Spent a long weekend in Zagreb so that the other half could renounce her US citizenship at the the embassy there. This particular wall near the cathedral seemed to be the spot for blackish birds to gaze quizzically up and to the left.

Following a post from @marthawells.com a couple of weeks ago we went to the astonishing Museum of Lost Tales in Zagreb. One of the most unique places we’ve ever been. Incredible artwork and besides the fantasy aspects the wildlife details were drawn so accurately - pleased me tremendously. 10/10!

April is coming and Sussex is alive with birds. 🐦 Paul James shares his expert guide on what to look for this month in our latest post: 👉 April Birding Targets in Sussex 💥 tinyurl.com/3fnxy4rj 💥 Built on years of local knowledge in Sussex - this is essential reading. 📸Gary Faulkner: Ring Ouzel

Despite the not particularly spring like weather, got my first migrants of the year, with a smart male Wheatear on the beach at Church Norton, and several House & Sand Martins over Ferry Pool. Always a welcome sign of change. #sussexbirding

Got this from Three this morning. How on earth can it be legal to charge someone for a subscription they didn’t ask for (it was included in whatever phone plan I bought) and haven’t activated!?! Obviously I have cancelled it but it would be so easy for someone to miss it & get charged.

A perfect portrait of an understated resident bird wins Photo of the Week for Alick Simmons:

I didn't used to expect ticks until May but had huge numbers on me in Cambs woodland this weekend. It's been -2C at night and only 13C by day. This hazard for early spring fieldwork is pretty new, not something I worried about in March. Affects fieldwork approach and precautions needed. #BeTickAware

We went and saw ‘Project Hail Mary’ this evening and both loved it. I’d read the book (and gave it 5 stars), the other half hadn’t. Just a great fun, warm-hearted piece of cinema escapism. The time just flies by. Highly recommended to see on the biggest screen possible to escape for a little while.

🧵And we're off, ladies and gentlemen! It's "they're banning the word EASTER" week. Regular as clockwork... So here comes a history lesson and media lesson all rolled into one thread! PS, I can't believe there's no easter egg emoji? This was the best I could do - 🗿🥚 🤣 I digress! 1/19

Listen to the sound of a dabbling drake Teal as he comes close to the trail camera at Pett Level. #duck #teal

Had a leaflet inviting me to get tickets to hear the Loathsome Toad speak at an event, so I treated it with the proper degree of contempt. And to which ever mailing list sold my name & address to Reform - F**K YOU!

If you’re not watching Lisandra mocking the deserving then you are missing a treat.

A really high class collection this week. You could easily pick half a dozen as POTW.

A cloudy but still WeBS count in Chichester Harbour today delivered sector gold in the shape of this male Eider. 64 Sanderling were the first ones of the winter. 2 Great Northern Divers and 2 Red-legged Partridges the other highlights.

March and April are the best time to look & listen for Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers calling and drumming in wet, broadleaf woodland. Find out more about Woodpecker Network, listen to Ken Smith's zoom talk for Essex Birdwatching Society from January. ebws.org.uk/talks/jan26

Populism needs a different name. Simplism. What is easily misunderstood is popular. Too many politicians think the way to beat populists is to mimic them. But you can't mimic dishonesty. 'cut migration' 'we want out country back' etc aren't popular ideas. They are simple ideas. There is a difference

After a tip from @georginadoodles.bsky.social Im giving this platform a try as instagram drains my soul 😆😆. I’m a north wales artist who paints predominantly on old OS maps- wildlife mostly but also landmarks, bothies, walkers and more. My inspiration comes from my time in the great outdoors.

March sees the return of bumblebee queens as they emerge from hibernation – here are some of the common species you can spot this month 👀 Have you spotted your first bumblebee of 2026? 🔎 Brush up on your bumblebee identification skills: https://ow.ly/af3U50Yi2iq

For a limited time only (until midnight tonight), Sand Martins will be delivering all Alula Design products for free as they head north. Order now to avoid disappointment. aluladesigns.co.uk/ #BirdArt #UKBirding #Freepost

One of today’s #BirdOfTheDay themes is #FourOrMore so I thought I’d post this photo of African Penguins, with that one bird who’s always trying to go against the prevailing direction of travel.

My last Chichester Harbour Low Tide Count of the winter this afternoon. Battered a bit by the wind but quite mild in the sun. Not many Brent Geese or waders about but nice to see both Great Northern & Black-throated Divers, Slav Grebe, and 5 Grey Partridges. Gorse really starting to pop.

A timely article with the first Sussex Wheatear reported today!

You’d never know there’d been a by-election in the UK according to my BBC News App. I wonder if that would have been the case if Reform had won? 🤔 #GreenParty

A perfect portrait of one of Britain's scarcest resident birds is today's Photo of the Week:

A Little Tern with its catch does double duty today for both #BirdOfTheDay with birds in their element & #SuperSeabirdSunday There are plans to increase the shingle bank on my WeBS route to encourage them to breed so I’m really hoping that comes to fruition.

