Year List Update - 4th May 2026

 Over the Bank Holiday Weekend, I managed to add a few more species to the Year List, taking the total so far to 154 species.

The first species, Cuckoo (149) was heard above Padley Gorge on Thursday (30th April) and again on Monday (4th May). The next two species, Swift (150) and Dipper (151) were both seen at Bakewell on Saturday. Redstart (152) and Pied Flycatcher (153) were both seen on Monday. The Redstart was first seen at Barbrook Plantation (2 birds) and at Padley Gorge (again 2 singing birds), whilst the Pied Flycatcher was added at Padley.

The last addition was Ringed Plover (154), two of which were present at Ogston Reservoir on Monday. Other birds seen here were: Dunlin (2 breeding plumaged birds), Redshank, Lapwing (on nest), Common Sandpiper, Oystercatcher, Black-headed, Common, Herring and Lesser Black-backed Gull, Grey Heron, Gadwall, Mallard (1 brood of 8 ducklings), Coot ( pair with 4 young), Cormorant, Swallow, Swift, House Martin, Pied and Yellow Wagtail (2), Sedge Warbler and Reed Bunting (1 pair).

Reed Bunting (female)

Linacre Update - 3rd May 2026

 I've been down to Linacre a couple of times over the weekend, once for ringing and once for a quick walk around and a check of the nestboxes.

The ringing was a quick session of just three hours, and resulted in four birds (1 Garden Warbler, 1 Great Tit, 1 Blue Tit and 1 Song Thrush). The Garden Warbler was a great surprise, as it was a female bird (with a brood patch) that had been first ringed in May 2023, as an adult.

The second visit, yesterday afternoon, was again, just a couple of hours. The highlight was our first Pied Flycatcher nest of 2026. It contained 5 eggs that were cold and uncovered, so not being brooded yet. As always, the nest recording is carried out as part of the BTO's Nest Record Scheme. Interestingly, I'd not heard or seen any Flycatchers yet, so they must have slipped in unnoticed!

Pied Flycatcher

Other birds seen around the site were: Mallard (3 broods of 6,4 and 2), Mandarin Duck, Tufted Duck, Great-crested Grebe (2 pairs), Coot, Moorhen, Swallow (20+), House Martin (c.6), Swift (1 - the first Linacre record of 2026), Grey Wagtail (1 heard) and Pied Wagtail (1 male).

Mandarin Duck

Year List Update and a Lifer!

Today has been a pretty great day, in terms of Year List species, and a very nice, completely unexpected "lifer".

The day started well, with a nest box check at Linacre (more on the boxes in another post), when the first Garden Warbler (137) of the year was found in the ringing site.

After Linacre, Jayne and I drove across to Lincolnshire, where we saw a couple of Common Cranes (138) at Willow Tree Fen, before driving across to RSPB Frampton Marsh. On arrival, I had a quick check on Birdguides, and saw that an American Golden Plover (139 for the year and my 520th bird for the worldwide Life List) had been found on the reserve, that morning! Luckily, it was still present, and 5 minutes later, we were watching it feeding some 100m away.

American Golden Plover

After enjoying the plover, we walked around the reserve and added the following "year ticks": Ruff (140), Whitethroat (141), Spotted Redshank (142 - a beautiful breeding plumaged bird), Lesser Whitethroat (143), Common Sandpiper (144), Yellow Wagtail (145), Reed Warbler (146), Spoonbill (147) and Common Tern (148). This Yellow Wagtail was seen, on the road, driving out of the reserve.

Yellow Wagtail

Other species seen were: Sedge Warbler, Chiffchaff, Meadow Pipit, Skylark, Reed Bunting, Robin, Blackbird, Wren, Linnet, Goldfinch, White Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Canada, Brent and Greylag Goose, Mute Swan, Moorhen, Pintail (1 pair), Gadwall, Teal, Pochard, Wigeon, Redshank, Lapwing, Avocet and Little Ringed Plover.

Little Ringed Plover

Butterflies seen were: Orange Tip, Speckled Wood and Holly Blue.

Up to the Peaks!

 Every year, Jayne and I have a drive out into the Peaks to catch up with a couple of very special summer migrants; Wheatear and Ring Ouzel. We don't always see them, but this year we did!

