2025 Year Review

2025 has been a crazy year, but also a brilliant one for me, in terms of birds. I thought it would be fun to do a full review of the year, going through month by month with all the birds I saw with photos. It's going to be slightly difficult figuring out all my trips and birds I saw pre-blog days...So, here we go. Hope you enjoy. Grab a coffee and popcorn- this post is very long!

JANUARY

January started the year off well with a trip to Selsey Bill in West Sussex on the 3rd, with the two best species being Red-throated Diver and a Black Redstart.

A week later, on the 10th, I took the train to Portsmouth and Southsea, visiting Milton Common for the three Greater Scaup that were present. The best bird for me, though, was a Water Rail I saw very briefly peering through the reeds. This was the first one I had ever seen, and it has been the only one this year. This was lifer number 1 for the year. I also tried for the Purple Sandpipers at Southsea, but missed them.

5 days later, a twitch to Brownwich Pond for the Ferruginous Duck was unsuccessful, but Goosander was a good addition to the list.

The final bird of January was Woodlark at Woolmer Forest.

A pretty good month, with six "notable" birds seen and one lifer.

Bird of the month is probably Water Rail; I really enjoyed that experience.

FEBRUARY

February started off with a trip to Farlington Marshes, with the clear highlight a Spoonbill seen near the deeps. Also noted, while a more common species, a great experience was a Peregrine Falcon that flew very close to me, allowing for a decent photo.

The very next day, Dad and I were off into Sussex again at Pagham Harbour North Wall for a very special owl species. I wish I had been doing my blog at this point- it would have made for such an exciting story. Basically, we were there for quite a while, in absolutely freezing weather, and the final half an hour we searched about a meter and a half of bush where these owls were frequently found. We pushed the time limit to the full, and I started to walk off to the car, and Dad went for the famous "last look." Long story short, he found one of them in the meter and a half of bush we had been searching in for the past half an hour, and we ended up getting really great, although obscured, views of two Long-eared Owls- a second lifer of the year.

It was a bit of a break before the next good bird, with a trip to our cousins who live on the Norfolk-Cambridgeshire border proving fruitful. I carried my camera around wherever we went, which was helpful, as on the 18th, a group of Fieldfare passed through as we were on our way to play football. These were yet another lifer... much scarcer here in Hampshire, hence why I hadn't seen them in my then year-and-a-half of birding.

The next day, we went to WWT Welney, where my first ever Whooper Swans, Bewick's Swans, and Tree Sparrow were seen. It was such a great day.

Only three days later, a trip for a birding friend's birthday to Longham Lakes, Dorset, produced a surprise White-tailed Eagle, and a brilliant drake Lesser Scaup, another lifer, and, at the time, the rarest bird I had ever seen, and only my second vagrant. A brilliant trip all in all.

The Lesser Scaup was, as previously stated, the rarest bird I had ever seen, and I had expected it to be for a while, but a Black-throated Thrush that turned up in Bordon just down the road from where we lived in Liss was too good to miss. The first day we tried, we missed it, but saw a Cattle Egret in a field on the drive.

The second day, I biked down, and by a stroke of good fortune, met some other birders who knew what garden it was in and followed them to the garden, where I saw the bird very well almost immediately. Another lifer, and one of the bird experiences of the year. This was also the first ever one in Hampshire, and I believe the furthest south one has been seen in Britain

The month finished with another trip to Selsey Bill, with Razorbill being the bird of note.

Well, what a month this was. With, I believe, 7 lifers, 11 notable birds, including two rare vagrants, this was a brilliant 28 days. 

Bird of the month goes to the Black-throated Thrush; seeing a rare bird with a bunch of other birders in a private garden looking into another private garden was just an incredible, and slightly weird, experience. The bird itself really got my heart racing. It was absolutely beautiful, and caught me slightly by surprise at how much I liked it. 

MARCH

March ended up being a pretty slow month, with the first good bird seen at Medmerry Stilt Pools on the 14th, my first ever Little Ringed Plovers, a species I saw a lot more of later through the year. 

