Going to choose the alt theme for #birdoftheday, #pigeons&doves, and discuss African Collared Dove. ID hinges on the black on the under tail with none extending along the outer feathers. 1st 2 pics are the real deal, 2nd 2 a probable #hybridbird. #GranCanaria #birds #birding #birdsSeenIn2026

My #birdoftheday is this Common Raven #walking around the high mountains of #GranCanaria #birds #birding #birdsSeenIn2026

Apparently it's #insectThursday (only just got the memo). Sum total of the butterflies I encountered on #GranCanaria a couple of weeks ago, but it was quite cool and cloudy much of the time. Monarch, African Grass Blue and Red Admiral. #insects #wildlife #lepidoptera

#birdoftheday theme is #tailup, or cocked as I'd call it. And no bird does it better than Eurasian Wren. #birds #birding #birdsSeenIn2026

Returning to #GranCanaria where it was a challenge to get #birdsinflight photos of the scattered small flocks of Plain Swifts. #birds #birding #birdsSeenIn2026 #birdingCanarias

Had to dip into the archive for today's #birdoftheday theme. In 40 years of birding this was the first time I'd encountered Eurasian Jay #singing. They sing so quietly that unfortunately you can't hear it in this clip, so unsurprising that it's so rarely recorded. #birds #birding

Some other #GranCanaria #wildlife Island Darter is a close relative of Common Darter #dragonfly. This one around the ponds of the Jardín Botánico Viera y Clavijo on a warm day in early January. #insects #odonata

It's #feedingTime for this Eurasian Blackbird, #birdoftheday, swallowing a sloe/blackthorn berry. #birds #birding #birdsSeenIn2026 #commonbirds

Today's #birdoftheday theme is #winterlight represented by these Common Goldeneye taken at Deeping Lakes @lincswildlife.bsky.social #localnaturereserve #birds #birding #birdsSeenIn2026

The evening light was fabulous at Deeping Lakes @lincswildlife.bsky.social #localnaturereserve yesterday, illuminating the Great Cormorant roost. #birdsSeenIn2026 #rainbow #landscapes

Laughing Dove was scarce on #GranCanaria and I only saw two at Parque Tony Gallardo in Maspalomas. #birdoftheday #birds #birding #birdsSeenIn2026

#birdoftheday is Eurasian Spoonbill, one of two at Charca de Maspalomas #GranCanaria last week. The black tips to the wings indicate this is a first year bird. #birds #birding #birdsSeenIn2026

There will be better pictures of Eurasian Hoopoe but I always find them challenging. Even so, this one on #GranCanaria is one of my better efforts. #birdoftheday #birds #birding #birdsSeenIn2026

Western Cattle Egret, which were fairly common on #GranCanaria. #birdoftheday #birds #birding #birdsSeenIn2026

#birdoftheday. Never tire of watching Ruddy Turnstone. One of a number at Puertillo #GranCanaria where the tide was high so I failed to locate the Ringed Plover flock and missed the Semipalmated Plover #sadface #birds #birding #birdSeenIn2026 #commonbirds

Eurasian Whimbrel is #birdoftheday A common sight along rocky shores in NW Africa and the #CanaryIslands #birds #birding #GranCanaria #birdsSeenIn2026 #commonbirds

#birdoftheday is Spanish Sparrow, common on the #Canaryislands but I only saw them around the Charca de Maspalomas on #GranCanaria #birds #birding #birdingCanarias #birdSeenIn2026

It's this another of the #introducedbirds of #GranCanaria? Ruddy Shelduck is established on most of the #Canaryislands but I'm not sure if the colonisation occurred naturally from NW Africa or from escapes or both. #birds #birding #birdingCanarias #birdsinflight #birdsSeenIn2026 #blueskybirds

#birdoftheday is a Common Waxbill, another #introducedbird from Gran Canaria (Parque Botánico, Maspalomas). Not the easiest to get views or photographs of. #birds #birding #birdsSeenIn2026

#birdoftheday is African Blue Tit, close relative of Eurasian Blue Tit, but even more blue with much stronger black head markings. #GranCanaria #birds #birding #birdingCanarias #birdsSeenIn2026

The first of a few #introducedbirds from #GranCanaria. Ring-necked Parakeet are established in far more places than this though and will be a familiar sight to many. #birds #birding #birdsSeenIn2026

#birdoftheday Little Egret reflecting in the water and feeding on small fish. #birds #birding #birdsSeenIn2026

Grey Wagtail or 'alpispa', its name in the #CanaryIslands, is today's #birdoftheday. An extremely confiding bird at the Jardín Botánico Viera y Clavijo on #GranCanaria. #birds #birding #birdsSeenIn2026

#birdoftheday Canary Island Kestrel. A distinctive race of Common Kestrel. Seems very common here on Gran Canaria. In my experience they hardly ever hover. The ones here at the Jardín Botánico Viera y Clavijo were feeding on insects. #birds #birding #birdsSeenIn2026 #birdingCanarias

