Dave Andrews

Popped to Cley to give the kids some fresh air and enjoyed the ridiculously showy Desert wheatear. Thought it was gonna land on us at times. #NorfolkBirding #RarebirdsUk #birding

If you enjoyed this #NUTCRACKER please consider donating to the local Lifeboat. Big twitches in small villages can be fractious with local residents. Let's make a positive contribution to the community to help ease any tensions. www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding... #rarebirdsuk @birdguides.bsky.social

As weeks in birding go, this one has been pretty memorable. A week cut short on Scillies saw no new arrivals but cleared up on what was there (always feeling we were missing out on the east coast action). So north to Flamborough before home to Norfolk. Just wow! #rarebirdsuk

BOC shot of the Norfolk Nutcracker when it was close... Beautiful bird. #NorfolkBirding #RarebirdsUk @birdguides.bsky.social

From one mega to another... Nutcracker a little less far to go for this one #RarebirdsUk #NorfolkBirding

So having left Scilly early due to Storm Austen, the driver dragged me north to Yorkshire on the way home to Norwich... Rufous-tailed Robin ... Ooph! #RarebirdsUk #YorkshireBirding

Managed to avoid the rain and enjoyed a couple of hours at Titchwell. Spotted crake showed nicely + 2 little stints. @rspbtitchwellsnett.bsky.social #NorfolkBirding

Pectoral sandpiper showing in nice morning light at Cley this morning. Then spent an hour looking at the sea seeing a handful of Arctic skuas and 4 black terns #NorfolkBirding

The juv Black storks finally did the honorable thing & entered Norfolk this afternoon. A detour on the way to the beach in hope, I was at Ludham bridge when a single bird was seen heading my way. A quick dash down towards st Benets and i picked it up. Distant, but they all count! #NorfolkBirding

Enjoyed great views of the Long-tailed Shrike in Gloucestershire this morning. Fortunately positioned as it came out after a shower. @birdguides.bsky.social @rarebirder.bsky.social #RarebirdsUK

Not one, but two Light Crimson Underwings in my Norwich garden last night! looks like 8th and 9th for Norfolk but i guess its one of those things that won't even be notable in a few years #TeamMoth

A quick post-work nip over to Kelling WM for the beautiful Squacco Heron. Another long-awaited British tick after dipping the Bayfield bird. #NorfolkBirding

The Caspian Tern at Brendan's (Hickling) this evening was being quite vocal at times. A nice surprise given i hadn't been following the news bird news today (though obviously i knew it had been about). #NorfolkBirding #rarebirdsuk

I had high hopes given the Painted lady influx, so put out the moth trap for the first few times this year. My ambition was realized when my "most wanted" moth came last night. Striped Hawkmoth, a completely new species for me, and a bonus in my Norwich garden #norfolkmoths #teammoth #mothing

This Gull-billed tern was a long awaited British tick this evening. Difficult birds to catch up with given their typically ephemeral visits. Many thanks to @jameslowenwild.bsky.social for finding, and then refinding it later in the day. #NorfolkBirding

All about insects on Blakeney point, painted ladies(hundreds) widespread, 2 hummingbird hawks in the plantation, with the only 2 migrant birds, chiff +spot fly. A dayflying Bedstraw hawkmoth was the highlight. A fine male Red-backed shrike in Glandford valley was a bonus on way home #NorfolkBirding

20 years since rubbish views of the only Ross's Gull I've seen, it was nice to finally get another one, and a bonus in Norfolk. Eventually showed well! #NorfolkBirding #rarebirdsUK @birdguides.bsky.social @rarebirder.bsky.social

Successful morning in the brecks with @stuartwhite73.bsky.social, my first lesser spots since 2019, Stone curlews, Hawfinches, woodlarks and a fleeting Goshawk. #NorfolkBirding

A most enjoyable couple of hours on the beach at Waxham this morning with the Glaucous Gull and seals. We thought we'd had good views already and were walking back when it caught up with us and landed right opposite us on the beach. Here's a few more shots #NorfolkBirding

Say Aaaah! Glaucous gull at Waxham this morning #Norfolkbirding @rarebirder.bsky.social @birdguides.bsky.social

The killdeer at Ripley was a long awaited British tick for me having not been around for the past Norfolk ones. How nice would it be to find one of these, Mega, no fuss, easy straightforward identification. #rarebirdsuk #ukbirding

The Great-tailed Grackle was a fun addition to today's Killdeer twitch with @jameslowenwild.bsky.social and @stuartwhite73.bsky.social wasnt at all bothered by passers by, but didn't like mopeds! #rarebirdsUK #ukbirding @birdguides.bsky.social @rarebirder.bsky.social

So no one found it, understandably in the first picture so I've cropped and zoomed in. Should be a bit easier!... Spot the bittern!

I brought you "Spot the cock" and "Spot the snipe" but this is a new level of difficulty... "Spot the bittern"

A trip round the broads and nearby today produced 88 species with highlights including RN Duck, smew, scaup, Tundra Bean, swans, lots of cranes etc. finished off at Bintree mill for nice views of the Dipper #NorfolkBirding

You had one job... Think we'll be struggling to get Andean Gull on the uk garden list. And as for this "bunting" 🤦

After a week out of the county and watching from afar as the winters birding finally hotted-up, I was pleased to catch up with the Black-bellied Dipper on my first attempt yesterday. Even if a bit distant. #NorfolkBirding #rarebirdsUk

Spot-the-'cock and Spot-the-snipe. Always a good game.

