Local Sightings, November 2025

 I was on holiday in Western Australia from 31 October to 16 November, returning to the UK to find my rain gauge overflowing - I had obviously missed some poor weather as I was sweltering in 30+C heat and more or less continuous sunshine! I'll put in a brief report about the trip in due course (500 images to edit). The weather in Royston continued unsettled until the 20th when, having had very little exercise, I decided to go on my 'round the villages' walk. A few hundred yards from my home I found a small flock of Goldcrests (5+) and shortly afterwards another three, but for the rest of the walk I didn't record any more. A Mute Swan was an unusual sighting at Hatchpen Farm pond, whilst a couple of Reed Buntings at Park Farm were, like the swan, 'year ticks' for my local patch. Small flocks of Yellowhammers, totalling 30-35 birds, were seen in various places along the route, four Corn Buntings were at Greys Farm and a flock of around 90 Linnets were seen nearby. Chiffchaffs appeared to have finally departed (but see below). Common and Black-headed Gulls were searching for food in the fields but, surprisingly, no Lesser Black-backed Gulls (the commonest local gull species for most of the year) were seen. A total of 43 species were recorded (39 seen).

Mute Swan (a local rarity) with Farmyard Geese at Hatchpen Farm Pond, 20 November

On the 26th I walked right across Therfield Heath to Fox Covert. Two Stonechats (reported the previous day on the Herts. Bird Club web site) were seen near the 'McDonalds' car park off the Therfield Road. The woodland of Fox Covert and Jubilee Wood can be very quiet in the winter, unless one coincides with a flock of tits and other small birds. Fortunately, on this occasion I was lucky to find a tit flock that also included a few Goldcrests, as well as Nuthatches and a Treecreeper (the last two heard but not seen). A single Chiffchaff was also present. A wintering bird was recorded nearby in 2024-25: will this bird attempt to over-winter too? No Redwings or Fieldfares were recorded: very few seem to be about locally at present.

Stonechat on Therfield Heath, 26 November

UK Wildlife Sightings, November 2025

 The first trip after my return from Australia was to visit RSPB Titchwell on the 21st. I wanted to see and photograph some waders (there was a dearth of them where I was in Australia), the weather was sunny and there had been reports of a Pallas's Warbler there. I didn't see the warbler, but I was lucky to get close up views of three (possibly four) lovely, little Firecrests. Photographing Firecrests is tricky, as they are (a) very small, (b) constantly on the move and (c) prefer the shelter of dense woodland. However, I did manage about a 10% success rate. Perhaps the 'best' image is shown below.

Firecrest, RSPB Titchwell Marsh, 21 November

Migrating waders had all passed through, so I concentrated on photographing wintering birds (including my favourite Sanderlings) on the beach. A Herring Gull had found a flatfish (Flounder??) on the tide line, but didn't quite know what to do with it.

Dunlin Feeding on Titchwell Beach, 21 November

Sanderling Feeding on Titchwell Beach, 21 November

Herring Gull with Flatfish 'Catch', Titchwell Beach, 21 November

On the 23rd I was part of an RSPB Local Group coach trip to RSPB Frampton Marsh. In recent months, the 'marsh' had become more like a desert as a combination of the extremely dry weather in spring and summer and (I believe) the failure of a pump had dried out all the scrapes and pools and the water birds and waders had gone elsewhere. Fortunately, the recent heavy rains and colder weather had resulted in the return of some of the pools, albeit that the landscape still looked pretty bleak. Plenty of ducks (particularly Teal and Wigeon) were seen, whilst vast flocks of Lapwings and (particularly) Golden Plovers regularly took to the air. A Whooper Swan with a damaged wing (present for two years) hadn't had the option to fly away. Returning waders included small numbers of Redshank, Dunlin, Ruff and Grey Plover. A Hen Harrier was seen by one person and a Peregrine was seen by many.

