Welcome (Back) to SzimiStyle Birding

After a long pause, a stretch of silence, and a touch of self-doubt, SzimiStyle Birding is back – with new wings, new stories, and a fresh home on Ghost.

Life has been busy. The kind of busy that pulls you away from the very things that keep you grounded – or in my case, the things that keep me scanning the skies, listening for distant calls, and scribbling thoughts into field journals. Over recent months (years, really), I’ve been swept along by work commitments, mounting pressures, and, if I’m honest, a creeping sense that my voice no longer belonged in the noisy world of bird blogging.

But something shifted. Maybe it was the call of a distant owl on a quiet drive, or the way a lone wader moved across a patch of still water. Something stirred. And I realised: this blog has never been about perfection. It’s about connection. It’s about the raw joy of observing birds, of travelling to forgotten corners of the map, of chasing silhouettes against sunrises. It’s about sharing that joy – however flawed or fragile the words may be.

So here I am again. A new start. SzimiStyle Birding is relaunching on a new platform – cleaner, simpler, faster – but the spirit remains the same. Expect regular posts: field notes and reflections, trip journals, underbirded grid discoveries, and perhaps the occasional philosophical musing sparked by a stubborn wheatear.

I’ll also be sharing my personal thoughts on things that matter deeply to me – from the triumphs and frustrations of travel, birding, and photography, to ongoing projects like World Shorebirds Day and the PatchBird Initiative, and even a new venture on the horizon that I can’t quite talk about yet (but trust me, I’m excited — and you’ll hear it here first).

These are not just hobbies or side projects. They are part of my life and my existence.

Whether you’ve followed my journey before or have just stumbled in, thank you for being here. I’m excited to bring you along as this new chapter unfolds – not as an expert or influencer, but as someone still enchanted by birds, and still chasing that feeling only birding can bring.

Let’s begin again.