 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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 December 2025With a record 155 species on my 5 Miles From Home List for 2025 could the final month take the total any higher? Of course it could! Cold easterlies ensured that birds were on the move and December proved remarkably lively. An indication of this was the annual Herts Bird Club Christmas Count recorded a record-breaking 118 species during the period between Christmas Day and New Year's Eve. The eclipse male Garganey I found at Coursers GPs on 23rd November stayed until year end, by which time it has almost completely moulted into summer plumage. The photos below show the bird as it first appeared in November to how it appeared late December but in flight it was always immediately obvious with its pale blue-grey wings. A Cattle Egret also appeared at Willows Farm on 7th and then remained until Boxing Day. Possibly the same bird that was seen on 25th Oct, although where had it been in the meantime? The bird was easily viewable as it fed amongst the cattle in the old pumpkin field and was joined by several Little Egrets. On 14th Dec, with a Great White Egret on site, I was able to see all 3 egret species at one site on the same day - I think a first for me in Herts. The Cattle Egret at Willows Farm While chasing egrets at Tyttenhanger on 14th December I noticed a white blob on the fishing lake and putting bins to eyes revealed a beautiful male Goldeneye! My first locally for several years and perhaps the first male bird I had seen at Tyttenhanger. More importantly, a new bird for the year coming in at #156.  Male Goldeneye on 14th Dec at Tyttenhanger GPs With family birthdays and Christmas festivities taking over mid-month the news of flocks of White-fronted Geese flying over the county on Christmas Eve got me itching to get out searching. The obvious starting place would be Willows Farm where a regular and sizeable flock of Canada & Greylag Geese had accumulated. Come Boxing Day I headed to Willows Farm and sure enough 13 White-fronted Geese had joined the goose-flock! My first White-fronted Geese locally since the single bird at Stanborough GPs in 2021 and #157 for my local list. It was great to have these wild geese from the Russian (albifrons) population feeding with the more familiar Greylags and Canadas and somewhat dwarfed by them. They were last seen on 29th but who knows, we may get more if the easterly chill continues. The closing weeks of 2025 felt a little bit like a 'Groundhog Year' with many birds in place by the 31st that were also in place in 2024. A Jack Snipe reappeared at Stanborough GPs while a Black Redstart spent a day there on 19th. Like clockwork, a Great Black-backed Gull appeared at Coursers GPs on 28th - the same day as in 2024. While tempting to think that it might be a returning bird this one was ringed and further research revealed it had been ringed in Le Havre, France in May 2024 so clearly not the same bird as the un-ringed bird last Dec! Great Black-backed Gull at Coursers GPs on 28th Dec - a county scarcity nowadays The real Groundhog moment came with the discovery of a Yellow-browed Warbler on 31st Dec at Verulamium Park in St Albans. Along with the returning (now 2nd winter) Mediterranean Gull the end of the year finished as it had begun with a group of birders and photographers all assembled near the Fighting Cocks Pub for views of this, presumably returning, Siberian gem. Two presumed returning birds to Verulamium Park - the Mediterranean Gull & Yellow-browed Warbler A great variety of birds wrapped up 2025 but would any of them stay to 2026? The year had proved to be exceptional, not just for my local list with 157 a new record but county-wide too. Long may it continue! 🎉 HAPPY NEW YEAR! 🎉 Since leaving Cornwall a week has already gone by and each day has delivered one or two additions to the 2025 5 Miles From Home List. In fact I am 6 species up on the same date last year so the local area has certainly been delivering! Since my Cornish trip I have added a further 17 species to the list - some of them expected such as Greenfinch, Sparrowhawk, Green Woodpecker, Raven and Red-legged Partridge but others not so expected. The Little Owl headlining this post is always a pleasing find - especially as this one at Tyttenhanger Gravel Pits has been harder to find in recent years. After what appeared to be a good year with 2 pairs at nest holes they then disappeared and have not been regularly seen in the last couple of years. Knowing they are still there is reassuring as I know of at least two other sites where the main nest tree has been felled - either by the land manager or by strong winds. Two star birds reappeared while I was away - the Yellow-browed Warbler at Verulamium Park in St Albans and the Black Redstart over-wintering in the roof of St Albans Abbey. The Yellow-browed Warbler & the Black Redstart in St Albans The Yellow-browed Warbler had been giving astonishing views low down at the lake's edge but I had to make-do with treetop views. Local birder Murray Brown had re-found it on 7th January after it went missing during Christmas. The Black Redstart - presumably last year's returning bird - was a somewhat peculiar sighting in that the bird has taken up residence in the cathedral roof. It's believed to be feeding on a healthy supply of Ladybirds but can only be seen when it appears at a small diamond-shaped window at the west end. I trust it knows how to get out but is no doubt benefiting from the shelter and free food! The same day saw me visit Stanborough GPs where I flushed a Jack Snipe and Garden Wood at Tyttenhanger GPs where I found an over-wintering Firecrest - both great birds to get on my list so early on. I was a bit slow with the camera but did manage a distant shot of the Jack Snipe as it (unusually) chose to fly around quite high before dropping back down.  Jack Snipe at Stanborough GPs A very pleasing find on 14th came in the form of a Woodcock in a wood at Highfield Farm on the edge of St Albans. It has become my most reliable site for the birds and will hopefully remain that way for many years more. A dog walk around the Munden Estate, Bricket Wood the next day gave me a pair of Mandarin Ducks but these were out done on 19th with a flock of 15 at Coopers Green GPs! The dog walk the next day brought brief views of a Barn Owl that has been regularly hunting at Redbournbury and at least 2 of the resident Cetti's Warblers there. My list now stood at 90 species. Distant video-grabs of the Short-eared Owl at Stanborough GPs on 16th Jan I was extremely pleased to get the Barn Owl - after all I've yet to hear or see a Tawny Owl this year. However, that same evening I popped into Stanborough GPs and was rewarded with a distant Short-eared Owl. It appeared to fly up from Cromer Hyde farm but then headed off north-west flying higher and higher. This is a real bonus bird as I didn't record one locally in the whole of 2024 despite there being 4 in the area at the end of 2023. To have it 'in the bank', so to speak, this early on bodes well for the 2025 year list! The week was not done however and with gulls on my radar I spent some time checking local roosts. I trekked out to the back of Coursers Farm where a newly scraped area has been attracting gull flocks. After some scanning I was rewarded with an adult Caspian Gull that with the Little Owl took me to #93. A visit to Coopers Green GPs today also revealed a healthy gull roost with a surprise Great Black-backed Gull among them. This is a bird I usually have to wait until Christmas to see and is maybe the bird that appeared at Coursers GPs this Christmas just gone. Either way, it takes me to 94 species for my local list and begs the question as to whether 100 is possible before the end of January? Watch this space...! Adult Caspian Gull at Coursers Farm and a Great Black-backed Gull at Coopers Green GPs
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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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