Wilstone - 26.9.25

Juvenile Red-throated Diver

As is typical recently when I put my car in for a service something good birdwise turns up and this year is no different. Mid morning news broke on the WhatsApp group of not one but two Red-throated Divers at Wilstone Reservoir. Not that rare you would think? But in Hertfordshire birding terms it’s as rare as hens teeth. 

The last record was of a bird that was found just up the road at College Lake, Bucks that flew off into Herts airspace. Before that the previous two records were from 2003 and 1997.

News was positive throughout the day and as I said at the start my car was in the garage and my optics were at home but thankfully my wife brought them to me so I could head straight up after work. But it was still not straightforward as there’s currently major works going on at Wilstone strengthening the banks and so most of the banks are closed until March next year. So parking at cemetery corner I headed up to the woods in the SE corner passing a Stonechat in the scrub just off the path  and walked into the woods to the what was the waters edge (the works meant draining the water level down) and joining Ray Hooper and Andy Day. I set my scope up and instantly got onto the adult diver then the juvenile. The adult then went missing for nearly ten minutes before being re found. After 20 minutes of viewing I headed for home and walked back to my car along with Brendon Fagan who’d arrived after finishing work.

Just need a Black-throated Diver to turn up now but seeing as the last record is from 1996 I’m not holding my breath!

Norfolk - 26-27.8.25

As I was turning the grand old age of 50 and I was off work for the week we made an impromptu visit to Norfolk to see my dad and step-mum and to take the kids to the beach.

After arriving we headed straight to the beach at Caister-on-Sea. A handful of Sandwich Tern were feeding just offshore and an adult Mediterranean Gull was scouring the beach for food scraps. But the unusual sight of a summer plumaged Great Northern Diver heading north was a tad unseasonal.

The following day we popped to Hemsby so the kids could spend their grandads money in the arcade and have another visit to the beach. More Sandwich Terns were seen and a 1st Winter Mediterranean Gull was seen but the highlight was 3 female/juvenile Garganey going south.

Suffolk + Norfolk - 24.8.25

Ruddy Shelduck

After the disastrous day out a couple of weeks earlier I joined Brendon again along with James Reader heading back to Suffolk. 

Our first stop was Walberswick were shortly after setting off along the beach we came across the Ruddy Shelduck on a small pool. Most likely a bird from the feral Dutch population but as of yet the powers that be won’t allow us to tick them.

Fan-tailed Warbler flitting off left (honestly)

Another few minutes of walking along the beach we joined a small group of birders staring out into the scrub and reeds where the momentous and highly anticipated news that Fan-tailed Warblers (Zitting Cisticolas) had bred in Britain for the first time. The male had been seen and heard for a while before reports of a second bird emerged. Then 4 juveniles were seen and this still mega rare bird was available to all who still needed it. 

The male was heard “zitting” and seen mostly in flight but on a couple of occasions perched up affording great scope views despite what my photo shows! I did managed a view of the female further back but the young were sadly hiding.

We then headed back towards the car park but carried onto the harbour where on the wall were 2 Caspian Gulls an adult and a juvenile.

Juvenile Barred Warbler

Whilst watching the warblers news of a Barred Warbler broke just to the north at Kessingland but news was vague and with the prospect of a long walk we made the decision to head to my Norfolk patch of Winterton Dunes where after a short walk we had excellent views of this usual skulker which was good for James as it was a lifer for him. 

Black Stork + in situ!

After more views of the Barred Warbler we headed back south for our second attempt at the Black Stork. Just a few miles away it was reported to be on a small lake at a farm so we headed there but upon arrival and a fruitless scan of the lake news broke of it back in its favoured ditch. Annoyingly this would mean the 1.5 mile walk we did last time but as luck would have it we noticed a car parked up near the farm and upon inspection we saw a footpath sign so we took a gamble which paid of handsomely as after just a 5 minute walk instead of 40 the path took us straight to the ditch and there walking towards us was the juvenile Black Stork! It walked to the end of the ditch and went to sleep briefly before waking again. Just my 2nd of this species in the UK after my first which I self found over Watford back in 1990! 

An excellent end to an excellent day.

 

Cassiobury Park - 14 + 15.8.25

Due to the horrid heat I started work 2 hours early so I could go home early and escape the worst of it. 

On the morning of the 14th around 6am I was litter picking near the hub when I heard the familiar call of a Tree Pipit heading towards me and sure enough there it was flying roughly SE. The following morning at a similar time I heard the call again but this time there were 2 birds going in the same direction. These constituted just my 2nd and 3rd records for the park after another duo on spring migration a few years earlier.

Startops - 6.8.25

Black-necked Grebe

A quick after work visit to Startops Reservoir failed to produce the hoped for female Ruddy Duck but I did managed to see the juvenile Black-necked Grebe. Also seen were a Black Swan and 2 Muscovy Ducks. Almost like the captive pens at a WWT reserve!

 

A Day To Forget (Almost) - 3.8.25

After our good visit to Norfolk the previous weekend myself and Brendon must’ve used most of our good luck up as todays trip to Suffolk certainly didn’t go to plan!

