The Starlings are back in my garden and it’s always a pleasure to see them in their breeding plumage.

This one is looking resplendent with its glossy throat feathers whilst the blue base of the bill, denoting it to be a Male, is just starting to appear 🪶

#BirdRinging

My pond is ALIVE with tadpoles 🥰

Fantastic morning with great people across Chelmsford supporting our amazing Conservatives Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner Roger Hirst - PFCC for Essex ahead of the PFCC Election on Thursday 2nd May! ☀️

Working together with Vicky Ford MP, we now have record numbers of police in Essex 👮‍♂️

The lighter evenings allowed David Wilkinson to start monitoring birds in his garden again on Monday.

Much to his surprise, the first session produced this Robin.

It was ringed in September 2022 in Hampshire and is now breeding around his garden in Springfield, Chelmsford! 🐣

Garden mega! The lighter evenings allow me to pop the net up after work and the very first bird of the summer, a brand new record for the garden!

I’ve now lived here and have been rewilding my garden for three years and this is the first Blackcap I’ve ever seen here 🤩

Happy Easter! 🐰

I’m starting early… 🍫

Every day for 5 years I’ve done a 2 mile run, of a lap around my area, which is a comfortable distance for me.

Tonight, inspired by Russ Cook’s incredible efforts, I decided to push on and do a 2nd lap.

Keep going mate and inspiring normal folks like me to push themselves

Beautiful Male Goldcrest caught & ringed in David Wilkinson’s parents’ Chelmsford garden yesterday.

Weighing in at an impressive (for a Goldcrest!) 5.9g, it’s seemingly readying itself to move back to the continent where many return to breed.

#BirdRinging

After the excitement and hard work ringing in The Gambia, I decided to have a chilled session ringing on my own in my parents’ garden this morning.

Something very homely about catching Blue Tits again, including this one, that I first ringed on New Years’ Day in 2023 🥰

It’s not just me that has been busy the last couple of weeks 🐸

Spring is finally here! 🍃

Thank you Gambia, you were amazing… 🫶🇬🇲

So thrilled to see this LITTLE BITTERN on our last day #BirdRinging in The Gambia 🇬🇲

A smaller cousin of our Great Bittern, these guys migrate between Africa and Southern Europe. They are moving northwards, however, and some individuals overshoot and end up in the UK.

Sploshing around in the Gambian marsh produced several of these prehistoric looking AFRICAN JACANA.

Their huge feet allow them to walk across the lily pads with some sort of grace 😅

#BirdRinging

This PURPLE SWAMPHEN caught and ringed in The Gambia is a new bird for me.

It brings back fond memories from working at RSPB Minsmere, where the only British record to this day, appeared to great excitement many years ago 💪

#BirdRinging

This spectacular LANNER FALCON the highlight of the last few days here in The Gambia.

The perfect mix of lightning speed and raw power. Just a privilege to see up close ⚡️

One of the most numerous birds in The Gambia, it’s very difficult to get a photo that accurately shows the iridescent colours of the male BEAUTIFUL SUNBIRD.

This is the closest I’ve got 📸

We were highly honoured this morning to receive an official visit from Harriet King British High Commissioner to The Gambia. This visit, supporting our ornithological research Kartong Bird Observatory 🇬🇲, was greatly appreciated by all our team.

Superb BLACK HERON caught and ringed in The Gambia 🇬🇲

These birds are famous for their unique fishing style, fanning their wings forward into a circle to create a shadow in the water, attracting the fish to them! 🎣

#BirdRinging

Amazing first couple of days #BirdRinging in The Gambia. This Osprey is an absolutely stunning bird to see at close quarters 🤩

This part of Africa is particularly popular with Osprey’s from the UK and Northern Europe, with fish-rich river inlets and coastline.

Sunrise in The Gambia just hits different… 🇬🇲