A wonderful Sunday 🙂

Always a red letter day when the latest Essex Bird Report drops through the letterbox. A great publication - congratulations to Neil Sumner and his team (for transparency I wrote a section of the systemic list. #essexbirding

71 sp of bird this am at Swanscombe marshes with @dartfordtrapper.bsky.social . Whimbrel, Curlew, Turnstones, Common Sand, YLGull, Wheatear, Lesser Whites,Ravens ,Nightingales, Peregrines, Red Kites, Bearded Tit, Water Rail, Yellow Wag, plus Green Hairstreak, Large Red Damselfly, European Paper Wasp

An unexpected but very good start to the day. Spurn's earliest Great Reed Warbler #spurntick #spurnbirds

A superb start to the day with a decent arrival of Willow Warblers, a Tree Pipit and Ring Ouzel in off the sea, a Pied Flycatcher and Redstart in a private garden on the Point and best of all a singing Wood Warbler half way up the east side of the Long Pits! #kentbirding

Stoke marshes, lagoon with @dartfordtrapper.bsky.social . 60 sp including Cattle Egrets, Wheatear, Pink-footed Goose, Sand Martin, Swallows

At this time of year when I'm out birding I really try to make an effort to add breeding evidence to my records. It's really quick and easy in @birdtrack.bsky.social and adds value to my records, especially for @ukrbbp.bsky.social species. Added P for pair in suitable habitat. #ornithology

A rare spring image of the 2 ringed plover species standing side by side. The Ringed Plover (left) would normally see off the Little Ringed Plover, but perhaps he is a lonely Ringed Plover... @sussexornitholo.bsky.social #plover

Out on the North Kent marshes again where the human count other than myself was zero 🤗. 71 sp of bird, another cheeky Stoat, Cuckoo, Nightingale heard, a few Swallows through, LRP, Great Egret, 10 Wheatear. Usual backing soundtrack of Med Gulls, Skylarks, Sedgies,Stonechats 🥰

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I received the first Kent Large Red Damselfly reports yesterday. With the season starting now, please share any significant sightings to #KentDragonflies.

Company fined £40K after police investigate illegal work at bat roost. www.northwales.police.uk/news/north-w...

The BBRC has announced that Bonaparte's Gull is no longer to be considered a national rarity:

News from the BBRC has been published following their AGM in January: - Bonaparte’s Gull dropped as a BBRC rarity - BBRC rarities; even when a specific id has not been proven e.g either/or records Read the full report: britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti... 🥇Subscriber Content 📸Thomas Willoughby

Weir Wood 38 Sand Martins,7 Swallows & 4 House Marins plus 2 Little ringed Plovers this afternoon.

Enjoyable very early morning walk at Stodmarsh area and Stour valley today with 8 Ruff over, 400+ Hirundines, plenty of Sedge and Reed Warblers, Firecrest, Nightingale, 2 GWE , 3 Yellow Wags. A stop at Seasalter on way home , Med Gulls, Cattle Egrets. 88 species with @dartfordtrapper.bsky.social

Our second Large Tortoiseshell of the week is currently showing well at the north-east end of the Long Pits

The first Pomarine Skua of the spring has just gone east past the seawatching hide, on what is a very early date for this species. #kentbirding

Nest Builder - digital painting wood pigeons are so unbelievably *round* ! I had to triple check every shape I drew against the reference because it just didn't make sense

A few other bits from North Kent marshes this Easter weekend

75 sp in the Stoke Lagoon, Binney marshes, Abbott’s Court area today . My first Wheatears, Sedge Warblers of the year plus an unexpected Pink-footed Goose and Plenty of Med Gulls, 2 Red Kite over and all three species of expected Egret . As usual not another person in sight, pure bliss 🤗👌

The DNA results are in! Sheringham's superstar visitor, the pardoxus 1w ♂️ Eastern Black Redstart was (as expected) consistent w/ P.o.phoenicuroides/murinus & a near-identical sequence to birds from west/central China/Tuva Republic. @linnetincley.bsky.social #norfolkbirding #ukbirding #rarebirdsuk

The BOURC has announced its latest decisions on changes to the British list, with the most notable outcome being the rejection of Pied Crow as a new addition:

Today like most days I went birding . Over the years on my birthday I’ve seen some great birds and despite the cool weather today was very enjoyable with @gnhbirder66.bsky.social . LRP,Red Kite, RNGrebe, Sand Martins, Meds, Water Pipits, Mergs, Peregrine, Great Egrets, Ruff. Here’s to the next 60👌

The 2026 is go! The first Large Red Damselfly seen in Cornwall today. @britishdragonflies.bsky.social #Teamdragonfly

67 species at Higham marshes today with LRP my first spring migrant this year plus Scaup, Greenshank on Alpha pool and lots of very vocal and splendid looking Med Gulls 🤗

59 species at Swanscombe marshes yesterday. Highlights Great Egret, 2 over heading East, Ravens, Red Kite, Jack Snipe, Buzzards, 3 Common Sands, plenty of Chiffs, a Sparrowhawk and 3 Blackwits. Not a bad haul for 3 hours locally

Stuck for something to do on a dreary Sunday? 🌧 💨 Why not give us a visit? Our Glandford shop is open 362 days a year, from 10am-4pm, with the finest #birding optics that money can buy!

