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Graham Etherington @britishbirder.bsky.social · 11/10/2026

Well, that's Shetland finished with for the autumn. Even though Sibe Blue Robin stole the show, with a supporting cast of Sibe Stonechat, King Eider, and Black-faced Bunting, I'm more pleased with my final list of self-found birds: W Bonelli's Warbler, Buff-breasted Sand, OBP, and 3 Little Buntings.

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Graham Etherington @britishbirder.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Get in! One of my finds of the trip this afternoon was this Western Bonelli's Warbler. After waiting in the car for 15 mins for the rain to stop, this little beauty flitted out from some sycamore understory and then sat up in the sun in full view! It even called later in the evening!

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Graham Etherington @britishbirder.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

It's been quite a wild (weather-wise) couple of days, so watching waterfowl has been a nice change from bashing bushes for migrants. The female King Eider at Lerwick came close enough to photograph, and 6 Greater Scaup and lots of Whooper Swans were nice to see at Spiggie RSPB.

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Graham Etherington @britishbirder.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

The calm after the storm! There was a big clear-out of birds on Shetland last night, but there were lots of very tired auks along the shoreline of Reawick this afternoon. Here, a Common Guillemot (left) and a Razorbill (front right) cruised the shoreline together.

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Graham Etherington @britishbirder.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

It's wet and westerly for the next week or so, so it will be a monster Yank presumably. I quite fancy turning up a Dickcissel, or something like that 😃

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Graham Etherington @britishbirder.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

After days of empty bushes on Shetland, yesterday's raging south-easterly winds brought loads of birds! As well as seeing the 'headline' Siberian Blue Robin, I also found 2 Little Buntings and an Olive-backed Pipit. Great way to spend your birthday 🎂

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Graham Etherington @britishbirder.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

For me, this is a Least Sandpiper. The bill is curved and fine at the tip, but the most obvious feature is shown in the photo where it's feeding in the mud. You can make out the greenish legs, a feature not found in any other American peeps.

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Graham Etherington @britishbirder.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

My second trip across the Turnip Curtain into Suffolk this week! This amazing, bold juvenile Red-footed Falcon is the tamest one I've ever encountered, and spending an hour with it this afternoon felt like a real privilege.

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Graham Etherington @britishbirder.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Thanks to everyone for taking the time to comment. It sounds like something I'd get a lot of use from. After a lot of searching and a little help from ChatGPT, I managed to find somewhere with an AT balance in stock (last one!), and I look forward to a good field test in Shetland this autumn!

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Graham Etherington @britishbirder.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Question: I'm thinking of splashing out and getting a Swarovski ST balance, and was wondering if anyone has been using one and can offer some advice, pros/cons. Any situations where it can't replace a high-end scope and tripod (I have a Kowa TSN 99a) - seawatching? Also, straight or angled? Thanks.

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Graham Etherington @britishbirder.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

Up! 😆 It was so low over the village that I kept losing it behind hedges, but then it found a thermal and just gained height until I couldn't find it any more. It appeared to be heading south though, as it was gaining height.

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Graham Etherington @britishbirder.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

Let the birds come to you! Pleased I resisted the temptation to spend the morning at Horsey to see the Black Stork again. Instead, I went looking for waders on the Yare Estuary and then found the Black Stork flying low around Burgh Castle after losing height from crossing the Yare Valley #UKBirding

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Graham Etherington @britishbirder.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

The wife and I rented an electric boat from Martham Ferry Boat Hire today. Those electric boats are great! No loud diesel engines so you can't hear any birds singing, and with a bit of steady manoeuvring, this Bittern allowed us to get really close without flushing it. Great morning out!

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Graham Etherington @britishbirder.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

Yesterday's flying ant hatch produced some really nice birds over my suburban Norwich garden, including 8+ Med Gulls, Hobby, and lots of swifts. No Meds yet this morning, but this partially albino swift, present for its 3rd year, was among a big swarm of around 100 swifts.

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Graham Etherington @britishbirder.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

Two twitches in three days! An early evening visit to the Oxon Long-tailed Shrike proved fruitful. The bird was fairly close most of the time, occasionally coming down to about 30 metres. Many thanks to the farmer and volunteers who organised access. #ukbirding

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Graham Etherington @britishbirder.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

Although it's tempting to take the presence of fluffy juvenile Wheatears as proof of breeding, dispersing juveniles from outside the county can be seen in Norfolk as early as the end of June. This bird is a prime example, feeding around the paddocks along Stone Road, Halvergate yesterday.