A week later, on the 21st, a trip to a small farmland area in Send, Surrey, where a smashing Little Bunting was seen, another lifer and vagrant. While more common further north in the UK, especially Shetland, they are very rare further south, with birds turning up only occasionally. Another bird I saw that day, and another lifer, was Brambling. This is one of my favourite species, so I was very chuffed to get it.

The 25th saw one of many, many trips to Woolmer Pond/Forest pay off, in terms of decent birds for the country and not the actual site. A flyover Osprey was an incredible inland patch tick, especially in spring. 

A decent month in the end, with 3 lifers and 4 notable birds.

Bird of the month has to go to the Bramblings- an incredible species.

APRIL

April was an absolutely packed month, and the month when my blog started up, albeit 24 days through the month.

The month started with Common Scoter and Slavonian Grebe on the 4th, and unfortunately, I can't find any photos of these or exactly where I even saw them... it'll either be the Oysterbeds and Black Point, or Selsey Bill.

The 7th was a bit of a weird one, with what was the rarest bird I had ever seen- Least Sandpiper- again at Medmerry. This one did feel a lot less exciting than the other rare birds, as it was just a small, non-descript wader in poor light- nothing too special. Either way, it is a nice bird and brilliant to have seen.

The 11th brought a Tree Pipit at Woolmer.

The 12th, to this day, remains etched in my memory. On the Friday (I think) beforehand, I had been really at a loss for where to go. In the end, I just decided to give Thursley a shot. Now, at the time, the UK was experiencing its largest ever Hoopoe influx, but the birds were proving hard to get, hardly staying more than a day in most cases. Hoopoes are my favourite birds, by a long way, and although I had already seen them briefly flying when on holiday in Spain last year, I had never seen one properly, and had never got photos. This is a trip I would have loved to have my blog for. Just as I got onto the boardwalk, I turned around to look at something, and was shocked by a bird that flew up into a tree and seemed to land. I rushed over, but the bird had just disappeared. I was completely panicking. I walked a bit further up, looked down one sand track to see if it had landed there. No luck. Looked down the other, and wham. My heart rate absolutely skyrocketed. There, on the ground, going about, minding its own business, with no idea how much excitement it was causing, was an incredible Hoopoe. I watched it for a few minutes before it flew off far in the distance. Despite looking for it for a further two hours with some other birders, we never relocated it, meaning I was the only person to see the bird, which was a shame. But seeing your absolute favourite bird as a self-found, and as the first Hoopoe at Thursley since 1987, this is one of the absolute top experiences I have ever had as a birder.

The trip to Thursley also yielded a Goshawk and a Redstart.

A visit to friends in London on the 21st produced Ring-necked Parakeets.

The 24th was a brilliant day. Not only did I get my first Hobby of spring, but this was the first trip covered in my blog. Which means that I will now be able to get photos and locations much more easily for this write-up... Yay! In Flight: Aves Observata: Woolmer Pond/Forest 24/04/25

The day after, a trip to Sandy Point produced Kittiwake and Bar-tailed Godwit. Here is the trip report- In Flight: Aves Observata: Hayling Island, 25/04/25

The 27th was yet again one of the best birding days this year- and not in terms of new birds. In fact, the species I saw I had already seen just two months earlier. But, a self-found Whooper Swan at Woolmer Pond on a Sunday afternoon after church can not be forgotten. The first-ever site record, I was so, so pleased to have found this bird. Whooper Swans are also very scarce nowadays in Hampshire, with only a handful, if that, of reports each year. The trip also produced a Greenshank- a very good species for the site. The trip can be read about here- In Flight: Aves Observata: Woolmer Pond 27/04/25

So another spectacular month, with 2 UK lifers and two self-found rarities. 12 notable birds overall, all of which were pretty good species.

Bird of the month, without a question of doubt, was the Hoopoe. Seeing my favourite bird, one I had wanted to see properly and photograph for so, so long, was incredible. Doing it on British soil, where they are, currently, still very scarce, was even better. And finding one myself puts a rather large cherry on top. I still have the seconds I saw that bird flying vividly in my brain. And also the panic of realising I hadn't seen where it had landed and not having photos...

MAY

May picked up where April left off, with another absolutely packed month.