We arrived on site just after 7am, and our first bird was Red Grouse (134), that was heard ( and later seen). Not long after, Jayne spotted a male Wheatear (135) feeding on the far side of the valley, and we managed a distant, heavily-cropped photo.

Wheatear

Stonechats were seen, and several Curlew were also heard and seen flying over, as were 2 Swallows. Our final target, Ring Ouzel (136), was a little harder to find, but we got lucky, when a single male flew across the valley, and landed about 20m away!

Ring Ouzel

RSPB Blacktoft Sands - 12th April 2026

 Last Sunday, Jayne and I went across to RSPB Blacktoft Sands to try and add a few more species to the Year List. We were very successful, adding 5 new species, as well as enjoying 5 Marsh Harriers hunting over the reedbeds, a fly-by Bittern, a very showy Water Vole from Reception Hide and my first Red Admiral of the year.

Water Vole

The new birds seen were: Avocet (129), Little Ringed Plover (130), a ringtail Hen Harrier (131), Little Egret (132) and Tree Sparrow (133).

Little Egret

Other birds around the site included: Greylag and Canada Goose, Shelduck, Wigeon, Teal, Curlew, Black-tailed Godwit, Snipe, Redshank, Lapwing, Bearded Tit (seen briefly over the reedbeds), Yellowhammer, Blackcap and Cetti's Warbler (heard).

Waders, Gulls, Summer Migrants and a few Ducks!

I had a few free hours yesterday afternoon, so I popped down to Ogston Reservoir to see what was about. As a member of the Ogston Bird Club, I had access to the Members' Hides.

I knew that there had been a Black-tailed Godwit around for a few days, so I was very pleased to find it feeding about 40m away from the hide. They aren't that common in Derbyshire, so to get good views was a real treat.

Black-tailed Godwit

Next up was Snipe. These are much more common than the Godwit, but the Members' Hide at Ogston can often allow you to get some pretty close views. On this visit, I saw 4 different birds, all feeding along the Moat area.

Snipe

Two other species of wader seen were: Lapwing and Oystercatcher. Both species breed on site. I managed to see three of each of these birds.

Lapwing

Oystercatcher

Along with the waders, were four species of gull: Black-headed Gull, Herring Gull, Common Gull and Lesser Black-backed Gull.

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Black-headed Gull

Ducks seen were: Teal, Gadwall and Mallard, including a female with 11 ducklings (my first of the year).

Mallard

Last, but not least, were the newly-arrived summer migrants. Swallows, Sand Martins and a single House Martin were all seen.

End of the Trip

 Saturday 4th April was our last day on Fuerteventura. We weren't being picked up until 5pm, so we spent the entire day walking around the town.

Just 1 new species was added to the trip list, when a single Grey Heron landed on the boats in the harbour. 

Grey Heron

Other species seen were: Whimbrel, Common Sandpiper, Turnstone, Yellow-legged Gull, Little Egret,  Spanish Sparrow, Kestrel and  Collared Dove.

Island Tour - Part 8 - Isla de Lobos

 After dropping off the car, Jayne and I had another two days in Corralejo. We decided to take a trip across to the nearby nature reserve of Isla de Lobos (Lobos Island). It is located just off the island, and requires a short, 10 minute ferry trip across the sea. 

On arrival on the island, you will find a small information centre, with details of the now-extinct Monk Seals, that once inhabited the island. The only toilets on the island are also to be found here. Please note, as well, that your visit is limited to just four hours. A permit is also required to visit, which you can buy for free online. We, however,  travelled across with Water Taxis, and they arranged the permit for us.

We set off to walk around the island, heading first to the volcano La Caldera. It was a good 20 minute walk to the base of the volcano, on well marked paths, but the climb to the top was much trickier than our previous walk to the Hondo Volcano, earlier on the trip. It took us a good 30 minutes to walk to the summit! The wildlife was less than I'd expected, but we did see Berthelot's Pipits, Ravens, Yellow-legged Gulls, Rock Doves and Atlantic Lizards on the walk across. The gulls were breeding on the island, with many pairs on nests, just a few metres from the paths.

