RSPB St Aidan's - 29th March 2025

 Jayne and I went up to RSPB St Aidan's today. We walked around the reedbeds and added 4 new ticks to the "Year List", as well as enjoying great views of not one, but two Little Owls.

Little Owl

The new birds for the year were; Cetti's Warbler (128), Sand Martins (129 - c.15 seen), a drake Green-winged Teal (130), Bittern (131 - at least two heard booming) and Black-necked Grebe (132).

Green-winged Teal (asleep!!)

Other species seen were: Black-headed Gull, Coot, Moorhen, Pochard, Teal, Mallard, Greylag and Canada Goose, Mute Swan, Reed Bunting (several singing), Chiffchaff and Blackbird.

Rufford - 2nd March 2025

 My latest visit to Rufford was on 2nd March, when I had an hour, and spotted 14 Black-headed Gulls, including new birds; 2V03 (ringed on 18th January, as a 5, born last year), 218F (ringed by me, as a 1st winter bird, on 12th October 2024) and J3018 ( a new Norwegian-ringed bird, that was ringed, as a free-flying juvenile, in Oslo, on 5th August 2024).

2V03

218F

J3018

Other gulls seen were: 206A, 258A, 273A, 293A, 251B, 254B, 207C, 258C, 270C, 298C and 230F.

Linacre - Ringing, Migrants and Year Ticks

 Last weekend (1st March) I was down at Linacre for a ringing session, and yesterday (8th March),  I was back again for a walk around the reservoirs. 

The ringing session was quiet, with just 13 birds ringed: Great Tit 4/2, Coal Tit 0/2, Dunnock 1/0 and Lesser Redpoll 4/0. The Redpoll (125) were the best birds of the morning, being both the first record for Linacre in 2025, and being a "Year Tick". The retrap Great Tits had been ringed in 2023 and 2024, and the 2 retrap Coal Tits had both been ringed in 2024.

Yesterday's visit, in 5 degrees, and glorious sunshine, brought out the first Chiffchaff (126) record of 2025, with 2 singing birds. Other birds singing were: Robin, Dunnock, Song Thrush (3), Blackbird, Woodpigeon, Nuthatch, Coal and Great Tit and Wren. Other species seen were: Canada Goose (a pair on the top reservoir), Greylag Goose (a pair flying along the valley), Mallard (40), Mandarin Duck (6, including birds searching for nesting sites in the woodlands), Moorhen (7), Coot (10), Grey Wagtail (3), Great-crested Grebe (5 birds; a pair each on the bottom and middle reservoirs, and a single, calling bird, on the top reservoir), Cormorant (1 breeding plumaged bird on the top reservoir, Pheasant,  Jay and Great-spotted Woodpecker (drumming).

Canada Geese

After ringing, Jayne and I had a walk along Stanage Edge, where we heard our first Derbyshire Curlew of 2025 and saw Meadow Pipits, Skylark and 2 Red Grouse (127).

New Gulls!!

 Whilst down in London this week (Wednesday to Friday) I managed to spot a few new darvic-ringed Black-headed Gulls. 

The three birds, 2365, 2380 and 2V72, were all seen in St James' Park, and had all been ringed there. Details to follow.

2365

2380 (1st winter bird)

2V72

Year List Update and a Lifer (nearly!)

 I last updated the Year List at the end of January, and, since then, I've added 6 new species, including a "near lifer"!

First up, the easy ones: Peregrine Falcon (119) and Little Owl (120), both familiar birds, seen in Chesterfield and Holmesfield respectively.

The next two, Great Northern (121) and Red-throated Diver (122), were seen at Carsington Water on Monday 17th (along with a female Ring-necked Duck, my second of the year!) Next up, was the Ring-necked Parakeet (123), 10s of which were seen in and around London (Hampstead Heath and St James' Park).

