Little Ringed Plover, S Cambs, May 2025 This tiny wader arrives in the UK Mar-April and especially loves scrapes, gravel pits & larger construction areas with water. Our local rd construction scheme has boosted numbers nearby but their protected Schedule 1 status can cause conflict. #Birds #Birding

Little Owl, S Cambs, Jan 2022 One of my local birds, seen like most of my sightings from the car on my various travels. It reminds me of my very 1st ever, aged 11, seen in the early hours on my return from A&E following an asthma attack triggered by a feather pillow during a residential! #Birds

Little Gull (juv), Grafham Water, Aug 2020 Our smallest gull, a delightfully dainty scarce passage migrant from the E, mainly Apr-May and July-Sept. May be seen passing offshore or using coastal marshes & inland water bodies, with largest numbers often reported from Hornsea & the nearby coastline.

Little Grebe (ad breeding), S Cambs, July 2025 AKA Dabchick, this is our smallest grebe. I can honestly say I've never seen one in flight other than on short territorial patterings over the water surface. They move further only at night, due to their vulnerability in the air to predation. #Birds

Little Egret, N Norfolk, Aug 2019 (?) The egrets have been at the forefront of climate-based UK colonisation as ranges have shifted north & this species has been the most successful. Still a BBRC species when I found my first in 1989, it was breeding within a year & is now common & widespread #Birds

Little Crake (juv), Bucks, Nov 2023 Not quite the point blank views I enjoyed in Israel but at least it was out in the open and was only an hour from home. Over 100 UK records of which I've seen two. #Birds #Twitching

Little Bustard (male), Yorkshire, Aug 2019 My 3rd in the UK of this declining vagrant from Southern Europe, this one was particularly smart. #Birds #Twitching

Little Bunting, Bexley, Jan 2022 Eastern autumn scarcity & occasional overwinterer, most regular in the Northern Isles. Its small size and 'tic' call is usually the 1st clue in the field as to its identity. Like most buntings, migrants are readily attracted to seed. #Birds #Birding

Little Blue Heron, Co Galway, Oct 2008 Still unrecorded from Britain & with this just a single record from Ireland, this N American species is as rare as they come - at least in NW Europe. Part of an epic month in Ireland that also produced Scarlet Tanager & Philadelphia Vireo, among others. #Birds

Little bittern (f), Herts, June 2012 A species that now breeds or attempts to, pretty much annually in Britain where in the last decade or two it has tried to gain a toehold on the Somerset Levels. Generally elusive in reedbeds, this one was uncharacteristically showy. #Birds #Birding

Little Auk, Cley Coastguards, Oct '19 Northerly gales in late October & November mean one thing for E coast seawatchers - Little auks! Our tiniest auk - known as Dovekie in N America - comes from the Arctic & doesn't breed here. Weakened storm-driven birds are often predated by gulls #Birds #Birding

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... Hare coursing. The scourge of the countryside and the extent to which these violent criminals go.

Gangs, violence and dumped dead animals: The hidden world of illegal hare hunts

Farmers describe attacks and police receive nearly 9,000 reports of banned hare coursing.

bbc.co.uk

Linnet (male), Fen Drayton Lakes RSPB, April 2020 Another image from the Covid Lockdown period when everyone was asked not to venture far from home. This site in particular became v popular with the public and has remained so. Linnets themselves continue to do very well locally. #Birds #Birding

Lesser Yellowlegs (1st w), Frampton RSPB, Feb 2024 Rare/ scarce N American visitor (mainly autumn) & by far the more regular of the 2 rather similar yellowlegs species. This bird overwintered and sometimes gave cracking views on a small flood by the car park #Birds #Birding

Lesser Whitethroat (juv), S Cambs, May 2018 A rattling song in April from the blackthorn hedgerows next to my garden signifies the arrival from Africa of this little songbird. A few weeks later and successful breeding results in broods of the new generation. Little cuties! #Birds #Birding

