The moment you've all been waiting for, the #PWC2026 Sign Up Sheet is here! We look forward to seeing how many patches take part next year and don't forget to encourage your friends to sign up to keep the challenge alive. We hope that it is a fun year's birding! docs.google.com/spreadsheets...

The #patchbirding festive walks have been hardwork species-wise but good exercise nonetheless. This AM a pair of Tufted Ducks showed up on the Hothfield Flood Storage Reservoir & 3 Little Grebes were on the Waterfall Lake. 3 Common Gulls, 2 Stonechats, 10 Coot, c10 Teal, 14 Cormorants, Kingfisher.

At least 32 Tundra Bean Geese on Walland Marsh this afternoon near the Woolpack Inn Reedbed, viewed from the Hook Wall plus 5 White-fronted Geese (4 adults & 1 juvenile), 3 Barnacles & 1 Brent with Greylags, Canadas & Egyptians. Also 8 Cattle Egrets & 1 Great White Egret. @wwtworldwide.bsky.social

Merry Christmas to everybody !!!

Happy Christmas from all of us at the KOS!  We hope your day is filled with joy, cheer, and perhaps even a glimpse of your favourite feathered friends! Enjoy the holidays! Please see kentos.org.uk for a message from our Chair. #Kentosbirding #Christmas #BirdWatching

A look at Conningbrook Lakes CP this morning… rewarded with 9 White-fronted & 6 Tundra Bean Geese flying over the lakes and then along the Stour. They headed downriver towards Wye & Godmersham. Also a pair of Wigeon, 21 Pochards with the Tufted Ducks, 2 Little Grebes and 7 Little Egrets.

A pleasant trip across Walland Marsh this morning. Near the Woolpack Inn Reedbed, viewed from the Hook Wall, there were 2 adult Bewick’s Swans, 4 White-fronted Geese (1 juvenile) & 2 juvenile dark-bellied Brent Geese with Greylags, Canadas & Egyptian Geese +1 GW Egret.

RSPB Dungeness, from the Susan Coward/Makepeace Hide this afternoon in truly gloomy conditions, the Great Northern Diver, that was possibly at the Scotney Pit this morning. The third December in a row that a GND has been on Burrowes. #birds #birding #kentbirding #ukbirding

Rewarding early AM #patchbirding. The Dartford Warbler is still at the Hothfield Flood Storage Reservoir (1st sighting since Oct) + Stonechat pair, 2 Green Sandpipers, 1 Common Snipe & 1 Peregrine. 4 GOLDEN PLOVERS flew NW over too, #106 for the patch year list ✅. Female Wigeon on the Waterfall Lake

A look at Chilham/Chartham this pm. Red Kite over the A28 nr Chartham. A Firecrest with Tits, Goldcrest & Treecreeper by the Loggies Lake area, with 1 Black Swan & Egyptian Goose still on the main Mill Lake. 2 Kingfishers, 3 GC Grebes, 5 L Grebes, 1 Shoveler, 2 L Egrets, 1 Heron & 46+ Tufted Ducks.

Head to our little shop at NWT Cley Marshes between now and 6th January, to view the fantastic exhibition by incredibly talented local artist Steve Cale! #birding #art

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...

A quiet morning on the Isle of Sheppey. Lots of Brent Geese between Leysdown & Shellness but not much else to get excited about around Harty Marshes & Capel Fleet. Plenty of wildfowl & waders at lunchtime at Funton Creek; 2 male RB Mergansers were the highlight & lots of Pintail.

RSPB Dungeness. Another visit to the ARC Pit this PM for the spectacular Starling murmuration. A Bittern also showed well in the reeds, with the flocks of wildfowl & Lapwings attracting the attention of 2 Peregrines, 1 Merlin, 2-3 Sparrowhawks, 1 C Buzzard & 3 Marsh Harriers.

Hard work on the #PatchBirding front of late. A rare dawn walk this morning… limited highlights of Green Sandpiper, Little Egret, Grey Wagtail, Peregrine, Sparrowhawk, 6+ Siskins, 3 Coal Tits, Nuthatch, Redwings, Rooks overhead and 3 Common Snipe.

The perfect Christmas present for someone who loves Rye Harbour is membership of the Friends of Rye Harbour Nature Reserve... ryeharbourfriends.net/join-us It would be so kind if you could pass this on. @sussexornitholo.bsky.social @sussexwildlife.bsky.social #UKbirds #UKwildlife #Sussexwildlife

A very damp day. Checked out the Rother Levels again. Great White & Little Egrets plus a Kingfisher. Another Kingfisher on Walland Marsh near Old Cheyne Court plus the 4 Bewick’s & 1 Whooper Swans near Swamp Crossing. The 1stW Scaup was still at Scotney too.

