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.