 January 2026 is nearly over and, just like last year, I've already got to 99 species within 5 miles of home! Once again, this begs the question might I get to 100 again in January? I did last year but things have stalled this week so it may be touch and go! January 1st kicked off well with two, presumed, returning birds staying into the New Year at Verulamium Park. Firstly, the second-winter Mediterranean Gull gave itself up relatively easily in the morning while the Yellow-browed Warbler made me work a bit harder. However, a second visit in the afternoon gave me exceptional views. The Yellow-browed Warbler at Verulamium Park, St Albans on 1st Jan Also kindly hanging around in the New Year was the male Garganey at Coursers GPs, now resplendent in summer plumage. I needn't have worried with this one though as the bird has been seen since on the main pit at Tyttenhanger, cavorting with the male Teals. The male Garganey squaring up to male Teal at Tyttenhanger GPs on 24th Jan Other New Year's Day highlights included the over-wintering Jack Snipe at Stanborough GPs along with the Barn Owl pair cosied up in their box. Tyttenhanger GPs also produced a single Brambling with the large Chaffinch flock and the regular female Stonechat. I finished the day on 72 species and then headed down to Cornwall for a week. Notable by their absence were the White-fronted Geese, the Cattle Egret and the Great Black-backed Gull present locally over the Christmas period. Would I be able to find them in 2026? I returned from Cornwall to news on 10th Jan of 9 Common Cranes over the Bedmond area. Just within my 5 mile area these would have been a good addition for the year had they not headed off SW immediately. Just 10 days into the New Year and I'd already missed something! Over the next few days however, I managed to add 2 or 3 new birds for the year each day. The 10th saw a nice adult Yellow-legged Gull (#74) at Stanborough GPs and later the regular Little Owl (#75) in its hole at Willows Farm. I found the Firecrests (#81) in Garden Wood the next day and Crossbills (#85) in Symondshyde Woods the day after that. Adult Yellow-legged Gull, Firecrest & Crossbill The New Year always has its surprises and this one came on 14th Jan with a female Goosander on Tyttenhanger main pit. A bird I don't always connect with locally so great to get it on the list!  A distant 'record shot' of the female Goosander Jan 16th brought more good news with the re-finding of the French-ringed Great Black-backed Gull in the sheep field at Stanborough GPs. A bird I thought I might have to wait until December to see again! Indeed gulls seemed to be a theme with a nice first-winter Yellow-legged Gull present at the same sight that day and then a very smart adult Caspian Gull (#95) the following day at Tyttenhanger GPs. Not an easy bird to come by and it got me wondering if this could be the 3rd year bird that lingered last year, now in its 4th year. My only hesitation is whether any sub-adult traits would still be present as this bird was a stunning full adult.  The Great Black-backed Gull, 1st winter Yellow-legged Gull & adult Caspian Gull In amongst these larid ticks a few others were welcome additions, such as the Blackcaps in my garden - hard to come by sometimes in January - and the Woodcock in its habitual place at Highfield Farm. A visit to the Watercress LNR in St Albans got me a smart male Bullfinch while Coopers Green GPs delivered me at least 16 Mandarins (#97). A walk around Redbournbury with John on 22nd Jan brought a surprise encounter with a female Marsh Harrier. I say surprise partly because I had listed it as a wish for the walk but also as it is the first I've seen locally for a little while. Having had many sightings earlier last year they seemed to peter out as the year went on. Almost as soon as I had ticked the harrier off news came in of a single Golden Plover at Stanborough GPs. A scarce bird so far this winter I had to make the dash across St Albans where it was waiting patiently in amongst 220 Lapwings. Number 99 was in the bag but will I get one more this month...? Marsh Harrier & Golden Plover on 22nd Jan
