A sortie west this week to Essex Wildlife Trust’s Brookes Reserve – between Braintree and Earls Colne – produced brief views of one of Essex’s scarcer bird species: the marsh tit.

It was high fives in north Essex at the weekend: all five species of thrushes to see in winter, spotted in my garden.

Barn Owls are such beautiful birds that just to glimpse one in car headlights is a thrill, a saintly soul whose fleeting flight of fancy instantaneously makes your world a wondrous place. All too…

January is always good for birds at Abberton Reservoir: a birding hotspot whose powerful flame often burns brightest when temperatures are at their lowest.

Take flight, birdwatching; my highlights this week have all stemmed from bird-listening. The difference is subtle – and nor is just about a dash.

Birds are on the move – and that means it is a time of eager anticipation for birdwatchers. Pleasant surprises are in store. Or welcome eye-openers, anyway; after all, you know that very soon you…