A few of the many hundreds of Golden Plover at RSPB Frampton Marsh, seen in flight on 23 November

Whooper Swan with Damaged Wing, RSPB Frampton Marsh, 23 November

On the 25th I made a return visit to Eyebrook Reservoir, where I saw the American Golden Plover last month. This time my target was a male American Wigeon, a vagrant species that I have only seen twice before in the UK (excluding in collections, where it is clearly one of the most attractive water birds in winter plumage: its name makes clear where it should be living). I have had real difficulty connecting with this species in the past, but the bird gave itself up relatively easily on this occasion, although it was always a long distance away.

Male American Wigeon (front bird, slightly right of centre) with other water birds, including a female Goldeneye, Eyebrook Reservoir, 25 November.

Several Goldeneye were also present, as was at least one juvenile male Scaup. A Great Egret, fishing much closer to the shore, made a nice photographic subject and four Whooper Swans flew in just before I left.

Great Egret, Eyebrook Reservoir, 25 November

Whooper Swans Landing, Eyebrook Reservoir, 25 November

Local Wildlife Sightings, October 2025

 Following the first 'named' storm of the autumn on the 3rd and 4th, high pressure dominated in the first half of October, with variable amounts of cloud, no appreciable rain and hardly any wind. Very few butterflies survived into the new month, with no 'blues' seen at all and hardly any 'whites'. Autumn bird passage had died down, although a few (presumably migrant) Meadow Pipits were seen and heard in the fields surrounding Royston. Several Chiffchaffs remained into October: I wonder whether any will over-winter locally. Smallish flocks of (mainly) Lesser Black-backed Gulls roamed the fields, although finding food must have been hard work except when following the plough. One or two 'Herring Type' gulls were also seen. I photographed one in flight (image below): is it a Herring Gull or a Yellow-legged Gull? Unfortunately, the legs were tucked in. After a quiet early autumn, Ravens were again seen and/or heard in various places.

'Herring-type' Gull in Flight, Therfield, 1 October

Whilst reports of swarms of Ladybirds may have been exaggerated, I certainly saw plenty - usually sitting on leaves. Ladybird 'instars' were also common. A few shield bugs put in belated appearances near the house. Here are a few early October insect images.

Ladybird emerging from a late 'Instar', Royston, 2 October

Red-legged Shield Bug, Royston, 2 October

Rhopalid Bug, Royston, 6 October

During the middle of the month, the weather became dry but cloudy, as a large area of high pressure established itself over the UK. Bird migration was obvious, with reports of flocks of up to several hundred Redwings, as well as a few Fieldfares, seen in Hertfordshire flying over from the east. I found a flock of 40-50 Redwings feeding on berries and on the ground in a field close to the house on the 13th. However, they were gone the next day and indeed there were very few reports of Redwings in Hertfordshire in the latter stages of the month. It seems that there has been a larger than usual influx of Crossbills from the continent in our area, with flocks of birds reported in flight. I made another visit to Scales Park on the 16th, again hoping to see a Marsh Tit, which had so far eluded me in Hertfordshire. My luck was in - not only did I see a Marsh Tit and hear at least one other, but I also saw and heard small parties of Crossbills feeding amongst the many pines in this 'mixed' woodland - the closest to my house that I have ever recorded this species. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get any photos to show here. I wonder whether any of the Crossbills will stay, or will they move on, like the Redwings?

Otherwise, the middle of October was rather quiet, and I packed away my macro lens with hardly any insects, apart from a few bumble bees and wasps, to photograph. Distressing news came from the garden, as I found a dead Great Tit near the greenhouse at the bottom of the garden. I assumed that it had flown into the greenhouse glass, but a couple of days later a dead male Greenfinch was present in exactly the same place. By the time I found a second dead Greenfinch, again in the same place, I was becoming very worried. At least they showed no signs of disease, as a garden feeder was not too far away. I started to look round the garden and quickly found the likely culprit - a cat that was sitting, concealed, in bushes close to the feeder. I moved the feeder to a higher position, close to the house and made my opinions of the cat clearly known, although it has still been coming into the garden - previously, I had had no trouble from cats for several years. No more dead birds have been found since. This all may sound trivial, but cats kill up to 100 million small animals per year in the UK. Without them (fat chance) we would be giving our wildlife a much better chance to flourish.

