A Very Long New Years Eve - Black-winged Kite, December 2025

With the Black-winged Kite seemingly showing well in Norfolk, I was keen to get better views of this species which was only new to Britain a couple of years ago.  The bird in Norfolk, and later Essex, in 2023 proved very popular, but I only had brief distant views of it.

After a long overnight drive, I arrived just after dawn at Ludham Bridge, Norfolk, and walked up the path along the river Ant, to where the bird was generally seen hunting from time to time.  A couple of hours passed and there was no sign of the Kite.  A few birders had continued up the river, and after a while a report filtered through that it was showing well about a mile further along.  After what seemed like a long trek, the bird cam into view sitting on one of the few small trees in amongst a large reedbed.

We had great views but only for a few minutes as the Kite  then flew off west and then seemed to head back to where we were orignally stood earlier that morning. 

After walking south again, the bird was nowhere to be seen at the original location, so I headed back to the car park and drove to nearby St Benet's Abbey where is had sometimes been seen hunting.  There as no sign of the bird there, although a couple of common Cranes where feeding in nearby fields.

After relocating back to the orginal site, the bird was soon on show again, giving great views, preforming well and seen hunting and capturing prey, and eating it in a row of poplar trees.  The Kite finally headed south and it was time to head home, It had been a nice way to end the year.  Somehow, despite having no sleep the night before, eight hours birding and eight hours driving, I even made it out for midnight to see in the new year.

Thanks for looking.

Great-tailed Grackle, Hampsire, Decemeber 2025

A Great-tailed Grackle was found at Calshot in Hampshire in late autumn, and despite it's almost certain status as a bird that had just hopped off a boat originating in the US, it has proved a popular attaraction during its extended UK stay,

A few days after arriving it relocated a short distance to Holbury, where it was being fed in a specific garden, so the hope was that it wouldnt be hard to find in its suburban location.

Arriving just after dawn, it was soon present on top of a telepragh pole, before flying to its preferred gardena and feeding on the grass under some feeders.  The bird was very confiding and a bit of a character, having to be moved out of the road at one point, then buzzing my head as it swooped from the garden across the road into the trees,

Its beautidul blue sheen pluamge was evident in the sun,

A faecal sample taken a few weeks previously, analysed by the Aberdeen University team, confirmed it to be a male of the Central and Eastern US subspecies.

A steady number of visitors came and went to enjoy this rare visitor form the US, the second occurance in the UK.  As of March 2026 the bird is still in the area and interestingly another was found at Speke near Liverpool in early 2026.

Thanks for looking!

Lesser Crested Tern, Devon, December 2025

A couple of images of the Lesser Crested Tern at Dawlish Warren, Devon, that was found in early December 2025.

This was only the 10th record for Britain and 20 years since the last occurance.  A long and rainy overnight drive to Dawlish Warren and the Exe estuary was rewarded when the bird was refound shortly after dawn and spent the first couple of hours providing decent views before flying north up river.

Thanks for looking!

Spurn's Black-faced Bunting - October 2025

After dipping the Donna Nook Black-faced Bunting for two consecutive days in autumn 2024, it was great to get another chance so soon at Spurn Point in October.

Arriving at dawn there were only two others walking across the sand bar in the dark.  We were soon in the area where it was seen late the previous day, but it took about an hour before we saw a bird flick across the road a little further down the peninsula. With the help of a thermal imager, it was refound and confirmed as the bunting,

It showed really well feeding on grass seeds only a few metres away at the side of the old road, before moving north a little to its previous position.

Black-faced Bunting

A few other early birds on Spurn peninula

Thanks for looking!

Shetland Highlights - Autumn 2025

It wasn't a classic year, but Shetland 2025 poduced a few special birds.

A couple of days after arrival in late September, there hadn't been any particularly noteworthy birds but that changed in the morning of the 2nd when I was trudging around a field near Kergord.  News emerged of a Siberian Thrush nearby just north of Scalloway at Loch of Asta.  As expected a large crowd had gathered for this mega rarity, but it was proving elusive.  It took about an hour before I got a glimpse of it in its favoured elder trees. It was a fantastic 1st winter male, much better than the previous 1st-winter female bird I'd glimpsed a few years earlier in Fife.

Wellies on! Best view from the water!

The thrush was initially extremely elusive, and I only got short views of a tail, or heard, before it headed back into the depths of the trees. The bird started to commute between the lochside trees and the gardens across the road, and over the next 24 hours started to show a little better.

Male Siberian Thrush

In fact the bird remained at the site for the duration of the rest of my Shetland stay, and during several visits it became slightly more confiding, particularly when feeding on the lawn edges in the leaf litter.

Siberian Thrush

Some other highlights of the trip were a nice Ortolan Bunting with Sparrows and Linnets in a crop field at Ireland.

Ortolan Bunting

A Common Rosefinch spent a few days commuting between the beach and garden at Grutness.

Common Rosefinch

A frutiless search for a Corncrake in a quarry in the north-east of mainland was disappointing, although a Red-breasted Flycatcher was found in the spectacular location of a geo near Eshaness.

Red-breasted Flycatcher

A Subalpine Warbler species was in gardens around Levenwick for over a week. Initially identified as a Western Subalpine Warbler, after dna anlaysis a few weeks later, it was confirmed as being Eastern, my third of this species.

Eastern Subalpine Warbler

The best day for me personally was a trip up to the island of Unst.  A Blackpoll Warbler had been found in a small garden at Haroldswick the previous afternoon, although it wasn't refound during that afternoon.  There was a slim chance it was still in the area, and although I wasn't confident, I headed north in the dark to join the small group present at dawn to search for the bird.  

There were plenty of birds around the garden, although they were mainly sparrows.  An hour later and the bird was not seen, so people started drifting away or looking further afield.  Just before leaving someone suggested playing a new 'response' tape of various bird calls on the off chance it would respond.  Then within a minute of the tape being played in the garden, the Blackpoll Warbler suddenly dived over our heads and straight into a tree at the side of the garden. 

It didn't hang around and was soon back into the fields nearer to the beach.  It went missing for a while but was then relocated around buildings, then on the beach picking insects from the tideline.  

Blackpoll Warbler

It gave great views on and off for about an hour, and remained in the area for the rest of the day as people travelled up to Unst to enjoy this new world warbler.

There were a couple of other good birds on the island, including a Greater Short-toed Lark nearby at Burrafirth.

Burrafirth, looking towards Saxa Vord, Unst

Greater Short-toed Lark 

Being on Unst, a visit to Norwick and Valyie was worth squeezing in. Although there wasn't very much around apart from a Yellow-browed Warbler and a few Chiffchaffs, it was interesting to see a small group of Glossy Ibis had made it this far north from the recent influx into the UK.  They were feeding in the flooded fields inland from Norwick beach.

Cows at Norwick

Glossy Ibis

If you think this is a bit scary....

The 'White Wife' on Unst.  Not what you want to drive past in the dark.

The trip was curtailed by a day after being tempted by the Yorkshire Needletail, but an early ferry departure back to Aberdeen didn't pay off and that bird remains one for the future!

Thanks for looking!