Swallow Birding & Wildlife

Thanks Jon! 🙂

Common Reed Bunting

European Stonechat

Fieldfares

Western Marsh Harrier

Surveyed two farms last week as part of the @gwct.org.uk BIG FARMLAND BIRD COUNT. Great numbers and variety to be seen incl YELLOWHAMMERS, REED BUNTINGS, FIELDFARES LINNETS etc plus MARSH HARRIER, STONECHAT & GREAT EGRET! #essexbirding #birding #farmlandbirds #ukbirds #bfbc26

Greater Scaup

Mediterranean Gull plus Common & Black-headed Gulls

Western Marsh Harrier hunting Eurasian Teal!

Great Cormorants

Enjoyed a few hours at Abberton Reservoir last week and still lots to see incl 20+ WHITE-FRONTED GEESE, 2 SMEW, 7 MEDITERRANEAN GULLS, SCAUP, GT EGRETS & a MARSH HARRIER that specialises in hunting TEAL! #essexbirding #BirdsSeenIn2026 #ukbirds #birds #birding #nature @britishnatureguide.bsky.social

Woodlark

A little foray into The Brecks a few days ago. Lots to see including a pair of singing WOODLARK, one of which showed rather well! #suffolkbirding #BirdsSeenIn2026 #ukbirds #birds #birding @britishnatureguide.bsky.social

WIN GREAT RAFFLE PRIZES in the 2026 EBwS Conference in March - see the full prize list at ebws.org.uk/2026conference
All proceeds go to Colchester Owl Rescue - buy your tickets by email at info.ebws@gmail.com, at our Holkham field trip on 15/2, or at our Chelmsford meeting on 6/3
#essexbirding

It was a lovely service yesterday and he will be sorely missed by us all! I’m sure he was watching the Peregrine that flew over us ❤️

White-headed Eurasian Goldfinch

This 'white-headed' GOLDFINCH brightened up a very dreary morning here in Colchester. Noticed it had been ringed, can't be many Goldfinches like this around? @btobirds.bsky.social #essexbirding #BirdsSeenIn2026 #ukbirds #birds #birding #nature @britishnatureguide.bsky.social #ringing

Western Barn Owl

Eurasian Wigeon

Great Egret

Great Northern Diver

Stunning weather yday for our guided day trip to Tollesbury Wick EWT reserve. Highlights inc 2 GN DIVER, 2 SLAV GREBE, 3 BARN OWL, GT EGRET, RB MERG, MARSH HARRIERS and large no's of wildfowl & waders. #essexbirding #BirdsSeenIn2026 #ukbirds #birds #birding #nature @britishnatureguide.bsky.social

Fingringhoe is such a great all year round site and like you say, the cakes are scrummy!

Walk participants by Mark Nowers

Pied Avocets

European Golden & Grey Plovers

Western Barn Owl (honest!)

Thanks to everyone who attended the joint Winter Birding Day at Fingringhoe Wick with @essexbirdnews.bsky.social Grotty weather but we saw 2 BARN OWLS, HEN HARRIER, waders galore, RB MERGANSERS + lots more! Group pic by @stuttonsparrows.bsky.social #essexbirding #ukbirds #birds #birding #nature

Barnacle Goose

Common Goldeneye

Common Merganser (Goosander)

Greater White-fronted Geese

BARNACLE GOOSE, GOLDENEYE, GOOSANDER & WHITE-FRONTED GEESE from Abberton Reservoir on Saturday 31st January 2026. #essexbirding #BirdsSeenIn2026 #ukbirds #birds #birding #nature @britishnatureguide.bsky.social #WorldWetlandsDay2026

Bit damp but Hen Harrier and 2 Barn owls best of the birds

Great shot mate!

Cheers mate! Not as close as the Slimbridge bird but still great to see.

Glossy Ibis

Pleased to catch up with this cracking GLOSSY IBIS at Copt Hall @nationaltrust.org.uk this afternoon as it fed in the damp fields close to the carpark. #essexbirding #BirdsSeenIn2026 #ukbirds #birds #birding #nature
@britishnatureguide.bsky.social

Training Session

Mating Brown Hares

Large Linnet flock

Tawny Owl

Great training session in North Essex led by @stuttonsparrows.bsky.social in preparation for the @gwct.org.uk BIG FARMLAND BIRD COUNT which takes place from 6th - 22nd February. Can't wait to get involved! #essexbirding #birding #farmlandbirds #ukbirds #bfbc26

Black-necked Grebe

Smew

Mediterranean Gull

Greylag, Tundra Bean & Greater White-fronted Geese

Our group enjoyed seeing some great birds at Abberton Res this week including SMEW, 3 TUNDRA BEAN & 26 WF GEESE, BN GREBE, MED GULLS, LESSER & GREATER SCAUP, 3 PEREGRINE, CHIFFCHAFF, GREAT EGRET + more! #essexbirding #BirdsSeenIn2026 #ukbirds #birds #birding #nature @britishnatureguide.bsky.social

Great shots mate!

