The year started with unusually cold weather, daytime temperatures hovering around 0C and a couple of light overnight snowfalls. I had a rare opportunity to spend a whole day birdwatching on a Saturday (the 3rd). The first bird that I saw was at the bottom of the back garden. I couldn't quite make out what it was until it flew up on to the fence as I came out to investigate and found a large female Sparrowhawk, which had been consuming its prey, a white feral dove! Unfortunately, my camera wasn't to hand and the Sparrowhawk flew off leaving behind the half-eaten bird and a pile of white feathers. The remainder of the dove was later consumed by a Magpie. I've seen Sparrowhawks before in the garden and I've also seen the remains of their prey, but never before the two together.
I spent the rest of the morning at Verulamium Park, St Albans. The park has got a deserved reputation for its Kingfishers, which give ridiculously close views as they fish from the River Ver, which runs down one side of the lake. Unfortunately for photographers the backgrounds are usually rather messy clusters of twigs and leaves, which also tend to catch the sun, making correct exposure virtually impossible. Nevertheless, I didn't look a gift horse in the mouth (images below). However, I missed out on the Yellow-browed Warbler and Mediterranean Gull that had also been seen in the park.
Kingfisher 1 (a male), St Albans, 3 January
Kingfisher 2 (possibly a different male), St Albans, 3 January
During the following week I spent quite a bit of time bird watching locally, trying to catch up with local rarities and building up modest year lists. On the 5th a visit to Amwell produced ten different duck species, including Goldeneye, Red-crested Pochard and a couple of female Smew. Bitterns have been seen here regularly, and I missed one flying in to the reedbed as I walked between the White Hide and the main viewpoint - such is life.
Ring-necked Parakeet, Amwell, 5 January
On the 6th I went on my 'round the villages' walk. Phillup's Lake (Reed End) was almost completely frozen over, giving me a rare opportunity to photograph a Little Grebe that was diving away in the small patch of available water. A pair of Coot (presumably the lake's resident pair) and a single Mallard were also there, whilst no fewer than 27 Canada Geese were attempting to graze on the neighbouring field.
Little Grebe and two Coot in a blizzard on Phillup's Lake, Reed End, 6 January
The highlight of the walk came a little further on, as I approached Therfield. I saw large flocks of Linnets, Corn Buntings, Chaffinches and Yellowhammers feeding in game cover and set-aside, then flying up into trees and bushes as I walked along the track. I reckon that I saw some 400 to 500 birds. Most impressive were the numbers of Corn Buntings seen: I reckon that 40 was a conservative estimate. Although Linnets made up the bulk of the birds there must have been around 100 Yellowhammers as well: my highest local count of this attractive farmland bird for a couple of years. Although the weather was now dull (with the occasional snow shower: see image above), the flat light made it easier to capture the features of these farmland birds - see the images below.
Corn Bunting, Therfield, 6 January
Nine Corn Buntings, Therfield, 6 January
Linnet, Reed, 6 January
The following morning saw me visit Scales Park near Meesden, hoping to see the wintering (and later breeding?) Crossbills. I was fortunate to see eight (a single male plus parties of three and four birds), although many more were probably present. I also saw a Raven, but there was no sign of Marsh Tits on this visit.
Record shot of a male Common Crossbill, Scales Park, 7 January
Later in the day I went to Roe Green, near Sandon, where up to three Short-eared Owls had been seen on previous evenings. The birds were reported to appear after dusk. I (along with others) probably stood in the wrong place to see the birds, because I only got only the most fleeting glimpse of what must have been one of the birds when it was almost completely dark. However, I did have three sightings of Woodcock flying out of or into Roe Green Wood.
On the 8th I was out again, walking east from Royston along the Icknield Way to Heydon Pig Farm. More Linnets and Yellowhammers were seen, along with a Meadow Pipit and four species of thrush. Gull numbers at the pig farm were much lower (around 80 individuals) than in previous winters - perhaps the frozen ground had persuaded some to head further south and/or west. Amongst the gulls present, which were viewed and photographed distantly, were a probable Yellow-legged Gull and an interesting black-backed bird that had black markings behind the eye (see image below). This was most likely a strangely marked Lesser Black-backed Gull, even though it appeared smaller than the gulls around it. I harboured hopes that it might be something much rarer, such as an American vagrant (Laughing Gull or Franklin's Gull), but the shape and structure is unfortunately wrong for these birds, as well.
Fieldfare, near Heydon, 8 January
Some of the gulls at Heydon Pig Farm on 8 January, with the apparently small and oddly marked Lesser Black-backed Gull in the left hand group.
I always make a point of visiting the attractive little Lemsford Springs reserve, near Welwyn, early in the year. This is one of the best places in the UK to see Green Sandpipers during the winter (and for most of the year). They feed on Freshwater Shrimps that live here in the River Lea, only leaving for around three months in the summer to nest in Scandinavia. Jack Snipe had been reported here in the week leading up to my visit on the 10th, so the hides were almost full when I arrived. I was lucky to see Jack Snipe from both hides and was able to photograph one as it bobbed up and down on the edge of the river, feeding. Snipe were also present and one showed very well in front of a hide. By the 10th I had therefore seen two wader species (Woodcock and Jack Snipe) that I didn't see at all in 2025!
