Vocal & showy (I actually saw it - briefly) Dusky Warbler at dusk, appropriately, underlining a phyllos-tastic year at Sandwich. Order of appearance; Western Bonelli's, Yellow-browed, Pallas's, Radde's, Hume's, Siberian Chiff & Dusky however no Wood Warbler - first blank year since 2006 #KentBirding

After Tuesday's Shore Lark at Sandwich Bay, I'll admit to having a bit of a thing for Horned Larks - fnarr fnarr - Eremophila taxa I hasten to add 😬. Here are some I met on my travels during 2015-2018.

A bracing walk up the beach in sunshine but a chilly Norwest'ly. Nearly running out of accessible beach, the Shore Lark found just south of @kentwildlife.bsky.social reserve boundary. Near annual at the Bay up to start of C21 (peak of 27 in Feb '73😮) now scarce & #KentBirding description species📷🗒️

A flat sea aided a Great Crested Grebe count but little else apart from the Shetland Trader. Fantasies of a ship-assisted Siberian Thrush cruelly dashed when I read it had sailed from the south coast bumping into the odd yacht but were the Stoikiy & Yelnya responsible for the Hume's Warbler influx 🤔

The northerlies delivered geese to East Kent; 26 Barnies on Worth & nearby a hrota Pale-bellied Brent (scarce in these parts) added credibility to their wild origin? Reminds me of our trip to Svalbard (this is the last cruise I go on with you😡) -perhaps one of the local gulls could also pop down 🙏

90 mins on the sea in biblically-bad conditions - to say wintry squalls just doesn't quite cut it. Defrosting back at base catching up with Greg Lee, our previous AW on leave from Bardsey BO, when our current AW Jonny Bull calls to say he has a Hume's Warbler in the Little Elms. Pandemonium ensues..

There's been a huge increase in number of Gannets feeding offshore at Sandwich Bay. From usual day peaks of 200-300, 1300 on 10th Nov 2024 was staggering only to be eclipsed by 1750 on 1st Nov this year. In other news the ♀️Velvet Scoter remains, today in the company of a ♀️Common Scoter #KentBirding

Bright warm (15'C) but breezy - probably our last chance for some 'odonating' before weather turned. No Migrant Hawkers but still plenty of Common Darters including this pair making 'wahey' while the sun shone. Then news of a Willow Emerald Damselfly smashing our previous latest of 14th Oct in 2021.

63 Firecrests ringed at Sandwich Bay Bird Observatory so far this year 😮 Most probably breeding in my home garden since 2019 (although yet to find a nest😬) the resident male/s sing & display as I potter about - all reflecting large population increases noted in the county since 2012/3. #KentBirding

The proposed Sea Link is in the examination stage of the DCO process. This week, our Planning Officer Emma Waller is speaking at both the Issue-specific and Open Floor hearings to make our concerns heard and to urge National Grid to Rethink. kentwildlifetrust.org.uk/campaigns/rethink-sea-link

Distinctly overdressed on this morning's WeBS count on Worth Marshes 😅 - great to see SBBOT old boy David Anning now RSPB Ynys-hir site manager. Migrant Hawkers still on the wing if somewhat tattered. On Thursday a brown 'hawker' with amber-tinted wings was frustratingly a probable Vagrant Emperor 😬

Emblematic & symbolic of Sandwich Bay Bird Observatory, today's "seven-striped Siberian sprite" Pallas's Warbler 😁 was the 58th recorded at the Bay (of which 24 ringed) since the first (also for Kent) on Nov 23rd 1958❗. The earliest Oct 11th in 1975, the latest Dec 31st 1998 #KentBirding #KentNature

And it doesn't look like any other species in the western palearctic, so not some cryptic species stuff here but an amazing new find! Here's a pic by Süleyman Erdeğer, the person who first found it (and after whom it is named) www.trakel.org/kelebekler/?...

Today 75 mins on the sea - quiet but for a drake Scaup, two drake Velvet Scoters & three species of Diver 😮, inc this Great Northern close enough inshore to try a record shot. Cormorant numbers starting to build & yesterday the Sea Cadets Flagship/training brig Royalist out of Ramsgate #KentBirding

Highlights from Worth last Thurs 30th October: Plenty of Common Darters (20+) & Migrant Hawkers (5 males) still on the wing in the lee of the Great Wood & probably my latest ever Brown Argus. A Glossy Ibis out by Roaring Gutter but no sign of y'day's Long-billed Dowitcher. #KentNature #KentBirding

A spell sea-watching, c2300 Starlings in-off & Black-throated Diver the best. Then to HQ for our first 'confirmed' White-speck. Previous records: "8 in 8-17 July in 1986 clearly incorrect but one on 31/10/89 probably reliable”. A migrant/colonist, seen previously on Scillies were resident/common.