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Graham Etherington @britishbirder.bsky.social · 18/07/2026

A short jaunt down to the Suffolk/Essex border today to spend a couple of hours watching the Hudsonian Godwit. Really nice views! Great to spend some time chatting to @deansmatthew.bsky.social and @camstu.bsky.social also!

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Graham Etherington @britishbirder.bsky.social · 11/07/2026

Yes, I still am but sadly my bank account isn't 😢

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Graham Etherington @britishbirder.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

Thanks for the kind words Marcus and @pratorum2112.bsky.social Yes, Angela and I should be on Shetland for two weeks again this autumn. We had a trip to Finland and then up to Arctic Norway planned for birds, mammals, and Parkruns booked this spring, but sadly had to cancel it due to my dizziness 😩.

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Graham Etherington @britishbirder.bsky.social · 28/06/2026

I've just about recovered from a bad concussion that I suffered in April and am starting to head out into the field a bit. I have a great morning at Hickling NWT today, with lots of waders, Spoonbills, Hobby, etc. Butterflies too, with Swallow-tail and Purple Hairstreak. ebird.org/checklist/S3...

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Graham Etherington @britishbirder.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

If you're a keen house lister, keep 'em peeled for Curlew today. Much rarer than Whimbrel over Norwich, but at least 2 over the city this morning. Bbut more importantly, one of them was over my house! House tick number 98!

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Graham Etherington @britishbirder.bsky.social · 27/04/2026

My 5-year-old NL Pure's needed re-armouring this year. It was a 5-week turnaround. Apparently, they've changed the armouring now to a newer material that won't deteriorate, although you have to keep it away from deet and use something like a Picaridin insect repellent instead.

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Graham Etherington @britishbirder.bsky.social · 27/04/2026

Wow! Popped into the garden to get on a 'Commic' Tern seen by @perilsofbirding.bsky.social over the Waterworks reservoir, only to see what I thought were two high Commic Terns. I rattled off a bunch of photos, only to realise they were Little Gulls!!! A real garden mega in Norwich!!! #Norfolkbirding

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Reposted by Graham Etherington

Princeton University Press @princetonupress.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

Announcing The Bird Guide: North America! This landmark field guide, published in association with @cornellbirds.bsky.social, will set a new standard for North American bird identification. Publishing in early 2027, the guide is now available for pre-order from booksellers everywhere. 🐦‍⬛ 📙

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Graham Etherington @britishbirder.bsky.social · 21/04/2026

The BWK has sadly done a bunk again. The past two springs, it's turned up at Hickling NWT, which is always worth a visit even if there's not a BWK there (Brenden's Marsh is best for waders). Sadly, due to a family bereavement, I won't be around this weekend, or else I would have met up with you.

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Graham Etherington @britishbirder.bsky.social · 14/04/2026

Incredible scenes at Sweetbriar NWT today when this female Sparrowhawk took a Jay and devoured it in front of me, much to the indignation of the local corvids!

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Graham Etherington @britishbirder.bsky.social · 12/04/2026

Great to see the Norfolk Black-winged Kite at Sea Palling this morning. It's getting closer to my Waxham patch! #NorfolkBirding #UKBirding

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Graham Etherington @britishbirder.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

At @earlhaminst.bsky.social it's always nice to get a brand new @nanoporetech.com flow cell, but in spring it's even better. You can recycle the woollen packaging by putting it into a bird feeder, which birds will use for nesting material. Here's a Blue Tit doing just that. youtu.be/r6b00j0PXRo

youtu.be

ONT nesting material

YouTube video by Graham Etherington

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Graham Etherington @britishbirder.bsky.social · 08/03/2026

Made a rare trip 'up north' to North Norfolk today. Lovely flock of 13 Long-tailed Ducks (5 drakes) on the sea, plus Black-necked Grebe, Scaup, Raven, a showy Water Rail, plus lots of summer-plumaged Med Gulls and lots of waterfowl and waders

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Graham Etherington @britishbirder.bsky.social · 15/02/2026

A neck-ringed White-fronted Goose that I had just west of Gt. Yarmouth on 14 Feb was ringed in north Holland on 12 Dec 23, and was seen in Salmorth, Denmark on 5 Dec 25 and then Haarzuilens, Holland on 18 Jan 26. Full details here (login needed) submit.cr-birding.org/animals/1744... #NorfolkBirding

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Graham Etherington @britishbirder.bsky.social · 01/02/2026

As well as the Iceland Gull, there's plenty of other stuff at Sea Palling to see, such as 6 Purple Sands, lots of Turnstones, and 5 Caspian Gulls (4 2cy and 1 adult).