#birdoftheday is Greater (European/Russian) White-fronted Goose. There's been a big influx into the UK recently and I picked out 17 among large numbers of Pink-footed Geese near Nene Washes, #Cambridgeshire #birds #birding #birdsSeenIn2026 #birdsinflight

#birdoftheday male and female Common Chaffinch. #birds #birding #ukbirding #commonbirds #birdsseenin2026

Just when I said Eurasian Wren has always been camera shy for me, this fella pops up. Couldn't have chosen a better stage. #birdoftheday #birds #birding #birdsSeenIn2026

Orographic clouds spilling over Skiddaw and the surrounding peaks. #Keswick #lakedistrict #weather #wintersun

Starting my #birding year with a local twitch to see a Snow Goose. Difficult to get enthusiastic about vagrant #wildfowl but this arrived unringed with an influx of wild geese and swans (then so did a Black Swan nearby!). If wild it's a lifer but I'll never be sure #birds #birdsSeenIn2026 #UKbirding

Happy New Year. My first bird of 2026 was Black-headed Gull but I've gone for this female Eurasian Blackbird for the first #birdoftheday #birds #commonbirds #birding #UKbirding

More #colourringed birds. 2 Black-headed Gulls seen on Derwent Water, Keswick #Cumbria. Both ringed locally in winter I think. #birdoftheday #birds #birding #UKbirding

I find Eurasian Wren particularly tricky to photograph for such a #commonbird. At least the light was nice for this one, even if the pose isn't. #birdoftheday #birds #birding #UKbirding

A very tame Song Thrush at Derwent Water #Cumbria, today's #birdoftheday #birds #birding #ukbirding

Everyone loves a White-throated Dipper. Another #birdoftheday from the River Ellen at Maryport #Cumbria where there were three chasing each other about on Boxing Day. #birds #birding #ukbirding #Christmasbirding

#birdoftheday is this female/immature Goosander (aka Common Merganser), one of two on the River Ellen at Maryport, #cumbria #birds #birding #ukbirding

Another attempt at #birdphotography in low light with the #SonyRX10iv. First time using RAW but really not happy this Redwing. Still #birdoftheday #birds #UKbirding #birding

A berry Merry Christmas from today's #birdoftheday. Try not to stuff yourself too much like this European Robin. #birds #birding #seasonsgreetings

#birdoftheday Great Tit (a male from the black on the belly). Another of the #commonbirds taken while experimenting with the Sony RX10iv in low light. #birds #wildlifephotography #birding #ukbirding #birdingLincs

A new #insect for me in #Morocco recently. Lamenting Grasshopper 'Eyprepocnemis plorans' at the Andalusian Gardens in #Rabat. #wildlife #wildlifeMorocco

#birdoftheday is a common winter visitor to the UK. Fieldfares love winter berries like this hawthorn. #birds #birding #UKbirding #winterbirding #birdingLincs

#birdoftheday Pied Avocet. One of a couple of birds on the upper Deben Estuary at Melton a couple of days ago. #birds #birding #ukbirding #birdingSuffolk

Another in the #commonbirds series. I liked the reflection of this Black-headed Gull in the still water of the River Deben at Melton. #birds #birding #ukbirding #birdingSuffolk #birdoftheday

#birdoftheday is this Black-tailed Godwit on the River Deben at Melton, demonstrating that odd-looking ability some long-billed #birds have for #rhynchokinesis; flexing of the mandible. #birding #birdbehaviour #UKbirding #birdingSuffolk

#birdoftheday today is Northern Lapwing. An absolutely stunning bird and sadly not as common as it used to be. Taken on the River Deben at Melton. #birds #birding #ukbirding #suffolkbirding

#commonbirds don't get much more common than this. Some Feral Pigeons revert to a form very close to the wild Rock Dove ancestors. Pretty, but you really do see them everywhere right across the world. This one was in the Jardin Secret in Marrakech #Morocco #birds #birding #birdingkMorocco

#birdoftheday Common Ringed Plover. Last one from the Rabat shoreline I think. #birds #birding #birdingMorocco

#birdoftheday European Stonechat. Perhaps not the best name as it occurs in North Africa and Asia Minor as well. This male was on the coast at Rabat #Morocco #birds #birding #birdingmorocco

#birdoftheday is Spoonbill. This adult was feeding in the rocky surf at Essaouira #Morocco #birds #birding #birdingMorocco

Came across this delightful little #spider while having tea on a rooftop terrace near the harbour at Essaouira #morocco Think it's Half-edged Wall Jumping Spider (Menemerus semilimbatus). Definitely new to me anyway. #wildlife #wildlifeMorocco

Still by the coast, now Essaouira, so another #shorebird for #birdoftheday today. The many Sanderling here were just fabulous to watch scurrying about dodging the waves. #birds #birding #birdingmorocco