Polders Poelgeest Leiden NL light northerly wind. Moving towards the dog days with the arrival of a juvenile common gull. Also a green sandpiper over calling marsh warblers feeding young a whitethroat family still around c20 black tailed godwits with a few juveniles mixed in. #birds dutchbirding

Mhkuze South Africa. Dwarf bittern was one of our most wanted birds & given that there had been heavy rains before we arrived an influx had occurred. After skulking in vegetation at the water hole at Kumasinga it finally showed well in the open viewed from the hide. #birdsseenin2026 #southafrica

Dwarf mallow #wildflowerhournl

Some birds from the Mhkuze area South Africa including Cape starling yellow -breasted apalis, red-backed shrike and chestnut -backed sparrowlark #birdseenin2026 #southafrica

African Paradise flycatcher Nagana area from my South Africa trip #birdsseenin2026 #southafrica

Mantuma Camp area South Africa purple-crested Turaco and pink throated twin spot #birdseenin2026 #southafrica

Polders Poelgeest Leiden NL the NE wind continues a juvenile purple heron proved elusive from mid morning but overshadowed by a family of polecats on the Veerpolder unprecedented. Their range is expanding in the Netherlands. #birds #dutchbirding

Polders Poelgeest Leiden NL the NE wind continues and producing some passage tdy green sandpiper & 7 common sandpiper 6 avocet new in good no's of house &sand martins the escaped black brant on Klass Hennepoelpolder and an icelandica black tailed godwits still in it's finery #birds #dutchbirding

South Africa trip a stunning grey waxbill from Kumasinga hide Mhkuze ##birdseenin2026 #southafrica

Polders Poelgeest Leiden NL.We have 2 hollyhocks on the reserve no idea how they arrived checked them out & found a hollyhock weevil small & sneaky . The population of common fleabane is growing exponentially & has over the last few years yielded decent inverts today's find plagiognathus arbustorum

Polders Poelgeest Leiden NL pleasant morning NE wind avian interest confined to 10 spoonbill a returning common sandpiper singing assumed juv willow warbler a newly arrived common whitethroat in the magic bush. A hare on Veerpolder double figures of painted lady & 9 other species

Nsomo Pan Mkhuze South Africa Trip pink backed pelican a decling breeder here and African Fish Eagle #birdsseenin2026 #southafrica

Dark-chanting Goshawk Mkhuze area from my South Africa trip #birdsseein2026 #southafrica

My side view of common blue Ian note the spot separation and the bluish suffusion onto forewing they are tricky but brown argus always to me move more definitely

Lesser striped swallow Mkuze from my South Africa trip #birdsseenin2026 #southafrica

South Africa Mkuze area Trumpeter hornbill often heard crying in the canopy but this one more obliging #birdsseenin2026 #southafrica

Polders Poelgeest Leiden NL E going NE 1st common whitethroats fledged today 1 being fed a great green bush cricket ! Shelduck & black-headed gull juvs getting airborne 92 black tailed godwits sadly failed breeders 2 avocet male common pochard male and female cuckoos both vocal #birds #dutchbirding

Forked catchfly- silene dichotoma a surprise find at Polders Poelgeest #wildflowernl

South Africa Mkuze area crested francolin striped kingfisher and European roller. European rollers were everywhere and also in Kruger NP local birders told it was an exceptional event likely due to the very heavy rains in January #birdseenin2026 #southafrica

Even when you're a young Burchell's zebra it's a real help to have your own oxpeckers for those annoying ticks and flies #birdsseenin2026 #southafrica

South Africa trip Mkuze. We had heard there was a sighting of a secretary bird 10k from camp. Got to the site no sign, however,a black rhino appeared over the ridge & peacefully grazed by us for 20 minutes the highlight of the trip note the 3 red- billed oxpeckers #birdsseenin2026 #southafrica

Polders Poelgeest Leiden NL west wind pleased to find a male red backed shrike early am which despite the regulars searching couldn't be relocated 5th reserve record +120 black tailed godwits spoonbill lesser whitethroat collecting food 2 avocet redshank 3 house martin foraging #birds #dutchbirding

South Africa Trip Feb/March on the way to Mkuze Game Reserve from the western shores of St Lucia we saw our first Goliath heron this one in juvenile plumage #birdsseenin2026 #southafrica

South Africa trip Feb/March St Lucia although I had seen broad-billed roller in the Gambia it was good to see another in savannah habitat #birdseenin2026 #southafrica

South Africa trip Feb/March one of the raptors I really wanted to see on the trip Martial Eagle this individual was at its nest site as we drove from St Lucia towards Cape Vidal #birdsseenin2026 #southafrica

Dittander still holding on at Polders Poelgeest Leiden despite site disturbance #wildflowerhournl

South Africa trip Feb/March St Lucia. Another snake eagle this time brown snake eagle #birdsseenin2026 #southafrica

Polders Poelgeest Leiden NL cool westerly loads of young birds mainly sedge warblers & chiffchaffs tufted duck broods 7,6,5 gadwall 12,7,4 shelduck 12,8,6,4,3 +crèche of 20+ also 4 cuckoo eclipse m pochard a returner after ydys 2 teal a muskrat out in the open was unusual #birds # dutchbirding

South Africa trip Feb & March St Lucia area we were treated to excellent views of black-chested snake eagle as it circled high over the car a stunning looking snake eagle #birdsseenin2026 #southafrica

South Africa trip earlier this year St Lucia area. In addition to the birds shown we also saw lemon breasted canary brown snake eagle white fronted plover osprey collared pratincole rufous naped lark southern brown throated, eastern golden & thick billed weavers & a bull shark ! #birdsseenin2026