22/03/20205 Undisclosed Location, Scotland

Capercaillie: First of all let me make it clear, this bird was observed with the upmost respect, off a unrestricted public path that was well used by dog walkers and cyclists during the time we were observing the bird. Also this bird was photographed outside of the the Lek It Be guidance, not to visit capercaillie lek sites during April and May when the birds are lekking (gathered to mate). From the April the 1st to 31st of August, when capercaillie are breeding and raising their young, birders and photographers should avoid capercaillie areas if they can. 

I think it's important to state this, not only to cover my own back in a way from any naysayers and pot stirrers, you know the keyboard worries who don't engage positively in any post, but seek to undermine. But also, to shine a light on the good work that the Lek it Be campaign are doing and to reduce any potential impact on capercaillie, by spelling out their guidance.

These impressive beasts are the largest member of the game bird family and resides exclusively in the pinewoods of Scotland. Male cappers are mainly grey in colour and have reddish-brown wings with a white patch on the shoulder. The head, neck and breast are tinged with blue, and the eye is fringed  by a ring of red skin. Males also have a “beard,” that is most noticeable during courtship displays, and a broad fanned tail. 

This bird was aggressively pumped up with testosterone and with it's wings pointed down, tail flared and beard bristling it was busily charging at dog walkers, cyclists and even a jogger!

We kept our distance, and respected the birds boundaries backing off when it approached.

One thing that struck me was how respectful the other passersby were acting, with most of the dog walkers stopping and moving through the woods the avoid part of the public track the bird was occupying or dismounting and walking past the bird more gracefully and light footed then just speeding by. 

Capercaillie make full use of a varied pinewood habitat. In winter the birds need pine trees for food and in summer good ground cover of shrubby vegetation for nesting and chick rearing. This reliance on, and exacting needs of, a varied but specific habitat led to their extinction in the past when the forests were destroyed by people. Though hunting played a part, it probably only accelerated the inevitable process. 

Today, as detailed above, capercaillie are under threat from various factors but not least because of reduction of their favoured habitat. Research has shown that capercaillie densities are highest in semi-natural woodland. Despite this, 60% of the population are found in plantation type woodlands, because there is not enough undisturbed native pinewood habitat left to support a majority of the capercaillie numbers.

All capercaillie in Scotland are from Swedish stock, as the species became extinct in Scotland in 1785. The population has halved in recent years and a variety of threats including habitat loss and fragmentation, birds flying into deer fencing and chick mortality due to wet and cool weather now face this species.

As part of the Lek It be guidance I will not be including any information about specific site locations in the post and I will not be or sharing any information regarding the birds location.

06/03/2025 Parkend, Gloucestershire

Hawfinch: I had a few days in Chepstow with work event and managed to get out and do a mini twitch for the famous Parkend hawfinch which was around 30 minutes up the raod from where I was staying.

Hawfinch are a declining woodland bird, but do have a stronghold in the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley. Trees such as hornbeam and wych elm that produce a high amount of seed are particularly important for hawfinch.

These tree species are becoming less frequent within and is creating food shortages, so conservation and woodland management charities have been working to plant more of these seed-rich trees in the Forest of Dean, to be able to give hawfinch better access to food throughout the year and stabilising the hawfinch population across the Forest of Dean.

One of the best places across the whole of the UK to see these birds is at Parkend, a small village, located at the foot of the Cannop Valley. Close to the cricket pitch lies a row of mature yew trees situated close to a road where. you can park, wind down the window and see the birds at close range without disturbing them. 

My main tip is to "stay in your car" there's no need to get out and spook them, you can get some sensational views and photos from the car. 

When I arrived there were  four cars already parked up and positioned and I managed to find a space and almost immediately a male and female hawfinch landed besides the car. 

I've seen dozens of hawfinch in my time, but never like this, never at such a close range. I had five birds possibly six, two females and more male birds with one mighty aggressive male that was chasing most of the other males away from the ground.

The hawfinch has a large, cone-shaped bill that's strong enough to crush cherry stones. Its bill is its most striking feature. The hawfinch's bill is oversized and powerful and can exert a pressure of over 150 pounds per square inch. This is enough to crush an olive stone, and the equivalent of a thousand times its own weight!! crazy!!

22/02/2025 Rhuddlan, Denbighshire, North Wales

Glossy Ibis: For the first time in a long time high pressure dominated and the thick blanket of clouds departed leaving behind wall to wall blue skies.  So having made plans to head out with Gary Edwards we started the morning at Moore Nature Reserve before heading down the road to Denbighshire for the glossy.

When we arrived the bird was no longer at Rhuddlan Nature Reserve and was foraging on the fields opposite. It was great to see it up close, watching it using its long, curved bill to probe into shallow water, wet mud to detect and seize worms and other invertebrates.

Glossy ibis are migratory with the majority European birds winter in Africa. Birds from other populations may disperse widely outside the breeding season. While generally declining in Europe it has recently established a breeding colony in Southern Spain. It is a rare vagrant to the UK.

However they numbers are increasing and even back in 2014, a pair attempted to breed in Lincolnshire, the first such attempt in Britain and the first successful breeding in Britain was a pair which fledged one young in  Cambridgeshire in 2022. 

