Chinese Water Deer to the right of the hide at Wilstone. Judging by his right ear, looks like he’s had one or two battles

As well as the Bean Geese, I did a full circuit of the Tring Reservoirs. Lots of year-ticks including 5 Red Crested Pochard, 3 Goldeneye, Fieldfare, Cettis, Egyptian Goose, Liitle Grebe, Stock Dove & a rather out of place Black Swan on Wilstone

Took a bit of patience & two visits but eventually had some great views of the five Tundra Bean Geese in the field by the Grand Union Canal near Tring. Lovely birds to see

They took a bit of locating today but eventually found five Black Necked Grebes. Also two distant Great Northern Divers over by T5 plus a few Goldeneye dotted around

Had a useful lesson in Scaup identification at Staines Reservoir this morning, eventually sifting both the Lesser and the two Greaters out from the Pochards & Tufties

Kicked off my birding New Year with 61 species at a chilly RSPB Rainham Marshes. Water Pipit probably bird of the day. Good numbers of Pintail, Avocet, Black Tailed Godwits, Curlew & Redshank. Marsh Harrier, Kestrel & Raven the other highlights.

My 2025 birding year - 224 UK species including seven lifers (Least Sandpiper, Richard’s Pipit, Surf & White Winged Scoter, Baikal Teal, Great Bustard & Lesser White Fronted Goose). 502 worldwide. It all starts again tomorrow. Happy New Year!

A lovely visit to an icy @rspbotmoor.bsky.social to year tick the Tundra Bean Geese. Good numbers of White Fronted & a family party of Barnacles there too. Also Raven, Water Rail, Marsh Harrier, Fieldfare & Redwing the other highlights

Good day at Spurn & The Outstrays NR with 70 species inc Garganey (year tick), Wheatear, Water Rail, Tree Sparrow & Arctic Skua (Spurn/Kilnsea). 11 (!!) Glossy Ibis, Kingfisher, 2 SEOs, Peregrine, Marsh Harrier, Sprawk, 3 Buzzards & Kestrel at The Outstrays.

Transitioned today from Bempton to Spurn with a stop at the excellent @tophilllow.bsky.social on the way down. Nothing rare, but some nice birds - Marsh Harrier, Pintail, Curlew, Snipe, Great White Egret, Sparrowhawk, Buzzard with calling Tawny Owl, Water Rail & Cettis

Stopped off at Filey Dams NR for a first ever visit on the way back to the Airbnb. What a great little reserve. A single Ruff, 2 Little Ringed Plovers & a Dunlin, the highlights

Good numbers of birds on the @yorkscoastnature.bsky.social trip too with plenty of auks, gannets, gulls, 120 Pink Footed Geese overhead & a surprise Redpoll flew over the boat.

Great to join Richard Baines from @yorkscoastnature.bsky.social & boat skipper Swan Baxter today for their final Seabird & Whale trip of the season. Finally broke my Minke Whale duck with 7 feeding offshore just off Whitby, providing some great photo opportunities. Seven porpoises too

First day of my Yorkshire week got off to a great start. Arctic Skua, Little Gull & Whinchat were all year-ticks. 2026 global total now 501. Goldcrests were seemingly everywhere & finished the day with this cracking Short Eared Owl. Wheatear too.

Birded Cambridgeshire (Fen Drayton, Ouse Fen), Norfolk (Welney) & Lincs (Deeping St James) today. Impressive total of 86 sp. Highlights: Turtle Dove, Bewick & Whooper Swan, Bittern, Crane, Cuckoo, Hobby, Yellow Wagtail, Tree Sparrow, Avocet, GWEs, LRPs

Ahead of the long drive home, I had an easy day birding today around the Aviemore area. Star bird of the day was this stunning male Pied Flycatcher just back on territory. Elsewhere another four Ospreys & some flyover Crossbills.

The light in Brora this afternoon was superb. I love how photogenic Eider Duck are, even the female

Visited Loch Fleet, a new birding area today (thanks to Gordon Hamlett’s Birding in the Highlands book). Some great birding with Purple Sandpiper, Hooded Crow, Grasshopper Warbler, Whimbrel, Greenshank, Cuckoo, Wheatear, Ringed Plover, Dunlin & Long Tailed Duck being the main highlights

On my guide’s recommendation, I visited Lochan Mor. Despite the presence of noisy wild campers with an open fire on the shore (is this allowed?), I did eventually see a single swimming Beaver, my first in the UK. The Goldeneye were a bit closer!

So at last year’s Global BirdFair, I won the @speyside-wildlife.bsky.social prize draw. Today was my prize, a guided day trip. Saw & heard some super birds including Crested Tit, Crossbill, Black Throated Diver, Osprey, Red Grouse, Wheatear & Golden Plover

Spent the evening at the excellent @speyside-wildlife.bsky.social mammal hide watching Pine Marten, Badgers & Wood Mouse to a backdrop of callingTawny & Barn Owls

Yesterday was a day for pottering around locally but still found some good birds. Heard Crested Tit, Redstart & Tree Pipit at Loch Mallachie. Ring Ouzel at the top of Cairngorm & another Golden Eagle, Osprey & Redpoll at a new raptor view point for me.

Spent the afternoon visiting the valleys south of Inverness. Three Golden Eagles gave great views in the Findhorn Vslley whilst Slavonian Grebe & Osprey seen at a nearby loch

Spent the morning on Black Isle doing the Eco Ventures boat trip. Didn’t need to go far before we found a couple of Bottlenose Dolphins. The seabird colony was impressive. Great views of Shags & Guillemots including a single Black Guillemot.