For the entire week the first news out on the bird alerts was of a juvenile Black Stork showing ridiculously well in a ditch at Boyton Marsh RSPB so with this we drove up and had just gone past Colchester FC’s ground when there was a no sign message. With that I turned round and headed to Abberton Reservoir. Here we spent a couple of hours trying to spot the previous days Temminck’s Stint but failed miserably. Then whilst still in the hide news emerged that the stork was back so off we went. 

We arrived in good time and started walking the 1.5 miles to where to view but as we passed a birder about half way he gave us the news it’d flown off north again! We continued on and the spent another hour staring at nothing. I was the alerted to the distress calls of gulls above and saw them mobbing something. Thinking it was the stork I lifted my bins and to my surprise I saw myself looking at a year tick dark morph Honey Buzzard! We watched it for a couple of minutes before it drifted off north. 

Another hour passed before we headed for home having dipped the stork. 90 minutes after we left it came back and has showed well since and the Temminck’s was seen again later in the day. So an all round bad day at the office apart from the Honey Buzzard.

Welney, Snettisham + Rye Meads - 27.7.25

White Stork

I again joined Brendon this time on a trip to Norfolk and returning home via East Hertfordshire. We were heading north and had reached Cambridgeshire when he said we’ll make a detour to Welney WWT to look for a White Stork. We arrived and parked up and scanned the field it’d been in the previous day from a couple of vantage points but failed to see it. We then popped into the reserve car park to see if it’d moved but a couple of Tree Sparrow were the only thing of note. 

As we were pulling out the car park a message popped up saying the Stork was still there so we drove back and this time walked the river path. As I was walking up a Marsh Harrier swooped down and mobbed the White Stork and as you can see from my photo above it was only the top half of the bird that was visible so no wonder we missed it first time around.

Pectoral Sandpiper

Spoonbill

Snettisham RSPB was our next stop. I hadn’t been here since 2006 when I ticked a Little Auk on one of the pits. There was something to see virtually all the way down to the southern end of the pits including a year tick Little Tern but sadly the White-rumped Sandpiper wasn’t one of them. Just before reaching the last hides we bumped into Phil Bishop and Colin Maynard who said the other target bird was showing. After a quick chat we parted ways and sat down to scan through the numerous waders only to get a call from Phil to say the bird was now visible from the next hide back towards the car park.

From the rotary hide we finally laid eyes on the Pectoral Sandpiper as it proved the mud. Also seen were 23 Spoonbill doing as they do sleeping. As we walked back to the car Brendon mentioned he’d seen a Turtle Dove from the area we were in on his last visit and within seconds one flew past us and landed on the beach! It got even better when another 4 flew past along the beach setting a record flock for me. 

Night Heron

With no sign of any Curlew Sandpipers we set off for home stopping at Rye Meads RSPB reserve on the way. Here from the Draper hide we waited along with a hide full of other birders including James Walsh. 20 minutes elapsed before someone spotted it tucked into the far bottom right corner of the marsh. When the wind blew the willows out of the way you could see it and I managed a lucky record shot of my 5th Night Heron in the UK and my first anywhere since 2012. Typically soon after we left it flew out and landed in front of the hide briefly!

An excellent days birding

Oxhey Park - 24.7.25

We were doing some green flag work in Oxhey Park when I heard another Crossbill calling and a single bird flew NW. 

Cassiobury - 22.7.25

After lunch I headed back out into the park for more litter picking and about 1.30pm I suddenly heard the familiar glip glip calls of Crossbill. I looked up and counted 7 birds heading roughly NW.

Cornmill Meadows, Trimley Marshes + Braughing - 25.5.25

 

Glossy Ibis

I joined Brendon, Chris Sharp and for the first time James Reader on a day out to Essex and Suffolk. Our first stop was Cornmill Meadows in the Lea Valley. After spending an eternity trying to find somewhere to park and what direction it was to the hide we eventually arrived at the sadly burnt out hide and after an assault course to get onto the charred remains we finally had great views of the Glossy Ibis. It was the first one I’d seen in its summer finery and what a stunner it was.

Also noted were 2 Cuckoo, Water Rail and Cetti’s Warbler.

Purple Heron

With views and photos secured we then headed into Suffolk and Trimley Marshes. I’d only previously been here once before for the Pacific Swift back in 2013. We parked up and had a quick cuppa kindly provided by Chris. As we were drinking it the mega alert went off telling me that an Eastern Bonelli’s Warbler was at Dungeness. Despite my request to head that way I was outvoted!! 

We then set upon the long walk to the hides dodging the showers noting a female Marsh Harrier and half a dozen Little Egret. Upon entering the hide we were informed the bird was seen about 10 minutes ago and roughly where. 20 minutes passed before it was re-found and great views were had of the adult Purple Heron. My second in about 6 5 weeks after the bird on Scilly.

With the bird in the book we trudged back to the car and headed for home via the Hertfordshire village of Braughing. With help from people on the Herts WhatsApp group we had directions for where to park and walk and within 10 minutes we were at the desired location and almost immediately heard the “wet me lips” call of a Quail. Despite it only being 10 feet in front of us in not very tall crops we never saw it but call was good enough for a year tick! 4 Yellowhammer and a Lesser Whitethroat also made the list.