January
Cold and grey, the sun went elsewhere on its holidays! Gull season so London birding focussed on the Thames, namely the Thamesmead Peninsula. A diminutive adult Mediterranean Gull roosted amongst Black-headed Gulls and Common Gulls (11th) and at least 6 different Yellow-legged Gulls could be found on a couple of visits. Caspian Gull proved more elusive for me, a first winter seen on the 19th. Low tide at Erith yielded 200 Dunlin on the 11th, with 350 over on the mud by Rainham RSPB on the 18th. Similarly the wintering Black-tailed Godwit flock (200) were at these two sites, choice of which dependent on the tide and hence feeding conditions.
February
Generally similar weather and birding as for January but the first sight of the sun, and a reminder that Spring was not a million miles away, came at the start of the month when a Raven took offence to one of three Buzzards circling over the river at Thamesmead, closest wild Raven I've seen to the city of London. A Peregrine inspected the commotion. The previous day saw a 'braying' 1st winter Caspian Gull on the jetty west of Erith Pier, first time I've seen this trait. Dunlin and Black-tailed Godwits continued, Grey Wagtail and Rock Pipit showed and a Kingfisher brightened up a dull day along the Thames. Before mid-month one of the two Mediterranean Gulls roosting at Erith on the rising tide had developed an extensive black hood.
 |
| Common Buzzard and Raven |
March and April
Rainham Marshes RSPB proved attractive to Marsh Harriers, Raven and Red Kite throughout the period, Curlew numbers dwindled as Winter became Spring. The ever busy Avocets showed well and Lapwings and Redshanks marked out their soon to be summer dwellings. A visit mid-April and the volume was turned up, singing Whitethroats, Reed Warblers and Sedge Warblers returned to out shout resident Cetti's Warblers. Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs added to the noisy mix and the occasional 'pinging' Beardies could be seen. Noisy Common Terns grumbled away in Aveley Bay (12th) and 2 Spoonbills swayed in the shallow water of the Winter Pools on this date. Late April saw Hobby back on Spring passage with several hawking insects over the reserve (27th). This visit produced sightings of Great White Egret with a handful of Bar-tailed Godwits joining a similar number of Black-tailed Godwits in Aveley Bay, where the Little Stint shown below avoided being trod on. It made its way to a rocky point at high tide.
 |
| Little Stint |
Crossbills seemed to have made a welcome resurgence back home on the moors after several lean years. A Merlin on a dry stone wall another sign of Spring coinciding with a push of returning Meadow Pipits. Staging Curlew noted at one moorland location earlier in the period. Elsewhere, a Wheatear sighting along the side of a beck was encouraging, perhaps it was not just passing through. Redstart just about hanging on with Pied Flycatchers attending their very welcome nest boxes.
Old Moor RSPB, South Yorkshire looked well at Easter. Bitterns boomed and Marsh Harriers were always in the sky. Goosander hanging on before migrating to their breeding grounds, Common Terns fresh in and the Caspian Gull shown below a nice surprise. Hirundines back and dull and rainy weather produced Swifts (2 on 21st), when the reserve hosted 6 Yellow Wagtails at the Wader Scrape.
 |
| Caspian Gull |
A twitch for the visitor from across the pond, a drake Lesser Scaup at Hornsea Mere, East Yorkshire (17th) was just in time as it soon moved on. It showed well giving a nice comparison of plumage features with its 30 or so Tufted Duck friends.
 |
| Lesser Scaup with Tufted Ducks |
Spent a week during the middle of the period on Cyprus, and as always, birding didn't disappoint! It's easy to bias the birding highlights to rarity/scarcity value, be it Agia Varvara’s Lesser Moorhen, an island first, Cape Greco’s Bar-tailed Lark at the beginning of the trip, or Mandria's hide and seek Caspian Plovers. The list could include seawatch Nightjars, passage Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters, showy Citrine Wagtails, singing Eastern Bonelli's Warbler, and the world's most elusive male Collared Flycatcher. But of note were a lack of passage Pallid Harriers, none for me, scarce Shrikes (not the name of a new Isy Shrike lump or split) and only saw singles of Eastern Subalpine Warbler, Eastern Orphean Warbler and Rüppell's Warbler. All of the above could have been down to bad luck and/or bad birding skills. Back to the highlights, a close second being the superb views of an adult Audouin’s Gull flying close inshore over the Blue Lagoon at Cape Greco when twitching the Bar-tailed Lark.
However, all of the above were beaten by the experience of hearing Cyprus Scops Owls call at sunset (you can set your watch by them!). On one occasion was lucky to watch one perch briefly in silhouette against the sunset, call several times, before it flew into the darkness towards where another was calling from.
Lucky to see over 100 species without too much running around and nice to spend time chatting with local and visiting birders. To minimise disruption at the supermarket by the hotspot that is Mandria there should be a sign saying, 'No more than 5 birders allowed in at any one time.' However, I'm indebted to the store for their supplies of peanut M&Ms during the week.
For further details about the Cyprus trip please see a previous blog post.
