Year List Update - 23rd December 2025

 Yesterday, Luke and I had a few hours birding in Nottinghamshire. Despite the grey, dreary conditions, we added two new species to our  Year Lists.

The first species, Smew (204), was added at Collingham Pits , a set of working/disused gravel pits near Newark. 2 "redhead" birds were seen.

The next species, Caspian Gull (205), was a very nice addition, especially as it was found (by Luke), at our very own Rufford Country Park! This is the second winter in a row, where we've had this species here, and yesterday's bird was a very good looking adult bird. Here are some photos (first two from Luke).

Caspian (right hand bird) and Herring Gull

Caspian Gull

Caspian, Herring and Lesser Black-backed Gulls

Caspian Gull

Other birds seen were: Goosander (5; 3 males and 2 females), Kingfisher (heard), Greylag Goose, Tufted Duck, and Mute Swan (Broken Beak, female and 3 cygnets).

Alexandrine Parakeets

Back in May, I saw a piece on Springwatch, about parakeets in Graves Park, Sheffield. I knew that Ring-necked were present in decent numbers, but I wasn't aware that another species, Alexandrine Parakeet, was also present.

Jayne and I had a couple of visits during the summer and autumn months, but, because of the leaves, we didn't manage to see them. We're pretty sure we heard them, but, for a new species, I really need a definitive sighting (and hopefully a picture). Anyway, we went back today, and, as you see, we managed to get both good sightings and some photos!

Alexandrine and Ring-necked Parakeets

It was difficult to say how many were present, but, I'm pretty sure the above photo shows a pair, along with a pair of Ring-necked. Both species were busy exploring potential nest sites. I'll try and get back again in the new year to get more evidence of breeding.

This species doesn't appear to be on the British List yet, so I can't officially count it, but I'll make note of it, so that if (or when) it's added, I'll know when I first saw it!

Rufford - 6th December 2025

Last Saturday, I had a quick, 1 hour session at Rufford recording 17 of "our" darvic-ringed Black-headed Gulls.

Gulls seen were: 206A (my first sighting since March 2025), 295A (2nd sighting this winter), 272B (first sighting since January 2025), 280B (2nd sighting this winter), 202C (2nd sighting this winter), 207C (ninth sighting this winter), 215C (first sighting since March 2024 - full hood already!!), 270C (third sighting this winter), 298C (second sighting this winter), 215F (third sighting this winter), 221F (fifth sighting this winter), 234F (seventh sighting this winter), 259F (3rd sighting this winter), 292F (first sighting since February 2025), 200H (my first sighting, since ringing on 15th November 2025), 215H (first sighting, since ringing on 22nd November 2025) and 225H (first sighting since being ringed that morning). 

215C

200H

215H

225H

Also seen were: 5 Mute Swans (Broken Beak, his partner and 3 cygnets) and 10 Lesser Black-backed Gulls.

Lake Naivasha Cruise - 27th July 2024

 After our stay at Lake Nakuru, we drove across to Lake Naivasha, where we enjoyed an hour long boat ride, adding 5 new species of bird and a new mammal species.

Birds seen were: White-browed Robin Chat, Blacksmith Plover, Red-eyed Dove, Ruppel's Starling, African Sacred Ibis, Hadada Ibis, Great Egret, Little Egret, Squacco Heron and Grey Heron. The new species were: Long-tailed Cormorant, Pied Kingfisher, African Fish Eagle, Black Crake and African Jacana. 

Long-tailed Cormorant

Pied Kingfisher

African Fish Eagle

Black Crake

African Jacana

Whilst there, we also saw several mammals, including Hippopotamus, Plains Zebra, Wildebeest, Cape Buffalo, Thomson's Gazelle and the new one, Waterbuck.

Waterbuck (and Wattled Starling)

Rufford - 15th November 2025

 Yesterday, I had a couple of hours at Rufford. It had been raining very heavily for the previous twenty four hours (!), and the water levels were very high. There were only about 50 Black-headed Gulls there, but I did manage to see 8 ringed birds.

The "best" bird was 223A, a bird that was originally ringed, as an adult, on 13th February 2019. Since then, it has been recorded just 4 times in the UK, and once in Denmark, on 19th October 2025. My sighting was my first, since February 2022 (!), so was long overdue. Welcome back!

223A

Other birds seen for the first time this winter were: 280B (ringed by me, as an adult, in November 2022, and last recorded on 15th February 2025) and 298C (ringed, as a 2nd calendar year bird, on 4th February 2024 and last seen on 2nd March 2025). 

280B

298C

The other birds seen were: 207C (8th time since July), 270C (2nd sighting this winter), 221F (4th sighting this winter), 234F (6th sighting this winter) and 259F (2nd sighting, since being ringed on 18th October 2025).

"Broken Beak" was also on the water, along with his partner and 3 well grown cygnets. Other birds seen were: Grey Wagtail (1 adult an 1 juvenile), 1 Buzzard (overhead) and  a single "redhead" Goosander. 

Broken Beak and family

Linacre Ringing and WeBS

 On 26th October, I was down at Linacre for a ringing session. We managed to catch 61 birds, including our first Redwing of the winter (a juvenile) along with the following birds, new/retrap: Blue Tit 18/1, Great Tit 6/1, Coal Tit 6/0, Long-tailed Tit 14/1, Wren 1/0, Robin 1/0 and Goldcrest 10/0. The retrap Great Tit was a juvenile that I had originally ringed, in Box c3, in May 2025. 

Last weekend, (9th) I carried out the monthly WeBS count at Linacre. Numbers were beginning to build up, with the following birds seen: Mallard (69), Tufted Duck (73),  Moorhen (7), Coot (5), Cormorant (2), Grey Wagtail (1), Pied Wagtail (1 on the muck heap by the main entrance), Black-headed Gull (6), Mandarin (38) and a single Kingfisher. 

Whilst on site for the WeBS walk, I also had the first Fieldfare of the winter (c.40 flew over) and a couple of Raven very low over the bottom reservoir. 

Rufford - 29th October 2025

 On Wednesday 29th, I popped across to The Carrs, at Church Warsop, to see if there were any ringed gulls around. I saw 2 new birds. Afterwards, I went across to Rufford, and spotted another 20 (!) ringed gulls, including P519, the Lithuanian-ringed bird, that I first saw in January 2019.

The two birds seen at The Carrs were 277C (ringed in January 2024, as an age 5, born in 2023) and 201F  (ringed in February 2024, also as an age 5).

277C

Arriving at Rufford, there were about 250 Black-headed Gulls, including a lot of birds not seen before, or not seen this winter. The highlight for me was P519, back for, at least, its 8th winter.

P519

Other birds seen were: 285A, 295A (1st sighting this winter), 269B (1st Rufford sighting), 202C (1st sighting this winter), 207C, 258C, 270C (1st sighting this winter), 273C (1st sighting this winter), 214F, 221F, 223F (1st sighting this winter), 234F, 239F, 259F (a 1st winter bird, ringed on 18/10/25), 261F (1st sighting since December 2024), 262F, 287F (my first sighting), 2V05 (1st sighting since January 25), 2V10 and 2V16.

269B

259F

287F

Other birds seen were: Kingfisher (1), Common Gull (1), Lesser Black-backed Gull (2 adults), Mute Swan (4 unringed adults) and the first Goosander of the winter (10 birds; 8 redheads and 2 males).

Common Gull