Fallow Deer, Therfield, 8 October

On the 24th I went on another walk round the villages of Reed and Therfield. 'Storm Benjamin' had passed through the area the previous day, and I was hoping that it might have brought some interesting (migrant?) birds with it. However, once again the area was pretty quiet, with no sign of winter thrushes and, surprisingly, very few finches or buntings. Little Grebes were still at Phillup's Lake and, on my return down the Icknield Way, a tractor put up a (returning for the winter?) flock of 120 Golden Plovers. A single Red Admiral butterfly was seen, although the daytime temperature never rose above 12C.

Some of the flock of 120 Golden Plovers, seen off the Icknield Way between Royston and Therfield

Whilst the vast majority of Chiffchaffs seemed to have moved south by the end of the month, a handful remained locally, including one in the Green Walk Plantation, close to the house. I was trying to locate it on the 29th when I heard the (now familiar) "chip-chip, chip" call of a Common Crossbill and there it was, flying west over my head. This was the first Crossbill that I have ever seen on my Local Patch and probably deserves to be called my 'local bird of the year'. On the following day I went back to Scales Park, hoping for more Crossbills, but the woodland was very quiet. The vast majority of Scales Park woodland (which is mainly coniferous) is on private land, so the Crossbills may well still be around. On a sunny morning I saw both Brimstone and Peacock butterflies, presumably disturbed from hibernation.

UK Wildlife Sightings, October 2025

 After a very busy start to October I finally had a day to myself on the 7th. The choice of where to go was a 'no-brainer', since a Red-tailed Shrike was 'showing well' on the National Trust reserve at Dunwich Heath. Red-tailed Shrike (previously known as Turkestan Shrike - it breeds in central Asia) would be a world 'lifer' for me. I would also get the chance to photograph the bird. I parked at RSPB Minsmere (free parking for me - I do come from Yorkshire.....) and walked the mile or so to view the bird near the coastguard cottages. I wasn't disappointed: shrikes have the endearing (for bird watchers) habit of sitting on the tops of bushes looking for prey and this bird didn't disappoint: it had quite a small territory (just a couple of large bushes), but seemed able to catch lots of prey items and store some in its larder inside one of the bushes. It was also a handsome adult male (most of the shrikes that are seen in the UK on passage are rather dowdy juveniles) - even better! Keen / professional photographers were having a field day, trying to catch the bird in flight and/or eating prey. I noticed that in some of the online images posted the bird had mealworms in its bill: a bit naughty, since it means that it was being fed in an attempt to keep it in the area. Anyway, here are a few (of many) photographs that I took.

Red-tailed Shrike, Dunwich, 7 October

Red-tailed Shrike, Dunwich, 7 October

Red-tailed Shrike with Prey (a Moth?), Dunwich, 7 October

After I had had my fill of the shrike, I went looking for Dartford Warblers nearby, seeing at least three including a recently fledged juvenile (2nd or 3rd brood?) and hearing others. Later, I wandered round the Minsmere reserve with (limited) highlights being a rather late Hobby and an obliging Stonechat (image).

Stonechat, RSPB Minsmere, 7 October

This began a sequence of four trips outside my area in eight days, starting with a visit to RSPB Snettisham on the 10th to see a Short-toed Lark, which had been present a few hundred yards north of the beach car park for several days. This bird took longer to find, despite the presence of several birdwatchers, as it searched for seeds in vegetation between the high tide line and the coastal path. However, after about an hour I was able to get decent views and one or two photos of this bird - my second UK record. Following this, I had a good look round the RSPB reserve and beyond. Cranes had been reported in an inland field, but they were not there when I looked. Instead, I did see the small flock of feral Snow Geese that have been at Snettisham for many years, mingling with a large flock of Greylags.

