Fantastic afternoon at Abberton with 4 Slavonian & 4 Black-necked Grebe, Black-throated Diver, Lesser Scaup, 14 Gtr Scaup, 83 Goosander, Tawny Owl (seen & heard), 1000+ Jackdaw at roost & a huge gull roost, mostly (10,000+) Common Gulls. The sunset was pretty amazing too #essexbirding

It's voting time in the EBwS Autumn 2025 Bird Photography Competition quarter-finals! Here are the entries in the 1st - please choose your favourite photo from these four and vote here: strawpoll.com/w4nWWbWkJnA #essexbirding

It's voting time in the EBwS Autumn 2025 Bird Photography Competition quarter-finals! Here are the entries in the 2nd - please choose your favourite photo from these four and vote here: strawpoll.com/e7ZJaja5Yg3 #essexbirding

It's voting time in the EBwS Autumn 2025 Bird Photography Competition quarter-finals! Here are the entries in the 3rd - please choose your favourite photo from these four and vote here: strawpoll.com/3RnYXbXEmye #essexbirding

It's voting time in the EBwS Autumn 2025 Bird Photography Competition quarter-finals! Here are the entries in the 4th - please choose your favourite photo from these four and vote here: strawpoll.com/NMnQNbNx1g6 #essexbirding

Highlight of today's WeBS count was this Snow Bunting on Stone Point, East Mersea this afternoon. #Essexbirding #UKbirding

Attempt to downlist conservation status of Peregrine Falcons to allow international trade is thwarted at CITES Conference. #CITESCoP20 Good news for Peregrines, but not sure why UK voted to support this proposal! #RaptorResearch raptorpersecutionuk.org/2025/12/04/a...

The highlight of a beautiful morning at EWT Fingringhoe Wick was this brilliant Red-necked Grebe feeding out on the Colne! #EssexBirding #Birding #UKBirding

Another 'missing' Hen Harrier, this time in the Moorfoot Hills, south of Edinburgh - a well known hotbed of illegal raptor persecution over several decades. #RaptorResearch #WildlifeCrime raptorpersecutionuk.org/2025/11/20/s...

Hen Harrier Susie, whose chicks were stamped to death on a Yorkshire Dales grouse moor in 2022, has been found dead on a N Pennines grouse moor with gunshot injuries. 18+ months of silence about this crime from the police & Natural England. #RaptorResearch raptorpersecutionuk.org/2025/11/14/h...

Arctic Tern still off Stone Point, East Mersea this morning, Great Northern Diver on the Colne, scarce this end of the Island, and a Common Scoter flew in and landed. Merlin just north of Cudmore Grove car park. #Essexbirding

Thanks to a prompt message from Neil Harvey, we finished our WeBS count with an adult and juv Arctic Tern from Stone Point, East Mersea. #Essexbirding

This month's fascinating talk is about Recording Rare Breeding Birds in the UK and Essex, by Mark Eaton from the RBBP. It's streaming live on YouTube from 8pm on Friday: youtube.com/live/VlTi7GS... #essexbirding #RareBirdsUK @ukrbbp.bsky.social

Arctic Skua again today chasing Sandwich Terns off Kingsland Rd and Esplanade, West Mersea. Seems to be hanging around in the area. #EssexBirding

My blog about days 3 and 4 of the Scilly trip, and a difficult Pipit that we still haven't 100% identified. #ukbirding #birds

BirdLife International has issued a firm warning against proposals to cull Great Cormorant across Europe, arguing that the measures would fail to address pressures on fish stocks and could damage years of conservation progress:

It wasn't all birds for our Isles of Scilly tour. We also encountered RED SQUIRRELS, PRICKLY STICK INSECTS, the endemic subspecies of SPECKLED WOOD and HUMMINGBIRD HAWKMOTH. #wildlife #nature #islesofscilly #mammals #uknature

First Mersea Arctic Skua for some years for me yesterday, off West Mersea Esplanade, flew off high West but reappeared later chasing gulls off Bradwell. #EssexBirding

The immature White-tailed Eagle at Trimley Marshes SWT this morning. #Birds #UKBirding #SuffolkBirds

An almost birdless slog around the patch was finally rewarded when a distant airplane turned out to be a White-tailed Eagle. Unfortunately stayed rather distant but never mind, a full fat patch tick. #HytheLagoons #EssexBirding

A tusker in the reeds! Highlight of yesterday's WeBS count on Mersea Island.......which says it all about the WeBS count!! #Essexbirding

29 'missing' Hen Harriers & nearly 40 birds of prey poisoned, trapped or shot in Yorkshire Dales National Park since 2015. Not so much a National Park - more of a National Disgrace. #RaptorResearch #WildlifeCrime #Ornithology #Yorkshire raptorpersecutionuk.org/2025/10/04/2...

