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/gull-feeding-frenzy-at-samut-sakhon-birding-in-thailand/ http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/gull-feeding-frenzy-at-samut-sakhon-birding-in-thailand/#comments Sun, 25 Jan 2026 08:38:03 +0000 Nick http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/?p=71059 A beautiful sunrise, thousands of birds, the sound of the sea; all the ingredients for one of the world’s birding hotspots, but in reality this is the atmosphere I was able to enjoy on a short morning excursion from Bangkok when visiting the “Red Bridge” coastal boardwalk in neighbouring Samut Sakhon province. Rather than being [...]]]> http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/gull-feeding-frenzy-at-samut-sakhon-birding-in-thailand/feed/ 0 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/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/herring-gull-first-winter-with-colour-leg-ring-british-birding/ http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/herring-gull-first-winter-with-colour-leg-ring-british-birding/#comments Sun, 08 Nov 2020 15:45:51 +0000 Nick http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/?p=22577 On 16th October 2020 I enjoyed a nice birding day at Minsmere and Southwold with David Scott. Although the day had not turned up any rarities we saw a wide variety of nice birds including big groups of Redwings feeding on berries, Coal Tits on the feeders, a Mediterranean Gull on the scrape, a male [...]]]> http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/herring-gull-first-winter-with-colour-leg-ring-british-birding/feed/ 0 http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/colour-ringed-herring-gulls-x-3-british-birding/ http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/colour-ringed-herring-gulls-x-3-british-birding/#comments Tue, 13 Oct 2020 15:19:28 +0000 Nick http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/?p=22473 A few weeks ago I came across three different Herring Gulls with colour rings on their legs within the space of just a few days, all in roughly the same area; the Swale in North Kent, UK. The first of the three birds I noticed briefly on the shoreline before it took off. I took [...]]]> http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/colour-ringed-herring-gulls-x-3-british-birding/feed/ 0 http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/some-curious-gulls-at-dungeness-british-birding/ http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/some-curious-gulls-at-dungeness-british-birding/#comments Thu, 24 Sep 2020 19:17:45 +0000 Nick http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/?p=22369 With strong winds from a promising direction at a promising time of the year I headed to Dungeness, on the south coast of England, in hope of seeing some interesting seabirds blown close to the coast. After a couple of hours of looking at a couple of distant Gannets, a pair of Common Scoters and [...]]]> http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/some-curious-gulls-at-dungeness-british-birding/feed/ 0 http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/becoming-a-gull-watcher-in-winter-south-korea-birding/ http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/becoming-a-gull-watcher-in-winter-south-korea-birding/#comments Wed, 23 Jan 2019 06:40:41 +0000 Nick http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/?p=21496 To say that gull watching is an acquired taste would be to ignore the fact that many birders never do acquire the taste. However, on two consecutive tours to South Korea many of those accompanying me have started out as skeptics but have quickly found watching large numbers of gulls and a wide variety of [...]]]> http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/becoming-a-gull-watcher-in-winter-south-korea-birding/feed/ 0 http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/predatory-gulls-british-birding/ http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/predatory-gulls-british-birding/#comments Fri, 10 Aug 2018 22:01:02 +0000 Nick http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/?p=21207 It might look fluffy and cute but this young Lesser Black-backed Gull was already enjoying the fruits of a predatory lifestyle when I photographed it at the end of July growing fat on a diet of freshly fledged Pufflings! While sitting, watching Puffins go in and out of their burrows to go out and catch [...]]]> http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/predatory-gulls-british-birding/feed/ 0