Birdingprof

Great report of a Tufted Duck from @theroyalparks.bsky.social. This little duck, ringed at #Serpentine #Hydepark in Dec 2023 made it all the way to the Rusian arctic circle, ca 2000km NE of Moscow. This shows just how far ducks wintering in London can migrate. #Londonbirds #birdringing #duck #BTO

First Oystercatcher of the year.

Pochard

Pochard

Maybe Spring is on the way. My first Oystercatcher of the year @suffolkwildlife.bsky.social Lackford this afternoon. Also m Goldeneye, but a bit of a clearout of Ducks. Just one Pochard left from a big group earlier in the year.

#SuffolkBirds

3 Avocet at Isleham Wash. They normally start turning up in February.

My first 3 Avocets of the year, at Isleham Wash this morning.

@cambsbirdclub.bsky.social

Later a flyover Woodlark at Cavenham.

#SuffolkBirds

Does have the feeling of killing time till the spring though.

Dotted Border

Yellow-headed Bagworm (Diplodoma laichartingella) Quite a differently decorated case to the one last week.

Another Dotted Border and Yellow-headed Bagworm this morning.

#teammoth

😟

Fish ladder very high and fast. Looking good for a Dipper….please.

Millstream filling up nicely, though a bit more water wouldn’t hurt.

Another empty Moth trap. It’s staying under wraps until (if ever) conditions improve. 🤨

On the upside, the main river is much higher, therefore our millstream, which relies mainly on backfill, is the highest we’ve seen it for 9 months.

A singing Skylark today was, strangely, a 1st for February.

Lovely evocative read, as usual. I think my first Staines visit was the back end on 1981. I hope I can look back on my youthful exploits with such fondness, when I get to your advanced age. 😉

I’m happy to send you a wall or two, if you can send back some Moths.

Pale Brindled Beauty

Fifth time of running a trap this winter, 5th time coming up empty!

Moth envy sated though, with a well marked, #8 Pale Brindled Beauty of my own on a random wall. NFM/NFG and new for tetrad 🔲 🤗 #teammoth

A female Blackcap, after last weeks male, was the only other thing of note. #SuffolkBirds

Dotted Border

I spotted what looked like it could be a Moth on an outside door last night, but it was raining and we were keen to get in.

Fortunately it was still there this morning NFG & Tetrad 🔲 #7 Dotted Border.

So good to see any Moths in this dank and dreary weather.

#teammoth

Will do. I’ve got quite a bit of Burdock that I intend to give a better going over for the Seedhead Moth, so far I’ve not found anything.

Thanks.

Going to have to give this a go. #teammoth

eBird Checklist - 2 Feb 2026 - Guéra, TD (12,176, 18,786) - 38 species Submitted by Pierre Defos du Rau.

ebird.org/checklist/S2...

Rusty Lark rediscovered in Chad, after 94 years!

This was going to be a video of a Muntjac eating Watercress, taken from the bathroom window. But, by the time I had got the scope set up it had wandered off.

So, have a Moorhen instead. They almost abandoned us for the last half of last year, but are showing up more frequently this year.

Yes, they have a lot to answer for.

We are lacking in Deer predators here (Lynx, Wolf etc.) so stuff easily gets out of hand.

p.s if you are short of Grey Squirrels, we have a few million you can have back. 😉

#6 Yellow-headed Bagworm (Diplodoma laichartingella) on a wall in the garden this afternoon. An early date according to

suffolkmoths.co.uk/micros.php?b...

#teammoth

Stock Dove, maybe breeding in Central London. Afaik not that common an occurence.

Quick smash and grab visit to London, despite train 🚂 🚫disruption (natch) it looks like I’ll be home an hour early!

Did spot this Stock Dove looking very comfortable in its nesting(?) hole in West Smithfield EC1.

Didn’t get that sort of thing when I worked in central London.

We shouldn’t have them! Some Victorian travellers brought them back from the far east, some were released, others escaped - now they are abundant and (almost) everywhere, but especially so in Wast Anglia.

Muntjac in the garden.

Hawthorn Shield Bug, looking like a jewel.

Peregrine. Fairly regular in the mornings, especially if it’s raining. #SuffolkBirds

Difficult finding time for the garden this week. The only things of consequence today were this bruiser of a Muntjac, who judging by his scarred face, has obviously been scrapping with another.

A Hawthorn Shield Bug, which struck me as early.

And one of the Peregrines sitting out the rain.

Forster’s Tern at Holyhead in February 1986. Woke one carload of sleeping birders to tell them it was here, but the driver panicked and started up to drive off, to who knows where, whilst his backseat passengers were bundling out of the car. Quite amusing. 📸 unknown

On this day 40 years ago: After an unpleasant snowy drive across the Pennines, the night before, overnight in North Wales.

Eventually, at 10:45, the winter-plumaged Forster’s Tern showed up in Holyhead harbour.

More in ALT text.

And you tell kids today…😂

2 CY Ivory Gull at Saltburn, Feb 1986. 📸 unknown

4 CY Laughing Gull in Newcastle Feb 1986. It’s 3rd year at the General Hospital. It returned in 1987 too. 📸 unknown #UKRareBirds

OTD 40 yrs ago:

A big turnout, in cold and gloomy conditions, for this 1st winter Ivory Gull at Saltburn.

c.20 Wawings at Guisborough, then seconds of the returning, now 3rd winter, Laughing Gull at Newcastle General, that I had ticked in 1984.

Then a snowy drive across the Pennines to Wales…

Could hear a strange Goose calling, as I was having breakfast, and just managed to get on it as it flew over. #67 White-fronted Goose. Only my 2nd record after 3 in March 2020.

Very handy, as I didn’t have time to go round the garden this morning.

Coral Spot (Nectria cinnabarina)

Lest anyone think I’ve not been looking around the garden lately, here is some Coral Spot (Nectria cinnabarina) #fungi

It’s not all bad news though. The 31st of the month officially ends my dry January. 3.3kg down and £££’s up. February here we come. 🍷 🍸

Might try cutting out dessert next month 🤔

You should be able to edit the video on your phone. Probably get something that you will be more happy with.

BlueSky does crunch the videos though. No getting away from that.

👍🏼 🙏🏻

A number of Bewick’s Swans in with Whoopers off the A1101 just NNW of Mildenhall.

A number of Bewick’s Swans in with Whoopers off the A1101 just NNW of Mildenhall.

A number of Bewick’s Swans in with Whoopers off the A1101 just NNW of Mildenhall.

A number of Bewick’s Swans in with Whoopers off the A1101 just NNW of Mildenhall. #SuffolkBirds

Some birds today, with a Raven at a local nest site, on the way to Sainsburys (other retailers are available)

Also a little drive out of town, and some Bewick’s Swans with Whooper Swans, though most were too distant to differentiate. Possibly only my 2nd sighting in my 10K⭕️

#SuffolkBirds

Golden Dot (Stigmella aurella) vacated mine.

Golden Dot (Stigmella aurella) vacated mine.

Golden Dot (Stigmella aurella) vacated mine.

Thanks for this. I took some photos in the garden earlier in the week and totally forgot about them. Moth #5 for the year, Golden Dot (Stigmella aurella)
#teammoth

🤔🤯🤨🙄 What a ridiculous waste of of effort/resources. Surely something could have been done to improve the lot of species under pressure in the capital.