First bird of my day: a pheasant galloping before lifting off with his comical noise, like a cracker being pulled unexpectedly. #FirstBirdOfMyDay #WhatsYours

First bird of my day: a pigeon doing one of their extraordinary clap-dives. (You know, when they flap their wings hard once together and it makes a clap, and then they fall deliberately). It made the dull view very cool for a second. #FirstBirdOfMyDay #WhatsYours

First bird of my day: a kestrel: the fluttering ribbon of wings, creating a perfect silhouette above the holly. #FirstBirdOfMyDay #WhatsYours

First bird of my day: ‘my’ Dunnock spying on me as the wind whistles. I can hear chaffinches but all but the one who I raised in my hand are hiding, even the robin. Happy Christmas everyone. #FirstBirdOfMyDay #WhatsYours

First bird of my day: a robin, being Christmassy, not in - but near - a holly bush. A merry and bright morning thanks to him. #FirstBirdOfMyDay #WhatsYours

First bird of my day: ‘my’ Dunnock in the garden shadows, skulking happily enough. #FirstBirdOfMyDay #WhatsYours

Nature Needs You could make a good #Christmas #present for a nature lover or / and someone cyclical about how our government works. If you want to spread bird wonder, it’s full of it, as well as toads, hares & mayflies. Available online & in UK bookshops.

First bird of my day: no birds for minutes and minutes leaving me wondering how long I’ve ever gone without seeing a bird. Then, after looking into the distance, a sparrow came within inches of me, chirping. #FirstBirdOfMyDay #WhatsYours

First bird of my day: a flock of chaffinch, their chevron feather markings bright against the muddy ground. #FirstBirdOfMyDay #WhatsYours

First bird of my day: little egrets together in a flooded field bathed in mist. What a scene. #FirstBirdOfMyDay #WhatsYours

First bird of my day: the tutting calls of two male blackbirds, one who is right next to me. Stars bright in the blue-grey dawn. #FirstBirdOfMyDay #WhatsYours

First bird of my day: I’ve deliberately gone to see the Song thrush who is belting out his tune & I’m better for his music. Cold, muddy, but my ears are full of thrush song. #FirstBirdOfMyDay #WhatsYours

I’ve dreamt about a swift brick win & front pages of newspapers but this is a nightmare. It’s not a win. This is a meaningless policy with no legal requirement, no enforcement & no transparency inviting housebuilders who’ve bragged about blocking swift bricks to do it themselves

First bird of my day: a wren shouting at me beautifully telling me to go away go away go away and so I did go away, through the wood to the Song thrush who was more than happy to beat box above me. #FirstBirdOfMyDay #WhatsYours

First bird of my day: the mechanical call of a Fieldfare who was eye height as I walked past. Then the flock erupted out of the hedge and over me. #FirstBirdOfMyDay #WhatsYours

First bird of my day: a robin singing in a holly bush like a living Christmas card. #FirstBirdOfMyDay #WhatsYours

First bird of my day: wood pigeon, cooing gently as the pink sky brightens. #FirstBirdOfMyDay #WhatsYours

First bird of my day: a swirling chatter of jackdaws as they lift off from the village and venture to the fields for breakfasting. #FirstBirdOfMyDay #WhatsYours

First bird of my day: a blackbird skimming the road as he flew from hedge to hedge narrowly missing being run over by the car in front. #FirstBirdOfMyDay #WhatsYours

First bird of my day: a song thrush singing with gusto lighting up the dawn, dedicated to the ACE MSP who tabled the 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿swift brick amendment @markruskell. It’s not just the thrush whose singing this morning but he has a much better voice than me. #FirstBirdOfMyDay #WhatsYours

First bird of my day: ‘my’ Dunnock hopping about in the garden on a much brighter morning with a flutter of long tailed tits flying in a feathery squadron above. #FirstBirdOfMyDay #WhatsYours

First bird of my day: a blackbird shrieking across my path. The only bird in sight. #FirstBirdOfDay #WhatsYours

First bird of my day: I am surrounded by robins singing in the dark. The whole village territory has one after another singing. How wonderful is that? #FirstBirdOfMyDay #WhatsYours

First bird of my day: a gang of jackdaws brightening up the wet, grey, morning with their chuck-chucks. #FirstBirdOfMyDay #WhatsYours

First bird of my day: a shrieking blackbird launching from the hedgerow and out across the road, like a feathered streaker. #FirstBirdOfMyDay #WhatsYours

What was the best bird moment for you this week? Mine was standing under a conifer & seeing a pair of fire crests just above my head, flitting from branch to branch. It was pouring with rain but they were totally dry.

