27/12/2024 Kent

American Yellow Warbler: This was one of the most sensational birding days I have experienced. After having to wait over Christmas and Boxing day in order to go down for the yellow warbler I wasn't expecting much. As time went on the bird became more elusive and appeared to change it routine.

For the first couple of days the bird was doing a circuit, favouring some mature alder trees on the opposite side of a ditch that backs onto a sewage works.  When the bird appears in these trees it would often forage for prolonged periods. I left at 3am, picking Kris Wade and Paul Baker up enroute and arrived at New Hythe which was shrouded in thick fog.

 

The bird kept us waiting almost 5 hours before it made an appearance, and when it did finally show itself, Kris and I decided that would be a good time to nip to Tesco for some food.  We were gutted, a rookie move. Feeling sheepish we reentered the crowed of happy birders hoping we wouldn't be the only two within the 200 plus string crowed who hadn't seen the bird.

Eurasian Scops Owl: We didn't have to wait long before the warbler reappeared and put on the best show it ha done over the whole time it had been here. Kris and I were relieved to say the least, and thrilled to have seen it at such close close quarters.

Earlier in the day an unexpected report of a scops owl was spread through grapevine. Having seen the 2017 durham bird I didn't give it much thought but when we left New Hythe we decided to give it a go as Kris needed it. 

It was only an hour away and again once we arrived at Broadstairs, near Ramsgate we were greeted with thick fog once again. 

A crowed of birders gathered in the gloom as the sun set and after a short, cold wait the owl was found using thermal imagers. Scops owls are rare visitors to the UK, but they are sometimes spotted in the Spring and Autumn and are more common in southern Europe. These tiny owls migrates south of the Sahara, making it the only European owl to do so regularly. Two qauity birds to end the birding year on.

21/12/2024 Southport, Merseyside

Snow Bunting: Now an annal visitor to this stretch of Southport beach I couldn't resist a morning visit just after the high hinds and while Dawn have the baby for the day giving me some free time. 

Snow bunts are cracking little birds, often on the whole they aren't camera or person shy so if you approach slowly and carefully you can get pretty close to them. 

The area of beach it favours is south of the pier, opposite the cinema and retail park feeding close to the sea wall and strand line. 

Snow buntings are predominantly a winter visitor to Britain and Ireland although a tiny breeding population remains amongst snow fields on the highest peaks in Scotland. 

They do disperse and can be found regularly along the north west coast. 

18/12/2024 Moses Gate Country Park, Bolton

Caspian gull: I finally caught up with the long staying 1st winter Caspo which has been showing particularly well on the main lake.

Having dipped this bird a few days earlier with Kris Wade I gave myself a bit more time today to wait for the bird to make appearance. 

This time I waited around an hour before the bird appeared on the grass bank beside the lake, standing out like a bright white beacon amongst the slightly darker juvenile herring gulls. 

Typically they the head is proportionately quite small and pear-shaped, showing the characteristic sloping forehead, which is further enhanced by the long and slim bill. 

They have a high proud chest extending on to a rounded belly that is white with a white head. Tricky birds to connect with and often overlooked.