Excellent thread from @alexanderlees.bsky.social More I'll thought out "conservation".

A bit of a surprise when we returned to our holiday lodge in Cornwall this afternoon. An Unarmed Stick, Acanthoxyla inermis I presume, on the door!!

Swainson's Thrush at Cuithir this morning, a well deserved find by Stuart Beeby, incredibly the 4th Barra record, making it our second most frequent North American vagrant passerine. #BirdingScotland #RareBirdsUK

Hard work at Porthgwarra this morning but eventually a few Cory's and Great Shearwaters picked out by the small group of Birders there. Also a couple of Sooty Shears and half a dozen Balearic's, a few Storm Petrels and 2 Chough. #UKBirding

We've changed the location of this month's coach trip from Oare Marshes to RSPB Dungeness and there are still a few places left. Members and non-members are welcome, visit ebws.org.uk/events/field... for further details and to book #essexbirding

Sunday 7th anyone visiting wigborough Church Arctic warbler please note we are keeping the church side of carpark clear for churchgoers from 10.30am.extra parking been arranged opposite first entrance(gate is open please park in there only)noParking on vergeFrontGates ) #Essexbirdnews #EssexBirding

Moulting adult Curlew Sand at East Mersea this morning. #EssexBirding #UKBirding

Don't forget to watch tonight's Birds of Essex - it's going to have a special start...! With the usual mix of birding news, a look ahead to the new season, & the winner of the Summer Photo Comp, it's going to be another packed show. Watch LIVE here: youtube.com/live/O8FNv7anN #essexbirding #birds

A different Pied Fly at Feldy View, West Mersea this morning per Dougal, and 2 Spot Flies still.

The Pied Fly had gone but 2 Spot Flies at Feldy View, West Mersea today. #Essexbirding

A mobile Pied Fly at Feldy View, West Mersea today, thanks to Dougal. #EssexBirders

"Some enchanted evening, you may meet a stranger!"

We were proud to support our local police today on a wildlife crime warrant. The suspect was believed to be catching and selling wild finches. No birds were found, but illegal trapping equipment was seized inc lime sticks, a strong result in the fight against wildlife crime. 👏🕊️

I have cheerlead this project before and seen the storks at the fantastic Knepp estate theconversation.com/stork-chicks... but it is difficult to see this as anything other than a publicity stunt - no evidence it will redress biodiversity loss 2/2

Wood Sand at Abberton Res this afternoon. #Essexbirding #UKbirding

With so-called 'partners' like this, the Hen Harrier Taskforce might as well pack up now before it becomes a laughing stock. #RaptorResearch #WildlifeCrime #UKbirding raptorpersecutionuk.org/2025/07/25/h...

Autumn slowly arriving for the birds at Abberton today - seen today Pec Sand, Crossbill, 2 Greenshank, 12 Common & 5 Green Sands, 10 Blackwit, LR Plover, Spoonbill, 11 GW Egret, 75 Teal & the first returning Common Gull #essexbirding

Nearly ready to go. Just the one this year. #Essexbirding #UKbirding

2 of Brightlingsea's Cattle Egrets did the decent thing and turned up on Mersea today for a year tick, also, fist 2 Common Sands of the year and a constantly calling Willow Warbler. ##Essexbirding

Splish splash I was taking a bath........... @drhedgehog.bsky.social

#essexbirding gofund.me/5a423456

Trump's 2026 budget plan to defund the North American Breeding Bird Survey and USGS Bird Banding Laboratory will be a continent-wide blow to bird conservation efforts. Undoubtedly, that's the point. www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/int... #citizenscience #birdbanding #ornithology

Red-belted clearwing in my greenhouse! A first for me. #TeamMoth

3 Hog night! 3 of at least 4 Hedgehogs visiting our feeding station last night. youtu.be/B1TQuwvG24Q

Hanningfield Res this pm - 4 Common Sands, 10 RC Pochard but little else as yet. However, a small pond there held 6 Lesser Emperor, Norfolk & Southern Migrant Hawker, Scarce Chaser, Willow Emerald, sev Small Red-Eyes & Marbled White - that would have been unthinkable even 10 years ago! #essexbirding

Thanks, @bobberzins.bsky.social for writing this guest blog. Detailed observations and commentary about what goes on on Peak District grouse moors... raptorpersecutionuk.org/2025/06/18/m...