2026 RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch: My Results

 

I have just taken part in the annual RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch. It is always interesting (and fun) to sit down with a mug of coffee, a notebook and a pair of binoculars. The Jay and the Goldfinch (a single one, which is unusual) were a close call at the end, and sadly the semi-regular Greenfinches failed to show up during the hour. I have a hunch I saw many more Blue tits than the figure suggests, but I only recorded the number I definitely saw at a given time. I was surprised that there was only one Wood Pigeon. 

If you haven't taken part, you can still do so today (24 Jan. 2026) or tomorrow.  

 

 

 

 

My total: 

 

 

One or two 'quick pics' taken during the hour...

 

 

Dunnock

Blue tit

Blue tit and Great tit

Jay

I wonder why my results were lower than average for this year. We don't often see five Magpies at once and the Jay is only an occasional visitor, but perhaps these larger birds were keeping some of the smaller ones away. The House Sparrows failed to show up and since they tend to move in a small flock, they would have boosted the total somewhat. We have noticed a decline in Blackbirds, so were pleased to spot a male and a female.  

  

 

2025 RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch

 

 

 

Like many of you, I took part in the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch 2025 today. I had hoped for higher numbers, and indeed I saw other birds about, such as a Great tit, but not during the hour in question. 

 

I wonder which birds you saw ...

 

 

Here are some of the garden visitors who showed up during my hour ...

Blackbird

Robin

Blue tit

House sparrow

RSPB Minsmere: Green Hairstreak and Other Delights

Green Hairstreak butterfly. We saw two of these.

The sun finally put in an appearance this last Thursday, and we headed off to Minsmere with a picnic lunch. This small selection of photos will perhaps give an indication of the wide variety of species that co-exist on the site, despite the proximity to the new and controversial Sizewell C site.  

We noticed our first Large Red Damselfly of 2024 in our garden yesterday. We didn't see any red ones at Minsmere, but we spotted this rather fine Blue-tailed Damselfly in the pond below the visitors' centre.

 

There were a couple of terns at the water's edge. Is this a Common Tern? I believe this is its breeding plumage; but, as ever, please correct me by leaving a comment.

 

 

It is always a joy to see the unmistakable Avocet, the bird on the RSPB logo.

 

 

I think this is a Sedge Warbler. The new boardwalk was alive with birdsong. 

 

 

The photograph above (complete with Spider Crab, presumably the result of somebody's beach-combing activity) shows the seaward extremity of the Minsmere site, with the Dunwich Heath coastguard cottages up on the northern rise in the distance. 

 

 

Yes, it's definitely breeding season! 

 

 

We passed signs informing us that the Minsmere adders were waking up. We did not see any snakes on this occasion, but we saw a couple of Common Lizards. Just as we turned to head back to the Visitors' Centre, a Bittern flew over the reedbeds, too quick to catch on camera, but a joy to behold.

 

RSPB Minsmere with new Des Res for Kittiwakes

Birds galore

 

David and I checked the forecast last Saturday, which didn't promise much in the way of sunlight, but we set off anyway. In fact, the early February weather, on the day after World Wetlands Day, was superb. There were plenty of ducks about on the scrape behind East Hide.

 

The structure above was hard to miss, with its distinctive yellow base. I assumed it was to do with the new and controversial Sizewell C. However, it turns out to be a Kittiwake Hotel (see here also) for Black-legged Kittiwakes.  

We had a good view across to Southwold.

Is this a Great Northern Diver in winter plumage?

You can reach East Hide via the new boardwalk below.

You can see some of the birds we saw and heard.

It was almost balmy on the beach. You can see the coastguard cottages on Dunwich Heath.

I wonder how this view will change ...

We saw several Shovelers on the scrape

Not all the ducks were so alert ...

... and neither were the Lapwing.

It was a joy to watch this elegant Pintail ...

... and to see this pair of Shovelers.

The light kept catching our eye ...

... and the clouds at sunset.

By the time the rain began, we were heading for home.

 

RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch 2023

 

The first Robin

  

We settled down this morning with binoculars, mugs of coffee, a pen and a recording sheet to do our bird survey. 

It was a reasonable, fairly nondescript, January morning here in suburban Suffolk. Our bird feeder was hung about with fat-filled coconut, peanuts and sunflower hearts. 

As ever, one or two of the 'regulars' failed to put in an appearance, notably the Great spotted woodpecker, Goldfinches and Wren; but never mind.

We spotted twelve species in the hour, which we felt was encouraging but not brilliant. Sadly, we hardly ever see Chaffinches, Bullfinches or Greenfinches in the garden these days.  