Finished the day with some distant Black Grouse from the car at a withheld location

Spent an entertaining hour at Loch Spynie. Goosander, Marsh Harrier & Little Grebe from the new hide. Red Squirrel, Tree Sparrow, Yellowhammer & Treecreeper around the feeders. Earlier at Lochindorb year-ticked Red Grouse. Wheatear & RB Merganser present too

Today was spent birding along the Moray Firth coastline. Sadly the White-Billed Divers weren’t playing ball, but lots of year-ticks Inc Black Guillemot, Long Tailed Duck, Red Throated Diver, Guillemot, Razorbill. Three Great Northern Divers too

Today was spent birding along the Moray Firth coastline. Sadly the White-Billed Divers weren’t playing ball, but lots of year-ticks Inc Black Guillemot, Long Tailed Duck, Red Throated Diver, Guillemot, Razorbill. Three Great Northern Divers too

Travelling day to my base in Boat of Garten. Birding was decent too with Osprey, Dipper, Common Sandpiper, Tree Pipit, Redpoll, Siskin, Willow Warblers seemingly in every tree & a fly through Sparrowhawk.

Kicked off my Scotland trip yesterday with my customary visit to RSPB Loch Leven. Geese were the order of the day with Pink Foot, Barnacle & Greylag who seem to have had a good breeding season. Lapwings weren’t too keen though. Pair of Great White Egret & 3 Curlew too

Spring at RSPB Otmoor is a magical time. Some great birds seen & heard including Grasshopper, Willow & Garden Warbler, Hobby, Marsh Harriers, booming Bitterns, Cuckoo, Cattle & Great White Egrets, drumming Snipe, displaying Curlews & Redshanks

Spent the afternoon at RSPB Pulborough where Cuckoo, Nightingale & House Martin were all firsts for 2025. Other highlights included Common Sandpiper, 3 Little Ringed Plovers, Snipe & Avocets.

They’ve done a superb job at RSPB Medmerry. Felt really birdy. Yellowhammers everywhere. Good numbers of Mediterranean Gulls & my first Ringed Plovers of the year

The Medmerry Least Sandpiper was my fourth UK lifer of the year. Such a smart bird and tiny, as you can see from the comparison photo with the Black Headed Gulls

Sadly no Ring Ouzel at Ivinghoe Beacon this morning, but three Wheatear were glorious in the sunshine. Also first Whitethroat & Mistle Thrush (!!) of 2025. Corn Bunting too

Annual spring visit to Rutland Water & Eyebrook Reservoir. 75 sp. in total. Osprey, LRP, Willow Warbler & Yellow Wagtail new for year. Also Raven, Mandarin, Avocet, Pintail, GWE, Goldeneye, Sedge Warbler & Yellowhammer best of the rest

Biting wind at Wilstone this morning. A few Sand Martins in with the Swallows were my first for 2025. Also two each of Green Sandpiper, Oystercatcher & Mandarin Duck. Water Rail, Kingfisher, Stock Dove, Linnet & 11 (!!) Egyptian Geese too #hertsbirds

First post-work birding of the Spring with a circuit of Stockers Lake. 47 sp. seen or heard including first Swallows of year. Also Kingfisher, 4 RC Pochards, 3 Cettis, 2 Oystercatchers, 2 Lapwing, Stock Dove, 6 Little Egret & a single Wigeon

First visit of 2025 to @RSPBRainham. The Green-Winged Teal the star of the show. Other highlights Spoonbill, 2 Corn Bunting, several Med Gulls, first Sedge Warbler of year, Avocet, Blackwit, Curlew, Water Rail, Marsh Harrier & multiple Cettis #londonbirds

Spent the afternoon up on the scenic Oxfordshire Downs where, after a bit of a wait, the Great Bustard from the Wiltshire reintroduction project eventually gave up some great views. Raven was a welcome year-ticket too

Spent the morning at @rspbotmoor for my first visit of the year. Heard my first Chiffchaffs of 2025. Lots of Marsh Harrier activity, 10 Dunlin, Curlew, Oystercatcher, Redshshank, Pintail, GWE & Water Rail the highlights, Good to see Larry the Pochard too

Meanwhile a juxtaposition of the seasons in my garden with the last of the winter’s Redwing and a singing Blackcap #londonbirds

Counted at least eight Black-Necked Grebes at Staines Reservoir, which were much closer in than the Divers, so got some nice shots. Summer plumage starting to come through now #londonbirds

The two Great Northern Divers at Staines Reservoir were together this morning, but always distant #londonbirds

A quick run up to Newport Parnell early this morning for the confiding Richard’s Pipit, my second UK lifer of 2025. Interesting bird to watch especially when interacting with the Meadow Pipits

Annual trip to the Brecks where Goshawk, Crane, Brambling, Marsh Tit, Mandarin Duck, GWE, Siskin & Yellowhammer the main highlights among 71 species. Felt like Spring is on its way

Finished the day at Copt Hall where the long-staying Great Grey Shrike showed well. Also Short Eared & Barn Owl plus 3 Mediterranean Gulls

Superb day at Abberton Reservoir - Ring Necked Duck, 2 Slavonian & 15 Black-Necked Grebes, 2 Smew, 7 Scaup, 7 White Fronted Geese, Caspian Gull, Spoonbill, 2 Cattle Egrets, Barn Owl, 20+ GWEs, 40-50 Goosander

Ended the day at that well known Long Eared Owl site in Lincolnshire. A couple were just visible to the right of the hide, but one was sat fully out enjoying the afternoon sunshine just across the creek. Also year-ticked Goosander there was well

Onto @WWTWelney to year-ticket Tree Sparrow, Cattle Egret & Whooper Swan. At least three Short Eared Owls were out on Lady Fen. The Black-Necked Grebe was a little poser in front of the main hide.