The first trip was on the 2nd, with yet another trip to Selsey Bill producing Arctic Skua and Fulmar- both of which were lifers. Also, two Little Terns that flew east added another good species to the yearlist. In Flight: Aves Observata: Selsey Bill, 02/05/25

Another successful Woolmer trip produced, finally, two Cuckoos. These had really given me the run around, so I was very pleased to finally get them. In Flight: Aves Observata: Woolmer Forest, 04/05/25

A trip to Farlington on the 8th, surprisingly produced a Wood Sandpiper close up. The sandpipers had been reported only far, far out and only visible through strong scopes, so I was delighted to see one very well. In Flight: Aves Observata: Farlington Marshes 08/05/25

A bit less than a week later, I picked up Spotted Flycatchers at Woolmer- a good patch and year tick. Later on in the year, I saw juvenile Spotted Flycatchers as well- I will include photos below. In Flight: Aves Observata: Woolmer Pond 14/05/25

Two days later saw a very successful trip to Pulborough Brooks in Sussex, with lifer Garganey, Nightingale, and finally Lesser Whitethroat seen. A fourth species observed was a White Stork, which circled overhead before dropping into a field. Presumably a Knepp bird. I did address my viewpoint on these reintroduction schemes in the post. I did end up adding the bird to my list, simply because it is not an escape, it's free flying, and, if the scheme goes well, we may well be counting that very bird's descendants in 50 years' time because of a "self-sustaining" population. In Flight: Aves Observata: Pulborough Brooks 16/05/25

It was actually while I was on the trip to Pulborough that the next bird was found. It was a bit of a panicked five days before we finally had time to go down to Titchfield Haven on the 21st to try and see the Hudsonian Godwit- the seventh ever British record. While we were on our way down, a report came through that the bird was present, but a flock of godwits, possibly including the Hudsonian, had flown high up and off. This, of course, made for a horribly tense final 15 minutes of the journey, before we got our tickets into the haven, headed in, and, for one of the only times this year, I think, a very rare bird was immediately present and visible the moment we arrived. In Flight: Aves Observata: Titchfield Haven 21/05/25- HUDSONIAN GODWIT

Two days later, another UK lifer was added in the form of some incredible Honey Buzzards seen at Older Viewpoint in Sussex. We went again a week or two later, and got absolutely smashing views. I'll include photos here from both and include both posts. In Flight: Aves Observata: Woolbeding Common 23/05/25  /   In Flight: Aves Observata: Woolbeding Common 30/05/25

Well, what a month this was, one of the best this year for sure. With 8 lifers and 12 notable birds overall, this was a month not to be forgotten. Including, by far, the rarest bird I have ever seen, May was just brilliant.

Bird of the month, somewhat unsurprisingly, has to go to the Hudsonian Godwit. The experience of seeing such a rare bird was incredible, and what a bird it was.

JUNE

June was one of the best months of the year, simply because it included our family holiday to a villa about half an hour from Malaga, up on a mountain looking down on the town below and the sea.

The only UK trip noted here was a trip to Selsey on the 4th, which did not produce any year ticks, but did allow brilliant Fulmar views and an opportunity for some shabby photographs. I incorrectly said that some Razorbill that flew by were my first this year... don't know how I forgot...  In Flight: Aves Observata: Selsey Bill 04/06/25

I'll go through the Spain holiday day by day- it was just so packed. 

Day 1- The first day included a stop off at Desembocadura del Guadalhorce before we left for our villa, which was just incredible. Lifers came in the form of Marbled Ducks and two Gull-billed Terns. Year-ticks (we saw quite a few species in Spain last year, hence why these aren't lifers) were Black-winged Stilts, Kentish Plovers, Slender-billed Gulls, Monk Parakeets, Crested Larks, a Booted Eagle, Red-rumped Swallows, Crested Larks, Greater Flamingos, Zitting Cisticolas, Pallid Swifts, Spotless Starlings, and Bee-eaters.

A walk in the afternoon around our villa produced Sardinian Warblers- another year-tick. 

After dinner, a Serin flew past, another species I'd not seen yet this year.

A final walk of the 1st day produced year-ticks in the way of three Turtle Doves, and a brilliant lifer in the form of an Alpine Swift- one of the favourite birds I saw all holiday, I think. In Flight: Aves Observata: Spain- Day 1, 14 June

Day 2- This day started off, as most did, with a walk down the hill, with the highlight being some Thekla Lark seen. I managed to get some decent Serin photos as well.

