2026 year list off to a flying start yesterday with 33 species, including goldcrest, redwing, kingfisher and an ice-skating water rail. #birding #birdwatching #ukwildlife @maplelodgereserve.bsky.social

Jack snipe at @maplelodgereserve.bsky.social today. Very shy!

A water rail - swimming! At @maplelodgereserve.bsky.social on Saturday. #birding #birds #ukwildlife #wildlife @colnevalley.bsky.social

Always lovely to spend an afternoon with the kingfishers at @maplelodgereserve.bsky.social. This female was out fishing immediately after the rain on Sunday. Plus bonus migrant hawker dragonfly pic. #birdwatching #ukbirding #kingfisher #dragonfly #odonata @colnevalley.bsky.social

September @webs-gsmp.bsky.social survey done. So many ducks! Tufties, pochards, shoveller, gadwall etc. Above average numbers. Also 2 green sandpipers passing through. Algae has now died back slightly & water improved. At least 1 grumpy crayfish has survived... #birding #birdwatching #ukwildlife

@btoengland.bsky.social WeBS survey recently at @hertswildlifetrust.bsky.social Broadwater Lake. Low water level with algae/oxygen issues judging by many dead crayfish. Bird numbers very good, presumably enjoying the buffet. Fishing activity from herons, egrets, cormorants & remaining common terns.

Finally managed to catch up with the young kingfishers at the marvellous @maplelodgersrve.bsky.social on a (very) wet Saturday morning. I *think* these are two different juveniles. #birds #britishbirds #birdwatching #ukwildlife #kingfisher #wildlifephotography

Beaut small copper coming over all amorous with my orange watch strap 🥰 #ukbutterflies #wildlife

White-tailed eagles on the Isle of Mull last week. Spectacular! #birdwatching #birds #nature

May WeBS done. Common terns are back 🥰 The big news; in 2024 4 oystercatchers were prospecting this site but didn’t nest or breed. Imagine my delight to see a chick last weekend! Probable first for Broadwater(?). @hertswildlifetrust.bsky.social @colnevalley.bsky.social @btobirds.bsky.social

Another gratuitous barn owl pic. #birds #owl #wildlife

Soggy cormorant at @maplelodgersrve.bsky.social #birds @colnevalley.bsky.social

This bittern at @rspbengland.bsky.social Minsmere on Sunday emerged from the reeds and paraded around in front of 20-odd shocked birders with all the confidence of a Parisian catwalk model. Quite a treat! #birds #ukbirding @birdguides.bsky.social #suffolkbirds #suffolkwildlife

Grass snake (subadult I think) swimming at @maplelodgersrve.bsky.social at the weekend. Swam right across open water under the gaze of a cormorant. I willed it across all the way, with apologies to the cormorant.

WeBS done last week at Broadwater Lake. Plenty of winter ducks still around; tufties, shoveller, pochard. The great relief was the return of Canada & greylag geese, as they've been worryingly sparse this winter. @btobirds.bsky.social @hertswildlifetrust.bsky.social @colnevalley.bsky.social

“Why does a silly bird go on saying "chiff-chaff" all day long? Is it happiness or hiccups?” - AA Milne.

Barn owl in south Bucks yesterday at dusk (Denham area) with a ring (that I can’t read). @borgowl.bsky.social @colnevalley.bsky.social

Winter Gull Survey completed on Sunday evening on the Denham/Harefield gravel pits. Very low numbers indeed, just a handful of BH gulls. Luckily the red-necked grebe was still around to entertain me as the sun sank behind the cement works. @btobirds.bsky.social @birdguides.bsky.social

Red-necked grebe today at Harefield No4 gravel pit. 9/1/2025, 1230, TQ 05414 86494. Easily found, just walk down the West Bank from the bridge, past the slightly-amused fishermen. @birdguides.bsky.social

Beautiful #watervole at @rspb.bsky.social #Minsmere at the weekend.

Apparently there’s a thing called #festivedailyrobin, so here’s one from SW Herts at the weekend. #birds #birdlife #ukwildlife

Interesting hybrid (pintail/mallard?) in SW Herts on Sunday. #birdhybrid

One of my two BTO WeBS survey sites; Broadwater Lake in NW London. It’s largely deserted by humans apart from a yacht club, and fantastic for wildfowl, especially in winter. Herts & Middx Wildlife Trust are running a campaign to stop a watersports centre development going ahead on this SSSI.