And so 2026 Begins

Christmas 2025 came and went and we had a very quiet and peaceful time, it was all very pleasant with cold and crisp days and no rain for a change which helped the Christmas vibe but I'm glad its now over for another year and I can't help wondering what it really is all about.

To try and shift some Christmas lard we had a walk along The Plym from Laira Bridge to Marsh Mills and back on Tuesday 30th December and it was the only birding I did over the Christmas period. The tide was heading in and I kept an eye out along the river for the reported Great Northern Diver and male Goldeneye but with no luck.

The female Red-crested Pochard was on the duck pond and I finally saw a Saltram Redwing for the year with a single bird in the wet wood alongside a single Song Thrush. 4 Goosanders (1 male) and 2 Little Grebe were along the river near Marsh Mills and 2 Chiffchaff were feeding in the trees along The Ride.

We had a walk around Plymouth Hoe on New Years Day to start off my birding list for 2026, it was cold, crisp, dry and sunny and very pleasant but also very busy with walkers. However I was very pleased to find a pair of Blackcap feeding on Ivy berries near Fisherman's Nose, a Purple Sandpiper feeding with 2 Turnstones on the jetty below the Pier One cafe and a Chiffchaff and a male Black Redstart feeding around the Lifeboat Station at Rusty Anchor and I ended up seeing 23 species of bird without really trying.

Plymouth Hoe, New Years Day

It was another cold and crisp morning on Friday January 2nd as I headed out to catch an early train to Topsham for my first proper birding day of the year. For some reason I was able to use my Devon and Cornwall Railcard before 9am despite it being a Friday and not a Bank Holiday but I wasn't going to argue as I paid just £9.75 for my ticket and caught the 7:45hrs train.

With the recent cold weather and some strong easterly winds there has been quite an influx of White-fronted Geese into the UK and in amongst them there have been a few Tundra Bean Geese, both species have been reported from Bowling Green Marsh and so I was keen to catch up with them. Sadly it wasn't meant to be for me today but despite my dipping the Geese I saw some good birds and had an enjoyable time.

I arrived at the Bowling Green Hide at around 10:30am, later than planned due to the train guard slipping on ice at Newcourt station which resulted in the train being terminated and my having to walk from there to Topsham! Annoyingly there had been 2 Russian White-fronted Geese on Bowling Green Marsh earlier but they had gone by the time I arrived - I would have seen them if the train had arrived into Topsham on time but never mind.

Mucky Geese, Bowling Green Marsh

Swan Goose, Bowling Green Marsh

It was a day of lovely lighting conditions in the cold air and mostly sunny skies and the highlights of my day were an Egyptian Goose at Darts Farm, a Spotted Redshank off the Viewing Platform along with Avocets and a Knot, yet more Avocets off The Goatwalk along with a Great Crested Grebe out on the river, a female Shoveler, a female Pintail and a pair of Gadwall on a nearly frozen over Bowling Green Marsh and a Marsh Harrier and a Raven overhead.

Black-tailed Godwit 

Canada Goose on a frozen Bowling Green Marsh

Birdwatching Boat Cruise off The Goatwalk

It was even colder on Saturday 3rd January and after clouds and a few snow flurries first thing in the morning it cleared through and became a beautiful sunny day as I headed out to The Plym for a walk. I started off at Laira Bridge and finished at Marsh Mills and while it was fairly quiet to begin with it soon became very busy with people enjoying the sunny but frosty day. The tide was ebbing when I arrived too and so by the time I reached Blaxton Meadow there were no birds present there but it was quite frozen over anyway.

A Frozen Blaxton Meadow

Snowdrops in Saltram Park

The highlight of my walk was a male Goldeneye out on the river off the Rowing Club, a rare sight indeed these days here in Devon and my first one on The Plym since 1997. It was busily diving away and at one point flew a short distance down river when it looked absolutely stunning in the sunshine, a very handsome bird and a much appreciated cold weather visitor.

After seeing just 1 Redwing at Saltram last year (on the 30th December!) it was good to see quite a few on todays visit, yet more cold weather migrants, and while I had some good views they were their usual skulky, flighty selfs. Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers were both initially heard but eventually gave themselves up and showed well and a male Blackcap was seen busily eating Ivy berries alongside Blackbirds. A Kingfisher was diving for fish near the gas pipe while out on the river a Little Grebe, a pair of Goosander and 11 Wigeon were seen. A perched up Buzzard along The Ride was getting short shrift from a Magpie before flying off and 3 female Roe Deer were feeding out in the open near the Parakeet tree.