A Short-toed Snake-eagle that drifted by the villa in the afternoon was another great species to see, although I didn't get any photos this time. I saw them very, very well last year. In Flight: Aves Observata: Spain- Day 2, 15/06

Day 3- A morning walk produced the first photo opportunity for Sardinian Warblers, which was very cool.

A Booted Eagle allowed some photos in the afternoon, and a walk in the evening produced the only lifer of the day- an Eleonoras Falcon. In Flight: Aves Observata: Spain- Day 3, 16/06

Day 4- A morning walk up instead of down the hill had a clear highlight- some Red-rumped Swallows that landed on a phone wire, hardly a few meters away from me. This obviously gave an incredible photo opportunity of a species that otherwise can be hard to picture.

A pretty crazy trip down to the Torrox Lighthouse first produced a Monk Parakeet that showed well, but the clear highlight was the hundreds of shearwater moving around offshore- the larger birds presumably Scopoli's Shearwater, and the smaller birds Balearic Shearwater- absolutely incredible. This was one of the highlights of the holiday. 

The evening produced a Hoopoe flying around the villa, but no photo opportunity. In Flight: Aves Observata: Spain- Day 4, 17/06

Day 5- A morning walk produced Common Waxbill and great views of Turtle Dove and Spotted Flycatcher.

Two Short-toed Snake-eagles put on a great show in the afternoon, and a Lesser Kestrel became the second lifer of the day. In Flight: Aves Observata: Spain- Day 5, 18/06

Day 6- This was one of the best days of the holiday and the year. Dad and I got up early and drove to Malaga for a trip to the bird reserve. The trip started off brilliantly with a Black-crowned Night-heron being the first lifer of the day. Tons of Zitting Cisticolas were enjoyed along with more Bee-eaters, Greater Flamingos, Black-winged Stilts, and Marbled Ducks. Another lifer came in the form of a Great Reed Warbler seen briefly in some reeds, but the clear highlight was three White-headed Ducks- the species I had been really hoping to see on the holiday.

A Bonelli's Eagle circling around the villa late-afternoon was yet another lifer, and dinner in Torrox produced hundreds more Balearic Shearwaters, with the highlight a stunning Audouin's Gull that flew past- another lifer. In Flight: Aves Observata: Spain- Day 6, 19/06

Day 7- A chilled-out day, with the highlight being some Crag Martins seen flying around when having dinner in Frigiliana. In Flight: Aves Observata: Spain- Day 7, 20/06

Day 8- Another relaxed day, with highlights being more Balearic Shearwaters being seen, and some Yellow-legged Gulls. In Flight: Aves Observata: Spain- Day 8, 21/06

Day 9- A brilliant morning walk produced a family of stunning Black Wheatear on an abandoned building.

A Montagu's Harrier that flew overhead late afternoon was a brilliant bird to see, and the first lifer of the day. In Flight: Aves Observata: Spain- Day 9, 22/06

Day 10- A walk in the afternoon produced some stunning Woodchat Shrikes, including a male. I was very pleased to see a male, as last year I only saw a single juvenile of this species. In Flight: Aves Observata: Spain-Day 10, 23/06

Day 11- This day was mostly spent on a brilliant trip in Malaga, looking around at all the buildings and various other historical sites. A Hoopoe that showed simply incredibly outside the villa late afternoon was a brilliant end to the day. In Flight: Aves Observata: Spain- Day 11, 24/06

Day 12- The final day of the holiday was brilliant, with a lifer coming in the way of an absolutely beautiful Melodious Warbler.

On and off in the afternoon, the Hoopoe was again outside the back of the villa, and allowed me absolute point-blank views. This is not only where my photo for the blog originates from, but also one of the best bird encounters of the whole year. What incredible birds these are. In Flight: Aves Observata: Spain- Day 12, 25/06

Well, what a month June was. It may not have been rich with UK birding, but the Spanish birding was absolutely brilliant, with tons of lifers and dozens of year ticks.