Lesser White-fronted Goose (ad), S Lincs, Jan 2020 Pre-Covid local(ish) goosage. Provenance always an issue with this sp with the Swedish reintroduction scheme adding to the usual wildfowl origin uncertainty. I'm sure at least 1 of the 4 I've seen must have been wild! #WildGooseChase #Birds

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (male), S Cambs. Feb 2009 The dramatic decline of this sp is reflected in my own observations - I'd see these annually in London in the late '80's/ '90's (was even on my garden list) yet I've only had one since this bird 17 yrs ago. Very sad indeed. #Birds #Birding

Lesser Scaup (ad drake), Farmoor Res, Mar 2023 Being something of a bogey bird, I covered nearly 2,000 miles trying to see my first 1 of these in the UK in the '90's but finally connected just 20 miles from home. And I'm into double figures now! #Birds #Quackers

Lesser Grey Shrike (ad), N Norfolk, Sept 2008 My 5th in 9 yrs yet I haven't seen one since. My digiscoping setup back then was pretty basic so maybe time for a photo upgrade. I should have gone for the showy Beds bird really! #Birds #Birding

Lesser Black-backed Gull, Liverpool Bay, c2014 Bit of an arty shot this one, of one of our commonest #gulls. 3 races occur, graellsii (palest above) mainly a summer visitor, intermedius in winter and nominate Fuscus (black) a rare visitor, though there are many intergrades. #Birding #Larus

Least Tern (ad m), Dublin, June 2024 1 British & 1 Irish record only, both returning to Little tern colonies over many years. I had terrible views of the 1st and got the 2nd only on my 2nd attempt. This N American sp is separable mainly by its squeaky disyllabic call & grey rump & tail #Birds

Leach's Petrel, Grafham Water, Sept 2017 Despite being much rarer offshore than the smaller European Storm Petrel this species seems more prone to autumn storm-driven displacement and this is the 2nd of these I've seen 'wrecked' inland where they remain vulnerable to predation. #Birds #Birding

Laughing Gull (2nd summer), Grafham Water, June 2007 Not a great pic of this N American one day wonder but I was delighted simply to see one of the two birds recorded in Cambs that year. Though my 4th in the UK I haven't seen one since. #Birds #Birding

It's #SharkAwarenessDay so here are some species I have seen in UK waters #Elasmobranchs

Lark Sparrow, E Norfolk, May 1991 10 yrs after the 1st British record at Landguard (& none since), there's little doubt these #birds (like most N American Sparrows) got here by boat. The species is not a long distance migrant and its inclusion on Cat A of the British List is controversial. #Birding

Lapwing, Frampton RSPB, March 2021 Our most familiar plover, a common but declining bird of farmland and freshwater marsh, often mixing with Golden Plovers in autumn/ winter. Known for the crest, that floppy flight and tumbling display

Lapland Bunting (ad male breeding), Blakeney Marsh, April 2016; Winter visitor much scarcer than its congener the Snow Bunting, it's rare to seem them like this in the UK, especially in song and paired with a female like this one was #Birds #Birding

Foresters, Tigers, Clearwings & Hawkmoths in the UK? Completed 'em mate! With last week's Cistus Forester that's a wrap on my 4 favourite groups...OK no pics yet of 2 of the hawks but I've at least seen them. It's been a fun project spanning many yrs #TeamMoth #MothsMatter

Kentish Plover (m), Beds, May 2026 This bird was just my 5th KP in the UK but by far the most showy, and conveniently close to home. It's always been very scarce but is now rare enough to warrant a description sent to the British Birds Rarities Committee for record assessment #Birds #Birding

Kelp Gull (3rd cal yr), Grafham Water, Aug 2022 Just 25 mins from home but Sod's law dictated that I'd be on holiday when this British 1st was announced. Luckily it was only Yorkshire so I was able to get there reasonably quickly! It appeared here 3 yrs running with another seen in Yorks (?) #Birds