Stopped off at East Wemyss after work yesterday evening & after a bit of searching saw the 2nd-winter Stejneger’s Scoter. Also there was this striking white headed Velvet Scoter #birdingfife #birdingscotland #ukbirding #ukbirds #birds @btoscotland.bsky.social @britishbirds.bsky.social

Because of the ongoing rapid decline & persistent reports of disturbance we have taken the difficult decision this week to add Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers in the UK to the long list of eBird sensitive species support.ebird.org/en/support/s... despite the cost to the science of #Ornithology #UKBirding

Higham Bight and marshes today with @dartfordtrapper.bsky.social . Breezy but good to be out. Kittiwake upriver, Ruddy Duck, Med Gulls, Red Kite, Scaup, lots of Pintail, Shoveler, Wigeon and Teal🙂

Come and volunteer at Dungeness Bird Observatory this year! We have a couple of positions available to help out with the monitoring of the wildlife on the Dungeness peninsula as well as helping in the running of the Observatory!

We've just sent out this year's field meetings programme to our members - map shows places we will visit from Apr 2026 to Jan 2027. Includes urban & rural, new rewilding sites & existing @kentwildlife.bsky.social reserves; a new NNR & several potential new LWSs. #KentNature

Another day exploring in Kent at various sites with @gnhbirder66.bsky.social . Red Kite, Goshawks, LSW at two sites, Little Owl, Marsh Tits, Crossbills, Firecrests and Woodlark. Lots of searching over the years, sites pay off eventually 😃

Success! Lesser spotted woodpeckers, a male and female pair. The morning after the lesser spotted woodpecker workshop. @ukrbbp.bsky.social @lesserspotnet.bsky.social

Another day out with @dartfordtrapper.bsky.social this time for a pleasant walk around Stoke Lagoon, Binney marshes followed by Northward Hill. 67 species of bird , highlights a cracking little Merlin, Great Egret, plenty of Stonechat, Water Pipit. Teal, Shoveler, Pintail, Wigeon, very enjoyable

A pleasant afternoon at Orlestone forest area with a minimum of six Large Tortoiseshells, Brimstones, Commas, Peacocks plus Hawfinches, Crossbills and Siskin @gnhbirder66.bsky.social @johncantelo.bsky.social

After gone missing for around two and half weeks the male American Wigeon reappeared at the S bend, Scotney main gravel pit late am. Found while chatting to Gary and Bazza about this and that. Sleeping in Kent it then drifted off into East Sussex and was still sleeping lunchtime #KentBirding

52 species at Swanscombe marshes today, not bad for a few hours. Jack Snipe, Common Sand, YLGull, 19 Turnstones, Marsh Harrier the highlights #kentbirding #kentishplover

21000 steps today with @dartfordtrapper.bsky.social . Higham, Shorne and Cliffe marshes and a brief stop at Shorne woods on the way home. 91sp all within roughly 6miles of home . Scaup, Ruddy Duck, Great Egret, plenty of Med Gulls, Greenshank, Stonechat, Peregrines, Stacks of Wildfowl +Firecrests

Eastbourne: Many thanks to Harvey for turning up this zinger of a Wheatear at Sovereign Harbour today. What a treat and my first EVER in February. Spring is offically here!

Looking forward to browsing through this new present to myself which arrived today You can never have enough ‘Grasshopper books’ on the shelf A beautiful upgrade and valuable reference - highly recommended @kentgrasshoppers.bsky.social @kentfieldclub.bsky.social

Explored some new areas today , for me anyway and found a vocalising Lesser spot Woody 😀. The expected Firecrests were singing at several sites including two associating with the Faversham Pallas’s Warbler #kentbirding

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This is your annual reminder to look closely at Mediterranean Gulls for colour rings - read and report them. Today at Pett Level, 85 was the peak count and 3 rings were read - the second image is of right white 3L3R @sussexornitholo.bsky.social @btobirds.bsky.social #gulls

The two Shore Larks reappeared for the first time this year, while the other overwintering rarities in Kent (Bluetail, American Wigeon and Pallas’s Warbler) remained on show. For full weekly highlights see kentos.org.uk. #kentbirding

Super to see this continuing flow of new publications from @denisewawman.bsky.social DPhil thesis (and associated work!)

More Red Kite action in West Kent, a minimum of 25 at this site at present

Another day out with @dartfordtrapper.bsky.social checking out a few sites in West Kent . Plenty of Red Kites and Buzzards plus the expected Firecrests in most sites we visit. Add to this five Crossbills, a Little Egret in a farm field, 12+ Yellowhammers amongst 250+Chaffinch 🫣😳. #kentbirding