Short-toed Lark, Snettisham, 10 October

Greylag and feral Snow Geese, Snettisham, 10 October

The following day, I was off again - this time to Dungeness, to do a reconnaissance trip ahead of leading an RSPB Local Group members' visit the following weekend. The weather was dull and misty and there was little to excite me during a two hour visit to the RSPB reserve. However, down at the national nature reserve I was lucky to catch sight of a singing male Black Redstart, on one of the power station buildings. The garden that surrounds the old lighthouse was full of small birds, eagerly feeding on small insects. Most were Chiffchaffs, presumably passing through the area, but there were at least two Goldcrests and possibly a Willow Warbler here. I took several photographs, some of which revealed differences in the plumages of the Chiffchaffs. The two that I have included below possibly refer to different races (Collybita and Abietinus or Tristis) or a mixed race bird: assigning Chiffchaffs to specific races is extremely difficult for the experts, let alone me.

Chiffchaff (common UK race, collybita?), Dungeness NNR, 11 October

Chiffchaff (a paler bird, possibly ssp. Abietinus or Tristis?), Dungeness NNR, 11 October

Also seen near the power station were two very tame Red Foxes, which had apparently been fed from a car before I arrived - this may explain why they were so approachable!

Red Fox, Dungeness NNR, 11 October

The bird watching trips continued on the 14th when, for a change, I visited an inland site (Rutland Water) to look for what would be my second UK Baird's sandpiper. The bird had been around for a week, and in the previous few days had restricted itself to feeding in a small creek on one side of the Whitwell Peninsula. I had naively expected to see the bird trotting round the edge of the reservoir, but this was not the case. I and a handful of other birdwatchers were unable to locate it, although it had been reported around lunchtime (I arrived mid-afternoon). I walked well beyond its apparent range without success. However, as I was about to give up I met a local bird watcher, whose wife had discovered the bird. We discussed its habits, and I realised that it could be further up the bank, away from the water. We still couldn't find it and I headed back to the car: he said he would wave his hands if he saw it. You can guess what happened next. I walked back and there it was, superbly camouflaged as it walked very slowly amongst the pebbly shoreline, a short distance from the water but with a low profile. There's no way that I would have found it on my own and I'm very grateful for being called back! I was able to get close enough to the bird for some decent photos, a couple of which are shown below.

Baird's Sandpiper, Rutland Water, 14 October

Baird's Sandpiper, Rutland Water, 14 October

After several days of calm, dull weather, the RSPB trip to Dungeness on the 19th coincided with the arrival of rain. However, most of our bird watching was done in dryish (if very dull) conditions and we ended up with a bird list of 83 species recorded, including Firecrest and Black Redstart (seen outside the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway Cafe!). As I was leading, I didn't get much time for photography. However, unlike at Cley in September, I did manage to photograph one of six Cattle Egrets seen at the RSPB reserve, standing on the back of a cow. Gull identification proved a headache, as usual, but I'm pretty sure that I saw both juvenile and adult Yellow-legged Gulls, with a likely adult shown in the image below. Fortunately, most of the rest of our LG members don't have the same hang-ups with larger gulls that I do, and were happy to move on......

Cattle Egret standing on a Cow, RSPB Dungeness, 19 October

A Mixture of Juvenile, Immature and Adult larger Gulls with probable Yellow-legged Gull second left, RSPB Dungeness, 19 October

I was back in 'twitching' mode on the 21st, when I visited Eyebrook Reservoir (on the border of Rutland and Leicestershire) to look for a juvenile American Golden Plover, which was associating with a large flock of Eurasian Golden Plovers. Low water levels at the reservoir allowed the plovers to spend time on the mud a long way away from observers on the road that runs round the reserve, but this bird (which is slightly smaller and much greyer than the Golden Plovers and has a more obvious white supercilium) tended to stay a little way away from them, on its own for most of the time. I managed a few 'record shots' of the bird, with a couple (taken in different places, as the flock took to the air every few minutes) shown below.