The latest new bird of the year, a 1st winter, female Lesser Scaup (124, and the first Derbyshire record) was also seen at Carsington Water on Saturday 22nd (after dipping on 17th!!). This bird is my "near lifer", as I did, allegedly, see a 1st winter male at Chasewater, Staffordshire, in 1987 (the first British record), whilst on a bird trip with Derbyshire Ornithological Society. I can't really remember this bird at all (!), so I'm happy to say this was a "lifer" for me. Views weren't great, but I did manage to get a few "record shots".

Lesser Scaup (left) and Tufted Duck

Lesser Scaup

Lesser Scaup (middle bird), with a pair of Tufties

Black-headed Gulls EUJ6 and HA51792

 Regular readers of this blog (!) may well remember a Black-headed Gull, EUM3, that was one of the first darviced birds I saw at Rufford CP, way back in November 2018. I saw this bird regularly up until January 2023, after which the bird disappeared, presumed dead. 

Today, I was at Holmebrook Valley Country Park, in Chesterfield, when I spotted a white darvic-ringed Black-headed Gull, roosting on the ice. I managed to get a few photos, and saw that the ring was EUJ6. Checking the European Colour-ringing Website, I saw that this bird had been ringed in exactly the same spot as EUM3 (Zoetermeer in The Netherlands), on exactly the same date, 27th May 2017, also as a pullus, by the same ringer, Benny Middendorf!! I don't know what the chances of this happening are, but, I'm pretty sure they are very low.

EUJ6

Just as exciting, is that my sighting is the only the second since ringing. The only other sighting was on Shibdon Pond LNR, in Gateshead, on 7th September 2021.

Whilst there, I also spotted a metal-ringed Black-headed Gull, HA51792, which is a Lithuanian-ringed bird I saw there in November 2024. Unfortunately, I don't yet have the ringing details back.

HA51792

Rufford Update - 15th February 2025

 I've just had a look at the blog, and realised that I haven't posted this month yet!! During this time, I've had a couple of visits to Rufford (both cold and rainy!), adding a few new Black-headed Gulls to the list.

The first visit, on 8th February, saw the following birds reported: 273A, 295A, 202C, 207C, 258C, 264C, 273C, 298C, 221F, 234F and 2V16 (my first sighting, about 2 hours after ringing!)

2V16

On yesterday's visit, 15th February, I saw: 258A, 273A, 293A, 295A, 280B, 202C, 207C, 255C (the first ever sighting, since being ringed, as a 1st year bird, in November 2023!), 264C, 207F, 221F, 234F, 292F and Lithuanian-ringed bird, P519 (first sighting since 4th January).

255C

292F

P519

Linacre - 25th January 2025

 This morning, I had only my second visit of the year, to Linacre. It was still pretty quiet (as it has been all winter!), but I did add one species to the Year List: Grey Wagtail (117).

Other waterbirds seen were: Mallard (74), Tufted Duck (5), Mandarin Duck (20), Moorhen (just 1!!), Coot (1), Cormorant (3), Black-headed Gull (3) and a near breeding-plumaged Great Crested Grebe, on the middle reservoir.

In the woodlands, I heard Great Spotted Woodpecker, Stock Dove (singing), Nuthatch (calling), Common Buzzard (1 heard), Woodpigeon, Robin, Magpie, Blackbird, Blue, Great, Long-tailed and Coal Tit.

Later in the day, whilst walking in New Whittington, I added Goldcrest (118) to the Year List.

Year List Update

 This morning, whilst driving to work, I was lucky enough to see a Barn Owl (115), that flew across the main road in Apperknowle.

This afternoon, I had  a drive across to Wingerworth, in Chesterfield, to add Red-crested Pochard (116) to this year's list.

Red-crested Pochard

Whilst there, I also had a couple of Helmeted Guineafowl!! Obviously, they're somebody's pets and aren't on the British List, so can't be counted.

Helmeted Guineafowl

Rufford - 18th January 2025

 Yesterday morning, I had a couple of hours at Rufford, before grandparenting duties took over. Whilst there, I managed to add 3 new Year Ticks, as well as spending some time checking the gulls.

