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England

Walks


Birds Photographed Here

Avocet

Very luck to get a reasonably sharp photo of this Avocet – the bird on RSPB’s logo – from a hide from quite a bit of a distance….

Barn Swallow

We had a nice beach outing in Margate, Kent, with some limited success bird‑wise. While we saw swallows flying in the evening, not a single photo of these…

Black Headed Gull

Black Swan

Today’s outing was to Virginia Water, and by sheer luck I managed to capture a photo of this magnificent Black Swan. A few clearly local people were also taking…

Black-Tailed Godwit

A bit of a far-reaching photo today from our RSPB Pulborough Brooks outing a few weeks ago. There were quite a few Black-Tailed Godwits around, but unfortunately all of them…

Blackbird

The weather forecast a few days ago for Sunday looked very promising for photography: 14°C and lots of sun. Reality once again let us down somewhat. But even…

Blackcap

Further into the past we go – I’ve discovered quite a few unpublished summer photos. This Blackcap next…

RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch

RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch today — the annual event when people all over the country count birds in a chosen patch of land for one hour over the…

Carrion Crow

Carrion Crow in the most summery photo of the year so far…

Chaffinch

This Chaffinch spent quite some time on a branch to ensure that the feeder below was safe to use.

Chiffchaff

First Chiffchaff snap of the year, in the reeds of RSPB Rainham Marshes.

Coal Tit

A very rare photo — at least for me — where I managed to capture more than one bird species in the same shot with both in focus….

Collared Dove

As some might have noticed, I love snapping birds on hawthorns. Both in winter and in summer these red berries make photos so much more interesting. Here a Collared…

Common Buzzard

Another photo from that hill where I was trying to get eye-level shots of birds of prey. This time it’s a Buzzard, though I caught it slightly higher…

Common Ringed Plover

Large parts of RSPB Pagham Harbour were closed off to give ground-nesting birds some privacy to build their nests and raise their chicks. Quite a few species roost…

Coot

A seemingly peaceful scene of a Coot family was actually captured in the hustle and bustle of the Italian Gardens in Hyde Park, Central London, on a hot…

Cormorant

Canonical photo of a Cormorant: drying off in full wingspan.

Curlew

There was a whole flock of Curlews on a pasture one field away.

Dipper

Finally had a walk that went more or less as planned — and it ended with some great results. We were walking along the banks of the River…

Dunnock

We had a particularly fruitful outing to RSPB Pulborough Brooks today — double-digit decent photos to publish. Starting with this Dunnock, photographed right next to the entrance. It was…

Egyptian Goose

Feral Pigeon

Last photo from the Hogsmill Local Nature Reserve. A small scene from the everyday life of Feral Pigeons…

Gannet

Continuing with the coastal bird theme with this lovely Gannet. These are pretty big birds, with a wingspan of up to 180 cm. They typically fly low over…

Goldcrest

A very tough outing today to RSPB Farnham Heath. The weather forecast was looking promising, but the amount of sun was greatly exaggerated and the amount of rain…

Goldfinch

Finally a day without intensive rain, which meant a proper outing into an RSPB reserve. We had a few candidates, but the one with the “best weather” —…

Great Crested Grebe

Continuing with the theme of improved-shot-thursday I’d like to present this Great Crested Parent carrying its chick on its back and relaxing in a small pond between the…

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Another case of having only a short time for a photo outing. This time it was Cannizaro Park, very close to Wimbledon Common. I have a few interesting…

RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch

RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch today — the annual event when people all over the country count birds in a chosen patch of land for one hour over the…

Greater Whitethroat

Today’s visit to Nonsuch Park was a lot less fruitful than the previous one in March. I blame the scorching heat – fewer birds were around, and the…

Green Woodpecker

A close encounter with a Green Woodpecker revealed a detail I’m sure I had seen before but never really noticed: the cheeks of this bird are as red as its…

Greenfinch

Some lovely autumn colours with this Greenfinch. This bush was right next to a feeder, and we hung around for about 10–15 minutes and managed to see the full…

Greenshank

Another properly wild bird today: the Greenshank. This shot was taken just a few minutes after yesterday’s, at a slightly closer distance. Greenshanks are reasonably rare, so I…

Grey Heron

Apologies for the delay today. A calm and composed Grey Heron from RHS Wisley to round things off.

Grey Wagtail (juvenile)

This lovely juvenile Grey Wagtail was photographed in the Peak District on the banks of the River Wye. There were a few small mossy islands in the stream,…

Greylag Goose

Herring Gull

This Herring Gull stands on the harbour arm with Margate Seafront in the background on the other side of it. Even though it was quite late – the…

Hooded Merganser

Now let’s blend in some ducks: a male Hooded Merganser. I didn’t manage a good shot with the head feathers up this time — will improve on the next…

House Sparrow

Another good outing to an RSPB reserve with a speaking name: Rainham Marshes. The rain took a temporary break and we had bright sun and blue sky —…

Jay

Another good outing today, this time to Farthing Downs in Coulsdon. It is a very good spot for Skylarks, which we saw plenty of but didn’t manage to snap…

Kestrel

We haven’t had birds of prey for a little while, so let’s break that trend with this magnificent Kestrel, snapped afresh at Rainham Marshes. I have a few more…

Kingfisher

Typically, to see – or rather to have a chance of seeing – a Kingfisher, we travel to WWT Arundel, which is a 1 h 40 m drive…

Lapwing

Linnet

A reminder of summer colours with this juvenile Linnet.