An excellent evening of comedy at Portsmouth Distillery last night headlined by @jocaulfield.bsky.social Would highly recommend catching Jo on her current tour, a true master of the well crafted gag. We had a great time!(Support acts were fab as well but don’t appear to be on here yet).

A view over the inland sea that is RSPB Pulborough Brooks on the Chichester RSPB Group field trip this morning. Nothing out of the ordinary but it was nice to get most of the nice regulars like Nuthatch, Treecreeper, Bullfinch and hundreds of Black-tailed Godwits. And we stayed dry!!!!!

Incredible work!

A marvellous flying Greenfinch featured in Monday's winning Photo of the Week:

Stop press - the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker monitoring module is now freely available for all to use on BTO @btobirds.bsky.social Acoustic Pipeline app.bto.org/acoustic-pip...

Join the SOS and get THREE Sussex Bird Reports in your first year! We are able to offer new members the opportunity to sign up to the SOS and receive both the 2023 and 2024 Bird Reports now – and the 2025 Report when it is published in the autumn. Go to sos.org.uk/membership-a... #sussexbirds

The Tuesday birders had a little jaunt over the Hampshire border to Hayling Island. Long-tailed Duck, Greater Scaup & Black-necked Grebes from the oyster beds & then the lovely little Snow Bunting by the Sailing Club. It was superbly camouflaged amongst the pebbles.

Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers – reasons for optimism! An in person talk by Ken Smith on 18 February for Berkshire Ornithological Club at University of Reading. Details here berksoc.org.uk/events/lesse...

1,255 for the year! 20.9% of the challenge complete, including 665 invertebrates. A trip out yesterday produced four lifers, one species new to Sussex and one new to West Sussex. A ridiculous 80 Cattle Egrets was hard to believe even when I was looking at them.

Our new website is 💥LIVE💥 Lots of new content & images and plenty more to come. Home banner image, Waxwing - Adam Bowley. sos.org.uk #sussexbirds

For today’s #BirdOfTheDay theme of #OddCouples. Last year we had a vagrant Least Sandpiper show up at Medmerry RSPB reserve. Here it is with an Avocet showing just how small it is.

When I rolled up to Chichester Marina for my Low Tide Count, conditions were a little unpromising! but it cleared up just enough to get a count in. Male Goldeneye the best sighting . No sign of yesterday’s BN Grebe but it could easily still be in the harbour somewhere in the mist!

We’ve had waterfowl attacked by teens with catapults locally so I fully support this.

It's such a tough choice! Vote for your favourite icon for our Birds in Greenspaces app. Cast your vote here ➡️ bit.ly/VoteBiGsIcon

I rarely post to #FirstBirdOfMyDay because 99% of the time it’s Woodpigeon, Magpie or Herring Gull, but today was a good one - a pair of Egyptian Geese flying past as I opened the blinds. A new one for the garden list. 🔥

This is really cool! Now I need to go and see all the birds that make up my name (checks distribution maps, ooh that’s gonna be expensive).

THANK YOU FOR THE SWIFT BRICK LOVE! Tickled pink by the support🪶Incase you missed the MEGA news (esp ⁦‪@SteveReedMP‬⁩ & ⁦‪@AngelaRayner‬⁩ ⁦‪@mtpennycook‬⁩) Scotland passed swift bricks into law in just a month proving how easy it could be for England to mandate too! Thank you MARK RUSKELL MSP!

It's arrived! Pan-species Listing: How to Become a Super-Naturalist published by @pelagicpublishing. My first book. I am so pleased with it. It looks amazing, all those photos of incredible British species really make this a very colourful book and a celebration of how fantastic our wildlife is.

The BirdGuides Photo of the Year competition is here – get voting!

I am doing a talk on the 4th March at Exeter Hall, just by the Chimney House pub not far from me in Brighton on pan-species listing and the book, I'll also be selling copies at a discounted price exeterstreethall.org/event/2-talk...

From a FB photography group I’m in. Very nice photo. Interesting translation!

Tears of joy! SCOTLAND HAS JUST PASSED SWIFT BRICKS INTO LAW unanimously! 4 years of asking England & Scotland sorts it in a month led by ACE ⁦‪ MARK RUSKELL MSP‬⁩ ♥️The RELIEF is unreal! Tell England to follow 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿by emailing [email protected] now!WOOP!

I had a couple of displaying Goshawks in West Sussex last week so worth seeking them out at the moment.

Fun Volunteer Thank You session from @sussexornitholo.bsky.social at Truleigh Hill. An interesting talk on the wildlife work the farm is doing & a very breezy walk on The Downs. 2 Peregrine & lots of Skylarks the highlights. Unusual hazard on the way back down - they know they rule the road!