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 As has been my wont for the last few years the New Year saw me visiting The Lizard in Cornwall for a week. There is nothing that I like better than to walk out along the coastline and encounter the elements and the wild ruggedness of the landscape. Lowland Point (pictured) is usually one of the first places I head to where usually it is just me and the sea and the rocky shore. There's always something of interest, either in the bird and marine life or in what the sea has thrown up. I've learnt to linger, even in a storm, and take time to sift through what can be found. Mediterranean Gulls and Firecrests are common encounters at this time of year giving the feel of rarity. Wintering Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps also pop up hinting at the warmer climes - although no sense of that on the first day I arrived. Instead a storm blew from the southwest throwing foam onto the beach and driving rain. Guillemots and Razorbills sat on the sea while Kittiwakes along with a single Fulmar and Manx Shearwater sheared past. And then a small wader flew up from the beach and settled just ahead of me - the first treasure in my search: a Purple Sandpiper! This was my first ever at Lowland Point in over 40 years of visiting.  A hastily taken shot of the Purple Sandpiper before it disappeared into the storm! Further along the shore I came across three large eels washed up on the rocks. Each about a metre long I realised they must be Conger Eels - a species I had only ever heard of and never seen. Perhaps victims of the storm or more likely a fisherman's by-catch. They looked fairly fresh with just the first marks of gulls beginning to feed.  One of the 3 European Conger Eels In the afternoon I opted for the shelter of the wooded valley that leads down to Tremayne Quay on the Helford River. Along the way, more Firecrests and a brief glimpse of a Marsh Tit as it made its way along with a flock of Long-tailed Tits. The river banks held Curlew, Redshank and Greenshank - all welcome additions to my year list and by the end of the day I had run up a total of 57 species. The next day I took advantage of a break in the weather to visit the Helford River again in search of a Red-necked Grebe. I knew one had been sighted a while back and in previous years I had managed to find one just off the mouth of Frenchman's Creek where it enters the main river. I scanned with my telescope for a while finding several Great Northern Divers in the process. Just as I began to lose hope a Red-necked Grebe swum into view - a juvenile bird - and gave good but brief views as it constantly dived, only staying surfaced for less than a minute at a time.  Juvenile Red-necked Grebe on the Helford River on 6th Jan 2025 Later in the day, another bird - an adult - was found by another birder and at times both birds showed together. I, however, had moved on, picking up a very smart Black-throated Diver off Dennis Head and the usual wintering Common Sandpiper on Gillan Creek. A brief look at Coverack Sewage Works revealed at least 4 Chiffchaffs along with a very pale Siberian Chiffchaff of the tristis race. This was to be the first of several 'Sibes' with another 3 seen at Helston Sewage Works later in the week along with another obliging Common Sandpiper. One of the Siberian Chiffchaffs at Helston & a Common Sandpiper I finished the day on Goonhilly Downs with a hunting male Merlin, my Cornish tally now up to 70 species. The next day saw me back along the Coverack coast from Lowland Point with the target set as 'Grey Beach' - a sheltered cove that often attracts passerines and waders thanks to the abundance of insects out of the wind and the, presumably, warmer section of sandy cliff. Last year I found a Water Pipit feeding amongst the seaweed with the Rock Pipits...what might be in store this year I wondered? Despite there being a flock of around 20 Rock Pipits my search revealed no unusual pipit. However, I did note many Chiffchaffs flitting around on the cliff, catching flies so I turned my attention to them as previous years had revealed a Siberian Chiffchaff and a Black Redstart. However, the bird that caught my attention this year was a little Yellow-browed Warbler - my 5th find of this species this year!  The Yellow-browed Warbler feeding on the cliff Making the most of the sun I visited Kynance Cove in the evening where a pair of Choughs were enjoying the clifftop thermals and a Peregrine soared across the downs. The rain however, returned with a vengeance the next day so I headed out in the car for some roadside birding. In a sodden field full of Redwings I found 3 Cattle Egrets but the rain denied any decent photos. At this time of year, finding any livestock puts you in with a good chance of finding these birds and flocks of up to 100 have been seen in previous years. Moving on to Gunwalloe Cove and some more car window viewing I found a Red-throated Diver on the sea with a lone Guillemot. Diving constantly, the diver (and the weather) denied me any decent shots but I did manage just one record shot!  