Jack Snipe, Lemsford Springs, 10 January
Common Snipe, Lemsford Springs, 10 January
Green Sandpiper, Lemsford Springs, 10 January
Closer to home, things were pretty quiet although I did see a pair of Stonechats along the track that curves south-east from the bottom of Church Hill, also on the 10th. I returned to Roe Green on the afternoon of the 12th and, standing by the side of the road (as I should have done on my earlier visit), I did this time see three Short-eared Owls at dusk (it was too dark for photography by the time that they appeared) on and over the Sandon Rewilding Farm fields.
Male Stonechat, Therfield Heath, 10 January
On the 16th I made a return visit to St Albans, this time visiting the Watersmeet Nature Reserve. Lots of Siskins were feeding in the Alder Trees, but there was no sign of Redpolls on this occasion. I caught up with a Peregrine on the cathedral, but there was again no sign of the Mediterranean Gull in Verulamium Park during my visit, although it was reported both beforehand and afterwards. Other gulls (Black-headed, Common and Lesser Black-backed) allowed a close approach: I've attached an image of a first winter Common Gull below.
First Winter Common Gull, Verulamium Park, St Albans, 16 January
Peregrine, St Albans Cathedral, 16 January
'Record Shot' of a Female Siskin, Watersmeet LNR, St Albans, 16 January
Atrocious weather during the following week further restricted my local activities, although on the afternoon of the 19th I did see my first local Peregrine for two years, which took off from the mast at the eastern end of Newmarket Road (close to the junction of the A505), soared and then headed east. A visit to Amwell on the 24th produced a Great Black-backed Gull (a minor rarity for Hertfordshire), seen from the Great Hardmead Lake viewpoint.
Great Black-backed Gull, Amwell, 24 January
The final week of January was very wet, with regular bands of rain heading up from the south west to provide saturated ground and a soggy end to the month. We were lucky - there was extensive flooding in Devon, Somerset and Dorset. There were breaks in the weather, and the 26th saw me return to Bramfield (last visited on 31 December), hoping to see a Hawfinch or two in the churchyard. However, sightings of this species have been scarce this winter and I was unlucky again. One species that has, in contrast, been relatively widespread and common has been the Crossbill. A visit to nearby Bramfield Park Wood provided me with sightings of males and females close to a woodland pond where they would no doubt have drunk and bathed once I moved on. For a change, the image below features a female bird. On the same afternoon I visited Phillup's Lake (36 Canada Geese now grazing nearby - a record count) and the area of Reed End where I had previously seen hundreds of Yellowhammers, Corn Buntings and Linnets. Bird activity was much reduced on this occasion, but I did see a large flock of Linnets and several Corn Buntings and Yellowhammers.
Female Crossbil, Bramfield Park Wood, 26 January
Corn Buntings at Reed End (Therfield), 26 January
On the 30th I made my first visit of the year to Tyttenhanger Gravel Pits. One of two Great White Egrets was seen and two Chiffchaffs were showing well in bushes close to paddocks that are situated close to the main lake. However, I had been particularly encouraged to visit by a report of a Caspian Gull on the main lake (Rupert Evershed). I found around 250 gulls, mainly Black-headed, present as well as Common, Lesser Black-backed and maybe 8-10 'Herring-type' Gulls. I managed to take a few photos before the gulls flew off and then (typically) spent hours poring over the images, trying to work out whether Caspian Gulls were present and, if so, how many! It seems that, no matter how hard I try, my identification skills do not improve - or perhaps the variability of these species is too great for anyone other than the most hardened gull expert to identify. Anyway, here are a couple of cropped images, with comments below them.
Lesser Black-backed Gull (left) with possible Caspian Gull, Tyttenhanger, 30 January. Note the clean white head and neck, dark eye and upright stance of the Herring-type Gull. However, the legs are not visible and the bill is not as long as might be expected for the 'classic' bird.
Two Adult or near adult Herring-type Gulls, Tyttenhanger, 30 January. The bird on the left (behind the Moorhen) is a good bet for Caspian Gull, with longish straight bill, red spot only on the lower mandible and a 'gimlet', apparently black eye. I am guessing that the bird on the right is a Herring Gull, of the sub-species argentatus, a northern species that has a darker mantle than that of 'our' Herring Gull, sub-species argenteus. The colour of the legs rules out another possibility, Yellow-legged Gull (none of the adult Herring-type Gulls that I photographed had Yellow Legs). Make of that what you will!
One other point of interest was that I noticed a Common Gull with a surprisingly dark back (when compared to other Common Gulls present). This (image below) may be an example of the Russian breeding sub-species heinei, which has a darker back than our breeding birds, Larus canus. I don't know how common the Russian birds are in the UK in winter.
Common Gull, possible sub-species heinei, Tyttenhanger, 30 January
