From Ghost Town to Caernarfon Town - A British First - Gwynedd, June 2026

I'll never forget where I was when news broke of the first British Western Reef Heron on 6th June 2026. I was wandering around the 2-Tone museum in Coventry, on a family day out that also involved a visit to Coventry cathedral.

At the 2-Tone Museum in Coventry

The magnificant Coventry Cathedral

Whist both venues were fantastic, as most twitchers will know, being somewhere and not in a position to drop everything and go is pure torture.  Working full time I'm used to this scenario, but this was particulary hard given it was a Saturday.  I actually did well and didn't mention it to anyone until we had left the Cathedral and were on our way home. "I thought you were a bit distracted" was the subsquent comment.

On working out the logistics of dropping the family home and leaving again, I realised time was against me.  The bird was continually being reported at Foryd Bay south of Caernarfon, but I worked out that leaving Coventry with a 2 hour drive home in the late afternoon, followed by a 3 hour drive through north Wales, was cutting it fine to get there before dusk.  Aftger a quick 10 minute turnaround at home to get the optics gear in the car, I was on my way.

After what seemed like a lifetime I arrived on site to see only a handful of birders along the road overlooking the bay, and no-one seemed to be looking at anything in particular.  I eventually found someone who was actually viewing the bird, and they quickly shouted that it was flying north. I raised by binoculars to see the Reef Heron flying out of view.

Although I'd seen the bird, it was brief and distant, so I decided an overnight stay in the car was required.  The plan was to see it first thing Sunday and then leave early morning.  After a night with virtually no sleep (the night was cold and, given it was mid-summer, short), I started at dawn scanning the estuary where the bird was last seen.  It wasn't present, so I headed south to view from near the ide where it had spent a lot of the previous day, with more and more birders who were arriving.

After a couple of hours there was no sign, then news came through that it had been refound below Caernarfon Castle, a short drive away.  Everyone jumped in cars, and headed for the Castle, and soon the bird was showing incredibly well in the small estuary.

Western Reef Heron

The Heron worked its way up the narrow estuary until it was out of view, and it was time to head home. I had a birthday celebration to attend at midday, so it was nice to celebrate with a few drinks in the afternoon.

The bird was subsequently seen for around 10 days in various locations in North Wales.

Thanks for looking.

Cornwall for Lesser Kestrel - May 2026

After arriving home from Suffolk on the Saturday, I was back in the car on the way to Cornwall on Sunday night after a Lesser Kestrel had been present for a couple of days on Goonhilly Downs.  With only a small number of UK records, and the first for some time, I was keen to see this fabulous bird.

The plan was to drive down and get a couple of hours sleep before dawn.  As usual, a number of road closures slowed things down so it was already getting light when I arrived. Only a couple of other birders were present at 6am, so we split up and went in different directions to try and locate the bird.  After about 30 minures I got a mesasge with news that they had found the bird in a tree on the downs nearby.  

I was soon in the right place and watching my first Lesser Kestrel in the UK.  As the sun came up it started hunting invertebrates between the small trees and on occaision came close, performing really well and giving some great views for the growing crowd of birders arriving.

Lesser Kestrel

As is always the case with Cornwall, it was a long journey home, but worth it for such a stunning bird.

Thanks for looking!

Tawny Pipit in Suffolk - May 2026

Tawny Pipit is one of those birds I'd never come anywhere near seeing in the UK - an increasingly sarce visitor, and predominately to the South of the UK where they don't tend to hang around too long.

News of one at Languard Point in Suffolk in late April wasn't an option as it was midweek, but it stuck around for a couple of days so I thought it was worth an attempt on Friday evening.  After finishing work early I was able to head down to Suffolk, traffic allowing I should arrive before dusk with a change of seeing it that evening. If not I'd stay over and try again in the morning.  

As it happens the traffic wasn't too bad for a Friday, and I made it with a good couple of hours of light to spare.  On arrival there were a handful of birders surrounding the fenced-off area where the Tawny Pipit was feeding.  It took a while, but I eventually had a few decent views of the bird over a 30 minute period, before it became more elusive.

Tawny Pipit

I was elated to see the bird, more so as it disappeared overnight and was not seen the next day!

I spent the night up the Suffolk coast at Westleton near Minsmere. I had always gone there in early May to see Nightingale, but I hadn't visited for around ten years.  It was great to hear numerous birds singing through the night at the heath and actually around the village, some must have been in peoples gardens!

Thanks for looking!