Buzzard

Roe Deer

The female Red Crested Pochard had departed the duck pond again with just a few Moorhen and Mallard present as The National Trust continue their feeding ban while Mandarin Ducks are still conspicuous by their complete abscence. 

Mallard

All in all a very good start to the year with hopefully more to come in this cold and frosty weather.

The Year 2025

Bird of the Year - Wryneck at Turf

As 2025 draws to a close it's time to look back on the years wildlife sightings and choose my Top 10 highlights. It's been an interesting year with some great wildlife experiences but one dogged again by health issues which have impacted on my activities, hopefully 2026 will be a little more healthier.

I had foolishly decided to do a big 200+ species in a year this year, it's been 2 years since I last did one and it obviously takes me 2 years to forget how stressed and miserable it ultimately makes me! Things always go swimmingly well to begin with but as the year begins to fade birding becomes all about the ticks and not about the birds themselves and therefore ultimately much less enjoyable. I don't think I will do a 200+ species in a year challenge again.

I reached my 200 species in a year target on the 1st September with a Rose-coloured Starling at Wembury although I had only heard and not seen Nightjar and Tawny Owl at that point. I foolishly decided to carry on to see how many more birds I could add to the year list before the year end and I finished the year on 216 species including the heard only Nightjar. It's the highest number of bird species I've ever seen in a year in the UK but I did miss and dip quite a few birds along the way which was frustrating.

Anyway, here is my Top 10 of 2025 in no particular order......

1. Wryneck at Turf

Turf on the River Exe has been a little hotspot for birding this year and has provided me with a trio of top bird sightings - a Long-billed Dowitcher in February and a Lesser Crested Tern in December but best of all a Wryneck in August.

The Long-billed Dowitcher overwintered on The Exe but was very mobile and favouring various sites along the river, I'd seen it at Bowling Green Marsh in Topsham but the views of it at Turf were certainly the best I had.

The Lesser Crested Tern was certainly the rarest bird of the year, being only the 10th individual found in the UK, it also gave me the runaround along the Exe during its stay until I finally had some amazing views of it at Turf.

Long-billed Dowitcher and Lesser Crested Tern, Turf

However, with most of my Wryneck sightings having been brief or distant and with constant news reports and amazing photos coming through on the internet channels of a very confiding and long staying bird at Turf I had to go and have a look for it  - and what a bird it was! It's undoubtedly my bird of the year, giving the most incredible views down to just a few feet as it fed unconcernably on the grass around the Turf lock gate, a beautiful and charismatic bird with views I'm unlikely to ever get again.

Wryneck

2. Local Wildlife

Always on my Top 10 and even now after all these years I am still always amazed at what I can see so close to home.

Bird highlights have included Spoonbill, Goshawk, Arctic Skua, Merlin, Yellow-browed Warbler, Dartford Warbler, Cuckoo, Barn Owl, Nightjar, Little Stint, Yellow Wagtail, Spotted Flycatcher, Curlew Sandpiper, Osprey and Spotted Redshank with Common Dolphin, Dingy Skipper, Devils Fingers, Plymouth Thistle and Adder some of the non-avian highlights.

Dingy Skipper, Golden-ringed Dragonfly, Curlew Sandpiper and Devils Fingers

Wembury and The Plym have provided plenty of interest but I spent less time visiting them this year as I ventured further afield more often. The year lists ended on 113 and 107 respectively as a result but I'm still very pleased with the birds and wildlife I have encountered at these sites.

Wembury highlights have included Merlin, Curlew Sandpiper, Yellow Wagtail, Whinchat, Kingfisher, Tawny Owl, Dartford Warbler and Hobby but the best sightings were my first Short-eared Owl, Red-throated Diver and Cattle Egret, my second Rose-coloured Starling and Woodcock and my second and third Red Kite for Wembury.

Dartford Warbler, Reed Bunting, Red-legged Partridge, Black Redstart, Starling and Rose-coloured Starling at Wembury 

The Plym highlights have included Osprey, a male Red-crested Pochard briefly joining the semi-resident female bird, Red Kite, Jack Snipe, Shoveler, Curlew Sandpiper and Woodcock but the best sightings were my first Spoonbill and Yellow-browed Warbler and my second Little Stint and Yellow-legged Gull for The Plym. However I also missed out on seeing quite a few birds for here including Arctic and Little Tern, Glossy Ibis, Pied Flycatcher, Corncrake, Wryneck and Grasshopper Warbler but sometimes you just can't have it all.

