29/09/2024 Stamford Bridge, East Yorkshire

Hoopoe: This long staying bird that has taken up residence in a small housing estate just north of York, happily feeding on the manicured lawns has been here for over a week now. 

With its pinkish-brown body, distinctive black and white wings, long, black, downcurved bill and a long pinky-brown crest which it raises when it gets excited, the hoopoe is a sight to behold.

They don't breed in the UK, and only about 100 might turn up in the UK each year - normally on the South Coast in spring when they are migrating north from Africa to Europe and offshoot and end up in England. They tend to be solitary birds.

Kris, Gary and I saw the bird last week wen we were passing back from Flamborough, but only saw the bird a few times briefly before the light  went. This time we pulled up, jumped out and bingo! The bird was foraging for leatherjackets outside of number one Fox Grove. 

Not particularly rare these days, but forever a such a great bird to watch. 

04/10/2020 Collingham, West Yorkshire

Hoopoe: I've maybe seen around 4 or 5 hoopoe in the UK during my birding years, but I've never seen one like this before. This bird was remarkably tame and not at all camera shy!

Just how I like my birds!






The last time i saw a hoopoe in the Uk was only back in May this year and it too was an urban bird, but was much more shy and prone to disturbance than this individual.

Hoopoes breed across most of Europe, except Scandinavia, favouring open country and clumps of old trees including pollard willows, meadows orchards and olive plantations. Almost all migrate in autumn - usually at night - to winter in Africa, south of Sahara.

So to see one hopping around a residential estate seemingly not bothered by the dog walker, joggers, families doing the school run and the gang of toggers with their large lens's is very odd indeed.

But like i said the bird wasn't bothered, I was literally sitting on the opposite side of the kerb while the bird trundled along in front of me.

This chap was happy foraging along the roadside and pavements using its long slender curved bill to search for food from between the cracks and crevices of the road and even between the cracks of the block paved driveways.

There is no bird that I know which has such a pull with birders and toggers then a hoopoe.  Famous for its pinkish plumage, downturned bill and bizarre headdress hoppe are certainly charismatic birds.

I heard later on in the morning that the bird eventually moved on to the nearby cricket pitch but  was still very obliging.

A must see, especially if you need hoopoe on your list, it might be a long while before you see one at such close quarters.

19/05/2020 Adderbury, Oxfordshire

Hoopoe: It would have been rude not have stopped off for this cracking little bird, considering I was working 15 minutes down the road from it!

Arriving at first light the bird showed well, if briefly a couple of times before performing a disappearing act.

Its beautiful down here, not only did I get lucky with the Mediterranean weather, I got lucky and saw this Mediterranean bird the only thing out of place was the large four wheel drives parked outside of the very well to do leafy suburbs of Oxfordshire.

I watched as the bird was fed on leatherjackets on a well manicured lawn on Rawlins Close, Twyford. Not only did the bird remained pretty distant, the birders who arrived throughout the very early morning kept their 2m distance too! Avery well behaved bunch.

To whom it may concern, you can attend a twitch, put out news of a rare bird and people obey the guidance.....

Bracciano Italy

Hoopoe: Last week I took Dawn away for her birthday, we decided on visiting Rome but staying outside of the city in order to see more scenic places and have our own pool and stayed in a place called Bracciano.

Bracciano is a small town in the Italian region of Lazio, 30 kilometres northwest of Rome. The town is famous for it's large volcanic lake and for a particularly well-preserved medieval castle Castello Orsini-Odescalchi.

We stayed in a beautiful little Villa called Country House Due Miglia with our own private pool, surrounded by olive groves.

It was here right next to our hire car where I spotted a couple of Hoopoe foraging, I saw these in the area a couple of times but on our very last day the birds came particularly close.

The gardens had plenty of Sardinian Warbler, Barn Swallows, Serin, Hooded Crow and Kites over head.

Black Kite: One afternoon while Dawn spent the day sunning herself beside the pool I decided to leave the Villa and go explore. I followed a small dirt track and meandered around the wheat fields and olive groves.

It was here I got up close and personal to a Black Kite which spent an hour or so circling over a nearby Villa, it was soon joined by a second Black and then a Red Kite.

Hooded Crow: Back at the Villa I spent some more time getting some shots of the local Hooded Crows.

Brilliant mini-break, good birds albeit not a birding holiday, great sights and Villa. Seeing the Colosseum was a big highlight, that place is breathtaking.

19/01/2016 Hinksford, Staffordshire

Hoopoe: From Gloucester I headed up to Staffordshire to see the long staying Hoopoe which has surprisingly been present on the site since early December.

Despite getting lost and taking the wrong turn up the M5 I made relatively good time and thanks to a lovely local lady called Rita I managed to find the place.

I parked up beside the bus stop parking area next to the old quarry when Rita was heading back to her car to get some gear. I asked if she knew where the Hoopoe was and she kindly walked me to the site. I would have struggled if it wasn't for her, so if you read this Rita -

**a big thank your for your help**

When Rita and I arrived the bird had been disturbed by a dog walker who spooked it off and we had to wait around an hour for it to return. However the bird seems pretty faithful to the site and the feeding location.

I've seen three Hoopoe in the UK now, but never this close and never this confiding! These birds never get boring, they are great looking birds with their down-turned bill and red-indian like crest.

The whole site was very muddy and wet with lots of rough ground all of which is ideal for Hoopoe who like to spend their time using that incredible bill to dig and find food.

The bird must keep it's whits about it as I saw at least three Fox's all over the site, two were furiously mating so lets hope its moves on long before it becomes dinner for a hungry Mr Fox.

21/12/2013 Conwy, Abergele

Hoopoe: After ticking off my first BBP down on Burton Marsh myself and Tom Marshall decided on having a look at this Hoopoe in Conwy.

This is probably the same bird I saw a few months back over the way in Rhyl, but this time I got a lot closer!

It has been suggested that the bird has been looking a bit sick and won't last the winter, but looking at it feeding underneath the caravans and flying between the sea wall and grass verge it looked fine to me.

I like this picture, Hoopoe look like an exotic sexy bird, strange to see within the backdrop of the A55 and the green traffic sign.

27/10/2013 The River Clwyd

Hoopoe: First stop the Clwyd where Mr Alex Jones found one of these great little birds on his local patch and as soon as I arrived and shook his hand I was greeted by my first UK Hoopoe.


The bird showed well, if a little distant for my lens before flying off for half an hour or so.




During this time I got talking to some of the old Burton Mere regulars who had just come back from Gronant where they said the Grey Phalarope was showing down to a few feet.

I decided to take a look for myself.