I arrived on site at 8am, and parked up in the main car park. Within about 10 minutes, 4 Hawfinch (112) flew into the trees and posed beautifully. Unfortunately, the light was terrible, but I still managed a decent enough record shot.

Hawfinch

I then set off around the lake, where I added Stock Dove (113) and Marsh Tit (114) to this year's list. The Marsh Tit (s) were seen around the feeding station, and I managed to get a shot, showing the distinctive  white spot, on the lower mandible.

Marsh Tit

Carrying on to my usual spot, by the main lake, I was surprised to see c.100 Black-headed Gulls hanging around, waiting for breakfast, along with 6 Lesser Black-backs and a couple of Common Gulls. The Group ran out of green darvic rings a few weeks ago, so yellow ones have been used. Two of these birds were spotted: 2V00 and 2V05.

2V00

2V05

Other ringed birds were: 293A, 280B, 207C, 258C, 264C, 273C, 207F, 219F, 221F, 234F and 276F.

3 Mute Swans (Broken Beak, his partner and 1 juvenile), Kingfisher (heard), Siskins and 10 Goosander (7 males and 3 females), were also  recorded.

Pennington Flash - 12th January 2025

 Jayne had an appointment in Stockport on Sunday, so, after dropping her off, I drove across to Pennington Flash. The main lake was 95% frozen over, with 100s of birds close to the car park. With so much ice, I was able to find darvic-ringed Mute Swans, Coot, Black-headed and a Lesser Black-backed Gull, as well as 4 " Year Ticks".

The first ringed birds I saw, were all Black-headed Gulls. In total, I saw 9 different birds; 7 British-ringed birds (2T90, 2S94, 213A, 234B, 268C, 269C and 284C), and 2 Norwegian-ringed birds (J2714, ringed near Oslo, as an adult, in May 2024 and J3260, ringed, as a pullus, near Oslo, in June 2023). 

J2714

J3260

The British birds had all been ringed at Pennington, between 2019 and 2022. None had been sighted abroad, except 213A, which was seen in The Netherlands in April 2024 (a possible breeding site?).

The Lesser Black-backed Gull, A70:W, was also seen on the ice. A record have been sent off, and I'll update, when I get the ringing details back.

Lesser Black-backed Gull A70:W

The 9 Mute Swans were all out on the side of the lake, enjoying the food being given out. The ringed birds were: CPT2 (green/W48751, 40ST (blue)/XY46_ _ _, 4FAU (blue), BY6 (blue)/ZY6998, 4BYN (blue)/XY2448, XY5830 (no darvic), XY4465 (no darvic), 4HFI (blue, age 5)/W43982 and 4HDN (blue, age 5).

The final bird, a Coot, with darvic ring J7F, was also out, feeding on the side of the lake. This bird was ringed, as an adult, at Pennington, in December 2020. My sighting was just the 4th since ringing.

Coot

All the Black-headed Gulls and the Coot had been ringed by the Waterbird Colour Marking Group.

After recording all the ringed birds, I had a walk around the reserve. It was very cold, and all the water was frozen. Despite this, I managed to find the following year ticks: Great White Egret (108), Bullfinch (109), Willow Tit (110) and Coal Tit (111).

Great White (and Little) Egret

American Wigeon and Iceland Gull

Whilst in Northumberland, enjoying the White-billed Diver, we also took the opportunity to see some other beautiful birds.

Our first stop was the Northumberland Wildlife Trust's Big Waters Reserve on the outskirts of Newcastle. We visited last year too, but didn't manage to catch up with the species we were after. Luckily, this year, we had much more luck, and had fantastic views of both a male American Wigeon (102) and an adult Iceland Gull (106). 

American Wigeon

Iceland Gull (asleep!)

Other species seen were: Tree Sparrow (103), Yellowhammer (104), Great Tit (105), Pintail (1 male), Wigeon (100+), Teal (10s), Common Gull, Black-headed Gull and  Herring Gull.

Our last species of the day was a Long-tailed Duck (107), that was seen on the River Tyne, whilst looking (unsuccessfully!) for a Ross's Gull.

