Post-chores birding in TG04 (& just next door!) today. Sheringham's Eastern Black Redstart was ridiculous. A lone Lapland Bunting by Spalla Gap (+Snow Bunts) were reminders of how scarce both have become (esp.,Laps). GWEgret at Bayfield rounded things off. @linnetincley.bsky.social #NorfolkBirding

Lapland Bunting is a species in a slump in Norfolk. It wasn't too long ago that you'd see them annually in TG04, an autumn flyover or a stubble-field winterer. That's changed. And has been for years. The Spalla Gap Lap was a reminder of how smart they are. @linnetincley.bsky.social #NorfolkBirding

1st winter♂️Eastern Black Redstart Sheringham January 8 2026 @linnetincley.bsky.social #NorfolkBirding

So, so smart... Eastern Black Redstart Sheringham January 8 2026 @linnetincley.bsky.social #NorfolkBirding

We'd started down at the Quags (Velvet Scoter & Great Skua) & ended our day at Bayfield. It's been at least a couple of months since there's been a Great White Egret locally, so Big Bird by the lake was cool. Nice to find a roosting Peregrine too. @linnetincley.bsky.social #NorfolkBirding #cleybirds

Not quite Monarch of the Glen but in the gathering dusk today we came across one of the largest Red Deer herd I've seen in the Cley square ~ maybe ever ~ 25 to 30 animals counted on the edge of a small copse, with two happily nibbling in the field. @linnetincley.bsky.social @norfolknats.bsky.social

After the yearly dentist visit, we nipped down to Wells where the Great Northern Divers & Red-necked Grebe were terrific value, especially one of the young Divers which gave outrageous views, doing its thing, seemingly without a care in the world... @linnetincley.bsky.social #NorfolkBirding

The super-showy juvenile Great Northern Diver at Wells spent the whole time we were there close in by the jetty near the Lifeboat Station. An immaculate individual, with upperparts that looked more like reptilian scales than feathers. A sensational bird. @linnetincley.bsky.social #NorfolkBirding

Great Northern Diver Wells Harbour January 7 2026 @linnetincley.bsky.social #NorfolkBirding

Last ones! The mega Great Northern Diver at Wells today (070126)... @linnetincley.bsky.social #NorfolkBirding

The Red-necked Grebe was never as close as the Diver, spending time out in the tidal channel, drifting & diving constantly. Never a common bird in the county (barely annual for me at Cley), so it was nice to watch this one & giving tidy scope views too. @linnetincley.bsky.social #NorfolkBirding

After a good day’s birding, 2 GND & Red-necked Grebe at Wells, the temperature hit 4.5 degrees as we drove home, positive signs after days of snow & cold winds. Mark raised his eyebrows when I said I might trap. She who dares wins! Mottled Umber 1st moth of 2026! @markgolley.bsky.social #TeamMoth

Bitterly cold at Cley today 🥶 A covering of snow early on, accompanied by a strong WNW'ly with sleet, more snow showers plus freezing rain to follow through the rest of the day (with some sunny spells too). But it really wasn't a nice day to be out...❄️💦🌬️ @linnetincley.bsky.social

The exquiste Pintails on the North seemed at home roosting on the icy slush around the scrape this afternoon. Such a sensational bird ~ of all the wildfowl we get here, this is the one ~ the beyond handsome drake & the beautifully subtle duck. @linnetincley.bsky.social #NorfolkBirding #cleybirds

Pintail pair, North Scrape, Cley January 3 2026 ...the drake absorbing a slushy splash as the cold wind whipped it's way across the scrape. @linnetincley.bsky.social #NorfolkBirding #cleybirds

Post the Snow Goose success we thawed out with a coffee at the LWT Deeping Lakes reserve, where the best birds were mainly trying to play hide & seek! Bittern & Long-eared Owl from a cracking morning over the border... @linnetincley.bsky.social #LincsBirding #ukbirding

Snow Goose Deeping Lakes, Lincolnshire January 2 2026 @linnetincley.bsky.social #LincsBirding #ukbirding

It must be close on 15 years since I've seen a pukka Snow Goose & I've no doubt the Deeping Goose is good. Whoopers as a carrier species is fine, it's just like the Welney bird of 1997. Transit w/Icelandic Pinks or Whoopers is OK by me for this forgotten rare... @linnetincley.bsky.social #ukbirding

Another great day with my amazing tour leader and my first British tick of the year. Well worth the freezing wind blowing straight into our faces 😂. A beautiful little goose who wandered up and down … showing well!