Walk to the top of La Caldera

Yellow-legged Gull on nest

After the volcano, we walked across to the lighthouse, at the far end of the island. Again, there were excellent paths, but the walk did take us a good 40 minutes. Two Egyptian Vultures were seen on the walk across, and this is the only (heavily cropped) flight shot I managed.

Egyptian Vulture

We also saw a few butterflies on the walk across, including Painted Ladies, Small White, Greenish Black-tip and this beautiful Clouded Yellow, that posed nicely. Here's an uncropped shot, showing the small plants it landed on as well.

Clouded Yellow

After a quick spot of lunch at the lighthouse (picnic, no facilities here), we had a look at a small pond and added Black-winged Stilts (adults and juveniles), Common Sandpiper and a single Grey Plover (trip tick) to the island list. Our final stop, on the walk back to the "little harbour" (el puertito), was a very beautiful area called Las Lagunitas, which were a set of brackish lagoons. The only addition was a single Whimbrel.

Las Lagunitas

Island Tour - Part 7 - Barranco de la Torre

 After our trip to the Molinos Reservoir, we drove across the island to Barranco de la Torre. By the time we arrived, it was 2.30pm, and quite warm, so there weren't too many birds around. We did, however, manage to add a couple of new species to the trip list.

The first birds seen were, as always, Spanish Sparrows, with many birds at the start of the Barranco (gorge), by the sea. Walking up the gorge, we had Ravens overhead, and a couple of Trumpeter Finches. We also spotted several warbler species. One was a male Sardinian Warbler, one was a Willow Warbler (new species) and the other 2/3 were Chiffchaffs (new species). A single Egyptian Vulture was seen, sitting on a nest.

On the walk back down, we spotted a new species of butterfly, when a single Plain Tiger landed briefly. A beautiful sight!

Plain Tiger

And they're back..!!

 I was down at Linacre this morning to carry out the first nestbox check of 2026. It was a mixed bag, as always, with 7 nests with eggs in them, many empty nestboxes, and a few "dead" boxes. Some of the empty boxes had the beginnings of nests, so there should be more to come over the next few weeks. The results, as always, will be sent off the BTO's Nest Record Scheme. Whilst there, I also had the first records for 3 new species of summer migrant.

In total, four nests were either Blue or Great Tits, and the other three were Mandarin Duck nests. None of the tit nests had a full clutch, and none were incubating yet. The Mandarin nests ranged from 4 eggs to 16+!!

As well as the birds, we also found a couple of wasps, and, a first for the site, two Wood Mice, together in one box!

Wood Mice

Other birds also recorded were: Chiffchaff (7), Willow Warbler (3), Blackcap (3), Swallow (20+), House Martin (1 with the Swallows, Year Tick 128), Sand Martin (also 1 with the Swallows - the first site record since 2024), Raven (1 over), Greylag Goose (2  flying along the valley), Canada Goose (heard, first thing), 1 Pied Wagtail, 2 Cormorant and 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls. Siskins were also heard, but not seen.

RSPB St Aidan's - 9th April 2026

 Today, Jayne and I made our annual visit to RSPB St Aidan's to add a few new birds to this year's Year List.

Our first new bird, Cetti's Warbler (121) was added as soon as we got out of the car, and was heard throughout our visit. Going to the Visitors' Hut, we asked about the Little Owls (122) that are often to be seen around that area. The member of staff there soon found one for us.

Little Owl

We carried on walking around the reserve, and soon managed to find our first Black-necked Grebes (123) of the day, with 4 together.

Black-necked Grebes

Whilst watching the grebes, we heard the first "booming" Bitterns (124) of the day, and, much to our surprise, a singing Sedge Warbler (125), which seemed quite early. The last two birds seen were Bearded Tit (126), with 4 seen, our first here, and Sand Martin (127) with a minimum of 20 seen. 

No trip to St Aidan's can go by without mention of the 1000's of Black-headed Gulls that breed there. Although not everyone's favourite, surely no-one can deny the beauty of this bird in full breeding plumage!