White-billed Diver!!!!

 A juvenile White-billed Diver (98),was found, at Cresswell Pond in Northumberland, earlier this week. It only stayed briefly, but then in turned up again, on Ladyburn Lake, at Druridge Bay CP, later that day. Today, Jayne and I had a drive up there, and managed amazing views, as it swam close in to the shore. Lifer number 1 of the year.

White-billed Diver

Whilst there, we also spotted a few other "Year Ticks": Pochard (97), Water Rail (99), Ring-necked Duck (100, a female, too distant for a photo, unfortunately), and Scaup (101 - an immature male, I think).

Year List Update

 Yesterday, I added a few more birds to the Year List. The first four were all at Rufford CP, yesterday, and included my first site record of Raven. The final addition, Greenfinch, was seen in the garden today.

The additions are: Canada Goose (92), Lesser Black-backed Gull (93), Raven (94), Goosander (95) and Greenfinch (96). 

Rufford - JN075 returns!!

 I had my first 2025 visit to Rufford yesterday afternoon, and managed to see 18 of "our" Black-headed Gulls, along with two old favourites: Lithuanian- ringed P519 and the Norwegian-ringed Common Gull, JN075.

P519 was, in fact, the first ringed gull I saw, and this sighting was only the second of this winter, and my first since 2nd November 2024.

P519

Common Gull JN075 didn't appear until later in the afternoon, but it did come and pose very nicely for photos. This bird, first ringed, as a juvenile, in August 2020, on the outskirts of Oslo, and first recorded at Rufford in January 2022, was last seen by me at Rufford in February 2023, so it was great to see it again!

JN075

Green-ringed gulls seen were: 259A, 273A, 295A, 272B, 280B, 202C, 207C, 245C, 258C, 264C, 269C (new one for me, ringed in December 2023, and the first re-sighting since!), 270C, 298C, 217F, 234F, 239F, 255F and 276F. 

Other birds seen were: Lesser Black-backed Gull (c.47), Herring Gull (5), Common Gull (c.80!!), Goosander (12; 9 males and 3 females), Mute Swan (5; Broken Beak, female and 3 juveniles), 4 Canada Geese, 4 Greylag Geese, and, best of all, an overflying Raven, a site first for me.

Linacre - 1st visit of 2025

With being away in Norfolk, yesterday (4th) was the first time I could get down to Linacre this year. I had a couple of hours in the morning, and, despite it still being very quiet, added a few more birds to the Year List.

I started off in the bottom car park, where my first Linacre record of 2025 was.... a Blackbird. This was followed quickly by overflying Redwing (83). Walking down to the bottom reservoir, it was pretty quiet, except for two men sitting, up to their necks in the freezing water, complete with bobble hats on!! Moorhen (84) was added to the Year List. The first of 4 Cormorants, was also noted and Siskin (85), were heard and seen. Carrying on around all three reservoirs, the following birds were counted: Mallard (75), Coot (2), Mandarin Duck (19 - 86), Nuthatch (87), Mistle Thrush ( 1 by the top reservoir - 88), Tufted Duck (4; 3 males and a female - 89), Treecreeper (90) and Little Grebe (1 on the middle reservoir - 91), Pied Wagtail (1 heard) and, best of all, 5 Teal ( 3 males and 2 females).

Year List Continues - 3rd January 2025

 It was Jayne and my last day in Norfolk today, so we made the most of it, and added another 18 species to the Year List.

The first new bird of the day was Egyptian Goose (65), when 2 birds were spotted in a field whilst driving to RSPB Titchwell. Another species, Cattle Egret (66) was also seen, in a field by the A149, as we drove along. I was very pleased to spot this one, as it was, I think, my first self-found, in Britain. It posed beautifully, with the Highland Cattle!

