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).

Rufford - 20th September 2025

 Today's visit to Rufford was a little damp (!), but it did have lead to my highest ever count of Mute Swans, and records of 3 darvic-ringed Black-headed Gulls.

Overall, it was quite a quiet visit, but there were 13 Mute Swans, my highest ever count. There were the usual suspects (Broken Beak, his partner and their 3 cygnets), along with another 8 (all unringed) adults.

There were c70 Black-headed Gulls ( and 1 adult Lesser Black-backed), including 41 juveniles. The 3 ringed birds were all familiar birds: 207C, 258C and 234F.

207C

258C

234F

Other birds seen were: Canada Goose (50), Greylag Goose (22), Little Egret (1), Mallard, Moorhen and Kingfisher (1 heard).

Rufford Visit - 2nd September 2025

 Yesterday, I had my first visit to Rufford for a couple of weeks. It was bright sunshine (with a few rain showers) and 20 degrees, and there were about 70 Black-headed Gulls (c.40 juveniles). 7 darviced gulls were seen, and a new, metal-ringed bird was also spotted.

The darviced birds were: 258A (2nd sighting this autumn/winter), 207C (4th sighting since July), 258C (fourth sighting this autumn/winter), 221F (last seen in February 2025), 234F (second sighting this autumn/winter), 255F (first sighting since January 2025) and 2V03 (2nd sighting this autumn/winter).

221F

255F

The metal-ringed bird (EM21570) was a 3, i.e. born this year. It had been ringed, as a pullus, on 10th June, 158km away, at Marlingford Hall, Norfolk. This is, unsurprisingly, the first sighting since ringing. Hopefully, it'll hang around for the winter.

EM21570

In addition to the gulls, I also recorded 7 Mute Swans, including the 2 unringed birds seen last visit, along with 2 more adults (Broken Beak and his partner) and their 3 new cygnets, 2 Kingfishers, 1 House Martin, dozens of Canada and Greylag Geese, 1 Grey Wagtail, Mallards and an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull.

Broken Beak and family

Lesser Black-backed Gull

In addition to those sightings, I also saw a familiar Black-headed Gull in Bakewell on Monday. It was quite a brief sighting, but enough to get the metal ring EW97345. This is a bird I first saw, in Bakewell, back in September 2018. The bird had been ringed, as an adult (at least 2 years old), in Boston, Lincolnshire on 9th January 2010. Monday's sighting was my first since July 2021.

EW97345

Soggy Rufford!!

 I didn't go to Rufford last weekend, because of the heavy rain, so I really wanted to get back across today. I went, and ironically, it was pouring with rain!! There were only 40 Black-headed Gulls today (presumably the others were still out on the fields enjoying the rain!), but I did manage to see 5 darviced birds.

The darviced birds were: 206A, 258A, 297A, 207C and 245C. The first birds are regulars, but for 245C, it was the first sighting since 4th February 2024, and only my 5th re-sighting since it was ringed in October 2023. See here for a picture of the same bird, back in December 2023.

245C

206A and 245C

Broken Beak (a male Mute Swan) was still present today, along with his mate and 3 cygnets, as were 25 Canada Geese, 1 Greylag Goose, 1 Grey Wagtail, c20 Mallards and a singing Chiffchaff.

Broken Beak and family