Bird of the month is a very difficult one. There are three options, really. The Hoopoe, the White-headed Duck, and the shearwaters. I'm probably, and it's very tight between them, going to have to go for the White-headed Duck. It ended up being quite a search for it, and seeing a stunning male, a female and a juvenile was absolutely brilliant. While Hoopoes are my favourite birds, the White-headed Duck was a lifer and just really cool to see such an endangered species.

JULY

July ended up being a relatively quiet month, with all bar one of the good species seen coming in a three-day period. The month started off with a trip to Pulborough Brooks on the 8th, producing a Green Sandpiper. In Flight: Aves Observata: RSPB Pulborough Brooks

It was, as July usually is, very slow going from there, with over two weeks elapsing before things got interesting again. It was a pretty normal Wednesday mid-summer holidays, and with reports of a Curlew Sandpiper at Farlington, I'd already decided to go there in the afternoon. Then, to my shock, about an hour before my train, a Pectoral Sandpiper was seen there. After probably my fastest bikeride from Havant station to Farlington, I walked quickly to the visitor hut, and got long but slightly distant views of the Pectoral Sandpiper. I ended up being the last one to actually see the bird. It disappeared after an extremely heavy downpour, which of course I went out in to have a look to see if it was still present. It was, but 20 minutes later, when the rain had cleared, there was no sign of it. I also saw the Curlew Sandpiper later on in the main marsh.

The next day brought a Roseate Tern at Titchfield Haven, which, frustratingly, I didn't manage to photograph. Still great to have seen though... In Flight: Aves Observata: Titchfield Haven 24/07/25

On the following evening, a trip to Thursley Common produced the hoped-for Nightjars. Such an incredible bird species, I always love seeing them. In Flight: Aves Observata: Thursley Common- 25/07/25

So, a bit of a weird month with nearly all the action in a very short period. But with 5 noted birds, it was still successful, especially as it included a brilliant American wader that was the sole lifer of the month.

Of course, bird of the month goes to the Pectoral Sandpiper. It was just really, really fun whizzing down to Farlington, having already planned to go, and seeing such a cool and relatively rare bird.

AUGUST

August ended up being a pretty fun month, with some great species seen.

The first good bird of the month came from a trip up to Staines Reservoirs on the 4th, with a good number of Black-necked Grebes being the species. I really enjoyed this trip- travelling up to London and seeing such cool birds was just brilliant. In Flight: Aves Observata: Staines Reservoirs- 04/08/2025

The next two species came slightly surprisingly on the 11th, with a trip into the New Forest to meet up with family produced a Marsh Tit, and a Little Gull. In Flight: Aves Observata: New Forest- 11/08/25

Two days later, on Wednesday 13th, a trip to Farlington produced a very nice Ruff. In Flight: Aves Observata: Farington Marshes- 13/08/25

The Friday of that very week was a bit of a weird trip. It was up to Frensham Great Pond, where I got a very brief view of a Black Tern, but didn't manage any photos. I ended up not making a post about the trip due to various reasons, namely the fact that practically no other birds had been seen, and without any photos of the Black Tern, and the problem it had ended up being a bit of an annoying trip due to the very, very small amount of area you could actually see the pond from, I just didn't ever write a post up.

The final bird of the month came from one of at least 5 trips to Northney Paddocks to try and see Pied Flycatcher, which I dipped by just hours each time. I ended up biking to Farlington this time, to try and get the Little Stint, which I did- what cute tiny birds these are. In Flight: Aves Observata: Northney + Farlington Marshes- 26/08/25

So, a relatively good month, with 6 good birds seen and 2 lifers.

Bird of the month probably goes to the Little Stint. I was really taken aback by how small they were and, most importantly, how beautiful. 

SEPTEMBER

September didn't quite live up to its high reputation, but it was still a great month, with some cracking birds seen.

The first bird of the month, and a very fun experience, was the Grey Phalarope at Hayling Oysterbeds on the 5th. Such a brilliant bird, and it showed to within 5 meters. What a trip this was. In Flight: Aves Observata: Hayling Island Oysterbeds- 05/09/25

The next bird was another trip to Farlington on the 9th to see a Glossy Ibis, one of thousands that arrived on our shores in an absolutely spectacular influx, with some sites in the country boasting three-figure counts of these exotic birds. In Flight: Aves Observata: Farlington Marshes, Northney Paddocks, Hayling Oysterbeds- 09/09/25

The final noted bird of the month was a Whinchat on the 17th at Farlington Marshes. In Flight: Aves Observata: Farlington Marshes 17/09/25

So, although September is considered one of the best birding months, it didn't deliver in spectacular form for me, but did produce some great birds in the country...