First bird of my day: a robin and a Song thrush in a song battle: DJ Berserk Vs DJ Christmas Spirit high up in the hawthorns. #FirstBirdOfMyDay #WhatsYours

First bird of my day: ‘my’ Dunnock, soft, striped and silent, just popping up in his usual place looking at me. I’m glad to see him. And he was glad to see the oats I gave him. #FirstBirdOfMyDay #WhatsYours

First bird of my day: a Song thrush making me smile at his berserk morning tune transforming the landscape from a dullard to a rave. #FirstBirdOfMyDay #WhatsYours

First bird of my day: the sparrow gang chirping after a night of torrential rain, safely above the flooded ground. #FirstBirdOfMyDay #WhatsYours

First bird of my day: a Song thrush singing in a pine tree, on a monochrome day, his song lighting up the gloom. #FirstBirdOfMyDay #WhatsYours

First bird of my day: a peel of Long tailed tits catching the sunlight as they flew across the rooftops in a feathered crowd of cheer. #FirstBirdOfMyDay #WhatsYours

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🚨Gillian Martin repping the Scottish Gov said the SNP would NOT embrace swift bricks. The vote is next week. Email her asking the SNP to save swifts by saying yes to swift bricks would be a good thing to do: [email protected]

First bird of my day: a wood pigeon flying from its perch in the shelter of a tree, out into a wet sky because I happened to spook it (inadvertently). Sorry pigeon. #FirstBirdOfMyDay #WhatsYours

First bird of my day: if I say empty playground or car park, do you think of a bird? I do and today my #FirstBirdOfMyDay was a wagtail wagging its tail in a wet car park transforming an ugly, boring scene in to something cheery and curious. #WhatsYours

First bird of my day: a rook but this time in the field not on my windowsill. It’s feathered pantaloons are blowing in the wind. #FirstBirdOfMyDay #WhatsYours

First bird of my day: a rook right on the windowsill pecking at the glass and cawing. For a moment I thought the birds had come to claim me. #FirstBirdOfMyDay #WhatsYours

The RSPB invited the British public to vote on this year’s Bird of the Year. Guess which bird won with 81% of the vote? A bird who needs the prize to be swift bricks! Oh yes, the swift won. Email your MP now about swifts. We need to pull together for Britain’s most popular bird

First bird of my day: a blue tit looking impossibly yellow in the grey, dull landscape, like an enchanted fairy light that escaped and flung itself into the sky. #FirstBirdOfMyDay #WhatsYours

First bird of my day: a rook in a muddy field, the long feathers on its legs like pantaloons blowing in the wind. #FirstBirdOfMyDay #WhatsYours

First bird of my day: a very smart Stock dove strutting in my garden,wearing the indigo sky and a rainbow round his neck. Gorgeous. #FirstBirdOfMyDay #WhatsYours

First bird of my day: a pair of sparrow eyes looking at me from the ivy, deciding not to venture out of the relative shelter on a morning that is sparkling with frost. #FirstBirdOfMyDay #WhatsYours

First bird of my day: a pair of sparrow eyes looking at me from the ivy, deciding not to venture out of the relative shelter on a morning that is sparkling with frost. #FirstBirdOfMyDay #WhatsYours

First bird of my day: a kestrel lifting off from a barn into the clear, cold, pink-streaked sky. #FirstBirdOfMyDay #WhatsYours

I just stood next to Britain’s joint-smallest bird, a goldcrest. Tiny and perfect, it piped its tune at me from the hedge. Up to a quarter of these tiny birds won’t make it through a harsh winter so I’m rooting for this one on what will be such a bitterly cold night.

First bird of my day: the white chevron patterns of chaffinches flying across the wood in minus temperatures. #FirstBirdOfMyDay #WhatsYours

Hey Scotland! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Wanna save our swifts? Ask your MSP to support ⁦‪@markruskell‬⁩ swift brick amendment to The Natural Environment Bill. Show England how it’s done!!!

People of Scotland. Nature Needs You. And swift bricks could be mandated in Scotland if we work together now. The RSPB Scotland has this e-action for anyone based in Scotland action.rspb.org.uk/page/181323/...

First bird of my day: ‘my’ Dunnock puffed up like the Michelin man in the sudden cold. The sky has that certain quality that spells out snow. Brrrr. #FirstBirdOfMyDay #WhatsYours

SCOTLAND has a chance to be the swift heroes with a swift brick amendment going into the Natural Environment Bill curtesy of Mark Ruskell who’s an all-round good egg. Right now, you can help by using this e-action action.rspb.org.uk/page/181323/... and there will be more to follow…