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.
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