Bird of the month without doubt goes to the Grey Phalarope for obvious reasons. Lifer, smashing bird, smashing views, smashing experience.

OCTOBER

October was where things kicked off in reality. Coming into the year, I had set myself a target of 175, which I had already beaten. I was at 185 coming into the month, and with no really common species I hadn't seen yet, I was expecting a quietish end to the year, but was still really, really, really hoping to get to 200. Which, as time slipped on, became less and less of a hope. The first bird of October came on the 6th, two-thirds of a month since the last decent bird.

As mentioned, the first bird of October came on the 6th, with some brilliant Crossbills seen at Black Down in Sussex. In Flight: Aves Observata: Black Down NT 06/10/25

The 15th, Dad's birthday, brought a trip to Pulborough Brooks. We visited together earlier in the year, and he enjoyed the place so much, he really wanted to go on his birthday. It brought a Water Pipit, a slight surprise, and a great bird to see. In Flight: Aves Observata: Pulborough Brooks, 15/10/25

The following day was good fun, with a Black-throated Diver seen at Hill Head, and a Velvet Scoter seen at the Oysterbeds. In Flight: Aves Observata: Hill Head and Hayling Island Oysterbeds, 16/10/25

Two days later, one of the best bird experiences ever came at my last visit to Woolmer as a patch, with three hours of searching paying off with a Great Grey Shrike seen right at the end. It was quite a trip, and a complete fairytale ending to a brilliant year of birding at Woolmer as a patch. In Flight: Aves Observata: Woolmer Forest 18/10/25

Then, on the 27th, a tiring and extremely enjoyable trip to Wood's Mill SWT produced a beautiful Isabelline/Red-tailed Shrike. In Flight: Aves Observata: Isabelline/ Red-tailed Shrike Twitch- Wood's Mill 27/10/25

Another trip away to the Norfolk Cambridgeshire border to housesit for our cousins was brilliant. It had been my birthday on the 25th, and I figured, seeing that there were practically no birds about at the time, that it would be sensible to save a big trip for the holiday. And so Dad and I got up early on the 30th for a trip to Titchwell RSPB. We saw hundreds of the hoped-for Pink-footed Geese, and, after quite a while waiting, saw a Bittern out in the open, slightly distantly, but got brilliant, clear and elongated views. I had not at all been expecting to have a chance to see this species on the trip, so I was so, so happy to have seen it... and what a bird it was. In Flight: Aves Observata: RSPB Titchwell Marshes- 30/10/25

So, what a month October was. 6 lifers, 8 notable birds. Incredible. All of these birds I'd really enjoyed. So many great bird encounters and unlikely sightings. 

Bird of the month is incredibly, incredibly close. It is between the Bittern and the Great Grey Shrike. Both were similarly incredible stories- put in the hours, and have it pay off right at the very end. Probably, just, I have to give it to the Great Grey Shrike. Seeing such a scarce bird as I was on my way back to the entrance to go home was pretty insane, and it was such a brilliant end to my time at Woolmer.

NOVEMBER

November was another great month packed with birding. I came into the month on 193 with 200 looking more of a likely dream than a distant hope... 

The first species actually came on the first day of the month on the way home from Norfolk. We needed somewhere to stop off for lunch, so of course I suggested Ouse Washes, which conveniently wasn't too far out of the way. More conveniently, there was a good number of Common Cranes present on site... We saw three in the end... even though they were so distant you could still see them very clearly- we saw them next to a deer, it's incredible how large these birds are. There's a bit of a funny story at the end of this one involving a Kingfisher... I'd recommend a read. In Flight: Aves Observata: Ouse Washes RSPB- 01/11/25

