RSPB Titchwell Marshes- 30/10/25

With the weather looking slightly better today than tomorrow, we picked this morning to go out for my birthday trip. Dad and I woke up early to get ready, with an aim of leaving about 06:45. We arrived at Titchwell for about 8 o'clock, hopeful of seeing some cool species. 

I was hoping to see Pink-footed Goose, a common English bird, but not where we live in Hampshire, so it would be a great tick. Other possible birds included Yellow-browed Warbler, of which there had been a few in previous days. 

So after parking we walked up the path towards the Island Hide. There were a few things out on the lake, including Shoveler, Redshank, Brent and Greylag Goose. 

Nothing much was happening when, in the distance I noticed a large number of geese flying in a V formation. They always stayed distant, but a few broke off from the group and flew over in our direction, flying low over the hide. After reviewing the photos and having another look through my bins, it was confirmed- these were indeed my first ever Pink-footed Geese.

After a while, another large group flew past, a bit closer than the last group.

After a while longer admiring the large numbers of geese, we moved on to the next two hides, where not much was visible at all because of the sun being directly in the line of sight. A few Shelduck were all we could make out. 

En route to the beach, a Curlew allowed us to get close, with interesting lighting.

We were hoping to pick up anything on the sea, I was hoping maybe for a Long-tailed Duck or Red-necked Grebe, of which quite a few were moving around in Norfolk.

There was plenty to see during half an hour spent on the beach, but not anything very noteworthy. Quite a few Knot, Sanderling, Oystercatchers, Dunlins, and Cormorants were seen, with the best bird being a Red-throated Diver that was extremely distant.

It was 9:30 by now, so we headed back to use the bathrooms and pay for Dad (I'm already a member of the RSPB).

A Kingfisher was seen on the way.

We found out that there had been some sightings of Bittern at Patsy's Reedbed earlier, so we headed straight there, as not much else seemed to be about, and a Bittern would be a brilliant bird to see.

After making it to the viewing platform, there was a bit of a buzz among the 15 or so birders there, and the Bittern had been seen barely a few minutes before we had arrived at the viewing platform.

Time passed, and more and more, and still no further sign of the Bittern. 30 minutes had been spent waiting, with no sign of the bird. There were mostly normal things there, including Little Grebe and a few Pintail, although a Great White Egret in the distance provided some interest.

The time was now 11:00, and Dad and I were discussing what we should do, as we had to head back at around 12:30, and we didn't necessarily want to spend the rest of our time staring at blank reeds. Dad, being Dad, suggested we go and get coffee from the visitor centre before going back to the reedbed. I agreed and hoped that the Bittern wouldn't show while we were away. 

After acquiring our drinks, we headed back towards Patsy's, seeing a Firecrest along the way.

I was really hoping we would see the Bittern. Not only would it be a brilliant tick, but it would really make the trip worthwhile. An hour's journey to see just a common goose would leave a bittersweet feeling as we left- a lifer, but quite a long journey for a relatively common British bird. 

We made it back to the reedbed and worriedly asked if Bittern had been seen. No was the response. So it turned out to be a brilliant idea from Dad to go and get drinks; a few more minutes had passed in the wait for the bird to show, we hadn't missed any sighting of the Bittern, and we now had hot coffee to keep us going.

We got chatting to another birder who mentioned how he had missed it three times in the past day. 

Last night, he had been in the hide just across from Patsy's Reedbed searching for the Bittern, the exact time a few others were viewing it very well from the reedbed barely 150 meters away. 

Then, this morning, he arrived at the viewing platform two minutes after it had just flown up from the reeds, and he had been delayed as he had got caught chatting to another birder.

Then, even more tantalising, the Bittern was seen for about ten seconds poking its head out of the reeds (this was the sighting just before we had arrived), while he was there. Did he see it? No. He couldn't manage to see where it was before it went away. And so here he still was, an hour and a half later, feeling as though the Bittern was playing around with him. I have felt this way many times, and it is not a good feeling! Diptitude is a name I've heard it being described as before. Very accurate.

While we waited, we heard a large group of Pink-footed Geese coming our way, and before long, they flew over.

Another twenty minutes or so passed, with no sign of the Bittern. The birder who had missed it three times said he was going to pack up and walk around the rest of the reserve. After all, the Bittern hadn't been seen for ages, and could be anywhere, and was probably in the middle of the reedbeds having a banquet, with no intent of going out into the open. 

He jokingly said that the Bittern would turn up as soon as he was gone, and with this, walked off. 

One birder started a timer in jest. 

It only took two minutes. 

"BITTERN!" was the single cry that rang out among the remaining birders.

 "Right at the back, in the reeds." With this direction, I was onto it, Wow. Incredible. Stunning. 

What an incredible bird. My first Bittern. It was much larger than I had expected. After a few seconds savouring the moment through my binos, I got the camera onto it and fired off some shots.

