UK Wildlife Sightings, January 2026

 My first outing of any distance in 2026 was on the afternoon of the 3rd, when I visited Staines Reservoirs. My rationale for going on a Saturday afternoon was (a) that there were some interesting birds there and (b) the M25 would be relatively quiet on a Saturday afternoon. This was important, as in the past I have been caught up in the almost inevitable weekday traffic jams between junctions 13 and 16 on my return. The down side was that standing on the causeway between the north and south reservoirs, in sub zero temperatures and in a biting wind is not my idea of fun! Nevertheless, I persisted and was rewarded with views of a male Lesser Scaup (a vagrant from the USA and the rarest bird on the site), male and female Scaup and a single Black-necked Grebe (up to 13 had been reported here earlier). I missed out on Great Northern Diver (up to two reported here), but will have a chance to see that species at Grafham Water, where up to eight have been reported!

Male Lesser Scaup, Staines Reservoirs, 3 January. Note the little 'bump' at the back of its head, one feature that distinguishes it from the larger Scaup (image below).

Male Scaup, Staines Reservoirs, 3 January

Black-necked Grebe, Staines Reservoirs, 3 January

I had to wait until the 14th for my first visit to the coast. Titchwell was the venue, and I was able to add no fewer than 14 wader species to my year list, with the best being a single Purple Sandpiper, feeding on the beach between Titchwell and Thornham Point. Very little, other than a few Red-breasted Mergansers, was seen on the sea.

Record Shot of a Purple Sandpiper on Titchwell Beach, 14 January

Having visited the resident Tawny Owl at its regular roosting site, I was lucky to see a Firecrest on my way back to the visitor centre. Typically, the bird was rushing around looking for invertebrate food and all my images of it were blurred, with the exception of the one below.

Firecrest, RSPB Titchwell, 14 January

On my way home I popped in to WWT Welney to see the swan feed. Only a handful of Mute and Whooper Swans were present, with the majority of the food being snaffled by a large flock of Pochards. No Bewick's Swans were seen, although several had been present on the previous day. A Cetti's Warbler was seen in the car park, both as I arrived and as I left!

Whooper Swan, WWT Welney, 14 January

Poor weather (well, it was January) restricted my movements in the second half of the month. A rare bright day on the 20th encouraged me to visit Abberton Reservoir where I was hoping, amongst other things, to see Russian White-fronted and Tundra Bean Geese. I parked my car on the Layer Breton causeway, from where I could see both male and female Smew, then walked along a permissive path between this and the Layer de la Haye causeway, looking for the geese. None were seen, so I decided to continue the walk, which I had not done before, to the other causeway (Goosander, Black-necked Grebe and Ruff were seen from here) and then on to the nearby visitor centre. More waders (Redshank, Black-tailed Godwit, Dunlin, hundreds of Lapwings and a single Golden Plover) were seen from the hides here, but little else. I was somewhat despondent about not having seen my target geese on the way back along the permissive path, but half way along a flock of White-fronted Geese flew over me and I managed to grab some photos to confirm my sighting (image below). Three other geese flew over my head and landed out of sight - these were probably the Bean Geese (which were reported from nearby later on the same day), but I couldn't be sure.

Female Goosander, Abberton Reservoir, 20 January

Female Smew, Abberton Reservoir, 20 January

White-fronted Geese, near Abberton Reservoir, 20 January (characteristic breast markings can just be seen on three of the birds)

I brought some bird food along with me on a visit to Lynford Arboretum (Norfolk) on the 22nd, and it wasn't long before it had attracted Marsh Tits (my first of the year) down to feed. There was no sign of Hawfinches on this occasion, although (predictably, for this winter) Crossbills were both seen and heard on several occasions.

Marsh Tit, Lynford Arboretum, 22 January

On the 28th, a rare sunny day during a wet and windy period encouraged me to visit the Norfolk coast, this time starting at Sheringham and working my way along the coastline, via Salthouse, Stiffkey and Burnham Overy Staithe, to Thornham Harbour and Hunstanton Cliffs. I was lucky to see my second ever Eastern Black Redstart (a colourful, attractive sub-species of Black Redstart) almost as soon as I arrived at the esplanade in Sheringham. However, before I had the chance to photograph it in the open, the bird flew and disappeared into some dead vegetation, where it stayed for at least 20 minutes, giving very restricted views (see image below). I went off to see what else was about on the sea and along the coastline, and when I came back the bird had disappeared. Red-throated Divers were seen in flight and on the sea, a bunch of very friendly Turnstones were looking for food - any sort of food - along the promenade and Redwings seemed to be everywhere.

