Alps 1. First of Year Hawfinch 2. Alpine Choughs soaring together 3. Small Serin flock 4. Singing Blackcaps 🪶

What were your #Top5Birds or bird moments from the past week? Mine - all from a very foggy day in Estonia: 1. Great Grey Shrike perching by the roadside 2. Lifer Steller’s Eider ⭐️ 3. First Brambling of the year 4. 2 White-tailed Eagles feeding on the beach 5. Hearing Long-tailed Ducks calling 🪶

It’s the 1st of March and here in Estonia it is a cold and foggy day! The first bird I both heard and saw was a Hooded Crow. What was your 1st bird of the month?

What were your #Top5Birds or bird moments from the past week? Mine - all 1st of year sightings: 1. 17 Eurasian Spoonbills in the rain 2. 4 Slavonian Grebes 3. Common Gull amongst Black-headed Gulls 4. Dunlin and Common Ringed Plovers feeding together 5. Spotted Redshank at the water’s edge 🪶

What were your #Top5Birds or bird moments from the past week? Mine, on Cambs / Lincs border & all First of Year birds: 1. An amazing 3-owl day with Little Owl, Short-eared Owl and Long-eared Owl 2. Surprise Glossy Ibis 3. Greater Scaup 4. Common Cranes 5. Great White Egret 🪶

What were your #Top5Birds or bird moments from the past week? Mine, at Abberton Reservoir, Essex: 1. Lifer Smew, duck & drake 2. Big flock of Greater White-fronted Geese landing on the water 3. Several Ruff with beautiful plumage 4. First of year Cetti’s Warbler 5. Close views of Goldeneye 🪶

What were your #Top5Birds or bird moments from the past week? Mine: 1. Buzzard flying alongside the road 2. Cheeky Magpie eating from a feeder 3. 1st of year Tawny Owl calling in the early hours 4. Noticing the dawn chorus featuring Blackbird, Robin and Wren 5. Nighttime call from Canada Goose 🪶

It’s the 1st of February and here in Essex it is a cold and calm day! The first bird I heard was a Blackbird singing in the darkness. The first bird I saw was a Woodpigeon What was your 1st bird of the month? 🪶

What were your #Top5Birds or bird moments from the past week? Mine: 1. Finally seeing the long-staying Great-tailed Grackle. So pleased to see it’s in such great condition 2. Lifer Killdeer! 3. First of year Little Gull and 4. Mediterranean Gull 5. Wonderful close views of a Common Snipe 🪶

What were your #Top5Birds or bird moments from the past week? Mine: 1. Singing Mistle Thrush 2. Magpie carrying a twig. Maybe nest-building? 3. Lots of bird song in a woodland setting 4. Big flocks of Fieldfare and Redwing flying over 5. Singing male Crossbill, seen against a blue sky! Stunning! 🪶

What were your #Top5Birds or bird moments from the past week? Mine- At WWT Welney, Norfolk: 1. First of Year Tree Sparrow 2. Two Bewick’s Swans with Whooper Swans 3. Watching Greylags land on ice And at Hayling Island, Hants: 4. First Purple Sandpiper for 4 years 5. Nice views of Goldeneye 🪶

What were your #Top5Birds or bird moments from the past week? Mine, in Norfolk: 1. Beautiful Eastern Black Redstart 2. Lifer Taiga Bean Goose 3. Close views of a Treecreeper foraging 4. First of year Firecrest and 5. Jack Snipe 🪶

Happy New Year! It’s the 1st of January and here in Norfolk it is still dark outside and quite windy! The first bird I heard was a Herring Gull and when I looked outside the first bird I saw was a Blackbird foraging on the lawn. What was your 1st bird of the month?

My last new bird of 2025. Not a new species, sadly, but a sub-species I had never seen before: Eastern Black Redstart. Seen in Sherringham, Norfolk. Fun fact: Black Redstart was my 200th bird species of the year back in October, & Eastern Black Redstart was my 100th bird species of December! 🪶

What were your #Top5Birds or bird moments from the past week? Mine, in Norfolk: 1. Barn Owl flying with a large rodent in its beak 2. Three Meadow Pipits bathing together 3. Huge flock of Pink-footed Geese flying over 4. Herring Gull attacking a Red-breasted Merganser 5. Hand-feeding wild Robins 🪶

What were your #Top5Birds or bird moments from the past week? Mine: 1. Blackbird singing before daybreak At WWT Welney in Norfolk: 2. Common Buzzard & Western Marsh Harrier clashing over carrion 3. A Common Crane flying over 4. Lone Tree Sparrow 5. Green Woodpecker on the ground close to the hide 🪶