Red-throated Diver The next day, in contrast, was sunny and bright and I joined two local birders - Steve & Joe - for a visit to Loe Pool in the hope of locating the regular wintering Bittern. Joe had a secret weapon in the form of a thermal imager and very quickly located a likely heat-blob in the reedbed. Sure enough a Bittern-like area of feathers could be seen but the bird quickly moved further into cover and out of sight. We moved around to the other side of the reeded area noting several Cetti's Warblers, a Firecrest, Kingfisher and at least 3 squealing Water Rails as we did. Once again we located the likely Bittern heat-signature and before long we had managed to train my scope onto the bird. We all had reasonable views of this highly elusive and highly camouflaged bird before once again it disappeared. The short video clip below shows how well-hidden it remained! Three Goosander were also on Loe Pool and on the way home I picked up a juvenile Marsh Harrier near the Lizard village and Golden Plover and Snipe over Goonhilly Downs. My Cornish year list had reached 89 species with one day left but more rain forecast. Undeterred, the next day I headed out to Lowland Point for a good soaking but, truth be told, I find battling the elements somewhat therapeutic - especially when I know there's a hot shower to go back to! The wind was blowing directly onshore with no chance of shelter. In a short lull in the rain I scanned the sea revealing a steady passage of auks - Guillemots and Razorbills - along with a strong passage of Kittiwakes. Three Manx Shearwaters went past too and a Cetti's Warbler called from Godrevy Beach. The real find however, and a sad one at that, was a dead Common Porpoise on the beach. The Great Black-backed Gulls had begun to tuck in and when I walked back later the tide had reclaimed the corpse. It is not the first cetacean I have found on this beach and it is always a sorry sight, particularly as I had seen a small pod of porpoises heading past Lowland Point just a couple of days ago. The dead porpoise on Godrevy Beach I reported the dead porpoise to the Cetacean Strandings Investigations Programme (CSIP) based at the London Natural History Museum. Here you can report both dead and live strandings and hopefully the information will contribute to a better understanding of these ocean-going creatures.
My time in Cornwall was up but my stormy visit to Lowland Point gave me one more gift in the form of a Whimbrel - a scarce wintering bird and no doubt one of the first to be recorded in Britain this year. Soaked through I could return for my hot shower with 90 species under my belt for the week and a respectable 114 for my British Year List 2025.  Happy New Year everyone! New Year's Day saw a Herts Bird Challenge to see who could find the most species on New Year's Day and kick-start those year lists. Sadly the weather was terrible so few ventured into the field and yours truly, being perhaps the most lunatic of all, found the most birds! No prizes but just the confirmation that time spent in the field, regardless of the weather, can produce a good variety of birds. Before the rain set in I managed to find 2 of the 3 the long-staying Great White Egrets at Tyttenhanger Gravel Pits along with a brief appearance by an adult Yellow-legged Gull. The usual species were present including a squealing Water Rail so with 45 species under my belt I headed to Stanborough Gravel Pits. Again, the usual highlights were present including Wigeon, Stonechat & Green Sandpipers. A lingering Lesser Redpoll was also a welcome New Year addition. The real highlight was a single Golden Plover that battled low against the driving wind and rain taking my day total (and year total) to 65. My nice new notebook was already soaked through with the elastic strap detached from the soggy paper.  A quick visit to Frogmore Lakes on the edge of St Albans got me lovely eye-level views of about 30 Siskins all feeding on alders in the rain. I finished at Verulamium Park, hoping that the Yellow-browed Warbler might reappear but instead had to settle for Egyptian and Greylag Geese, Peregrines on the Abbey, a Mistle Thrush, and fly-by Kingfisher. My New Year total finished on 75 species and I went home to dry out!
