Quite a few year ticks on my last day in Norfolk for quite while and fortunately blessed by the weather! Brambling&Siskin at Lynford; Greater Scaup, Sanderling, Slavonian Grebe&Knot at Titchwell; Water Rail at Sculthrope. #Norfolkbirding

Quite a few birders with cameras were taking advantage of the rare UK sunshine to capture the Sanderlings on the beach at RSPB Titchwell today. #Norfolkbirding

My first Water Rail of the year, at Sculthorpe Moor. Not too much else of note around in the early morning, but I did miss out on the Bullfinch at the Dragonfly hide. #SculthorpeMoor

Random shots from yesterday. Missed the Black bellied Dipper but it is reported to be hunting along quite a stretch of the Wensum. However, I ‘may’ have seen my first male Hen Harrier, hunting along the marsh between Holme and Thornham. It was too fleeting for a photo, especially in the poor light.

A meandering trip up to Norfolk today. Nothing very exciting, but it was great to get out without getting wet.

No sign of the White tailed Eagle during our brief stop at Middle Woodford this lunchtime, but there was a lot of Red tailed Kite activity and a Common Buzzard on view.

The Great tailed Grackle is still showing very well at Holbury. One of two reported today, the other is in Speke, Lancashire.

Atmospheric floodlight Swan feeding at a flooded WWT Welney this evening. Mostly Whoopers and Pochards taking advantage of a free meal. #WWTWelney

Groups of Whooper Swans are a common sight in the Fens every winter (20 - 30,000 birds overwinter in the UK). Sadly Bewick's are getting harder to find.

A second try for the Black winged Kite, and much better views today at the pumping station near Stubb Mill. Never particularly close but a fantastic looking bird, with very striking eyes when the sun is in the right place. #Norfolkbirding

I wish to brighten up this #BlueMonday with a beautiful January sunrise. 🤗 Nature is a wonderful source of joy. 🦢☀️🦢 River Great Ouse - The Fens - Cambridgeshire

New Forest Stonechat. Not quite the Great grey Shrike I was hoping for... No doubt there will be many other 'dips' during the year!

A few shots from today’s BOPH winter cruise. Enjoyable as always, despite the miserable weather (my excuse for poor pictures). Birds included Red necked Grebe, Black necked Grebes and more GN Divers than ‘you could shake a stick at’. Great, informative commentary by Mya, Joe and Mark. #harbourbirds

Today was a very dull and drizzly day to pay a long overdue visit Elmley. There were a few raptors visible from the drive but no sign of the Little Owl. I was saddened to hear that the LEO may have been driven off by a visiting photographer trying to startle it into flight. #Elmley

Black Redstarts are still feeding in and around Seafield Gardens, Seaton. Also showing well this morning was a single Whitethroat, possibly the 'potential' Siberian Lesser Whitethroat that has been reported on Birdguides recently. Male Blackcap also in the area. #Devonbirding

Very pleasant walk round Ouse Fen this lunchtime. No Beardies on show in the crisp weather. A Kingfisher made a cameo appearance, and there was a vocal Water Rail.

As close as I could get to the Black winged Kite this morning. So far away it was invisible to the naked eye and, of course, facing the wrong way! Still, very please to see it, especially as it was a 'lifer' for me. #Norfolkbirding

Marsh Tit and Blue Tit at Sculthorpe Moor, which was surprisingly busy considering it is only open to members on Boxing day.

Eastern Black Redstart at Sheringham today. The first I have seen and although it is a very rare vagrant sub-species, there is also one in Yorkshire at the moment. #Norfolkbirding

2025 3/3: A few of the slightly rarer birds. Black winged Stilt at Seaton, Great Reed Warbler at Ouse Fen, the very confiding Red tailed Shrike in Suffolk and the immigrant Boat tailed Grackle at Holbury. My thanks to the many birders who have pointed me in the right direction in 2025.

2025 2/3: Four of my favourite ‘large’ bird photos. The resident Poole male White tailed Eagle G463 mugging our favourite Osprey CJ7. Shortie flying over my head on Skomer, a tagged Norfolk Marsh Harrier and a young Purple Heron on the River Cam, flushed by a passing boat.

2025 1/3: The year is nearly over, so it is time to reflect. Here are four of my favourite small bird photos. The Puffins on Skomer were awesome. Beardies and Kingfishers have been quite obliging this year and my first Crossbills, at the Holme Obs, Norfolk.

A Black-Bellied Dipper on the River Wensum this afternoon. Dippers are normally absent from East Anglia. But these black-bellied birds of the continental sub species very occasionally turn up. This is the first one I've ever seen in Norfolk #UKBirding #norfolkbirding #ukwildlife #birds

THREE satellite-tagged White-tailed Eagles disappear in suspicious circumstances in England, Wales & Scotland - two tags had been cut off. Press release from Isle of Wight WTE Project Team & additional commentary from me ⬇️⬇️ #RaptorResearch #WildlifeCrime raptorpersecutionuk.org/2025/12/17/t...