18/02/2025 Bury, Greater Manchester

Barn Owl: Perhaps the most familiar British owl, the barn owl will often hunt during the daytime and can be seen ‘quartering’ low over fields and grasslands looking for its next small mammal meal. And although I have seen dozens of barn owl, I've never had the opportunity to photograph them.

So who best to team up with then Martin Loftus, the owl whisperer of Bury. We headed out on Sunday afternoon and staked out an area in Bury where we waited patiently in the cold. 

Barn owls are found in relatively open landscapes, often on lowland farmland across Britain where their main prey species thrive. 

They are not a woodland or urban species although, perhaps more than other owl species, they are comfortable living in relatively close proximity to humans and are commonly found using barns or deserted buildings for roosting and nesting

These owls prefer open rough grassland where their prey of small mammals can be found in high densities, predominantly voles, mice, and shrews. They may also hunt along field margins, the edge of woodlands, watercourses or even roads, and any other grassy areas

Martin and I waited around an hour and a half before we spotted an owl hunting in the fields close by. Eventually it was joined by a second bird and they both flew closer and closer - too close at times!

Really enjoyed this session, not only getting some stonking views of barn owl, but also spending the afternoon with Martin.

15/02/2025 Gigrin Farm, Rhayader, Powys

Red Kite: After my previous visits to Gigrin Farm, way back in 2012, and I felt that I knew what to expect, but I didn't expect this beautiful white kite. 

This leucistic, or "white", red kite is a regular visitor to the Gigrin Farm feeding station. With its stunning and striking coloration being caused by a rare genetic mutation which prevents normal pigmentation of the feathers resulting in predominantly white or pale plumage. Since the eyes and bare parts (bill, cere and legs) retain their normal colours, it is not a true albino.

Just like the last time I came here, I was feeling the pressure of the challenge that capturing any photographic opportunities. Its so hard to just concentrate on one bird! 

Grigrin Farm offers a wide selection of hides all offering a different perspective and catering for all types of audiences. From ground lever hides, tower hides, panoramic hides and photographic hides. 

I chose the later, which offers a larger unrestricted window to point the big lens out of, and a bigger hoide to move around in. It was great. This cost £30, well worth every penny!

When the tractor comes close with its trailer full of kite food the swarm of kites descend right in front of the hides, its such a thrill to witness, a real wildlife spectacle. Hundreds of wild Red Kites are fed at Gigrin Farm every day of the year.

Red Kite: Once the main swarm of kites have swooped down catching the bits of chicken and then flying away without landing a few birds remain and even land on the ground picking up the scraps.

In the 1980s, anyone who wanted to see a red kite had to make a dedicated pilgrimage to a handful of locations. Today, it is a daily sight for millions of people.

In just a few decades, the red kite has been brought back to the UK, and we are now home to nearly 10% of the world’s red kite population. This could be the greatest species success story in British conservation history.

02/02/2025 WWWT Steart Marshes, Somerset

Least Sandpiper: Finally on my list, this bird was one of my biggest bogey birds and long awaited for. It's been at Steart Marshes since before Christmas and I dipped it the other week after seeing the eagle.  

The least sandpiper is not only the smallest sandpiper species but also the smallest shorebird in the world. This diminutive bird breeds in Alaska and Arctic Canada and sightings in Britain are rare enough to attract a crowd.

The least sandpiper is named as such because as I've said it's the smallest shorebird in the world, with its scientific name "minutilla" directly translating to "very small" in Latin; essentially, it's the "least" or smallest among the sandpipers. 

The bird was picked up pretty distant in the thick vegetation before all the birds were spooked and took to the wing where it was picked up feeding opposite the Quantock Hides, just behind the main scape. 
 

19/01/2025 Marazion, Cornwall

Booted Eagle: Well, I finally made it down for the beagle, with a 1am alarm, a 13 hour round drive and a 2 hour wait in the freezing cold we thought we were going to be unlucky and be adding to our dip lists but managed to move over to the A394 railway bridge where the bird soared above our heads giving some brilliant views.

This magnificent bird is thought to have come from southern or eastern Europe and is also thought 

to be the same bird that was seen at Kenidjack Valley in west Cornwall back in October.

Seen from below the booted eagle has striking looking wings with a distinctive black edge and white body.

 

Unfortunately the bird didn't hang around long before soaring over a hill and out of view. But we didn't care, we both dipped the dark phased booted in Oxfordshire so to connect with this beaut was a thrill. 

18/01/2025 Victoria Park, St Helens

Ringed-necked Duck: The long staying RND has finally moved off its wintering grounds of Eccleston Mere. A private site with no access the bird has relocated (if only temporarily) to Victoria Park on a small boating lake.

This dabbling duck, a cousin of our tufted ducks and named for the brown collar across its black neck. Both sexes carry a pale ring around the bill, close to the bean, and females have pale feathering around the base of the bill and a browny-grey body.

This North American native nests across much of Canada, Alaska, and the Arctic, with a population also breeding year-round in the northwestern portion of the continental United States.  

Each year, vagrants appear in Britain, though escaped captive birds are considered with these reports.