Another Mega! - 19.7.26

Long-tailed Shrike

Back in November 2000 the UK’s first ever Long-tailed Shrike was found on South Uist. It was only twitchable for 2 days but had apparently been there for a few days before. Fast forward to 5th July this year and news broke of the second ever record being found near Crail in Fife. The 1st summer male bird was moulting and so it was thought that’d it’d do what the Bempton Turkestan Shrike did and stick about for a few weeks until it’d completed its moult but after just 4 days it vanished.

This left a lot of birders frustrated but for me it did save me 16+ hours in a car in a heatwave with rubbish aircon!

Long-tailed Shrike

Fast forward again to 18th July and news broke of a Long-tailed Shrike on the Glos/Oxon border. Sadly the news was also of it as being seen from 8-16th July but had been suppressed due to concerns about traffic chaos in the narrow countryside lanes. Amazingly this 1st summer male bird was a different bird to the Fife one going on plumage differences so it becomes the UK’s third record! But we’d not be able to see the bird as it’d too vanished.

Or so we thought as mid morning of Sunday 19th July Glos birder Mike King who had spent a fruitless 4 hours trying re-find it was walking back to his car when the bird flew past his shoulder and perched up nicely for him!

I was in the middle of packing for moving house when the mega alert went off but packing would have to wait. There was no time to wait and so I grabbed my gear and was out the door. I arranged to get Matt Moreton and for once the bird was only 1 hour 40 minutes away so a bit less driving than going for the Scottish one. The journey down was good apart from me missing a turn and having to do a few extra miles but we eventually reached Eastleach Martin but we couldn’t get to the now designated parking area as the lane was blocked by cars due to the bird being in roadside bushes so we parked up carefully nearby and walked down to the bird. 

I lagged behind Matt as usual but he let me have a look at the bird through his scope to get my eye in. Once in my scope I could enjoy it and add LONG-TAILED SHRIKE to my list. Species number 499 on my UK list I wonder what 500 will be (again)?!

Whilst there I saw Cliff Smith who’d managed to get up to the Fife bird on its second day, spending 23 hours driving there and back only for this bird to appear ‘down the road’!

 

Welsh Mega

Having missed out on a potential tick of the Cornish Lesser Kestrel due to both my kids coming down with illness the evening before I was due to go I was wondering whether I’d actually get a new bird this year. 

Thankfully that wait wasn’t too long when a dark morph Western Reef Heron the first record of this species in the UK was discovered in Gwynedd. It then transpired it’d been first seen in Pembrokeshire some weeks earlier. 

I joined Brendon Fagan and Ricky Flesher for the long drive to Foryd Bay made even longer due to a crash on the M1 which shut the motorway for almost an hour. On arrival we parked up and scanned from the car where I picked out a female Goosander. Sadly the weather wasn’t great and we got soaked watching the bird feeding just offshore but WESTERN REEF HERON was on our lists.

Western Reef Heron

We didn’t hang around too long due to the weather so we headed north into Anglesey. We had a quick look over Holyhead Harbour for Black Guillemot but failed to see any. Next stop was South Stack RSPB. This was my first visit here since 2003 when I watched another dark coloured mega in the shape of a male Black Lark. 

South Stack Lighthouse

We parked up and got some info from the staff of where best to go and they showed us on a map and off we went. 3 Raven flew over followed by 2 Chough. From the steps we could see numerous Razorbill, Guillemot and 2 Puffin as well as Fulmar and Kittiwake. Out at sea were lots of Manx Shearwater.

After a quick cup of tea we went back to Holyhead Harbour. I picked out at least 6 Sandwich Tern on the far side and then when scanning the harbour I had a nice summer plumaged Black Guillemot fly through my scope view.

Our final stop was to Llyn Brenig. This was a new site for me and I was very impressed by it and the number of birds. Along the entrance track Brendon spotted 2 male Bullfinch feeding on the grass the other side of the fence. We headed down to the Osprey viewpoint and along the way I found a Tree Pipit, numerous Siskin, Redpoll and numerous singing Willow Warbler.

Willow Tit (bottom left)

We eventually reached the viewpoint and after a quick scan we saw an Osprey on the nest. Our gaze was then drawn to the feeders in front of us. Between the feeders and the trees behind us we managed a family group consisting of a whopping 8 Willow Tit. I’d only seen 2 in the previous 42 years!

We arrived back at my house just after 10pm after a great days birding.
 

Cuckoo - 22.5.26

I was helping do a job at KGV playing fields in Watford when just before 10am as I was walking to the van I heard the distant song of a Cuckoo coming from the direction of Hampermill Lake. This is my first in the Watford area for 10-15 years. It was from this site many many years ago I had one singing on and off for 2 days in August! 

Firecrests - 30.4-16.5.26

In Oxhey Park whilst getting it ready for green flag judging I picked up a Firecrest in Oxhey Dell followed by another by the Deacons Hill side a couple of days later.