American Golden Plover (smallest bird, just to the left of the Lapwings) with Lapwings and European Golden Plovers, Eyebrook Reservoir, 21 October

'Record Shot' of American Golden Plover, Eyebrook Reservoir, 21 October

I had been lucky in the late summer and autumn this year to see three 'lifers' and two 'seconds', all within 100 miles of home, on my 'twitches'. This would have been good enough for me, but I had the opportunity to see yet another 'lifer' when a Brown Shrike arrived on Hollesley Common, near Woodbridge in Suffolk. Brown Shrikes nest in Western Siberia, so this bird was, like the Red-tailed Shrike, way off course. I visited on the 28th. Finding the small area of land where the shrike (a juvenile, so not as stunning to look at as the Red-tailed Shrike) was relatively easy, but getting to the site was more difficult as major roadworks and the closure of a key railway bridge necessitated a very large detour. I had to wait 20 minutes for the bird to appear, on the perimeter fencing of an MOD site, but once it did appear it was viewable for over an hour before I left. I was able to get close enough to the bird to get some ok record shots. My UK bird list now stands at 375 (five added this year), still giving hope that I could still reach 400 in my lifetime.

Juvenile Brown Shrike, Upper Hollesley Common, 28 October

Juvenile Brown Shrike, Upper Hollesley Common, 28 October

Wildlife of the Spanish Pyrenees

 In mid-September I took a break from wildlife watching in the UK to go on a walking and general interest holiday with my partner, Helen, to the Spanish (Catalan) Pyrenees, staying in an excellent hotel in the village of Ribes de Freser, surrounded by majestic hills and mountains, as well as flower-filled meadows. Wildlife was abundant, with many butterflies on the wing including at least three species of fritillary. Most were identifiable, but one common type of grizzled skipper (image below) proved to be tricky. I have plumped for Rosy Grizzled Skipper as the most likely candidate. Most of the other common species (Wall, Speckled Wood, Adonis and Common Blues, Comma, Clouded Yellow, Painted Lady, Large and Small White etc.) can be seen in the UK or are widespread in Europe, but a few were different, including Spanish Brassy Ringlet, which was a new one for me.

Rosy Grizzled Skipper (?), Spanish Pyrenees

Dragonflies were less common, but I did see both Red-veined Darter and Emperor, the female of the latter laying eggs in a small water feature in the village of Queralbs.

Female Emperor Dragonfly, Spanish Pyrenees

We saw abundant birdlife, with White Wagtails and Black Redstarts being particularly common, even when we visited Nuria, at an altitude of 2000M. Also seen at Nuria were Water Pipits and an Alpine Accentor. Griffon Vultures were seen regularly, whilst Kestrels, Buzzards and a single Goshawk were other raptors seen. Crag Martins were the commonest local hirundines, although a large colony of House Martins was present at Nuria.

Black Redstart, Nuria

Water Pipit at Nuria

Griffon Vulture - a Common Sight

There was some heavy rain before and during the early part of our stay. This may have encouraged the appearance of many fruiting bodies of various fungi to appear later on, including a cute little orange one (below) that was seen on one of the walks.

Orange Fungus

Occasionally I see unusual or rarely encountered animal behaviour on my travels. On a 'there and back' walk to a waterfall, we found a suitable bench to sit on and have a drink on the way. Coming back, we were surprised to see a Common Lizard attempting to eat a large, green grasshopper that it had caught, on the bench. For a few minutes it struggled, removing wings and legs but still unable to get the grasshopper in its mouth, let alone eat it. Like a Sparrowhawk, it obviously regarded not letting its prey escape as being more important than leaving the scene as soon as we turned up. Eventually it got the grasshopper in its mouth (image) and disappeared under the bench. On the many occasions that I have seen lizards they have invariably frozen and/or then made a run for safety, so seeing one actually attempting to deal with prey was something new for me. This was the main animal memory that I will take away from a thoroughly enjoyable holiday.