Thursday’s (Oct 30th) Sandwich Bay Bird obs talk at 7.30pm is “The Damsels & Dragons of Sandwich Bay & Worth Marshes” by Andrew Lipczynski 32 species of Damselflies & Dragonflies have been recorded at Sandwich Bay & 29 breed - no other UK site has a greater biodiversity. All welcome £5 #kentbirding

Pretty chuffed to just have a female Vagrant Emperor in/off at Sandwich Bay beach (opposite the Princes Golf Clubhouse) at 1240hrs. Hawked the beach for a few minutes before heading off inland #Odonata @birdguides.bsky.social

Nice to find a showy female Velvet Scoter off the Princes Golf Course in Sandwich Bay this afternoon. My first in Kent for a very long time @kentishplover.bsky.social

Photo-montage & Norman McCanch's drawing of 2CY female Black-headed (Yellow) Wagtail, M. f. feldegg, RSPB Worth Marshes 26th May 2023, Chuffed that BBRC✅ "The mills of the gods grind slowly, but they grind exceeding fine."😁 A most challenging description & 1st for SBBOT recording area & #KentBirding

Our current tour of the week, Fabulous Fuerteventura - Birds, Butterflies & Botany, has now moved to become a guaranteed departure. Also guaranteed is our early bird booking deal - an automatic £150 off the tour's list price if booked before 1 Dec 2025. mariposanature.com/tours/wildli...

Finders-in-the-Field: Eyebrowed Thrush, Isles of Scilly Neil Davies recounts a once-in-a-lifetime moment for his birding crew on St Mary’s www.rarebirdalert.co.uk/v2/Content/F...

Wednesday last day. After packing up, checking out & winding down I went to Porthloo. The EBT had been seen earlier twice briefly so I strolled to the original site; Sophie's Walk. A couple strolling along the path unknowingly flushed a bird & there it was 😮😀 . Thank you Sophie whoever you are/were.

After a long weekend lost in fevered delirium I was still in my PJs when the guys called "we've found an Eyebrowed Thrush at Porthloo". Me "yeah - right!" However, regretting those years bunking off school x-country, I was soon on-site and the camera suggests I was not hallucinating😵‍💫 #ScillyBirding

Friday pm, a romp around St Mary's, finding Prickly Stick Insect (Acanthoxyla geisovii) in the Churchyard, the airport for Lapland Bunting & Porth Hellick beach for Common Rosefinch associating with Chaffinches, Bramblings & Linnets. Returning in a fever with a savage dose of man flu. #ScillyBirding

A few shots from Friday's mini pelagic onboard Joe Pender's MV Sapphire out past Bryher to Pol Bank and the Bishop Rock (Men an Epskop) Lighthouse and then back along the Western Rocks and Tresco. #ScillyBirding

More highlights from our first 2 days on Scillies. The Spotted Sandpiper in Saint Wama's Cove & American (Buff-bellied) Pipit with M'ippits in the cow fields at end of Barnaby Lane, both on St Agnes & 2 Jack Snipe on Lower Moors, St Mary's, members of a large influx onto the Islands #Scillybirding

Yep, I'm afraid it's Scilly season again. After yesterday's brief flight view only of the MoDo on St Agnes., today it was a wee bit better. #Scillybirding

The new European Butterfly Red List is published today, with worrying findings. Over 1/4 (28%) of Europe’s 442 species are threatened with extinction or are close to being so. The situation is far worse for our 148 endemic species, 40% are now threatened or nearly so www.bc-europe.eu/webpage.php?...

Israel’s war on #Gaza has dragged on far too long. Over the past two years, Israeli forces have killed over 66,000 people, including 15 of our staff. We call for an immediate and sustained ceasefire, an end to the siege and access for independent humanitarian aid at scale.

The Great Crake Off? 😬 Well worth the soggy bottom resulting from sitting quietly for an hour in wet grass watching the Spotted Crake performing in the Dragonfly Pond. A mass of hirundines overhead, bushes full of Chiffchaffs and a Wryneck, albeit briefly. Sandwich Bay at its best. #KentBirding

Just a Scaup at Twilight. A drake at Pegwell present for its 3rd day. Like all sea-duck, increasingly scarce at Sandwich Bay, just about annual passage migrant/winter visitor. Long gone are the days when Harrison described exceptional cold weather numbers of 800-1000 at Sandwich in 1940 #KentBirding

Today's Red-necked Phalarope was 15th record for SBBOT recording area. There's only been 1 spring record (26-30/5/1975) all others, juv/1w birds, in period 8/8/1964 - 17/11/2017. Early records were at/near Pegwell - most recent 3 on newly created habitat on New Downs/RSPB Worth Marshes #KentBirding

