A nice week of winter birding with Black Guillemot, winter swans and ducks, the Hume’s Warbler again and an increase in Caspian Gulls. For all weekly highlights in Kent see kentos.org.uk. #kentbirding #birdguides

The third Hume’s Warbler of the autumn was finally more cooperative and could be seen one and off at Sandwich Bay. Sandwich Bay also hosted a Shore Lark and four Snow Bunting. For full weekly highlights in Kent birding see kentos.org.uk. #kentbirding #birdguides

Latest post on Canterbury RSPB Local Group blog group.rspb.org.uk/canterbury/n...

Lessons from extinction? wadertales.wordpress.com/2024/12/12/l... #ornithology

Heatwaves are already killing Pallid Swifts in Spain “You would walk down the street and there would be 100 chicks, lying at the foot of a building, some dying and some barely alive,” www.theguardian.com/world/2022/j...

Moths have evolved many way of hiding in plain sight - or looking like something else. Here a December Moth trying to pretend it’s a Musk Ox.

The weekly update is again available on the KOS website, with Pallid Swift, Pallas Warbler, good seawatching and an update on the Kent year list at the end of October. See kentos.org.uk. #kentbirding #birdguides

www.theguardian.com/environment/... Abject, craven, weak- utterly shameful failure of leadership by a government failing to tackle the biggest threat we face.

🙏 💚

Jane Goodall, world-renowned primatologist, dies aged 91 “one of the true conservation giants of our time” www.theguardian.com/science/2025...

So sad to hear of the loss of the inspirational Jane Goodall - a brief meeting in 2017 was special. Another light had gone out in the dark times.

The most unusual sighting in Kent this week was an unseasonal Jack Snipe at Worth while the Bonaparte’s remained at Oare and juvenile Yellow-legged Gulls were at Dungeness. Full highlights on Kentos.org.uk #kentbirding #birdguides

A second rare American gull visiting the county, another Caspian Tern and a large group of Cattle Egrets were among the highlights in Kent birding this week. See kentos.org.uk. #kentbirding #birdguides

Here’s looking at yer! Large Emerald and Black Arches - two favourite moth faces.

Orange-tailed Clearwing - fifth clearwing species for the garden.

The weekly birding highlights in Kent included Golden Oriole, Black Kite and Bee-eater. See full details on kentos.org.uk #kentbirding

The distinctive female Four-spotted Footman.

An egg box of loveliness

I’m being judged.

4th clearwing for the garden - Lunar Hornet Moth - yes it’s a moth!

A female Ghost Moth in all her glory.

KOS Site of the month – June Old Park and Chequers Wood, Canterbury – This 200ha site much of which is SSSI designated on the outskirts of Canterbury is currently under threat. Amongst other species it is home to Turtle Doves and Nightingales. #kentbirding

www.theguardian.com/politics/202... Great article - focus on land banking is correct. Pursuit of extra profit is screwing nature. Let’s keep this pressure on.

www.theguardian.com/environment/... Sadly this ecologically illiterate govt show no sign of listening.

16 species of wader/shorebird are in worse trouble than we thought. There's a list at the end of this blog about recently red-listed Broad-billed Sandpipers: wadertales.wordpress.com/2024/12/08/b... #ornithology BB s/p papers by @bksandercock.bsky.social & Skitts Rae

Time spent with the Lady and the Duke is never wasted.

I’ve just come across a fungus weevil - not sure seen one before! If I’m right this one eats King Alfred’s Cakes. VC 15

Following some good birds in recent weeks at Dungeness and North Foreland, it was Sandwich Bay’s turn! A Western Bonelli’s Warbler was the best of a long list of scarcities. Elsewhere a Montague’s Harriet was noteworthy. See all highlights on Kentos.org.uk #kentbirding

Ecological illiterate wreckers in govt must listen and act to back out of disastrous legislation.

Kerton Pit, near Lydd-on-sea has been gathering waders on the high tides lately. One of the Bar-tailed Godwits on the 1st May was colour ringed - it was ringed in November 2022 in Mauritania, over 3700km away! Giving us an idea of where some of the 10k birds past this spring are coming from.

Bonkers moth spring continues 130 moths of 38 species with 1 new one (Great Prominent) and 9 others new for the year. On 107 two weeks earlier than previous best garden ton!

Cox-comb Prominent and Buff Tip having a camouflage-off!

One of the many benefits of #nomowmay is my patch of Adder’s tongue Fern is spreading!

Angleshades and Pebble Prominent two garden regulars.

Four moths checking in as new for the year in the garden. The exquisite Brimstone and Shuttle-shaped Dart are common Mullein I see usually as caterpillars on … Mullein! And just my second Fox Moth.

Nigel Farage thinks net zero is the new Brexit. Starmer can prove him wrong | Rafael Behr

Nearly May so time for the first May Bugs in the moth trap - Cockchafers are my happy beetles!

Completed my first breeding bird survey @btobirds.bsky.social of the year. Loads of Corn Buntings jangling and dangling.

Bumped into this Violet Oil Beetle on my wetland bird count today. Looked for them before but this is my first one.

A large movement of Redwing, several new summer arrivals, a Hoopoe and an Iberian Chiffchaff made for excellent early Spring birding. See Highlights of the Week on kentos.org.uk #kentbirding

22nd March is the United Nations’s World Water Day. Whilst focussing this year on the importance of glaciers why not take a moment to be more local and ensure your garden birds have access to some fresh water. #kentbirding

It's back! The government have announced that the GCSE in Natural History is going ahead!

The best bird of the week was an apparent ‘Eastern’ Lesser Whitethroat in a birder’s garden while a few more new summer migrants arrived and good numbers of wildfowl flew past Dungeness. Full details on Kentos.org.uk. #kentbirding

Amazingly the Pintail record from two weeks ago (which was breaking a previous record from 2006) was broken within two weeks! Other highlights include a Glaucous Gull and the Serins from last week. For full report: kentos.org.uk #kentbirding

Great to see a full house at Harpenden RSPB Local Group @rspb.bsky.social for my seabirds talk (sadly topical with events in the North Sea)

Huge win! Government announces plans to open up the Land Registry. If delivered, will finally reveal more about who owns land in England and Wales. Read my blog post for more details & how you can write to the Minister to make sure this now happens: whoownsengland.org/2025/03/06/h... 🧵1/