Common Lizard, with Grasshopper Prey

Local Wildlife Sightings, September 2025

 With low pressure dominating for the first time in months, the start of autumn was decidedly different to the vast majority of summer. It was (relatively) cool, it was breezy and there were rain showers which were particularly lively on the 3rd, when over an inch (28mm) fell in the day, including a torrential shower in the early afternoon that deposited 15mm in around 20 minutes. More rain fell on the 3rd than in the whole of May, or the whole of June, or the whole of August. There was still a little butterfly activity when the sun came out between the showers, but my macro lens was becoming redundant as I switched to local bird watching. A visit to Phillup's Lake on the 2nd produced at least one Little Grebe, a single adult Coot, three Tufted Ducks (one male) and, a local 'first' for me, two Teal. 

There was no mud, and consequently no waders, at Phillup's Lake, but there was plenty of mud at Dernford Farm Reservoir where the water level was still, despite the rain, extremely low on the 2nd. I counted at least six Ruff and five Common Sandpipers feeding around the reservoir, as well as a Common Snipe that flew off as soon as I appeared. A single Yellow-legged Gull was with the (resident?) Lesser Black-backed and Black-headed Gulls. The Tern family had departed, but large numbers of juvenile Tufted Ducks were seen after what has clearly been a very successful breeding season. As usual, the reported Ruddy Shelduck was nowhere to be seen. More gulls (mostly Lesser Black-backs) were seen when I went on a short (rain shower clouds spotted) 'there and back' walk east along the Icknield Way from the A505 layby, again on the 2nd, and they included a Herring Gull.

Ruff, Dernford Farm Reservoir, 2 September

Juvenile Tufted Duck, Dernford Farm Reservoir, 2 September

Record Shot of a distant Teal, Phillup's Lake, 2 September

I made a further unsuccessful attempt to see the Black Redstart at the Baldock model aircraft field on the 5th - this is obviously going to be this year's 'bogey bird'. On the same day, a Wheatear was seen at Thrift Farm, near the bottom of Church Hill. I found a couple of almost pristine Adonis Blues on the Old Rifle Range the following morning.

Wheatear at Thrift Farm, Therfield, 5 September

Adonis Blue, Therfield Heath (Old Rifle Range), 6 September

A holiday in the Spanish Pyrenees (I may publish a future blog post) kept me away from my local patch for the better part of two weeks. The holiday included plenty of hill walking, and on my return I decided that I was fit enough to go on the extended walk round the villages of Reed and Therfield (8-9 miles) on the 19th, for the first time since early May. Passing through Hatchpen Farm I encountered three more Wheatears. There was an obvious visible southerly migration of Swallows (40+) and House Martins (8-10) through the farm, and a single Yellow Wagtail was seen amongst them. A 'record' four Little Grebes were seen at Phillup's Lake, where a Cormorant was swimming and diving. Also seen here were four Tufted Ducks. Further on, I encountered another Wheatear at Park Farm (Therfield). A total of 43 bird species were recorded (37 seen). Although I must have heard 30-40 Robins on the way round, none were seen! Another surprisingly 'heard only' species was Goldfinch.

Cormorant at Phillup's Lake, 19 September

One of four Little Grebes seen at Phillup's Lake, 19 September

Another Wheatear, this one at Hatchpen Farm, Reed, 19 September

High pressure once again dominated the scene in the second half of September, with most of the rain having fallen in the first week of the month. Insect life dwindled, with the exception of the thousands of Ivy Bees, that awaken in late summer to take pollen from the many flowering Ivy bushes in the area. However, whilst butterflies have had a much better year in 2025 than in 2024, I have seen far fewer grasshoppers, shield bugs and bush crickets than in previous years. Whether this is a consequence of the very dry spring and summer I don't know. Anyway, here are a few images of insects that I did manage to photograph in late summer, including a mystery insect (tentatively identified as an Ichneumon Wasp), which was noted rapidly flickering its antennae. I suspect that there will be very few insects left to photograph in October....

Ivy Bee on Ivy, 25 September

Ivy Bee on Ivy Leaf, 25 September

Box Bug, Royston, 22 September

Unidentified insect (Ichneumon Wasp??), Royston, 25 September