An excellent day on Worth started with 3 Glossy Ibis out of roost towards Willow Farm then finding a juv Red-necked Phalarope on Lydden Flood and supporting cast of White-tailed Eagle, 2 Hen Harriers, juv Red-rumped Swallow, 3 Raven birds also 1000+ hirrundines. #ukbirding #kentbirding

The Death's-head Hawk-moth reminded me of another giant - the Great Peacock. In particular, this larva in the Jardin des Papillons, Digne-les-Bains in July 2014. It was another 7 years before I saw an adult lumbering around the Casa Sarasa garden on a warm spring evening & later on a trap. #TeamMoth

Presenting 'Damian' the Death's-head Hawkmoth, A. atropos, newly emerged this morning, after being lovingly tended and raised by our Assistant Warden, Johnny Bull, after the caterpillar was found on the SBBOT Middle Field reserve on 14th August. Marvelous Moth Metamorphosis 🤩 #TeamMoth #KentNature

Recommended - even for those who have no problems getting to sleep 😜

SBBO Moth Night: always some surprises, today was no different. Oak Lutestring, common inland but only a couple of previous records (30/9/09 & 26/9/10) September Thorn, my 2nd of the year - until recently you had to go back to 2001 & Ni Moth, my last by 'mothin' on a cruise ship in the Med #TeamMoth

The Migrant Hawker was regarded as an uncommon migrant but now resident & widespread at Sandwich Bay/Worth Marshes with numbers still boosted in autumn by migrants from Europe. Peak numbers seen in the lee of trees & bushes on late sunny days e.g. 150+ during Sept 2023. Exuviae first found 8/7/2014

On probably the last hot (25'C), calm & sunny day of the year, 2♂️Scarce Blue-tailed Damselflies on territory at Sandwich Bay beating last year's final sighting on 3rd Sept. Amazing how such fragile creatures have survived the recent storms & cool evenings. @britishdragonflies.bsky.social #KentNature

Three hours of sea-watching at Sandwich Bay yielded one, possibly two, Sooty Shearwaters, just shy of the 52+ logged a few miles away down-channel at St Maggies 😮 and I won't even mention the incredible 351 🤯 counted past Dunge - oops! Ah - but did they have any Coot I hear you ask? #KentBirding

One of those legendary Sandwich Bay sea-watching sessions that will live long in the memory. No, I'm not talking about the 14+ Arctic, 2 Pomarine & 1 Long-tailed Skuas or even the Sooty & Balearic Shearwater but it is my honour to present to you the Coot drifting sedately North offshore #KentBirding

12 Glossy Ibis on Willow Farm, RSPB Worth Marshes this am - part of a recent record-breaking influx into Britain & Ireland with multiple flocks of 30-40 birds. A sign of huge population increases in Spain & France or refugees from a wave of heat-waves, droughts & wildfires in the Med 🤔 #KentBirding

Toward the end, fortunately, of Worth Marshes WeBS count & speculating over a distant 'interesting' Little Stint on Muddy Pool looking 'slight & attenuated' in the midday heat. Fortunate to have @markgolley.bsky.social drop in & keep us on the straight & narrow 🤩 Nobody expects the BOU! #KentBirding

The Spotted Crake is 17th record for Sandwich Bay after last year's territorial male heard singing from 1.5km away😮. 13 from 1964 - '88 are scattered thru all seasons. Another juv. on New Downs was well-watched from 18/8-15/9/95 while one was rescued/delivered by the postman on 6/9/96 😂 #KentBirding

A decent seawatch (by Sandwich Bay standards) with 4 Arctic Skua, a Bonxie, 2 Little Gulls & Black Tern (plus an 'all-dark' tern best forgot 😬). Late afternoon took the last train to Crakesville (aka South Scrape, New Downs) for a Spotted Crake 😀 posing with Water Rail, Coot & Moorhen #KentBirding

Top film. The smartest look at this subject I've ever seen. Also funny and sweary. youtu.be/zl-wAqplQAo?...

Is your feed providing you daily updates on humanitarian crises around the world? It can by following us! ✅ ¿Prefieres las actualizaciones en español? Consíguelas aquí: @msfespana.bsky.social

Two battleworn Long-Tailed Blues near Deal today ,seeing off allcomers ,particularly the Wall Browns that got too close ! Lots of Everlasting Pea .......so hopefully a female or two made the trip ......looks good for later on 🤞.

Since the discovery of Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly I. pumilio at Sandwich Bay we've had to pay closer attention to its far commoner cogener, the Blue-tailed Damselfly I. elegans, probably our most abundant zygopteran. Here an immature green ♂️mating with the larger mature 'A-type' 'typica' ♀️#Odonata