Little Egret

Little Egret on a hunt…

Little Grebe

Today we have an adult Little Grebe in spring plumage — moulting into its breeding colours.

Little Ringed Plover

Finally had a proper outing to an RSPB reserve, so for the next few days I will be shuffling in some wilder birds.Today’s specimen is a Little Ringed…

Little Tern

As some might have guessed — today’s bird is the Little Tern, with its yellow beak and black tip. It’s actually physically smaller than the Sandwich Tern, which…

Magpie

A lucky photo of a Magpie with an unlucky woodlouse caught in the tree bark.

Mandarin Duck

Yet again, plans for an outing met reality and did not survive — on the way there, we got a puncture and had to make an unplanned stop….

Meadow Pipit

Another notable bird on the same walk was the Meadow Pipit. It was living up to its name – we saw quite a few above beach level in…

Moorhen

Mute Swan

A slightly older photo from the May heatwave, captured in Hyde Park at the Long Water corner nearest the Italian Gardens. The parent swan was diving for fresh…

Nightingale

An excellent outing to RSPB Pulborough Brooks yielded quite a few nice photos to share. The star of the show was the Nightingale — plenty could be heard…

Pintail

A few months ago I shared a photo of a Pintail from an angle that did not make it obvious where the name comes from. I promised back then to…

Nuthatch

Cannot say with 100% certainty, but most probably this Nuthatch’s lunch is a butterfly or moth cocoon.

Pheasant

Don’t think I’ve ever seen or photographed such a chilled Pheasant. RHS Wisley is not exactly a wild patch of land, and this specimen was nibbling grass not 5…

Pied Wagtail

This Pied Wagtail joined us during our lunch break and was busy looking for a lunch of its own. It started with a small worm found in the…

Red Kite

A few more photos from RSPB Rainham Marshes, as the weather this weekend would not allow for a decent outing. A Red Kite having a takeaway on the go will…

Red-Crested Pochard

Some more ducks are in order, I think, since WWT London is full of them. This Red-Crested Pochard is a regular visitor to the UK.

Red-Eyed Damselfly

Strictly speaking, not a bird — but hopefully still an interesting photo. This pair of Red-eyed Damselflies were laying eggs in one of the ponds at the Italian…

Redpoll

A new bird for us — and for this newsletter — the Common Redpoll. I snapped a few dozen photos before realising that I didn’t recognise this bird at…

Redshank

It was a rather grey day yesterday at RSPB Pagham Harbour, but even in greyscale there were some interesting shots — including this Redshank.

Redwing

I still have plenty of photos from Rainham Marshes, but let’s move on to another outing so as not to bore anyone. Farthing Downs is a good candidate…

Reed Bunting

Today’s bird is a Reed Bunting.

Reed Warbler

Running a bit low on high-quality photos in my back catalogue, I made a mid-week evening outing. The usual go-to place is Morden Hall Park – only about…

Ring Necked Parakeet

I know we had a Ring Necked Parakeet recently, but this one was very interactive and I thought I’d share what I managed to capture. It landed on this tree…

Robin

Rock Dove

Not exactly a wild bird in a reserve, but this fully white Rock Dove was snapped in the canteen of RSPB Pulborough Brooks.

Rook

A scene from life of the Rooks. Photographed from a bit of a distance with some directional sunset-ish light.

Rooster

Not exactly a wild bird, but this fierce-looking Rooster was contrasting so nicely with the background…

Sandwich Tern

As promised, more sea birds — now from Chichester — kicking off with this Sandwich Tern. During the walk, I was largely ignoring these birds, having taken them…

Sedge Warbler

Thursday is the day of the improved shot, and I think this one is a solid candidate. The previous version was already quite nice with a great backdrop, but it…

Shelduck

Shoveler

The weather keeps spoiling us, and today we even had a sunny spell in the afternoon. Snapped this interaction at WWT London, where a Shoveler and a Moorhen had different views on…

Skylark

A rather unexpected bird for a seashore outing at RSPB Pagham Harbour: a Skylark. And we did not meet just a single lost one — there were at least…

Snipe

This funny-looking bird is called a Snipe, and this is its debut in the newsletter. We saw a few very close to one of the hides. Another distinctive feature…

Song Thrush

Speckled Wood

Not quite a bird, but still a beautiful creature — this was the first Speckled Wood butterfly I have seen this year. Definitely not the ideal angle, but…

Starling

Starlings, if photographed or seen from the right angle and in the right light, are actually stunning birds with very intricate colours. They are usually very active, though,…

Stock Dove

Stonechat

The search for the next summery photo took me all the way back to July 2024.

Swift

A few years ago, when I had just started bird photography, we visited RSPB Rainham Marshes, which has a large Swift population. With so many flying chaotically around…

Teal

Treecreeper

A Treecreeper is another bird that uses its tail feathers for holding on to the tree — regardless of which side is up…

Tufted Duck

Some more water birds today — this time, a Tufted Duck. A group of five males were diving for food in one of the ponds at Wisley Gardens….

Turnstone

This little bird is called a Turnstone — the name speaks for itself. It uses its beak to turn stones and seaweed near the shore, eating whatever prey it finds…

Variable Damselfly

Wren

This little restless Wren took a while to snap: I was running around this tree for a good 10 minutes trying to catch a decent shot…

Yellowhammer

I have a few more good sea bird shots from RSPB Pagham Harbour to share, but will now start blending in some meadow and heathland birds too —…