Also, have a look at the excellent article about Cyprus birding Spring 2025 by Jane Stylianou on Birdguides.
 |
| Bar-tailed Lark |
 |
| Wryneck |
 |
| Spotted Crake |
 |
| Lesser Moorhen |
 |
| Citrine Wagtail |
 |
| Blue-cheeked Bee-eater |
May
At the start of the month Hobby
sighted on the South Yorkshire moorlands and Crossbills
showed well with up to 13 at one site (including 2 juveniles), and noticeable
movement of Swifts north. Highlight
was the sighting of 2 Common Cranes (5th), shown below, high over the Langsett
area that moved slowly east and were later seen flying over the Dearne Valley.
 |
| Common Cranes |
Rainham Marshes RSPB, London, held a nice variety of species (10th) included Red Kites (2+) and Hobby (6+) in the area, one of which decided to mob an immature female Peregrine was either very brave or foolish. Garganey, Red-crested Pochard and 7 species of Gull added to the variety. These included a couple of Common Gulls hanging on from the “winter”, a smart 2nd summer Yellow-legged Gull flew by, and on leaving the reserve a “meowing” 1st summer Mediterranean Gull followed a silent adult. Cuckoo and Kingfisher noted and a selection of passage waders included Greenshank, Whimbrel (2) and grouped together were Knot (3) and Bar-tailed Godwit. Away from the birds Wall Brown butterfly most noteworthy along the river wall, Aveley Bay.
 |
| Hobby |
Back in the UK and Honey Buzzards noted at Welbeck RWP, Notts., 18th/19th with fantastic views of the returning female, a record photo shown below. One view of an immature female Goshawk being mobbed by a male Sparrowhawk noteworthy, the size difference immense. Hobby showed here and Red Kites and Common Buzzard ever present. Osprey flew by (19th) and we saw one the previous evening flying around Langsett, South Yorkshire, before heading towards Broomhead Reservoir. The South Yorkshire moorlands hosted returning Nightjars and a singing Garden Warbler was nice to hear and glimpse before the Nightjars awoke. Crossbills had increased to at least 27 at one moorland site. May was also the month that gave me sightings of Woodlark and Hawfinch here in the UK.
 |
| Honey Buzzard |
 |
| Osprey (Welbeck RWP) |
 |
| Osprey (nr Langsett) |
Last year (August) of the 4,000 strong ‘Godwit’ flock on the Dee Estuary just over into Wales I believe I saw the underwings of 3,999 Black-tailed Godwits over several consecutive days, but always missed out on the remaining one, the visitor from the Nearctic, the one with the partial black underwing. This year and many miles further south, timing couldn’t have been nicer for me as I had the chance to twitch the Hudsonian Godwit that was found this May at Titchfield Haven NNR, Hants. No waiting, no will it or won’t it show, it was there mid-morning on the Saturday (17th) roosting at the back on the scrape with a few Black-tailed Godwits. Eventually it showed closer alongside the Black-tailed Godwits and features noted in no particular order included: partial black-underwing, thinner white upperwing stripe (cf. Black-tailed Godwit), stronger face markings (cf. Black-tailed Godwit), extensive dark barred underparts and black centres to the upperwing.
 |
| Hudsonian Godwit and Black-tailed Godwits (last 'photo' a videograb) |
A visit to see friends in Germany towards the end of the month and Waghäusel, Baden-Württemburg, was as impressive as ever. A rather showy Savi’s Warbler eclipsed the several singing Bluethroats present in the reedbed/bushes as viewed from the benches. But it’s the variety of this place, essentially a marshland habitat bordered by a line of trees on one side with nearby woodland habitat elsewhere. It hosts scrubland, hedgerows and nettlebeds. Several Red-backed Shrikes could easily be seen, Nightingales were widespread and Marsh Warblers on territory. White Storks joined both Kites, Common Buzzard and Marsh Harriers in the sky. An Osprey wandered by. Not to forget the Purple Heron colony, chance of passage waders and locating Black-necked Grebes amongst the Black-headed Gulls and Red-crested Pochards.
Several photos from the visit shown below. For further details about the birding highlights, including visits away from Waghäusel, please see a previous blog post.
 |
| Red-backed Shrike |
 |
| Osprey |
 |
| Honey Buzzard |
 |
| Bluethroat |
 |
| Savi's Warbler |
June
Focus on Rainham Marshes RSPB and from my first visit in several
weeks on the 1st of the moth was it never clearer that the switch
from Spring to Summer had taken place. Very quiet in terms of migration with
most species settling down. Red Kite
wandered around, perhaps soon to be a species to be expected on a daily basis
here. Cuckoos in the area and Great White Egret (7th).
Lesser Whitethroats sang from cover (7th) and 3 more ‘meowing’
adult Mediterranean Gulls flew in from the Thames, circled the reserve,
drifting off to the west. A female Pintail
on this date was unseasonal.
Visits at the end of the month and the focus turned to Odonata.
On watching Small Red-eyed Damselflies in
the channel by the bridge near the Purfleet Scrape Hide I found a Lesser Emperor dragonfly patrolling the
channel (22nd). A visit the following Sunday (29th) and great
views of Norfolk Hawker along the same channel. I made a walk along the
southern boardwalk and totalled a minimum of 5 along this stretch of the
reserve. Once localised to East Anglia, surely they are now literally spreading
their wings. Photographs of the above from Rainham Marshes RSPB shown below.
 |
| Small Red-eyed Damselfly |
 |
| Lesser Emperor |
 |
| Norfolk Hawker |
More average photos uploaded at 'Latest UK Bird Photos'. Please enjoy.