It came right out in the open, before going into some reeds again. Here is a zoomed-out shot of the reedbed it was walking across- the camouflage is incredible.

Unlike a usual Bittern sighting, which normally consists of seeing the bird briefly, and even then, through dense foliage, this bird stayed out for a full 1-2 minutes, walking right out in the open, and although distant, giving incredible views.

What an incredible experience. I couldn't believe it. 

It walked out of view into the reeds after a while.

I was buzzing. A brilliant lifer, completely unexpected, and very good views. 

Mission accomplished, we decided to go up the path towards the beach one more time before we had to leave.

The Island Hide held a very good total (at least for Hampshire birders) of 8 or so Ruff. There were also two Snipe, and plenty of geese and ducks. Also, there was a huge flock of Golden Plover that had been flying around all morning.

The other hides didn't hold much, and just a Red-breasted Merganser was on the sea.

On the way back down the path towards the car, another Ruff was showing well, and three or four were on other lakes.

So another great trip, brilliant, in fact. A very cool goose, and a very scarce and elusive bird. Two more birds on my British list, which now sits at 204, or thereabouts, and my year list at 193, ever getting closer to 200. I'm definitely going to push over the winter with an aim of getting there. I still have a few common species I should get, so it is possible. We'll see. We still have another full day here in Norfolk, and although no birding trips are planned, I will definitely be going on walks- anything could turn up. There's a pretty reliable place for Cranes not too far away, and although we won't be visiting it, there's no reason a group might break off and head off this way, or I may stumble across a field abundant with them. It's fun to dream as a birder- fun but never sensible... 

It's very nice to get some rest after the manic week of moving, and better yet, to be able to see these birds as a great bonus. 

I want an early night so I can be up at a reasonable time tomorrow to see if I can go out on a walk, maybe even a bike. I don't know anything as of yet about what I might do. Everything and anything might happen- these truly are the delights of birding. It's incredible how different the habitat and birds are just a few hundred kilometres away from home, and all over Britain.

I'm really enjoying October as a month so far.... with the brilliant highlights including Crossbill, Water Pipit, Black-throated Diver, Velvet Scoter, Great Grey Shrike, Isabelline/Red-tailed Shrike, Pink-footed Geese, and Bittern. That's an incredible 6 lifers. Wowee

Isabelline/ Red-tailed Shrike Twitch- Wood's Mill 27/10/25

To go or to not go. This was the dilemma facing me on Sunday evening as an Isabelline/Red-tailed Shrike was reported in West Sussex. I was very tired. The journey there looked arduous, very long, and I wasn't even sure whether Google Maps was right about a random bus service stopping right outside a nature reserve in the middle of Sussex nowhere. What's more, there was no guarantee the bird would even stay; it had been showing poorly, and without DNA analysis, which even then sometimes isn't conclusive, it would be virtually impossible to know the exact species the bird was. 

So, of course, I found myself waking up at 06:00 A.M. the following morning with my alarm going off, feeling tired and sleepily questioning my life choices as a birder. 

The journey was not simple. It entailed a rail replacement bus to Havant, trains to Barnham, then Pulborough, from there a connection onto a small Sussex bus service that led to my intended destination. Also, I don't like buses. They don't stop at every station; they sometimes just don't turn up. It's so easy if you're not paying attention to just whizz by your stop without even knowing you're at a bus stop. They're big, inconvenient and slow. 

The first part of the journey was uneventful, and I made it to Pulborough before managing to catch my bus, and start wondering why it was going a different route to the one Maps said it should have been on. I found out later that a closed road had caused the large diversion. Midway on my bus journey, when mobile data flicked in for a few minutes, I saw the shrike had been seen. Great. I was very hopeful of seeing the bird and getting it on my year list. It would really be a great boost.

 Anyways, some 3 hours and 45 minutes after I had left home, I had made it to the nature reserve, and walked along the path towards where the shrike allegedly was. 

As I rounded a bend, I saw quite a few birders, and quickly walked over to them. 

After a minute or so, the bird popped up on the fence. Wow. What a bird. My first Isabelline/Red-tailed Shrike.

The irony was great. It was just over a week ago that I spent 3 hours searching for a much more "common" shrike species, Great Grey Shrike, only to see it for 30 seconds. Here, the much rarer shrike showed straight away and showed for the full three hours of my time there. Also, I've never seen Red-backed Shrike before, the much more common British counterpart of these Asian vagrants. I have done this with a few birds, seeing the rare foreign counterpart before the British one- I saw Semipalmated Sandpiper in Britain before Little Stint, for example.

I learnt a few things pretty quickly about the bird. Mainly, it had its stretch of fenceline. It stayed there. In fact, other than flying to catch things, it only ventured out of its allotted fenceline three times during my three-hour stay. 

I was so happy to get on the bird. It was distant, and the lighting was terrible, but all the same, there it was.

Here a zoomed-out shot of its "patch." It ranged along that fenceline and rather liked the bramble bush in the far left of the shot.