<Real birders look away now>. As there wasn’t anything worth hunting down on my trip from Devon to East Anglia, I stopped at Birdpark in Bourton-on-the-Water. A great collection of birds, but with the usual problem of taking shots through wire mesh. Spectacled Owl, Cassowary, Emu, Tawny Frogmouth

Highly pathogenic avian influenza caused a mass die-off in Eurasian cranes during their autumn migration through Germany, France and Spain. More than 18,000 dead cranes were reported dead in Germany alone. The full demographic impact of this mortality on the crane population needs to be assessed.

I have been experimenting with an RF adapted 2nd hand Sigma 105mm f2.8EF lens for low light situations, in the Tropical House at the Cotswold WP, Burford. An amazing collection of birds but my ISO was often pushed above 12.8k, peaking at 51.2k. Real-world jungle photography must be a huge challenge!

A few more shots of the Shore Larks at Pakefield Beach today, and the 60+ Snow Buntings in the same area. I have never seen so many at the same time. Surprisingly, the flock was quite skittish, in complete contrast to the individual birds I have encountered. 2/2

I am disappointed that no Shore Larks have been viewable at Holkham Gap this winter, but there is still time! Fortunately, there has been a small group reported on Pakefield Beach, Suffolk, near the Coastwatch site. Access is tricky but I did spot five birds today. 1/2

Black Redstart on the high 'cliffs' of Seafield Rd, Seaton, this afternoon. #Devonbirding

Female Desert Wheatear (✅) at Wyke Regis, Dorset this afternoon. After a distant view through the security fence around the camp, I did manage a few shots when it jumped on the razor wire. Bird has been present for at least 5 days. #Dorsetbirds

No sign of any SEOs in the early morning sunshine near WWT Welney this morning, but there were few Cattle Egrets scavenging in the fields.

Often our 'optimistic' diversions while travelling don’t work out, but this time it certainly did, so a few more shots of the ‘Holbury’ Boat-tailed Grackle. One guess is that the bird hitched a ride on a ship to Southampton, as the Grackle considered to be non-migratory.

Not the USA East coast but Holbury, Hamps. This bird was first spotted on the 02/11/25 nr Calshot castle but has relocated to Holbury. The first recorded Boat-tailed Grackle in the UK, AFAIK. It seems to be unafraid of humans but is wary of dog walkers! Absolutely stunning bird. #UKbirding

Great to see that 'Lucy', the leucistic female Blackbird, is still looking well at the Seaton Wetlands. I think I first saw her on the path by Black Hole Marsh last winter.

Hume's Leaf Warbler at Holme N.O.A. this morning. Somewhat tricky to get a picture but lovely to see such a rare warbler, as I have trouble enough with more common species! #Norfolkbirding

Blackcap and male Green Woodpecker at Holme N.O.A. this morning. #Norfolkbirding

It was too breezy for Bearded Tits or even Reed Buntings to pose for photographs this morning at Ouse Fen. Fortunately, there are always Stonechats!

Nothing too exciting from the main observatory at Welney in the early afternoon but there are plenty of birds on the water. We are looking forward to going to a floodlit swan feed. #WWTWelney

It is amazing how Sanderlings stay so white on the beach, especially given the state dogs around them were getting into, on the wet sand.

The end of my week of casual wandering in North Norfolk. No Shore Larks or convincing Water Pipits but I did get a Snow Bunting (West Runton) and my first Crossbills (Holme NOA), so I am not complaining!

Overcast early morning at Sculthorpe Moor. Barn owls asleep but the Tawny owls were both looking out of their box. A female Kingfisher caught a huge fish from the ‘goal post’ perch, managed to swallow it and then moved briefly to a perch near the hide to have her picture taken. #SculthorpeMoor

That is a lifetime’s worth of ‘Crossbill luck’ used up in two visits to the Holme NOA site. I could hear Crossbills in the trees, but it was too windy to catch sight of them. I sat down in one of the hides and a male landed on a branch just in from of me! Very happy! #Norfolkbirding

Snow Buntings are amazingly confiding wild birds. This one just carried on feeding while I shuffled about taking its portrait. The only time it ducked down was when a dog walker passed just behind me. West Runton, near the car park this pm. #Norfolkbirding

The rainbow diffraction effect on a blue tit, taken yesterday with the fab new OM 50-200. Can’t wait for my OM interview at 5pm GMT Friday on YouTube @omsystem.bsky.social @shropshirewildlife.bsky.social @rspb.bsky.social @natgeophotos.bsky.social

My first Crossbill, found at the Holme NOA site. My thanks to the couple who pointed the bird out. 15 had been seen during the day but one was good enough for me! #Norfolkbirding

The Grey Phalarope on Cley marshes this morning. Blurry shots but, according to Google Maps, I was 370m away from the bird, so I’m quite impressed that it is recognisable at all! #Norfolkbirding

Fallow deer jumping a fence at Hollesley Common, while we were waiting patiently for the Brown Shrike to move a bit closer!

I knew little about shrikes, before 5 species appeared locally. Lesser Grey Shrike breeds in SE Europe and W Asia. Red-backed Shrike breeds across Europe and W Asia. Brown Shrike breeds in E Asia. Red-tailed Shrike very closely related to the Brown Shrike (conspecific), breeds in C Asia.

Sparrowhawk Poole Harbour, Dorset @harbourbirds.bsky.social