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Graham Etherington @britishbirder.bsky.social · 01/02/2026

Had a great morning looking at gulls at Sea Palling today. Star of the show was this 2cy Iceland Gull #NorfolkBirding

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Graham Etherington @britishbirder.bsky.social · 02/01/2026

We've got a wintering Whinchat in Norfolk too. I've never heard of them wintering before, but I can see 7 records of them on eBird in the UK between Dec-Feb over all years.

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Graham Etherington @britishbirder.bsky.social · 02/01/2026

Great to finish up the day with some lovely views of Short-eared Owls in east Norfolk today. Probably up to 10 birds at this one site.

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Graham Etherington @britishbirder.bsky.social · 02/01/2026

Saw the New Year in at the same place I saw it out - Filby Broad. The female Ring-necked Duck showed quite closely, but always into the sun, and the drake Ferruginous Duck did the right thing and occasionally woke up.

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Graham Etherington @britishbirder.bsky.social · 02/01/2026

Lovely to see 2025 out at Filby Broad on Wednesday. I was delighted when this Red-necked Grebe popped up out of nowhere, right next to the boardwalk, and then the 3 Eider (1 drake, 2 ducks) swam out into view.

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Graham Etherington @britishbirder.bsky.social · 29/12/2025

After the run of easterlies we've had over the past week or so, you can now almost 'expect' to find Tundra Bean Geese in large flocks of Pink-footed Geese in Norfolk. Here are two of the five birds that I saw at Wickhampton today. Lots of Russian White-fronts in the flocks too. #NorfolkBirding

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Graham Etherington @britishbirder.bsky.social · 27/12/2025

What a mega day!! Started by twitching Great Shearwater (Norfolk tick) off Winterton. Sooty Shearwater and Snow Buntings from there too. Then I found 8+ Tundra Bean Geese at Horsey. Then, at St. Benet's Abbey, I had great views of Black-winged Kite, Glossy Ibis, Short-eared Owl, and 7 cranes. Wow!

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Graham Etherington @britishbirder.bsky.social · 26/12/2025

Now this is my idea of a Christmas Robin! Eastern Black Redstart at Sheringham this afternoon. It remained elusive in the cold easterly wind for most of the morning, but eventually did the decent thing and returned to the ornamental gardens.

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Graham Etherington @britishbirder.bsky.social · 22/12/2025

A really nice day in the sun out in East Norfolk today. As well as the four Tundra Bean Geese, I also had 2 White-fronts, as well as 6 Bewick's and 29 Whooper Swans #NorfolkBirding #UKbirding

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Graham Etherington @britishbirder.bsky.social · 22/12/2025

Tundra Bean Geese have been really thin on the ground this winter, so I was really pleased to find four at Horsey this afternoon (an adult, with two first-winters behind, shown here). #NorfolkBirding

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Graham Etherington @britishbirder.bsky.social · 10/12/2025

Sorry this happened to you Danny. I must say (for balance), my experience was quite different. They just asked me to remove my phone and keys, gave me a quick once over with the metal detector and off I went into the ground.

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Reposted by Graham Etherington

Max Hellicar @birdingtothemax.bsky.social · 10/12/2025

Epic recovery report just received! ⚠️ A Turnstone I trapped using a homemade walk-in trap has been recaptured in the 🌍 world’s 🌎 northernmost continuously inhabited settlement. Ringed on 12 February 2024 in Southend-on-Sea, Essex 🇬🇧, it was re-trapped on 08 June 2025 in Alert, Nunavut… 🇨🇦 (🧵 1/2)

Recovery map, showing the distance between ringing (12/02/2024) and encounter (08/06/2025) locations

Turnstone ringed in Southend-on-Sea in February 2024

Qikiqtaaluk Region: the administrative region of Nunavut where Alert is located. May 2025.

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Graham Etherington @britishbirder.bsky.social · 05/12/2025

The last of three supermoons in 2025 occurred last night. December's full moon is also known as the 'Cold Moon', so you could describe last night's as a #SuperColdMoon. This uncropped image was taken at 6.30am today with a Nikon Coolpix P1100, using the moon mode.

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Graham Etherington @britishbirder.bsky.social · 21/11/2025

Dusky Warbler! This morning's sunny and calm weather provided the perfect window of bird-finding opportunity. So my pre-work visit to Brancaster turned out to be a good call, when I found this little chap 'tuk'ing away in a hedgerow near the Branodunum Roman Fort. #ukbirding #norfolkbirding

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