Black-headed Gulls

Island Tour - Part 6 - El Embalse de los Monlinos

Thursday 1st April was the last day that Jayne and I had the hire car, so we set out to visit a nearby reservoir, namely El Embalse de los Molinos (Los Molinos Reservoir). We arrived at about 9.45am and spent a couple of hours here, adding 4 new species to the trip list. Fuerteventura has had its highest rainfall in 30 years this last winter, so the water levels in the reservoir were much higher than in previous years.

Los Molinos Reservoir (full of water!)

The first, and most obvious species seen, was Spanish Sparrow, with a small colony found around a ruined building by the dam wall. As we were watching these, I noticed a small flock of hirundines flying over the dam wall. Using the bins, I spotted a few Barn Swallows, 3 Sand Martins, and, best of all a couple of Red-rumped Swallows!! We walked on, along the goat track, and had the best views of the trip of Berthelot's Pipit, Trumpeter Finch (male, female and a single juvenile) and Egyptian Vulture (2 flew low overhead).

Berthelot's Pipit

Trumpeter Finch (male and female)

Trumpeter Finch (juvenile)

As the reservoir was quite full, there were also many birds to be seen on the water. The vast majority were Ruddy Shelduck (60+, including several groups of juvenile birds), but also included Black-winged Stilts (20+, including juveniles), a single Coot (trip tick!), 2 Little Ringed Plover (trip tick) and a single Common Sandpiper.

Ruddy Shelduck (duckling)

If we hadn't seen anything else, we would have been very pleased, but, just as we heading back, we spotted a small flock nine birds flying around the site. We both realised that they were Black-bellied Sandgrouse, a species we thought we'd "dipped out" on! Thankfully, they landed (about 200m away) and we managed to get reasonable views (in the developing heat haze!). A great bird to add to the trip list!!

Black-bellied Sandgrouse

Island Tour - Part 5 - El Cotillo, Faro de Toston and Corralejo Natural Park

After our amazing trip to the Tindaya Plains, Jayne and I set off for the small town of El Cotillo and the nearby lighthouse (Faro de Toston). We had a lovely spot of brunch at The Happy Cactus (vegan café), before having a walk along the beach and through the dunes. 

Lighthouse (Faro de Toston)

No new bird species were added, but we did see: Rock Dove/Feral Pigeon, Collared Dove, Laughing Dove (heard), Yellow-legged Gull, Whimbrel, Turnstone, Atlantic Lizard and a single Portuguese Man o'War, that was washed up on the rocks.

Whimbrel and Turnstones

Atlantic Lizard

Portuguese Man o'War

On the drive back to Corralejo, we stopped off at the Corralejo Natural Park, and had a short walk along the Grandes Playas. One new species, Cory's Shearwater, was added to the trip list, when 2 were seen flying far out, over the sea.

Island Tour - Part 4 - Tindaya Plains and Houbara Bustards!

 Apart from the Fuerteventura Chat, the other bird that was high on our "wish list" was Houbara Bustard. The bird lives over much of the island, but the most reliable spot to see it is an area called the Tindaya Plains, near the village of Tindaya, in the north of the island. Although the roads are pretty dodgy, if you drive very carefully (!) you'll be ok! whilst there, we used the car as a hide, and got all the photos from there.

Mount Tindaya (Montana de Tindaya)

It was about a half hour drive from Corralejo, so we set off early to arrive on site form sunrise (7.30am). At the start, it was quite frustrating, as it is a very large area to cover, and there were no birds at all (except the ubiquitous Rock Doves/Feral Pigeons and Collared Doves) but, as the day warmed up, so did the birds! The most numerous were Berthelot's Pipits and Mediterranean Short-toed Larks, followed by Plain Swift, Swallow(2), Raven, Trumpeter Finch (male and female) and Egyptian Vulture (1).

Mediterranean Short-toed Lark

Trumpeter Finch

After the best part of three hours, we were just about to give up, when we spotted a large white object spinning around, about a kilometre away, on the horizon! We got the binoculars on it, and realized that we'd found a displaying male Houbara Bustard! We were able to watch it for about half an hour, and managed to get some very distant (!) photos and video footage.

Houbara Bustard

Houbara Bustard

Houbara Bustard displaying (amazing!!!)