Pale-bellied Brant with Dark-bellieds at the back of the Hangs earlier today. @linnetincley.bsky.social #NorfolkBirding #cleybirds

...as well as the plants, we did record some January 1st birds 😎 The highlight was a surprise Green Sandpiper on a pungent puddle + 3 Grey Wagtails, 2 Pale-bellied Brants, 4 Barnacle Geese out the back with Pinks & our garden Barn Owl first thing. @linnetincley.bsky.social #NorfolkBirding #cleybirds

For me, the prettiest flower of our New Year Plant Hunt had to be the exquisite soft indigo & snow white of the Ivy-leaved Toadflax. I mean, this is just wow! @linnetincley.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social #cleyplants

A nice break from the norm for us today, heading out for the New Year Plant Hunt, organised by @bsbibotany.bsky.social. We'd done a recce or two & came up with 60 species of flowering plant in the alloted three hours ~ very happy with that. See ALT for plants👍 @linnetincley.bsky.social #cleyplants

A dazzling Christmas week of Norfolk birdwatching closed w/the most educational Bean Goose I've encountered (more on that to come), the superb juvenile Black-throated Diver at Brancaster Staithe & at least 12k Pink-feet (across two flocks) + Tundra Bean... @linnetincley.bsky.social #NorfolkBirding

Black-throated Diver Brancaster Staithe December 31 2025 I think these must be the nicest views I've ever had of a Black-throated Diver in the county (still a description species here). This stunning juvenile is quite the performer. A wonderful bird. @linnetincley.bsky.social #NorfolkBirding 1/2

Four of our Mottled Umbers from last night. Variationsville! @linnetincley.bsky.social #cleymothobs #norfolkmoths #teammoth

...see what I mean...! 2/2 #cleymothobs

...also last night, another cracker of a Mottled Umber, one of the very smartest autumn moths we get here. Can you see the face on the top shot? Big black eyes & blonde locks look? Like an Anime/Manga figure maybe? Once you see it... @linnetincley.bsky.social #cleymothobs #norfolkmoths #teammoth 1/2

Nithering is, immediately, one of my favourite words ever 🙂 Never heard it before, but it is perfect! Our friend Andy Johnson picked it up here (when we were getting to St Benet's...🙄) but the chain of messages shows how a grapevine can really work still. What an epic day 👍

An absolutely crazy day for me, with help from my wonderful tour guide @markgolley.bsky.social . Great Shearwater at Winterton in very cold and windy conditions and the stunningly beautiful Black-winged Kite, giving amazing views, hunting and hovering at St Benet’s Abbey, both life ticks for me.

A cold, grey day in East Norfolk & a winter warmer of a Great Shearwater to play with! Watched on the sea off Winterton (maybe on a food slick) for a while before it tracked south. Amazing record & great work by Nobby at Cley to pick it up in the 1st place👍 @linnetincley.bsky.social #NorfolkBirding

The drake Goosander at Bayfield from this morning. Brilliant to watch him fishing right in front of us, his peach-infused torso cutting through the clear water for small fry. We stood & watched him for a while as he drifted within yards of us. @linnetincley.bsky.social #NorfolkBirding #cleybirds

Additional CMO stats. 55 new for garden ticks. 10 macro 45 micro First was Ypsolopha mucronella last Cosmopterix pulchrimella . My photographer extraordinaire will be posting a montage of our favourite moffs. @markgolley.bsky.social #TeamMoth #NorfolkMoths

More of the Sheringham 1w♂️ Eastern Black Redstart this morning. Looks like a classic phoenicuroides (and as with - every? - 1w ♂️ EBR in the UK, this is a "paradoxus"♂️, showing obvious ♂️ characteristics in 1w plumage ~ perhaps a trait of EBR). @linnetincley.bsky.social #NorfolkBirding #RareBirdsUK

A wonderful Christmas Eve ✅ for me. Many thanks to the finder Graeme Hewson. What a stunning bird!