Cracking end to the day with a wonderful STARLING mumuration in Stanway, Colchester this evening! #essexbirding #ukbirds #birds #birding #nature

Eastern Black Redstart

Eastern Black Redstart

Our day concluded at Sheringham with another new bird for @esbr-essex.bsky.social. The EASTERN BLACK REDSTART showed down to 5 ft giving amazing views! #norfolkbirding #BirdsSeenIn2026 #ukbirds #birds #birding #nature @britishnatureguide.bsky.social #rarebirdsuk

Mediterranean Gull

Sanderling

Purple Sandpiper, Sanderling, Ruddy Turnstone & Dunlin

Black-legged Kittiwake

There was a nice supporting cast at Sea Palling yesterday as @esbr-essex.bsky.social and I enjoyed seeing MED GULLS, KITTIWAKES, 8+ PURPLE SAND and lots of SANDERLING. #norfolkbirding #BirdsSeenIn2026 #ukbirds #birds #birding #nature @britishnatureguide.bsky.social

Caspian Gull

Caspian Gull

Caspian Gull

The melee of gulls at Sea Palling contained quite a few CASPIAN GULLS adeptly picked out by @debalmer.bsky.social & Pete! #norfolkbirding #BirdsSeenIn2026 #ukbirds #birds #birding #nature @britishnatureguide.bsky.social

Iceland Gull

Iceland Gull

Iceland Gull

Iceland Gull

After a bone-chilling 2 hours at Sea Palling, the ICELAND GULL gave itself up and showed rather nicely. A new bird for @esbr-essex.bsky.social #norfolkbirding #BirdsSeenIn2026 #ukbirds #birds #birding #nature @britishnatureguide.bsky.social

Black-winged Kite mobbed by Eurasian Magpie

Black-winged Kite

Black-winged Kite

Fabulous day out in NE Norfolk with @esbr-essex.bsky.social yday. Bit late to the party but we had good albeit distant views of the BLACK-WINGED KITE perched and feeding + 4 COMMON CRANE! #norfolkbirding #BirdsSeenIn2026 #ukbirds #birds #birding #nature @britishnatureguide.bsky.social #rarebirdsuk

Sunrise over farmland in North Essex

Lovely morning for the 1st of 4 Farm Surveys in North Essex. Stacks of FIELDFARE, YELLOWHAMMERS, MISTLE THRUSHES, SKYLARKS, 5 ROE DEER and lots more. #essexbirding @stuttonsparrows.bsky.social

Don't forget to watch tomorrow night's 'Birds of Essex' LIVE on YouTube, and send your 2026 pics, your most surprising missed species so far, and any birding 'selfies' you may have from the past to: ebwstalks@gmail.com
Watch the show at www.youtube.com/live/M1cfbA4...
#essexbirding

Hen Harrier

Common Kingfisher

Bar-tailed Godwits

Brown Hare

Wet and Wild day guiding on Wallasea Island but still saw some great birds inc HEN HARRIER, 3 SPOONBILL, 18 BARNACLE GEESE, 3 SPOTTED RED, GT EGRET, KINGFISHER, GREENSHANK & c1000 BAR-TAILED GODWITS! #essexbirding #BirdsSeenIn2026 #ukbirds #birds #birding #nature
@britishnatureguide.bsky.social

A quick look at Abberton this morning produced pair of SMEW off Layer Breton cway plus CATTLE EGRET in fields between causeways and 350+ FIELDFARE over the EWT centre. #essexbirding #essexwildlife #ukbirds @rarebirder.bsky.social

Drake Mandarin Duck

Nice to catch up with this drake MANDARIN DUCK at Lexden Park, Colchester a few days ago. A rather smart bird! #essexbirding #BirdsSeenIn2026 #ukbirds #birds #birding #nature @britishnatureguide.bsky.social

The first Birds of Essex of 2026 is on Friday 23rd January, when we'll find out how Steve and Matt's new year has started, we'll be joined by County Recorder, Tim Hayward, to discuss submitting your 2025 records plus the usual bird roundup and news! #essexbirding