A superb end to the day… with the fantastic sight of the Starling murmuration & roost at the ARC Pit, Dungeness RSPB. A Bittern even joined them in flight at one point. Also 1 Cattle Egret, 4 GW Egrets, 1 Little Egret, 3 Grey Heron, 1 Kingfisher, Cetti’s Warbler & Water Rail, 4 Goldeneyes (2 drakes)

A lovely morning in Sovereign Harbour, Eastbourne. The 1st winter Black Guillemot showed rather well for birders and the general public alike. 👍 @birdguides.bsky.social @rarebirder.bsky.social @sussexornitholo.bsky.social

Sovereign Harbour, Eastbourne… As well as the Black Guillemot, it was also nice to see a Common Guillemot, 2 GC Grebes, Cormorants, common Waders, 5 Harbour (Common) Seals and a Great Northern Diver (feeding offshore).

A quick look in the Rother Valley this afternoon. At least 4 Great White Egrets and a Kingfisher between Blackwall Bridge, Wittersham and Potman’s Heath.

A visit to Pett Level at lunchtime… 2 Ravens, 1 Ruff, Marsh Harriers & C Buzzards, Pochard and a lovely family group of 10 dark-bellied Brent Geese (2 adults with 8 juveniles). @sussexornitholo.bsky.social

A twitch to Sussex and Sovereign Harbour, Eastbourne. The 1stW Black Guillemot is showing rather well 👍 @birdguides.bsky.social @rarebirder.bsky.social

Dungeness RSPB & BO this morning. At least 4 Goldeneyes from the ARC Hanson Hide (1 drake), 2 Kingfishers & 3 GW Egrets. A female Peregrine had a wash there too. A Merlin, 7 C Scoter & at least 10 Kittiwakes from the Fishing Boats (09:30 to 10:20) as well as 2 1stW Caspian Gulls.

#PatchBirding walks this week… relatively quiet but a few winter thrushes & finches starting to appear. Little Grebe at Singleton Lake, 9 Greylag Geese N over the Hothfield Waterfall Lake, a couple each of Kingfisher & Grey Wagtail, 6 Teals and 3 Stonechats at the Flood Gap.

The flocks of Pink-footed Geese in North Norfolk are always impressive. I never get tired of scenes like this. At dawn on our last morning (23rd November) thousands moved from their roost out in The Wash, over our holiday home & out to the farmland to feed in the Beet fields. SPECTACULAR !!!

The #patchbirding walks on Monday & Wednesday were fairly quiet, although it’s always nice to get views of Kingfisher & Grey Wagtail. The garden feeders have been attracting good numbers of Blue, Great & LT Tits plus 2 Goldfinches & a Sparrowhawk visit. A Common Gull was noteworthy today.

An excellent week of birding in Kent with a Desert Wheatear, 3 Dusky Warblers and 5 Pallas’s Warblers. The Pallid Swift remained on show and the mild weather brought some interesting sightings of late summer migrants. See: kentos.org.uk #kentbirding

Review of the Week: 3-9 November 2025 A special start to November produced Killdeer, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Siberian Rubythroat, Soft-plumaged Petrel and yet more Black-faced Buntings:

Back to @DungenessBO & @RSPBDungeness today: highlights were another Pallas’s Warbler (Moat) with Goldcrests, Firecrest (Pilot Path), 2 Water Pipits (Cooks Pool), female Goldeneye on Burrowes Pit and a Black Redstart at Dengemarsh Gulley. Peregrine & Sparrowhawks also noteworthy.

Started the day on Thanet at Botany & Kingsgate Bays where the Pallid Swift showed well… and then there were suddenly two birds present. Thanks to Paul Holt. Also Black Redstart, Stonechats, RN Parakeets, a Short-eared Owl in off at height then S, Sparrowhawk & Cetti’s Warbler.

A day that will live long in the memory… elation when this little beauty popped up in front of me… a 1stW male Desert Wheatear !! At South Swale NNR on the seawall between the Sportsman Pub and Castle Coote (Seasalter). @rarebirdalertuk.bsky.social @birdguides.bsky.social @kentishplover.bsky.social

A day that will live long in the memory… elation when this little beauty popped up in front of me… a 1stW male Desert Wheatear !! At South Swale NNR on the seawall between the Sportsman Pub and Castle Coote (Seasalter). @rarebirdalertuk.bsky.social @birdguides.bsky.social @kentishplover.bsky.social

The first #patchbirding walk of Nov-25. A new ‘from the garden ✅’ as I left the house… a Green Sandpiper flew north over Godinton Park. On route to the Hothfield Waterfall Lake, Mipits mobbing a Sparrowhawk, the flock of Goldfinches & Siskins, Redwings, Mistle Thrush & vocal Green Woodpeckers.