I then had one as it headed through the yard at Cassiobury which was possibly a different bird to the one my friend and colleague Nick Harris found at the Rickmansworth Road end of the park while he was out running.  I did hear that bird the following day to my sighting.

Then yesterday I was out looking at houses in Chipperfield and had one in the garden of one of the houses and another in the churchyard by the common.

Patch Weekender - 25/26.4.26

After a years hiatus it was again the Hertfordshire patch weekend challenge. This year I joined Matt and George Moreton and at 5am we were at Wilstone waiting for it to get light. But before it had we heard Tawny Owls calling from the cemetery corner area. This was a patch tick for myself. Soon after George picked out 3 Shelduck as they circled the reservoir.

We then walked around the reservoir where I added year ticks of Lesser Whitethroat and Swift and by cemetery corner the unmistakable call of a Cuckoo.

When we reached the jetty we finally laid eyes on the Lesser Scaup and with it a bumper 18 points!

Lesser Scaup

When walking along the canal path near Marsworth Reservoir we bumped into a kayaker who was scared to head any further due to a territorial Mute Swan and as we turned around to look at the Swan we all clapped eyes on a female Marsh Harrier as it headed towards Bulbourne! An unexpected bonus. We ended the day on 82 species and the Sunday only added 1 more species to the total which was a fly through Ringed Plover.

Those 18 points eventually won us the competition even though we saw 8 species less than the team with the biggest number of species.

Roll on next year.

Cassiobury - 24.4.26

The day of judging meant going around the park making it look as good as possible. While I was litter picking the nature reserve I finally came across my first Reed Warbler for the park. In fact I ended up hearing 3 different birds! It was a year to the day since I’d found the Wood Warbler behind the yard so I wonder what warbler I’ll find next year? Rüppell’s anyone!

Also seen were a female Kestrel, Kingfisher and 2 Whitethroat.

Cassiobury - 14.4.26

Whilst prepping Cassiobury Common ready for green flag judging I heard the song of a Garden Warbler which was my first park record for many a year. It sang for a few minutes before vanishing.

Herts Tick! - 13.4.26

The kids had been off school for the 2 week Easter holidays but with an inset day for them but not for my teacher wife meant they stayed the night at their nans in Watford so after work I picked them up and shot up to Wilstone and joined Ian Williams near the outflows where I got onto the Lesser Scaup and his tufty mate as he’d finally done the right thing and headed into Herts. It became the 4th county record and my 1st. 

Lesser Scaup

Herts 1st at Tyttenhanger which was just the 12th for GB was a few years before I started county listing, the 2nd a female I dipped at Wilstone as it was almost dark when I got there from work and the 3rd at Stockers Lake picked the day I was looking for somewhere to live so today’s bird was a long awaited bird.

A Common Tern and Yellow Wagtail were year firsts and as I approached the car park a group of 6 Oystercatchers flew over becoming the biggest flock I’ve seen in the county.

Wilstone + College Lake - 4.4.26

With news of a potential patch tick albeit it in the wrong county I headed up to Wilstone first until College Lake opened. On the way up the A41 at Bourne End my first Swallow of the year flew over followed a few at Wilstone. Sand Martin also made the year list as did 2 Little Ringed Plover from the hide.

Little Ringed Plover

Once it was 10am it was time to head to College Lake. After a short walk I joined a couple of familiar faces and got onto the patch tick. A fine drake Lesser Scaup that had seemingly paired up with a female Tufted Duck. This was the first record for Buckinghamshire and upon checking Google maps I found it was about 250 feet from the Herts border. Yet another so close and yet so far. 

Lesser Scaup

Sedge Warbler and Willow Warbler were also added to the year list and a Curlew that flew over the north end of the reserve was only my 3rd in the area.

Back To Norfolk - 29.3.26

I again joined Brendon this time back to Norfolk. Our first stop was Baldock model aircraft to look for Wheatears that’d been present for the week but they’d gone but great views of Corn Bunting were nice to see.

A quick stop at Cavenham Heath produced 2 Stone Curlew then it was on to Santon Downham where we walked along the river path. Good numbers of Redpoll (at least 30) including some nice pink males, 2 pairs of Mandarin and year ticks of Reed Bunting and Yellowhammer were noted. After a while we joined a small group of birders and quite quickly got onto a pair of Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, a few Crossbill and a nice Marsh Tit.

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker

We then headed to Horsey Gap where after a stroll through the dunes to the north of the car park where we met some departing birders telling us that the Glaucous Gull had gone but the Iceland Gull was still about. After a few minutes I picked it out with other gulls in amongst the seals. This was my first since 2018.

Out at sea were 30+ Red-throated Diver and most surprising of all a summer plumaged Black-throated Diver that was some way off but eventually took flight as it headed south.

Iceland Gull

Once back at the car park we told some new arrivals of where to go and they reciprocated telling us of 2 Cranes in a field just south of Horsey Windmill. We found them quickly at the far side of the field and as we headed for home I noted a Great White Egret on the other side of the road.