Record Shot of Eastern Black Redstart hiding in Vegetation, Sheringham, 28 January

Redwing, Sheringham, 28 January

Turnstone, Sheringham, 28 January

The rest of the day turned out to be rather frustrating in terms of birds seen, although I did enjoy walking in the sunny weather. I am told that I saw a flock of Twite (distant birds on a wire), but they flew off before was close enough to identify them, so I won't 'list' them. I missed three Glossy Ibis at Stiffkey and at Burnham Overy Staithe the Red-necked Grebe that I had hoped to see had swum out of sight on a reed-fringed pool, shortly before I arrived there, and didn't reappear. However, I did find a Rock Pipit here. There was little to see at Thornham Harbour, whilst I was able to see my first Fulmars of the year on the cliffs at dusk, during a 30 minute stop at Hunstanton.

Rock Pipit, Burnham Overy Staithe, 28 January

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

The weather became much colder - more like winter - in the last week of the year. Family commitments over the Christmas period prevented any local bird watching until the final afternoon of the year, when I decided to visit Bramfield and Bramfield Woods (near Hertford) to look for Woodcock, a bird that I hadn't seen this year, as well as Hawfinches in the churchyard. I failed on both counts, but on my way back from the woods I came across a flock of nine Crossbills in trees near the village hall car park. These birds were close enough to get some more detailed photos. Typically, the males were posing on or near the tops of trees whilst the females were lower and hard to see. One of the males was singing. I took photos of three males (males 1, 2 and 3 in the images below). Their bills appeared to be chunkier than those of other males that I have seen in the UK. Examination of text books indicates that continental (Scandinavian) Crossbills do have chunky bills (but not as chunky as those of Parrot Crossbills), suggesting that these birds were part of the autumn influx from the Continent. The bills look uncommonly like those of the purported 'Scottish' Crossbills! However, I wouldn't dare to suggest that 'Scottish' Crossbills could be found in England. Take a look, particularly at male 2.

Crossbill Male 1, Bramfield, 31 December

Crossbill Male 2, Bramfield, 31 December

Crossbill Male 3 (the Singing Bird), Bramfield, 31 December

The slightly above average rainfall for November and December took the annual rainfall total in the back garden to 17.9 inches (450mm), making this the driest year since 2011, following on from the wettest year since I began recording in 1992. Such are the vagaries of the weather!

My 'Local Patch' year list, at just 75 species, was the lowest since 2009. Perhaps Treecreeper was the biggest 'miss'. My declining health and declining powers of observation, no doubt being accompanied by being in the wrong places at the wrong time, were contributory factors, but I do feel that numbers of birds are steadily declining locally. Here is hoping for a better 2026! 

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

Between Christmas and the New Year we spent a few days in the north west of England and visited New Brighton (for the first time) on the 29th, with my brother and his family. Amongst the Turnstones on the beach groynes was a single Purple Sandpiper (an uncommon winter visitor), whilst a leucistic Sanderling (image below, with other Sanderlings) was the first that I have seen. No new species were added to my UK year list which, at 223 species, was my lowest since 2008. Nevertheless, I did add five UK 'firsts' during the year, I was out of the country for around five weeks, spent time in hospital and didn't visit Scotland. Yes, the excuses are there, but I'm hoping to do better in 2026 - given good health.

Sanderlings (Leucistic Bird second from left), New Brighton, 29 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.

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

On the 28th I did a walk along the Icknield Way to the east of Royston. There were no surprises, but I did see a very loose flock of around 60 Fieldfares along the way. Towards Flint Cross a Common Buzzard with rather unusual markings was seen distantly (image below). It was very black and white, with a dark patch on the side of the head. I wonder whether it is wintering here, having come from a colder part of Europe. It appeared to have a pale rump, but I'm confident that it wasn't a wintering Rough-legged Buzzard, a bird that I have seen on three occasions in Hertfordshire in the last 20 years, but which is now an extreme rarity anywhere in the UK.

'Record Shot' of a Common Buzzard, seen between Royston and Flint Cross, 28 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.