3 Shovelers, 2 L Egrets & 3 Egyptian Geese at Eastwell Lake. 12+ Shovelers, 9+ Teal, 2 Common Snipe, 2 Reed Buntings, 2 Cetti’s Warblers & 1 Sparrowhawk at the Conningbrook Wetland. 2 L Egrets, 13 Tufted Ducks & 5 Pochards on the main lake.

Dungeness: I Had just got home from a morning sea watching when @dungenessowen.bsky.social phoned to say he had a brief view of a Yellow Brow type Warbler by Springfield Bridge, a couple or so minutes later I joined him, just as the bird revealed itself to be a Pallas's Warbler. #UKbirding #Birds

Another excellent day at Dungeness (BO & RSPB) with views of Owen’s Pallas’s Warbler at Dengemarsh/Springfield Bridge, superb close views of the Slavonian Grebe at the Makepeace/Coward Hide, 3 Kingfishers on the reserve & 2 Velvet Scoters & a movement of Little Gulls offshore. 3 Swallows & Firecrest

#PatchBirding after work: a very brisk walk to the Hothfield Flood Storage Reservoir to beat the light… plenty of Redwings around plus Siskins & Goldfinches. A few Greylags & Canada Geese heading in the direction of Eastwell to roost. 2 Egyptian Geese around & the GC Grebe.

An all day seawatch with birds moving from dawn till dusk with the highlights being a Grey Phalarope, 61 Little Gulls, 3332 Razorbills, three Little Auks, a Leach's Petrel and two Sooty Shearwaters west. 3757 Starlings arrived in-off the sea as well as smaller numbers of Skylarks. #kentbirding

#Patchbirding after work and with the clocks now back, light levels are always challenging. A quiet stroll around Singleton Lake & rural Godinton… a couple of Chiffchaffs, Grey Wagtail, Linnet, Goldcrests, Kestrel, C Buzzard, Jay & the usual suspects.

Has anyone got or seen a photo of the 5x reported adult female Pallid Harrier around Warham Greens and North Point over the last 10 days? #NorfolkBirding #UKBirding

Single Bean Goose species just flew north calling along beach at Sandwich Bay, approximately 1.5km north of Deal, before being lost somewhere over Pegwell Bay @kentishplover.bsky.social @birdguides.bsky.social

We saw nearly 50 bird species and had 130 visitors to Sussex Wildlife Trust's 'Guide in a Hide' event on Saturday, staffed by Friends of Rye Harbour Nature Reserve vols. Highlights included 2,000 Golden Plover, 50+ Pintail, Spoonbill etc share.google/mfn9VVC8oR2G... @sussexwildlife.bsky.social

You might want to consider joining the Friends of Rye Harbour Nature Reserve and it would be great if you could pass this on... ryeharbourfriends.net/join-us

Back in Kent after a fab week birding in Norfolk. #Patchbirding this afternoon… 1 Little Egret, Green Sandpiper, Common Snipe, Siskins & Goldfinches, 2 Kingfishers, L & GC Grebes, 2 Egyptians, Kestrel & Buzzard, c30 Redwings, 3 Grey Wagtails, Reed Bunting, male Stonechat, Mipits, G & GS Woodpeckers.

Lost wallet - if any birding friends hear of a wallet being found at St Margaret's Bay/Pines Garden/South Forereland (Kent) yesterday, it's mine! Last used at the beach cafe. Cards stopped but don't want the hassle of getting a replacement driving licence, etc.

Look out for various members of the KOS on this weekend’s episode of Countryfile which was filmed recently at Samphire Hoe. One of the topics on the episode is the joint White Cliffs Countryside Partnership and East Kent Wildlife Group research project studying the Stonechats that live there

The September #PWC2025 review is now out on the blog! There has been plenty to write about! So take a look at where you finished by the end of September, plus what others saw and found on their patches: patchworkchallenge.blogspot.com #patchbirding

A lovely surprise at Dengemarsh Gully today when this smart Pallas’s Warbler appeared in front of me.

Patch gold this morning when I found this RADDE’S WARBLER at King George Park! Skulking in the undergrowth, it eventually showed itself nicely, magic! ebird.org/checklist/S2... #kentbirding #ukbirding #ukrarebirds @kentishplover.bsky.social