Two days later, back on the south coast, one of the most ridiculous ideas I've had included going down to Selsey for an hour of seawatching, taking the bus back up to Chichester, picking up my bike which I'd locked at the station, taking the train to Emsworth, biking down to Thorney Island to try and see a Snow Bunting, before biking back up to Emsworth to take the train home. All in a 6-hour period, where the journey to and from Selsey is 2 hours long, leaving only 2 hours of birding, without including the journey to locations from bus stops/train stations. It was a manic trip. The aim of Selsey was Guillemot, which I got, but a huge, huge bonus and surprise was a Bonxie, the first one I'd ever seen. Thorney Island produced the goods, with the Snow Bunting showing up to two meters away... what an incredible experience and bird. In Flight: Aves Observata: Selsey Bill + Thorney Island- 03/11/25

The next two birds came at Normandy Marshes/Lagoon on Saturday, 8th, for a HOSY walk. These two birds were some lovely Spotted Redshanks, and a stunning Long-tailed Duck. In Flight: Aves Observata: Normandy Marshes 08/11/25

Those two birds put the year list onto 199, but a trip to Titchfield Haven for the Penduline Tits didn't produce that number 200 that was hoped for.

A week after the HOSY walk, I was on my way to Holbury near Southampton for what I and many others thought at the time was a Boat-tailed Grackle. It has been reidentified as a Great-tailed Grackle, the second in Britain. I did see the bird, and, although it is ship-assisted, it's as wild as all the other birds we count, so I don't see why this one is different. So, number 200 came with, what I thought at the time was a British 1st... it wasn't to be. Brilliant bird. In Flight: Aves Observata: BOAT-TAILED GRACKLE Twitch at Holbury, 15/11/25

Two days afterwards, a freezing trip to Southsea Castle with Dad produced some Purple Sandpipers... absolutely cracking birds. I was very pleasantly surprised at how beautiful they were. In Flight: Aves Observata: Southsea Castle, 17/11/25

Exactly a week later, on the 24th, an exhausting trip to The Burgh in Sussex produced some stunning Grey Partridges. So while the Hen Harriers did give me quite a run around and I didn't see them in the end, it was a successful trip. In Flight: Aves Observata: The Burgh, Burpham - 24/11/25

So again, a brilliant month with 6 new birds seen and 9 noted birds. The big milestone of 200 was reached this month, but most importantly, the birds seen were all beautiful and incredible.

Bird of the month goes to the Snow Bunting. Seeing a lifer in this fashion was truly incredible.

DECEMBER

The final month of the year ended up being more about quality than quantity, with only 4 noted species seen. 

The first came on the 3rd at Staines Reservoirs- Common Goldeneye. I always seem to leave this species really late in the year to see. In Flight: Aves Observata: Staines Reservoirs 04/12/25

The week after, a pretty crazy impromptu twitch to Brownwich Pond for the returning Ferruginous Duck was finally successful. And although I was delayed getting there, and getting back due to trains being a bit of a shambles at this time of year, it was great to see the bird after dipping it quite a few times. In Flight: Aves Observata: Ferruginous Duck Twitch @ Brownwich Pond- 10/12/25

Nearly two weeks later, on the 23rd, an insane Selsey Big Day, where nothing new was promised, ended with a Hen Harrier hunting as darkness closed in at the North Wall. The whole day was so much fun, with some genuinely great species seen. And to end a day of birding from dawn till dusk with a lifer bird of prey scything through the freezing night air was, well, words cannot describe it. I was speechless at the time, and for good reason. I'd really recommend giving the trip a read. In Flight: Aves Observata: SELSEY BIG DAY- 23/12/25

The final noted bird of the month came on the penultimate day of the year at Farlington Marshes- Russian White-fronted Geese. In Flight: Aves Observata: Hayling Oysterbeds and Farlington Marshes- 30/12/25

The year ended with a crazy trip to Pennington Marshes not producing anything bar mist, but it was fun to end the year with a big trip. In Flight: Aves Observata: Pennington and Normandy Marshes- 31/12/25

So, a pretty good month all in all, with 3 lifers and 4 notable birds.

Bird of the month unquestionably goes to the Hen Harrier. Such a deathly, ghostly bird seen at dark after a long, drawn out and exhausting day was, and still is, one of the best things that's ever happened to me whilst birding.