Plym Ducks - Red-crested Pochard, Mandarin Duck, Goosander and Shoveler

It is so very easy for me to forget how much there is to see so close to home, I am so lucky to live in a place with such varied habitats right on my doorstep and looking back at my year is always a good way to remind myself of this.

3. A Trip to Ham Wall

A trip further afield to Ham Wall in Somerset back in May with Mavis and Kay was a great day out, it had been a while since my last visit and I had forgotten what a magical place it is for wildlife. It was a chilly day in the breeze but it remained dry and as the day went on the sun did emerge to warm things up a little.

The Dragonflies and Damselflies were amazing, they were everywhere and showed very well, I've never seen so many together perched up on the pathside vegetation when the sun disappeared behind the clouds. The high numbers meant plenty of food for Hobbys and we had some fantastic views of them as they hunted the Dragonflies over the reedbeds, it was amazing to watch the Dragonflys wings spiralling down to the ground as the Hobby caught and devoured them in mid-air.

We also had great views of Bittern, Marsh Harrier and Great White Egret but the star of the show was an unringed White Stork seen feeding with Cattle Egrets in the nearby fields as we left the car park to head home. 

Four-spotted Chaser, Great White Egret, Cattle Egret and White Stork

It was just a brilliant day out and in great company too, just perfect.

4. A Trip to Slimbridge

Another trip further afield to Slimbridge in Gloustershire back in early February was another excellent day out, I usually visit Slimbridge at the year end in December but decided to mix things up a bit and I'm glad I did as it was much more interesting and less busy than my usual pre-Christmas trip. 

I had a fantastic day, the travel arrangements worked out perfectly with no delays, the weather was claggy but remained dry and the birds showed beautifully. 

Little Stint, Glossy Ibis, Red Kite, Great White Egret, White-fronted Goose, Water Rail, Bewick's Swan, Crane, Marsh Harrier and Spoonbill were all highlights but the stars of the show for me were 2 Whooper Swans which included the ringed bird ASS who was anything but.

Water Rail, Tufted Duck, Spoonbill and Robin

Whooper and Bewick's Swans

5. Butterflies and Moths

With a hot and dry summer it was a much better year for butterflies in 2025 with 36 species being seen and the highlight was finally getting some excellent views of my first ever Devon Brown Hairstreaks at Chudleigh Knighton Heath with bonus White Admirals thrown in as well.

Devon Hairstreaks - Green, White-letter, Purple and Brown

It was a good year for High Brown Fritillary sightings too, my favourite UK butterfly species (although a highly contested one), and I also had good views of Silver Washed, Small Pearl-bordered, Dark Green and Pearl-bordered varieties too.

Devon Fritillaries - Pearl-bordered, Small Pearl-bordered, High Brown, Dark Green and Silver-washed 

Finding a colony of Dingy Skippers at Saltram was another highlight and I also had good views of them at the nearby Billacombe site. Green Hairstreaks showed beautifully at Wembury, the White-letter and Purple Hairstreaks at Oreston put on their usual good showing while Small Blue showed well at Berry Head. Wall Brown also had a good year and after what seemed to be an age of waiting Clouded Yellows eventually arrived in good numbers.

Devon Butterflies - Small Blue, Wall Brown, White Admiral and Clouded Yellow

I didn't get to do as much back yard moth boxing as I would have liked but I managed to catch a few of my favourite garden moths and it was good to see quite a few Hummingbird Hawk Moths while out and about on my walks.

Back Yard Moths - Coronet, Marbled Green, Bright Straw and Old Lady

6. Marazion

I only visit Marazion occassionally now as part of my birding day out in West Cornwall but this year I've been there a few times looking for birds and I have been mostly successful.

A Booted Eagle and Pacific Diver double dip on a January visit didn't start things off well but excellent views of a Hoopoe in March made up for it. Savi's Warbler was another dip on a visit in April but a repeat visit later in that month proved fruitful with my first life tick of the year obtained. Garganey and Wood Sandpiper sightings here in May and July respectively were my only ones of the year.

