http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk Birding from around the world Wed, 03 Jun 2026 11:41:43 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/black-headed-gull-ring-reading-british-birding/ http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/black-headed-gull-ring-reading-british-birding/#comments Wed, 29 Sep 2021 12:58:12 +0000 Nick http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/?p=23174 For photographers large congregations of birds at close range are a blessing so it was with this expectation that I took Michael Wong to Erith Pier, on the River Thames, in early August. Although for many people a bunch of gulls might not seem that exciting, the bright early morning light, variety of species and [...]]]> http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/black-headed-gull-ring-reading-british-birding/feed/ 0 http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/gulls-on-the-thames-british-birding/ http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/gulls-on-the-thames-british-birding/#comments Fri, 30 Jul 2021 14:16:22 +0000 Nick http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/?p=23107 The mid summer doldrums do not offer many interesting birding options when you don’t live close to coastal sites but when the weather is bad and you have burned up the morning watching the Olympics on television it is useful to have only a short drive to a spot on the River Thames where a [...]]]> http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/gulls-on-the-thames-british-birding/feed/ 0 http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/finding-common-grasshopper-warbler-british-birding/ http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/finding-common-grasshopper-warbler-british-birding/#comments Fri, 21 May 2021 13:52:24 +0000 Nick http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/?p=23052 Common Grasshopper Warbler, Locusteall naevia, is the bird that is usually simply known as “Grasshopper Warbler” throughout Europe. This bird is just one of a group of similar species in the family Locustellidae that are found in many parts of the world and generally these birds are skulking and hard to see. However, when they arrive [...]]]> http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/finding-common-grasshopper-warbler-british-birding/feed/ 0 http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/herring-gull-from-russia-british-birding/ http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/herring-gull-from-russia-british-birding/#comments Sun, 07 Feb 2021 17:34:51 +0000 Nick http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/?p=22756 When birding is slow, or I feel like I want to see lots of birds at close range, a trip to a local gull hotspot is always interesting. Sites such as beaches, tips and even ploughed fields often host hundreds or even thousands of gulls and the possiblity of finding a rare species. Even if [...]]]> http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/herring-gull-from-russia-british-birding/feed/ 0 http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/ringed-gulls-at-beddington-farmlands-british-birding/ http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/ringed-gulls-at-beddington-farmlands-british-birding/#comments Mon, 21 Dec 2020 14:50:59 +0000 Nick http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/?p=22678 Although birding is a relaxing hobby that takes birders to lots of interesting and often beautiful places I also find it rewarding to be able to contribute towards a greater understanding of birds which can provide information useful in their conservation. One of the easiest ways I have found of doing this is by reporting [...]]]> http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/ringed-gulls-at-beddington-farmlands-british-birding/feed/ 0 http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/pied-avocet-with-colour-rings-british-birding/ http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/pied-avocet-with-colour-rings-british-birding/#comments Sat, 24 Oct 2020 17:09:29 +0000 Nick http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/?p=22515 On a quite grey and gloomy day on 3rd October 2020 I made a visit to RSPB Rainham Marsh which is just inside the boundary of London. Rather than enter the reserve immediately I walked along the River Thames where there were an intriguing group of gulls and waders which tricked me into thinking there [...]]]> http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/pied-avocet-with-colour-rings-british-birding/feed/ 0