Beds + Cambs - 5.5.25

A rubbish nights sleep saw me up stupidly early and despite trying to get back to sleep I didn’t so I thought I’d just get up and head into enemy territory or better known as Bedfordshire. As I drove past Luton I did have a little chuckle at their second successive relegation but I soon arrived at Stewartby Lake.

I walked down a footpath and quite quickly I heard the rattle of a Lesser Whitethroat followed a minute or so later by the beautiful song of a couple of Nightingale. I eventually caught a glimpse of one albeit just the head as it belted out its fluty song. A female Marsh Harrier drifted past and a Garden Warbler was heard too.

As it was still early I checked the sat nav and saw that Grafham Water was less than 30 minutes away so off I headed for just my second visit to the site.

Spotted Sandpiper

I arrived in good time and parked up in the Plummer car park only to see a message that my intended target had flown off 10 minutes earlier. The wind was strong and making it feel cold despite it being the start of May and after 20 minutes of searching it was still missing. I wandered over to the dam and thankfully found it feeding along the waters edge of the south bank. Good views were had in the end and my fifth Spotted Sandpiper was in the notebook. It was my first since the brief Hilfield Reservoir bird in 2012 and only my second spotty one. The only other one was my first one back in 2002 on the Durham/Northumberland border.

It was still early so I then headed to Fen Drayton RSPB. I parked up and walked for less than 5 minutes before I heard the purring of a Turtle Dove. I finally managed to pick it out but just after I got my binoculars on it it flicked up and vanished into the trees. Another couple of Lesser Whitethroat were heard.

Another check of the sat nav showed I wasn’t too far from Ouse Fen RSPB reserve. I’d only been there the previous weekend but as there was something else to see I headed over. The first bird of note was the Great Reed Warbler that was still croaking in its favoured reeds. As I rounded the bend further west of the GRW I picked up a couple of Hobby for the year list. As it was there were at least 40 birds present a number I’d never seen before. 

An Arctic Tern was a nice surprise as it flew over the marsh and the pinging of Bearded Tits was heard but just a split second view of one. After scanning the Hobbies for what seemed like forever I finally managed to pick out the orangey breast of one of the two female Red-footed Falcons on site as it banked. A 3-4 second view is all I managed but it was nice to get in on the National influx of this species.

My quick morning out had turned into a 6.5 hour multi site visit but 7 year ticks were had.

Ouse Fen RSPB - 27.4.25

Bittern

I joined Matt and George Moreton on a trip to Cambridgeshire with my first ever visit to Ouse Fen RSPB reserve. Upon arrival we scanned over a pool to look for a pair of Garganey that’d been see the previous day but no joy. We then walked up the footpath but we didn’t get too far before I spotted a Bittern flying towards us. It landed out in the open and we got it in our scopes. George then said it’s walking left but the one me and Matt were watching wasn’t. There were 2 Bittern and both out in the open! 2 more were heard booming too.

Great Reed Warbler

After our fill of those we continued up the path being serenaded by at least 2 Cuckoo’s. All of a sudden I heard the deep croaky song of our main target. After a quick wait we picked it out from amongst the reeds and there it was my second ever Great Reed Warbler. My last was in Surrey in 2002 but wasn’t as showy as this bird. The Cuckoo’s were still cuckooing and then I heard the bugling of a Crane somewhere out towards the north.

Before we left we had another scan of the original pool and Matt immediately picked out the pair of Garganey to end a fantastic morning. Such a shame Hertfordshire doesn’t have a site like this.

Wilstone Yet Again - 26.4.25

More often than not any Whimbrel that appear at the Tring Reservoirs are either brief or fly through so with the current water levels being low one appeared and stuck around so I popped up and thankfully it was still present and showed well from the hide. 

My first Swift of the year was seen high above the reservoir and in the NE corner 2 Egyptian Geese took off from the water and headed NE. 

Whimbrel

200 Up - 25.4.25

A quick after work trip to Croxley Common Moor saw me add Whitethroat and Garden Warbler to the year list. The Whitethroat was my 200th species of the year so far. A female Bullfinch was also seen.

Cassiobury Mega - 24.4.25

There I was in work on a normal Thursday. After a morning of Green Flag work we headed back to the yard in Cassiobury Park and I was about halfway between the van and the mess room when I heard the spinning coin trill of a Wood Warbler! Surely not I thought but it continued to sing and it then showed well in the garden of the neighbouring cottages. 