Cattle Egret

We arrived at Titchwell, and, after feeding the local Robins and Blackbirds with a few left over mince pies, and spotting our first Song Thrush (67) of the year, in the car park, we went onto the reserve. We walked straight down the main path and stopped off in Island Hide, where we spotted 50+ Brent Geese, Coot (68), Redshank, Wigeon, Teal, Pintail and a single adult Mediterranean Gull (69) with the Herring and Black-headed Gulls.

Mediterranean Gull (and friends)

Continuing down the path, we spotted 6 Black-tailed Godwits, Curlew and a single Spotted Redshank (70). 

Spotted Redshank

Great-crested Grebe (71), Goldeneye - 2 females (72), Grey Plover (73), Ringed Plover (74), Stonechat (75), Avocet (76), Reed Bunting (77) and Linnet (78) were also added at this point. A single Black-winged Stilt was seen, but, as it was wearing a plastic ring, and is an escaped bird, it can't be added to the Year List!

A quick seawatch was pretty tricky, in the freezing wind, and we only managed to spot 6 Sanderlings, 12 Oystercatchers and  3 Turnstones!!

The last species of the day were: Red-breasted Merganser (1 male on the reserve - 79), Rock Pipit (80), Dunnock (81 - 1 in the car park) and Red-legged Partridge (6 seen in a field on the drive back -82).

Norfolk Birding - 2nd January 2025

 Jayne and I set out early this morning, to try and add a few more species to add to the Year List. We had a few false starts, but, in the end, managed to add 19 new species.

Our first new bird was Tawny Owl (46), that was heard from the house. Red Kite (47),  Kestrel (48), Curlew (49) and Blue Tit (50) were added on the drive across to Old Hunstanton, where, after a while, we managed to get distant views of the juvenile Glaucous Gull (51). Whilst walking along the beach, we had great views of at least 200 Sanderling, 10s of Redshank and Turnstone, 100+ Oystercatchers, Black-headed, Herring and Common Gulls.

Fieldfare (52) and Barnacle Goose (53) were added, on the drive to St Anne's Drive. Whilst searching (unsuccessfully) for the Long-billed Dowitcher and Shorelark (!!), we saw Ruff (54), Snipe (55). Chaffinch (56), Meadow Pipit (57) and Cormorant (58). 

Later in the day, a Sparrowhawk (59) flew low along the road, and, when we got to Stiffkey, we added House Sparrow (60), Great Spotted Woodpecker (61),and, perhaps the bird of the bird, a Glossy Ibis (62).

Glossy Ibis

Our last stop was Stiffkey Marshes, where we spotted a hunting ringtail Hen Harrier (63) and a female Merlin (64). Not a bad way to end the day!

2025 Year List Begins

 This year's Year List started off quite slowly, as the weather here in Norfolk was very windy! By the end of the day, however, Jayne and I had managed a respectable 45 species.

The first birds, seen from our holiday house in Wiveton, were: Black-headed Gull (1), Woodpigeon (2), Pink-footed Goose (3), Pheasant (4), Carrion Crow (5), Lapwing (6) and Goldfinch (7).

Later in the morning, we popped down to the Norfolk Wildlife Trust's Cley Marshes Reserve., where we managed to dodge the rain (ish!), and logged another 34 species: Robin (8), Blackbird (9), Skylark (10), Marsh Harrier (11), Shoveler (12), Wigeon (13), Mute Swan (14), Shelduck (15), Mallard (16), Gadwall (17), Teal (18), Pintail (19), Herring Gull (20), Kingfisher (21), Greylag Goose (22), Turnstone (23), Dunlin (24), Pied Wagtail (25), Redshank (26), Little Egret (27), Jackdaw (28), Rook (29), Golden Plover (30), Great Black-backed Gull (31), Sanderling (32), Brent Goose (Dark-bellied - 33), Common Gull (34), Collared Dove (35), Jay (36), Grey Heron (37), Bearded Tit (38), Starling (39), Wren (40) and Black-tailed Godwit (41). 

Grey Heron and Little Egret

The last five species were seen in the afternoon: Buzzard (42), Long-tailed Tit (43), Magpie (44) and Oystercatcher (45).