An optimal weather window & some free time = a long drive+boat+flight to North Ronaldsay-joining Jack Morris for some rarity hunting. A lot of effort but no big prize. Our finds inc. Little Bunting, multiple YBWs, Northern Bullfinch & Barred Warbler. Pallas's and Raddes seen also #RarebirdsUK

A couple from a trip out to East Hills last Saturday. Pallas's Warbler found by @stuartwhite73.bsky.social, Osprey over wells harbour and a Merlin. Dusky Warbler was all to brief (got a sound recording though) and a Tree Sparrow was my first migrant one ever in North norfolk. #NorfolkBirding

Seen 4 species of Swift here, sadly no 5th... Never mind at least I couldn't find anyone to come with me, so didn't make a 9 hour round trip to so no swift on another cliff

The stunning Turkestan shrike at Dunwich this morning, showed beautifully in the morning sun, despite the blustery conditions #RareBirdsUK #SuffolkBirding #UKBirding

Nice family walk at winterton this morning, 2 sp. of shrike, dartford, woodlark, 4 redstart, scattering of wheatear. Despite the kids' help failed to flush out a locustella #NorfolkBirding

Black Guillemot, 88+ Arctic skuas, 2 long tail, 3 Bonnxie, 6 Sooty, 50 manx, black tern - the highlights of sheringham seawatch 6:30 - 11am. A few other bits were seen but where were our Corys!? #NorfolkBirding

Having found a couple in Guernsey a few years back i wasn't super enthusiastic, but Walberswick is a nice place to be on a summers day so why not. Unsurprisingly the experience was not the same as the Guernsey ones (last picture) but i did manage a digiscoped couple of shots... #SuffolkBirding

Out scouting for Honeys in Norfolk, drew a blank but Goshawks now more and more widespread. #BirdingNorfolk

Failed to catch up with the Eagle today, scanned the glandford valley 8:30 - 11:15. Popped down to Blakeney for a cake. 11:27 the bird shows, was back in the valley by 11:30... No further sign 😭. Went to Cley later, no birds of note, but common lizard was nice on boardwalk.

A supposed relaxing morning birding around Brownsea interrupted by the Eastern Bonellis warbler at Dungeness. Jumped on the ferry and arrived at Dunge at 5. In the 4 hours we were on site the 4 sec view in the bins was more than most people got. An extremely frustrating bird! #KentBirding #twitching

A great days "birding" on Portland Bill with @beardybirder.bsky.social . Not much seen in the way of birds (3GN divers the best) but a host of great wildlife, the best being an absolute unit of a Leatherback turtle(!) just of the lighthouse. @portlandbirdobs.bsky.social

A recently fledged family party of "not-so-long"-tailed tits in the garden this afternoon. Means they must have built nest in Feb and layed first egg in early March! @btobirds.bsky.social Mobile only shot.

Beautiful afternoon to take the kids for a walk and play on Kelling Beach, just so happened there was a showy American wigeon on the water meadows. Pure, cough cough, coincidence... 15 yellow wagtails dropping in was a pleasant bonus. #NorfolkBirding

Popped to abberton on the way back from Harwich ferry this morning, it was freezing as ever but a great number and selection of birds including 9 BNGrebes, 2 slavs, and the returning Canvasback. #EssexBirding

The opportunity to see Spectacled Eider, a bird I thought I may never see, was an excellent excuse for my first ever trip to the Netherlands. Texel was an incredible place for birds and a thoroughly enjoyable day making memories with friends. #birding

Managed to finally squeeze in a trip down to Whitlingham to see the Red-necked Grebe and coincided with a lone White-fronted goose that dropped in earlier. Thanks as always to the Norwich birders for updates! #NorfolkBirding

First birding of 2025 - A damp day out in NW #NorfolkBirding. 80 species. Shorelarks, glauc and Greenland Whitefront were species highlights, but the real highlight was the sight and sound of 10k pinkies overhead near docking and an unusually point blank range RBMerg at titchwell on a pool.

As successful twitches go, one of the worst. 5hr wait for 4min view (could have been worse). Couldn't really hang around longer. Nowhere to go looking for it as it was almost certainly in the inaccessible area. And finishing with a tediously slow, heavy traffic, foggy drive home. #ukbirding

Just a reminder to Norfolk birders joining bluesky there's a Norfolk birding feed you can add to your feeds, if you use #NorfolkBirding it will also be picked up by the national UK birding feed too, no need to use both hashtags.

A rainbow-filled (not bird-filled 😥) very blustery day. Capturing @beardybirder.bsky.social vomming a rainbow was a highlight. #tastetherainbow

Bird of the day was a Red-throated pipit, seen by Phil but sadly heard only for me as I was deep in cover. Best of the rest - more flyover hawfinches, a Rouzel, a late yellow wag, woodcock, black redstart. Popped to Tresco for an hour and saw 2 Serins & 2 lesser yellowlegs #UKBirding #ScillyBirding

A day off Bryher on St.Agnes for all things small. First stop Least adders tongue, the smallest fern in the UK (about 5mm) followed by a Little Bunting shortly after (finally found something!). Appeared on the beach briefly, before disappearing and not being seen again. #UkBirding #ScillyBirding