CMO stats for 2025! Our best year ever, despite chasing a certain Mr Young around Europe in June & July. Moths 26,557 Nights 253 Species 620 (some gen dets still to arrive! ) @markgolley.bsky.social #TeamMoth #NorfolkMoths

Surprise! Who doesn't love a little extra Christmas treat, so this snazzy ♂️ Eastern Black Redstart at Sheringham this morning was a proper winter warmer (the unrelenting raw easterly kept it real). Norfolk's 3rd record after ♂️♂️s in 2003 & 2021. @linnetincley.bsky.social #NorfolkBirding #RareBirdsUK

6/5 at CMO. Temperature 6.2 and the wind had dropped. A late Dark Arches, @ruthnewby.bsky.social RDP, Dark Chestnut, 2 LBAM and a Winter Moth to actinic. @markgolley.bsky.social #TeamMoth #NorfolkMoths

TeamMoth

Mild & largely breeze-free last night at CMO & the scores-on-the-doors of 33/5 was very welcome. Mottled Umber, Silver Y, Winter Moth (mostly we had WMs) & a Dark Chestnut all featured below from our nice mid-December moth mix. @linnetincley.bsky.social #cleymothobs #norfolkmoths #teammoth

Beautiful early morning around the Bridgewater Canal ~ Cetti's Warbler, Ring-necked Parakeets & some snazzy Bullfinches amongst the small number of species logged.

Five Winter Moths came to a lighted window last night. This morning as I left I realised I had left the outside light on all night. Result! Seven Mottled Umbers and another 2 Winter Moths. 😊 @markgolley.bsky.social #TeamMoth #NorfolkMoths

Pretty as a picture ~ the lone representative from Planet Moth to pop along & pay us a visit last night was this rather lovely Mottled Umber. @linnetincley.bsky.social #cleymothobs #norfolkmoths #teammoth

Close on 5000 Pink-footed Geese on the reserve this evening, many of them heading out to the south, off to feed under moonlight on local beet fields. They looked great against the late afternoon sky. @linnetincley.bsky.social #NorfolkBirding #cleybirds

Three Caspian Gulls on the back of North Scrape tonight (2 1w, 1 2w) but the most striking bird this afternoon was one of the two Pale-bellied Brents that's been around for a couple of weeks now. Super views of this beauty by the Eye Field pool. @linnetincley.bsky.social #NorfolkBirding #cleybirds

We had a mild night ahead of the rain last night & our lowly 4/3 total was bolstered by the 3rd Oak Rustic of the autumn (this was just our 4th ever, the 1st coming at the start of December last year). @linnetincley.bsky.social #cleymothobs #norfolkmoths #teammoth

4/3 at CMO last night. LBAM, Winter Moth and 2 Bricks 😊 @markgolley.bsky.social #TeamMoth #NorfolkMoths

A 2nd 40 year old Devonian gripper (still standing the test of time) was Slapton's Little Swift in August '85. Three of us found it over the hut on Day 2, having been AWOL for almost 24 hours. We had a great time before leaving for Berry Head's Alpine Swift ~ 3 Swifts in one day 😎 #RareBirdsUK 2/2

Enjoyed chatting earlier this week w/ @markrabailey.bsky.social about the Dawlish Lesser Crested Tern. I'm old enough to have seen the 1st LCT at Dawlish in July 1985 (& the '83 BP bird). I knew there was a photo of the Dawlish bird. Somewhere I have Hoppo's colour print too. #RareBirdsUK 1/2

Having a sort out and I’ve found 6 bottles of A acetate. I didn’t use it this year so if anyone would like a bottle or two or three please give me a shout. @sjturn.bsky.social @wheatersdave.bsky.social @ruthnewby.bsky.social and anyone else who may be interested.