These are our results:

1. Blue tit - 8 
2. Woodpigeon - 8 
3. House sparrow - 3 
4. Starling - 3 
5. Blackbird - 2 
6. Dunnock - 2 
7. Great tit - 2 
8. Robin - 2 
9. Long-tailed tit - 1 
10. Magpie - 1

We also saw a Jay (11.) and a Feral Pigeon (12.), though these species do not appear on the RSPB checklist.  

I wonder how your count went. Perhaps you are still hoping to do one. 

Blue tit, Starling, Great tit

Blue tits, head to head

The action!

More Blue tits

Seed-time

 

 

RSPB Boyton Marshes and (views of) Havergate Island

 

We decided to revisit RSPB Boyton Marshes yesterday afternoon, a Suffolk nature reserve we have been to once, or at most twice, in the past. We had hardly left the farm, the cattle and the car park behind when we saw Avocets. We have watched these elegant birds a few times over here in East Anglia (and have even seen chicks at WWT Welney); but when I was a teenager in Norfolk, they were fighting for survival. Many of you will recognise the Avocet from the RSPB logo. 

We saw some other beautiful birds on the reserve: Mute Swans, Teal, Curlew, Grey Heron and Marsh Harrier, to name but a few. We also had good views across to Havergate, Suffolk's only island. You can see the western end of the island in the photo below (you can click on the photo to enlarge it), with the spit of Orford Ness on the horizon in the far distance. 

I love islands and was thrilled to locate this one. It is run by the RSPB for the benefit of wildlife. Visitors arrive on boats from Orford, bringing their own refreshments as there are no food or drink outlets. There are, however, a few hides to facilitate bird-watching activities.

 

The tidal flats on the salt marsh began to fill up as the tide turned during the afternoon. 

 

David was able to show me how the island nestles behind the spit of Orford Ness, the green strip on the right in the map on his iPhone screen.

 

You can see one of the hides in the photo above. This was taken with my zoom lens extended in strange shadowy light. We had a mix of sun, showers and even a couple of hailstones. I hadn't even noticed this particular Curlew when I took the photograph.

We were delighted to see a variety of ducks on the mainland reserve. These were near the Avocets. The ducks we saw included the Shelduck, ...

 

 ... the Eurasian Teal (a female in this case, with her vibrant green streak) ...

 

... and the Shoveler.

 

During the course of the afternoon we encountered several Grey Heron.  

You can see from the next photo why it is such an ideal landscape for ducks.

 

The area around Boyton Marshes is very varied, which means there are a number of different habitats within and around the reserve. I noted the following (and our total of 15 species of bird sightings, counted in about an hour in a casual kind of way):

• inland ponds (Teal, Shoveler, Shelduck, Avocets, geese)
• farmyard with cows and bushes (Chaffinch, Carrion Crows)
• reedbeds (where we could hear birdsong. A group of birders had their scopes trained on these)
• estuary, Butley Creek (Curlew, Little Egret, Redshank) 
• grassy sea wall (Marsh Harrier overhead, Oystercatcher at base)
  
• fields, ?water meadows (a flock of Mute Swans, Greylag Geese, Canada Geese, Lapwing)
• island, Havergate Island (gulls on roof of a hide, though I couldn't see which)
• shingle spit, Orford Ness - too far out to see specific species
• North Sea - too far out to see specific species

 

The photo above shows the grassy bank to the right. On the left you can see that there are reedbeds and a watercourse receding into the distance. Butley Creek, a tributary of the river Ore (as in Orford), can be seen from the top of the bank, as shown in the next photo.

 

 

The ruined building above constitutes the scant remains of Boyton Dock. For a fairly short period in the mid-seventeenth century, substantial amounts of 'potter's clay' were loaded on to ships from this part of the estuary. Some of the clay was used in America and the Netherlands while some was used in the London Delftware industry. The mid-nineteenth century saw Boyton sending coprolite to Ipswich by barge for the manufacture of fertiliser. I spent a year of my life in Ipswich as a resident of Coprolite Street.

There are, in fact, several ruined buildings in this part of Boyton and its environs, many linked to defensive measures. The name 'Boyton' stems from 'Bay Town', the bay being nearby Hollesley. Boyton was one of the Suffolk locations picked for the filming of The Dig. 

The photo below shows the view from the Dock, with some of the more distant ruins on the eerie spit of Orford Ness beyond the far bank (and over the water, which it hides). 

 

I felt a few hailstones on my face as this Marsh Harrier flew high above our heads ...

 

We took a final look at Havergate Island and turned for home. 

 

Our view of the creek once we had turned round.