What were your #Top5Birds or bird moments from the past week? Mine: 1. Big flock of Starlings singing on bridge struts over a road 2. Dunnock calling in the garden 3. Robin chasing Blue Tits away from food 😮 4. Magpies gathering nuts to cache 5. Song Thrush singing before dawn 🪶

What were your #Top5Birds or bird moments from the past week? Mine: 1. A Green Woodpecker feeding in a field 2. Hundreds of Brent Geese on the Essex coast 3. Close view of a Goldcrest foraging 4. Cetti’s Warbler, seen not heard! 5. Small group of Corn Bunting - only my 2nd sighting of the year 🪶

It’s the 1st of December! Here in Hampshire it’s a wet and windy morning! The first bird I heard was a Song Thrush, singing in the darkness. The first bird I saw was a Robin sitting in a small tree in our windswept garden. What was your 1st bird of the month? 🪶

What were your #Top5Birds or bird moments from the past week? Mine, in Gloucestershire: 1. Enormous cloud of Golden Plover in flight 2. First of year Bewick’s Swan 3. Hand-feeding a Rook 4. First of year White-fronted Goose 5. Male Shoveler looking glorious in evening sunlight 🪶

What were your #Top5Birds or bird moments from the past week? Mine, in Cambridgeshire: 1. Beautiful male Northern Pintail 2. Two Crows bathing at the lake side 3. Great Egret flying low over the water 4. Raven calling 5. Golden Plover flying in a ‘v’ overhead 🪶

What were your #Top5Birds or bird moments from the past week? Mine, in Cambridgeshire: 1. First of year Cattle Egrets 2. Common Cranes flying in towards dusk 3. Big flock of Fieldfare chattering overhead 4. Surprise sighting of a Bittern in flight 5. Huge numbers of Lapwing taking flight 🪶

New Episode! Dale Forbes shares how his curiosity and desire for discovery have shaped his approach to birding. He also reveals his perspective on enjoying nature, emphasizing the importance of finding your own path to connect with the natural world. casualbirder.com/episode145

Another from my Australian vacation last year: a Pacific Gull eating a crab. This large gull can be identified by a dark back, heavy bill with a red spot on both mandibles, and a black band on the tail. Seen at Adventure Bay, #tasmania #wildoz #Ausbirds #australianbirds #ozbirds 🪶

New blog post. This week, @marycolwell1 gave the eulogy to the Slender-billed Curlew at the AEWA meeting of parties in Bonn. You can now read the eulogy on our new blog post. www.curlewaction.org/the-bird-wit...

It’s almost a year since I visited Australia. I’ve been rewatching the videos I filmed and will share my faves with you. Here is a magical moment: a female Superb Fairywren bathing in raindrops on a fern. - Mount Field National Park, Tasmania #australia #fairywren 🪶

What were your #Top5Birds or bird moments from the past week? Mine, from my garden: 1. Jay burying an acorn in a flowerbed 2. Hearing migrating Redwings call at night 3. Bullfinch eating rowan berries 4. Robin visiting window feeder 5. Magpie on my windowsill trying to get to the window feeder 🪶

What were your #Top5Birds or bird moments from the past week? Mine, from my garden: 1. Wren bathing in one of the bird baths 2. Robin singing a sub-song & in Sussex 3. First of year Corn Bunting 4. Lovely view of 3 Ravens low overhead 5. Heard a Yellow-browed Warbler (now I want to see one!) 🪶

It’s the 1st of November! Here in Hampshire it’s a calm and dry morning, after a stormy night! The first bird I heard was a Robin, singing in the first light. The first bird I saw was a Woodpigeon sitting on a neighbour’s roof. What was your 1st bird of the month? 🪶

What were your #Top5Birds or bird moments from the past week? Mine, in East Sussex: 1. Seeing a Peregrine catch a pigeon 2.Song Thrush, Robin, Goldfinch & House Sparrow bathing together in a puddle 3. Ravens 4. First of season Redwing And in my garden: 5. Robin putting leaves in the nest box 🪶

What were your #Top5Birds or bird moments from the past week? Mine: 1. Robin bathing after dark - seen on wildlife camera & in Dorset: 2. Swallows appearing to bathe in a calm sea 3. Gannets diving amongst leaping Tuna 4. Flying Buzzard showing talons to a Raven 5. Dust-bathing House Sparrows 🪶

What were your #Top5Birds or bird moments from the past week? Mine, in Dorset: 1. A beautiful Little Owl 2. Black Redstart - UK species number 200 of my year! 3. Big flock of Golden Plover 4. Short-eared Owl flying overhead 5. Pelagic birding trip with a fab mix of seabird species 🪶