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So, what a year. A complete whirlwind. 206 incredible species seen. The review above doesn't show half of the year, really. There were so many hours spent at Woolmer, many, many dips, but most importantly, so, so many incredible birds seen. So what were the top 10 bird experiences of the year? Well, this is going to be difficult to give. I'll give it a shot. Note it is bird experiences and not just the actual birds, because otherwise the top 10 would be all the times I saw Hoopoe...

10.

10th actually goes to two birds on the same trip... the Little Bunting and Brambling in Send at Prews Farm. The Little Bunting was a stunning bird and incredible to see. Couple this with seeing Bramblings, one of my favourite birds, and this made for an incredible trip.

9.

In at ninth, surprisingly far down the list for the rarest bird I've ever seen is the Hudsonian Godwit. This was a brilliant trip that I really enjoyed. Seeing a true mega was so, so fun and a great experience. The bird is coming in at ninth, not because I didn't enjoy it much, I really loved it, but because of all the other incredible birds seen in the year.

8.

8th goes to the Bittern at Titchwell in Norfolk. Such a surprise species to see, and to see so well, this made for an epic birthday trip. The bird really took my breath away and was so much more stunning than expected.

7.

Seventh was so much fun, the Black-throated Thrush in Bordon. There was something so much fun about biking to a random person's garden, going in and seeing a rare bird. But just being in a stranger's garden wasn't what made this trip. The bird itself was absolutely beautiful, and although I didn't get incredible pictures, I did get the opportunity to look through a very strong scope at the bird, which yielded incredible views. 

6.

This was incredible. The Hoopoe outside our villa in Spain. After not seeing one well at all last year, being able to get decent photos was incredible, let alone seeing the bird a meter away. Truly an incredible bird and experience. Lying down on a baking hot pavement under the Mediterranean sun, a meter away from my favourite bird, was just so, so special.

5.

5th was incredible, and another one in Spain. I'd been hoping all holiday that we might see some shearwaters when Dad and I visited the bird reserve in Malaga. Spending a considerable time seawatching would have given us less time elsewhere, so I was really hoping we wouldn't have to spend long before some shearwaters would go by. But little did I know that we wouldn't need to spend any time at all, with a trip to Torrox Lighthouse in the week producing hundreds of Scopoli's Shearwaters. This was an insane experience, and seeing the birds skimming over the water so cleanly was just incredible.

4.

4th is yet another bird seen in Spain- the White-headed Duck. I'd been hoping for months beforehand to see this bird when we went, so after quite a long time of searching the various hides for the bird, when we finally set eyes on the stunning male bird, my heart was pumping. It was so incredible to see an endangered species after so long of searching for it. What a bird.

3.

Third has to go to the Great Grey Shrike at Woolmer. This was a brilliant end to an incredible stint of Woolmer as my patch. I'd loved the place so much, and was disappointed to leave, so to see such a special bird after three hours of searching the place was just incredible. Really.

2.

Second came at the end of the year, the Hen Harrier. After 15 miles walked on a dodgy ankle, I was exhausted, and having dipped the Hen Harriers at The Burgh the previous month, this just made for an insane experience. The bird itself was truly, truly stunning. Seeing it hunt in its habitat as darkness closed in, to use a modern phrase, just hit different. I was speechless at the time, so surprised I could hardly even think straight. 

1.

    And first. The best birding moment of the year. Of course, it goes to the self-found Hoopoe at Thursley Common in April. I was getting worried I would miss out on the spectacular influx due to the birds hardly staying for more than a day at a time. So finding my own was just crazy. It's a moment I don't think I'll ever forget. Self-finding my favourite bird in a country that doesn't get too many. What a bird, and what an experience.

Well, what a year it was. 206 species seen in the UK and over 240 worldwide. 2026 will be slightly different. I'm not going to do a big year, but mainly focus on patch birding, saving up for a scope of my own (I've got a great one out on loan from HOS at the minute) and seeing new birds. Hopefully, this year will bring many, many good birds. The big aim of the year will be lifers; new species are always very fun to see. It still feels surreal that 2025 is over, and 2026 is the current year. But, this is a review of 2025 so I will not spend too much time over 2026.

Happy New Year to all, and I hope that the year will bring great birds for all to enjoy.