Matthew Deans
Keen birder and moth-man from the Suffolk coast. Most of my moth news is from Bawdsey Hall.
- Aurora borealis from Hollesley, East Suffolk, this evening.
- Some nice winter wildfowl around Alton Water reservoir, south Suffolk, today. A 'white nun' Smew and a flyover Bewick's Swan plus the two female Scaup still present.
- One of my favourite wintering birds - Snow Buntings - in a snow blizzard today at Kessingland beach, Suffolk.
- Shore Lark, Kessingland beach, Suffolk, in a snow blizzard this afternoon. One of four birds overwintering at this location.
- A striking leucistic Blackbird in the North Bushes at Minsmere @RSPBMinsmere this morning. An influx of continental Blackbirds was evident here today with at least 20 - 30 seen.
- Started the new year at Minsmere @RSPBMinsmere where the highlights were Temminck's Stint, Firecrest & Water Pipit. Then two Bewick's Swans and 12 Tundra Bean Geese at Gedgrave, Orford.
- Happy New Year to all my friends and followers. Here is a Sri Lanka Blue-Magpie from Sinharaja earlier in December. One of my birds of the year.
- The Black-winged Kite showed well at Ludham Bridge, Norfolk, this afternoon. Great views in the telescope, although rather distant for photographs.
- The Black-bellied Dipper at Bintree Mill, Norfolk. Often elusive, going missing for days, the bird put on quite a show today.
- Hump-nosed Lizard (Lyriocephalus scutatus) from Sinharaja. A completely unique genus and endemic to Sri Lanka. It was an exciting find in the wet zone rainforest.
- The colourful White-throated Flowerpecker from Sinharaja earlier in December. An endemic resident breeder in Sri Lanka.
- Sri Lanka Spurfowl (male), Sinharaja, Sri Lanka, earlier in December. Relatively easy to see nowadays, with the setup of feeding blinds.
- I rarely see Smew in Suffolk nowadays. It's one of our declining winter visitors. This exquisite "white Nun" showed well today at @SWTCarltonMarsh in north-east Suffolk. Also present was a drake Goosander on Oulton Dyke.
- Sri Lanka Bay-Owl, Sinharaja, Sri Lanka, in December 2025. This was an unexpected bonus - a very difficult bird to connect with, although in the past few years it has been slightly easier. Despite the name, it's not endemic to Sri Lanka and is also found in parts of India.
- Serendib Scops-Owl from Sinharaja, Sri Lanka, November 2025. Two well-hidden birds were seen after a considerable trek in the rainforest.
- Indian Pitta in the rain at Kitulgala, Sri Lanka, November 2025. I saw several here and found them to be one of the more showy of the pitta species.
- The lovely Eastern Black Redstart at Sheringham, Norfolk, this afternoon. Although largely elusive, it does show very well on occasions. My first ever in East Anglia following one in Kent and two in Cleveland/Yorkshire.
- I was pleased to find this Brown Fish Owl at Kitulgala, Sri Lanka, in November. I first detected it in my thermal imager.
- Green-billed Coucal from Kitulgala, Sri Lanka, in November. Quite elusive and they can be slippery customers hiding away! I only saw a couple here and one at Sinharaja.
- The rather endearing Chestnut-backed Owlet from Kitulgala, Sri Lanka, in November. An endemic, seen quite easily here on several days.
- Banded Bay Cuckoo at Kitulgala, Sri Lanka, 25 November. I've seen this species a few times in Asia now but rarely as showy as this individual.
- Indian Scops Owls from near Negombo, Sri Lanka, on 25 November. Recently split from Collared Scops Owl - great views were enjoyed of this pair.
- Toque Macaque, Negombo Lagoon, Sri Lanka - 24 November. The name derives from the whorl of hair on the head resembling a cap. A widespread and common species.
- My recent Sri Lankan adventure started in Colombo, where Spot-billed Pelican was seen very well at the nearby Negombo Lagoon on 24 November.
- Recently back from Sri Lanka and going through my photos. I would welcome thoughts and comments on this falcon seen in Kitulgala in late November during Cyclone Ditwah. It was high up in a tree in the rain, so was poorly photographed.
- A pleasant afternoon along the the Stour Estuary yesterday produced this Black-throated Diver, two Great Northern Divers and two Black-necked Grebes. It was nice to get out and this was my first birding in Suffolk since returning from Sri Lanka.
- The first-winter Isabelline Shrike at North Warren, Suffolk, this afternoon on it's eighth day. It was feeding well on wasps and also seen to regurgitate a pellet.
- The beautiful Pallas's Leaf Warbler in the churchyard at Aldeburgh, Suffolk, late this afternoon. Only managed a couple of shots of this typically mobile individual in fading light.
- The lovely first-winter Isabelline Shrike at North Warren, Suffolk, this afternoon. A lovely sandy-coloured shrike which performed well in the brambles at the edge of the marsh.
- Two Scarce Bordered Straw (H. armigera) to light @Bawdsey_Hall last night. @MigrantMothUK @BC_Suffolk
- The Cosmopolitan (Leucania loreyi) to light at @Bawdsey_Hall last night. The second of the autumn here. A very rare migrant moth in Suffolk. @MigrantMothUK @BC_Suffolk
- Another pose of the fabulous 1w Brown Shrike from Upper Hollesley Common, Suffolk, in the sunshine this morning. Only my fifth in Britain and Ireland following birds at Ballyferriter, Staines Moor, Flamborough and Weybourne.
- The local first-winter Brown Shrike was again showing well at Upper Hollesley Common, Suffolk, this morning. This is the sixth species of shrike I have seen on the Bawdsey peninsula.
- An alternative shot of the Upper Hollesley Brown Shrike. This is the fifth addition to the Suffolk list in 2025 - the highest ever total of new birds added to the county list in a single year! It has been a really great year in Suffolk.
- The lovely first-winter Brown Shrike which has been frequenting Upper Hollesley Common, Suffolk, for three days now. A long overdue 'first' for Suffolk.
- Radford's Flame Shoulder from Bawdsey Hall on Monday night.
- A lovely pink male Vestal @Bawdsey_Hall last night. @MigrantMothUK @BC_Suffolk
- The rather lovely juvenile Baird's Sandpiper from Rutland Water recently.
- Olive-tree Pearl (Palpita vitrealis) @Bawdsey_Hall last night. Otherwise, it has been generally quiet for migrant moths for the past week. @BC_Suffolk @MigrantMothUK
- The very confiding juvenile Baird's Sandpiper at Rutland Water.
- A great day at Dunwich Heath, Suffolk. This Turkestan Shrike performed beautifully in the October sunshine. It was a day that also produced my first Yellow-browed Warbler of the autumn and flyover Glossy Ibis and White-tailed Eagle.
- A chance find of a Pale-lemon Sallow (Cirrhia ocellaris) near an outside light at Darsham, Suffolk, this morning. A moth I've not seen anywhere in more than a decade and particularly rare in this part of the county. @BC_Suffolk