I put the news out but then had to return to work but once back I walked out the back of the yard to see a handful of familiar faces and thankfully photos had been taken to prove I wasn’t hallucinating! 

This bird was the 2nd record for the park with the previous one seen way back in May 1986. It was also my first in Herts since 2015 and anywhere since 2016. 

Wood Warbler courtesy of Rupert Evershed

Wilstone Again - 21.4.25

Rain had dropped in quite a few Arctic Terns on Marsworth but as I had things to do I didn’t arrive until mid afternoon by which time the rain had stopped and the Arctic’s had gone. But I was rewarded with 3 Black Terns instead which are always a joy to see. The Baikal Teal was seen again and as it turned out was its last day on site which can only help its chances of acceptance.

Black Tern

Herts Mega! - 20.4.25

Female Baikal Teal

There I was sorting through my bags, putting a wash on and enjoying a bit of a lazy day when a message pinged up on my phone saying BAIKAL TEAL still from the hide at Wilstone! Wait what! I’d missed the original message 30 minutes earlier so I quickly grabbed my optics and car keys and 20 minutes later I was on site and to my surprise there were still spaces in the car park. 

At the top of the stairs I year ticked Common Tern followed by a quick power walk round to the hide. Again to my surprise there was room in the hide with just a few familiar faces present. Mike Illet kindly allowed me a view through his scope to get my eye in and I then found it in mine and took the above photo. This female bird was quite well camouflaged against the rocks but the facial pattern was obvious. 

If accepted it’ll become the 1st record for Herts and my 3rd in the UK. 

My 3rd year tick of the visit was a Little Ringed Plover on the right hand side of the spit. 

Scilly + Cornwall - 19.4.25

As the weather was dry I sat outside for the boat trip back to Penzance. 60+ Manx Shearwater, 4 Fulmar and a year tick Great Skua were the bird highlights however non bird sightings were the blow of a whale to the NE of the islands which was most likely a Humpback and brief views of a Bluefin Tuna 30 minutes out from Penzance.

Once I’d picked up my luggage and got back to my car which thankfully hadn’t been towed/vandalised as I’d parked it on a side road saving myself about £80 from not parking in the main car park I headed straight to a Marazion Marsh RSPB where a 5 minute wait finally delivered the main target with just my 3rd ever Savi’s Warbler reeling from the reeds.

The journey home was thankfully uneventful at I climbed into bed just after 11pm.

Just 5 1/2 months until I’m back on Scilly.

Scilly - 18.4.25

 My last full day had arrived already and it turned out to be a quiet one albeit with a Scilly tick.

At Parting Carn the weeks only Sparrowhawk zoomed through and on Porth Hellick pool was a lone Shelduck.

A bare field opposite Pelistry Farm held the weeks 8th Ring Ouzel and during a scan from just south of Watermill Cove I saw 2 more Great Northern Diver but about 2/3rds of the way over towards St.Martin’s I picked up the aforementioned Scilly tick with a female Red-breasted Merganser flying east before I lost it behind the eastern isles.

Scilly - 17.4.25

Woodchat Shrike

I was up on the Garrison wondering where to go when news reached me of a Woodchat Shrike at the south end of Bryher. I had a cheeky scope over and could see the finder watching it but I couldn’t quite pick it out so I’d have to head over for a better look!

I seem to get lost every time I go to Bryher and today was no different but eventually I arrived at the south end of Samson Hill and after a few minutes another birder picked it out. For the next 20 minutes we watched it flit between the Gorse bushes and even above the beach. 

Puckies Carn was somewhere I’d never heard of but I found it on the map and headed that way. After a minute or so the female Pied Flycatcher popped into view before flitting over the brow of the hill.

After some lunch news of a Grasshopper Warbler that’d been found by Scilly legend Will Wagstaff near Great Porth had me briskly walking there but for the 4th time this week I missed it.

Great Northern Diver

After a few minutes of not seeing the warbler I scanned Great Porth and found a Great Norther Diver. The campsite was my next destination but I again missed a warbler this time a Whitethroat but as I walked back towards Fraggle Rock cafe I heard the reeling of a Grasshopper Warbler. At last!

By now it was time to head to the quay and as I was waiting for the boat to arrive I spotted 7 Whimbrel flying over the Tresco channel towards Bryher.