The next day, I added a Great Spotted Woodpecker and caught up with the juvenile Marsh Harrier at Coursers Gravel Pits. 2025 was off to a good start with 77 species on year list and most importantly on the Five Miles from Home 2025 List! Now, to focus on my 'other patch' with a trip to The Lizard in Cornwall.  After all the excitement of the previous day (Cornwall Delivers! - Day 1), I decided to walk from the house I was staying in and stick to the coastline immediate to me. I knew the stretch of coastline well - after all it included one of our family's favourite swimming spots. The circuit would take me out through Treleaver, along the mighty serpentine cliffs to Kennack Sands and then up a wooded valley before heading back across dairy farmland. Of course, I hoped I might find a Yellow-browed Warbler with many being reported just the week before and the strong chance that some may have lingered. I also dreamed of a rarer warbler - maybe in one of the wooded valleys along my path as I had noted the discovery of a Western Bonelli's Warbler further SW along the Cornish coast the day before. But birds or no birds, it was going to be an enjoyable walk. Halfway between Black Head and Kennack Sands I heard a wimpery bird call just ahead of me on the path. I wasn't sure what it was but it recalled young Bullfinches or a young bird. I turned the corner (probably too noisily) and saw a small bird fly into the one and only bush sticking out of the heather. I got my bins focused and wow! A Wryneck! Having never found my own Wryneck until just a month ago this was a real surprise not to mention a treat. The bird stayed put just long enough for a quick 'record shot' before disappearing deeper into the undergrowth. I waited for it to reappear but eventually had to move on leaving it to its disappearing act.  The Wryneck on 15th Oct 2024 The walk through Kennack Sands produced very little else save a few Chiffchaffs and the ubiquitous Firecrests. However, as I climbed out of the valley by Trevenwith Farm I encountered the first foraging flock of warblers and tits of the day along with more Goldcrests and Firecrests. I began to hear what sounded like a Yellow-browed Warbler but very faintly. However, as the flock moved through it called loudly a few more times and showed itself very well right in front of me! I managed to capture one call in a short video. The walk had indeed been a success as far as birds were concerned but the next day the weather closed in limiting my options. However, in the evening I returned to Treleaver valley and was reward with my first Ring Ouzel of the autumn flying up the valley along with quite a few Blackbirds. The following day (17th) saw me join local birder, Steve Wood, for a seawatch at the Lizard Point. From 7.30 - 9am we witnessed the continuing (and extraordinary) passage of Cory's Shearwaters - at least 60 past - along with smaller numbers of Manx Shearwaters and a single Great Shearwater. Seeing large shearwaters regularly off the Lizard has become expected in the last 5 years but prior to that they were very scarce so close in and certainly not as late as mid-October! A group of 7 Choughs also left the roost noisily at first light. After the seawatch I traipsed around the Lizard fields looking for rarer pipits but with no joy. The highlight, however, was a group of 20+ Ringed Plovers roosting in a freshly ploughed field.  Ringed Plovers on 17th Oct 2024 My final day on the Lizard saw me walk a long circuit of Kynance Farm and the surrounding moorland. While the Bluetail appeared to have well and truly gone I was rewarded with another Ring Ouzel that dropped in near the ruins at Kynance Farm along with a flock of 60+ Golden Plover circling over Predannack Airfield. Walking out across the moor and I encountered a couple of Dartford Warblers scolding me from the scrub along with 5 late Swallows heading south. I finished the day with a late afternoon seawatch from Porthoustock that turned up very little save a steady flow of Mediterranean Gulls, a few Manx Shearwaters and a single Great Skua that I managed a distant photo of.  Great Skua going past Porthoustock on 18th Oct 2024 Dragging myself away from Cornwall I headed home but stopped briefly at Lower Tamar Lakes to year tick Willow Tit! I had a good view of one very scruffy individual along with several smarter Marsh Tits. I hope to be back soon but thank you again Cornwall!
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Rupert’s BlogHere you'll find my observations and musings on the wildlife I encounter - usually locally but sometimes further afield. Archives
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