Now and again, it would fly around, showing its great red tail, before landing again with its food.

    Some brief excitement was felt as it flew out of its normal area, venturing a meter along the fence towards us.

It soon flew back though.

After a while longer of good, although slightly distant views, the shrike very briefly flew closer again.

By this point, there was a good number of birders there, all enjoying the shrike. There had been a constant flow of comings and goings all the time I had been there.

For the third and final time, the shrike flew a lot closer, perching on a few different branches, fences and bushes, giving truly brilliant views. I was thrilled to see it so well.

A truly incredible experience. I was lovin' it. 

As always, the big problem has to be addressed. What actually is the bird? Juvenile Isabelline and Red-tailed Shrikes are impossible to tell apart, with different features overlapping, meaning you can't really ever be sure of the ID. The only possible way is through DNA analysis, which may be possible with this bird, but even then, sometimes you still can't tell with DNA. Personally, I think the two species should probably be one, seeing how difficult it is to separate them when not in adult plumage. In years past, they have been considered the same species, but it was changed for reasons I am not sure of. All the same, whatever species it is, I've never seen it before, so I will be adding to my list as Isabelline/Red-tailed Shrike. The likelihood is that it's Isabelline, as they are the more common species, with about 100 records (I think), compared to the 15 or so of Red-tailed Shrike. I'm not entirely sure on those numbers, but you get the idea.

With the shrike persisting in staying away, I tried to see if I could find another place to view it from.

After a bit, I found a place looking down the hill at the bird, giving slightly different views.

I realised I probably needed to catch the bus that was in 30 minutes if I wanted to get home before dark, so I really watched and enjoyed the bird for a final ten minutes before I had to head off. It flew around a bit, giving great views.

A Green Woodpecker called from behind, about the only other species of note on site. 

Just before I left, the shrike flew up one last time, before returning to one of its favoured perches, with something akin to a wasp or bee.

Reluctantly, but happily, I left, heading to the bus stop, reminding my sleepy 6 am head from earlier that this is why I do birding. 

What a trip. Literally. 7 Hours of travel altogether, nearly 3 great hours of viewing the bird, and a memory never to forget. The year list has been pushed up to 191 now. My aim at the start of the year was 175. That was before I started using public transport to get places, though. 

Well, an incredible start to what is due to be a great week off, who knows what we might see when we're in Norfolk? I'm very tired... everyone else has gone off to sleep. I should as well. The things one does for a hobby eh. Wake up at 6 in the school holidays, travel for 7 hours, stay up much later and take much longer than I should to write about the trip, and be so ready to do it all again. 

Good night:)

And of course, many thanks to the finder, very well spotted- don't know how you did it in a place like that!  

15th Birthday @Sandy Point, 25/10/25

And another year rolls on by. It's my 15th birthday, and it hardly feels like a week since my 14th. Last year, we went to the Selsey peninsula and saw Razorbill, Black Redstart, and Green Sandpiper. This year was due to be more chilled out. We're going and house-sitting for our cousins in East Anglia, so I'm going to go for a proper birding on the Norfolk coast with Dad one day for a proper big birthday trip. 

With not much in very close proximity to where we were having breakfast, I thought Sandy Point might be a good place to go to. It's very nice there and was good for Yellow-browed Warblers last winter, and with some finally arriving, I thought we might as well give it a go. 

After arriving, we had a look out towards Black Point, where a few Brent Geese were in the rising tide. We walked over to where a Yellow-browed Warbler was last winter, to see if anything was there. 

At first, not much was visible, but there were a few Chiffchaffs and Blue Tits about. A few Pied Wagtails were also present.

A very lightly coloured female Blackbird was skulking around in the bushes, causing a bit of confusion before I got good enough photos to see what it really was. 

Virtually nothing was out on the sea, but we sat down to see if anything would turn up. Zebedee (our dog) found a ball and demanded we throw it for him. 

Here he is, looking pleased with himself for managing to find the ball.

After a while longer of walking around with not much seen, we headed back to the car. 

Dad and I were interrupted by a Kestrel that gave some incredible views, really rounding off a great trip. 

You can see the leftovers of its last meal on its beak in the last one- definitely the closest I've seen one before.

It's been a great day. I'm sitting here writing this blog with a cup of tea and a new bird-related jumper on, thoroughly looking forward to next week's trip in Norfolk, who knows what we might see. It's been a brilliant birding year, with the highlights including Hudsonian Godwit, Least Sandpiper, Black-Throated Thrush, Little Bunting, Lesser Scaup, a self-found Hoopoe at Thursley Common, a self-found Whooper Swan at Woolmer, Long-eared Owl, and the Great Grey Shrike. Wow, listing all those reminds me of how many great things I've seen. I can still vividly remember the moment I first saw all of those. If my 15th year is anything like my 14th, I am not going to complain. 

Anyways. Bedtime :)