I visited Marazion 6 times in 2025 and saw a total of 73 species there, in a normal year I would only usually visit maybe once. Alongside the birds mentioned above I also had sightings of Marsh Harrier, Green Sandpiper and Jack Snipe plus the more usual and expected birds and Marazion has proved itself to be a little hotspot for birding, just like Turf on the River Exe has been.

Hoopoe and Garganey, Marazion 

7. Torbay Divers and Scoters

A trip to Torbay at the end of March on what was a glorious early spring day was very productive despite my not feeling that great. Regular reports of an immature male Surf Scoter being present was the reason for my visit and I easily caught up with it out in the Bay. Common Scoter were present too but a surprise were 4 Velvet Scoter flying across the bay before splashing down on the sea and making it a 3 Scoter day for me in Devon, quite a feat although all the sightings were a little distant.

Also seen albeit distantly were a Great Northern Diver along with single Red-throated and Black-throated varieties too and making it a 3 Diver day for me, another difficult feat to achieve in Devon.

The warm sunshine of the day was very restorative too and I was very pleased to see my first Peacock butterflies of the year flitting about along the clifftop, spring had certainly arrived and there was a lovely feeling of optimism for the rest of the year in the air.

My First Peacock of 2025

I also had another 3 Diver Day in Devon in December on a visit to Broadsands in Torbay when I had some good views of both Red-throated and Great Northern Divers out in the Bay but only a brief view of a Black-throated Diver.

Interestingly I also had a 3 Diver Day in Cornwall a few days later on a visit to Roskilly near Penzance where I saw a Pacific Diver, 5+ Great Northern Diver and 3+ Red-throated Diver. Sadly it was not to be a 4 Diver Day as I failed to find any Black-throated Divers that were also present in the area that day but never mind.

Pacific Diver, Roskilly

8. St.Ives

It was a poor year for seabirds for me due to various circumstances but I finally managed a sea watch at St.Ives in October thanks to Storm Benjamin and what a seawatch it was.

The conditions weren't too bad in the shelter of the coastguard lookout and it was mostly dry but it wasn't easy getting on to the birds being called out by the other birders present. However I had some lovely views of Arctic and Great Skua, Manx, Sooty and Balearic Shearwater, Arctic Tern, Sabine's Gull and best of all Long-tailed Skua along with the usual Gannet, Guillemot, Kittiwake, Razorbill and Fulmar. It was a long and tiring day out but I had a brilliant time and I can't wait to do it again, I still have a lot to learn when it comes to seabird ID but seawatching is something I sadly don't do very often.

9. A Four Shank Day Out

Following on from my 3 Diver, 3 Scoter day trip to Torbay I enjoyed a 4 Shank day out in Cornwall in October despite the grotty weather conditions. With a Lesser Yellowlegs showing well in Truro I headed there first where I had some great views of it before I headed down to the Hayle Estuary where a Spotted Redshank was seen alongside the more usual Redshank and Greenshank - a 4 Shank day!

Lesser Yellowlegs, Truro

A supporting cast of Pintail, Spoonbill, Dark-bellied Brent Goose and Curlew Sandpiper amongst all the usuals out on the Hayle Estuary made for a great day out again but a White-rumped Sandpiper was the cherry on the cake despite the distant, rainy views I had of it.

10.  Penzance Boat Trip

I had a great day out to Penzance in July starting with a Wood Sandpiper at Marazion Marsh swiftly followed by a Laughing Gull dip at Eastern Green before I boarded a catamaran for a trip out to sea with Marine Discovery. 

We headed quite a way offshore and while the sea bird sightings were sparse with a brief view of a probable Storm Petrel species being the highlight the cetacean sightings more than made up for it. We had some fabulous views of Common Dolphins and even better some Risso's Dolphins too and as much as I usually dislike being on sailing boats I really enjoyed being under sail out on the water on what was a beautiful summers day.

Risso's Dolphins

Grey Seals, Gannet and Common Dolphins

Bird sightings of note that didn't make the Top Ten include Bonaparte's Gull, Roseate Tern, Chough, Great Grey Shrike, Wood Warbler, Purple Heron, Yellow-browed Warbler, Lesser Scaup and Snow Bunting. Add in 3 Lifers - Lesser Crested Tern, Savi's Warbler and Long-tailed Skua - and all in all it has been a very good wildlife year. 

Christmas is here and the end of 2025 looms ever nearer, let's hope that 2026 is as good a wildlife year as this one has been (with no 200+ bird year listing this time!) and also hopefully a healthier one.

Merry Christmas!