Local Sightings, December 2025

 After November, which was easily the wettest month of the year in Royston, December produced a mixed bag of weather, but with the wind direction mainly coming from the west the unsettled weather continued, with appreciable rain on five consecutive days from the 4th, but some pleasant, sunny days as well and temperatures generally above normal. I had a lot on in the first half of the month, including a hospital operation, so opportunities for bird watching were pretty limited. However, I did get out for a few local walks. A visit to the Church Hill area on the 3rd included a walk on the track that leads between Jubilee Wood and Thrift Farm. The head of a Barn Owl could be seen in the one remaining nest box there, whilst two Stonechats (possibly the same pair that had been previously seen near the Therfield Road) were feeding in the Thrift Farm Beet (?) field nearby.

The head of a Barn Owl in a nest box, Jubilee Wood, 3 December (it did move about in the box, honest!)

There has been a big influx of Crossbills from the Continent into the UK this autumn and winter, and I made another visit to Scales Park (Meesden) to see whether the Crossbills, first seen there on 16 October, were still present. They were, and after much effort and running around I managed to get a distant photo of a male, sitting on top of one of the many pine trees on which they were feeding. Will they stay to  nest in the early part of 2026? Also seen here were two Marsh Tits in different parts of the woodland, seven Redwings and a Raven (Ravens nest in these woods).

Male Crossbill, Scales Park, 5 December

A covey of six Grey Partridges was seen near Royston Hospital at dusk on the 11th and two more males were heard calling (singing?) nearby. A Tawny Owl was hooting, again from near the hospital, slightly later in the evening. I felt fit enough to walk round the villages of Reed and Therfield on the 17th, recording 43 species (37 seen). A flock of 32 Golden Plovers was seen in flight over Greys Farm. A Chiffchaff was seen near Phillup's Lake, where seven Tufted Ducks, nine Canada Geese and two Coot were swimming. A loose flock of 25 Fieldfares was seen around Therfield.

Golden Plovers over Greys Farm, 17 December

More Stonechats were seen on the 22nd as I walked along the track that runs from the bottom of Church Hill south through Thrift Farm towards the Therfield Road. At least two pairs, as well as a single male, were seen on fence posts and/or in the fields of Sugar Beet on either side of the track. A Raven was also seen. The woods themselves were quiet. Other local walks produced no notable sightings.

Male Stonechat, Thrift Farm, 22 December

UK Wildlife Sightings, December 2025

 December is a quiet time for bird watching. The days are very short, the weather is frequently dull, cold, wet and windy and bird movement is very limited. Birds to add to my various lists are few and far between. To be fair, there were a few sunny and relatively mild days this December and I was able to take advantage of one of these (the 2nd) to visit Lackford Lakes in Suffolk, where a Green-winged Teal had been reported on most days in the previous week. Unfortunately, the bird had 'done a runner' (it wasn't reported from here thereafter), but I enjoyed a relaxing, sunny walk nonetheless and took a few images of the birds.

Lapwings at Lackford Lakes, 2 December

Events other than bird watching took over later in the month, but I did manage one more trip to the coast, on the 19th when I visited RSPB Titchwell on a sunny day. I had hoped to add Long-tailed Duck to my year list there, but there was no sign of it on the sea. I did again see a Firecrest, as well as several Chiffchaffs including a purported tristis sub-species ('Siberian Chiffchaff'). However, as is my way, I spent most of my time there walking along the beach, photographing some of the many wader species that I saw. A few of the images are below.

Bar-tailed Godwit in Flight, Titchwell Beach, 19 December

Marsh Harrier (a youngish Male), RSPB Titchwell, 19 December

 

Sanderling with Cockle (Part of the Shell is nearby), Titchwell Beach, 19 December

Having failed to see any Cranes this year, I took the afternoon off on the 22nd to drive up to Willow Tree Fen (near Bourne in Lincolnshire), to see them coming in to roost. Up to thirty roost here almost every evening during the winter months. On this occasion six came in at about 3.50pm, slightly earlier than usual, and I was able to get some 'record shot' photos in the half light of what had been a bright day. No more Cranes arrived before I left at about 4.20pm. However, I did see several Goosanders coming in to roost at a nearby lake, as well as around 20 Marsh Harriers (I counted 14 in the air at the same time). I was a little surprised to see the Goosanders, but apparently this is a regular winter roosting site for them.

'Record Shot' of four Cranes at Willow Tree Fen, 22 December

 

Some Birds of Western Australia, 1 - 16 November

 My partner and I visited Australia in November, to stay with her brother in Perth, Western Australia. It wasn't a wildlife holiday, although we did go on a whale watching trip to see Sperm Whales that pass the west coast of Australia between August and November, on migration. We also visited the Margaret River area, a wine growing region, for four nights. The woodland here contained many species of small birds. When in Perth I would visit Herdsman Lake, a 20 minute walk away from where we were staying, most mornings before breakfast. This is probably Perth's premier bird watching reserve. It contains a large array of water birds, although I came across very few small birds other than the ubiquitous 'Willie Wagtails', a couple of honeyeaters and a few Clamorous Reed Warblers, the only species that we would recognise as a true warbler in Western Australia. In all, I identified 82 bird species during our stay and probably missed a few in the dense woodland of Margaret River. Insect life in the Australian spring was a little disappointing: we did see some dragonflies and butterflies (including what looked remarkably like a Painted Lady), but it soon became clear that I should concentrate on the birds. Here is a selection of images of birds, photographed on the holiday.

Singing Honeyeater, a fairly common bird in Perth

Little Pied Cormorant, a cute little bird which was very common, both at Herdsman Lake and elsewhere

Darter, the 'Serpent Bird' with its long neck. I never saw it fishing or flying!

Clamorous Reed Warbler. I was pleased to get a photo of this bird which, like other members of its family, loves to skulk in the reeds. Very noisy!

Spotted Turtle-Dove, the larger of two turtle-doves that are commonly seen in Perth, alongside the Feral Pigeons!

Sacred Ibis, one of two very common Ibises in Perth (the other is Straw-necked). These birds are present in their hundreds at Herdsman Lake, where there is a breeding colony.

Crested Tern. The commonest breeding tern around Western Australia's coastline, this bird can be identified by its large size and yellow bill.

A female Red-winged Fairy Wren, photographed in the Margaret River area.

This Osprey was one of a pair that took quite an interest in us as we walked along a coastal path. They left the nest site together, perhaps indicating that they were not (yet) nesting. Quite a few Osprey pairs were seen along the coastline. There is debate about whether these Ospreys and 'our' Ospreys are separate species.

Port Lincoln Ringneck (or '28 bird', so named because of its call). These birds appear to have been pushed out of Perth by the noisy and invasive introduced Rainbow Lorikeet, which is the dominant parrot in the city. However, they are still common in the Margaret River area. This bird appears to be nesting in a tree hole.

Little Corella. This parrot is still seen in decent numbers in Perth, where it is a ground feeder.

Australasian Pelican. These birds were seen at Herdsman Lake. Their breeding colony is 20-25 miles away on Penguin Island, which we had hoped to visit whilst we were in Perth Unfortunately, the landing area on the island had become too sanded over for boats to visit, so we had to settle for a boat trip around this and other islands, with compensation in the form of a very active school of Dolphins.