Review of the Year, 2025 - part two

Leucistic Turnstone, Filey Brigg, May - also seen in France and Northumberland! More here 

This post covers April, May and June '25 - for the first part of the year, see here.

        

House Martins collecting mud - more here

At the very end of March, it was time to head back up to the true North for an extended period over the border - firstly for our sixth School of Birding, and then for an off-the-clock trip to Orkney with the Mrs.

Skara Brae neolithic village - outrageous. More here

The School was excellent as ever (more here), blessed with a fine team and almost entirely lovely weather in the field; the Mrs arrived towards the end of the class, and we spent the second week of April in the cluster of Northern Isles I'd never visited before (plenty of happy times on the more distant Shetland, but none previously on its much nearer neighbours).

Based in a lovely old cottage on Burray, we enjoyed a week of exploring the islands, their culture, wildlife, and most memorably, their incredible neolithic monuments and settlements. If there's prehistoric sites around we try and factor them in to our travels, and happily we were able to explore almost all the sites we'd hoped to over the course of the week, and boy, what a mind-blowing series of sites they were...

A pair of Redshank (left-hand stone) breeding at the Ring of Brodgar 

The birding was excellent, too, especially for raptors, seaducks and waders, with plenty more besides - see here and here for more.

Greater Scaup and Slavonian Grebe, Loch of Harray 

The second half of April became increasingly busy (as it always does as the spring kicks in properly) with a combination of surveying, guiding, and additional birding sessions factored in where possible. Of the former, plenty on the Humber but also some up on the Moors, where we were looking for breeding waders at several key sites.

Stonechat, Filey 

All of which were productive, but none more than the otherwise inaccessible land within the RAF Fylingdales base. I've surveyed its edges before, but this was the first time I'd been given free reign to scrutinise all the rich and varied landscape within its understandably impenetrable security...

On the scrubby, regenerating slopes, we'd Redstarts and Tree Pipits (above) on territory, as well as multiple Cuckoos, Grasshopper Warblers, Ring Ouzels, lots of Stonechats, Willow Warblers and Whitethroats, and pleasingly numerous Whinchats; while in the more fertile upland areas, we'd Golden Plovers, Snipe, Curlews and Lapwings to plot on the maps. So that's how good our moorlands can be....

Adder and Curlews, RAF Fylingdales

Guiding concerned a run of days at Flamborough and Bempton, which were blessed with good weather and lots of good birding - timed for migrants, we were suitably spoiled for them, with the full range of warblers, Yellow Wagtails, Wheatears, and other long-distance returnees complimented by scarcities which included Spotted Crake and Subalpine Warbler.

Golden and White-tailed Eagles, South Uist

For May, another month, another great trip to Scotland - this time to the Outer Hebrides. It was our first School of Birding School Trip - i.e., a purely birding holiday for 'graduates' of our Schools, where we get to relax a bit more and focus just on in-the-field adventures - which was a great success, and hugely enjoyable from start to finish.

Male Ruff and Short-eared Owl, both on territory, North Uist

Bookended by overnight stays at our (familiar) Highland bolthole of Grantown-on-Spey, our ten days, ten guests, two vehicles and two leaders involved everything you'd hope for from such a trip in spring - great birds and birding, epic landscapes, beautiful beaches, a lovely team (and lots of laughs), a perfect hotel and yep, more great weather.

Avian highlights included plenty of Corncrakes (and many wonderful views!), breeding Hen Harriers, Golden and White-tailed Eagles, many Short-eared Owls, huge flocks of waders along the beaches and in the machair and plenty more - see here for more. 

        

Back to Yorkshire for the latter part of May and much of June, where late spring migration was relatively uneventful, but the forests were bursting with life as always, both while surveying and just arsing around. The usual heady mix of Crossbills, Honey-buzzards, Nightjars, Goshawks, Adders and (much) more made for plenty of memorable days up there once again. More here.

Lapwing chick, Fylingdales

Blue Thursday - Flamborough, 22nd Jan '26

Through at Flamborough for a brief family visit, and a morning walk on the clifftop on the tip of the Head in a blustery south-easterly - huge crashing waves, not another soul around, and loads of birds on the move....

... which were, handily, close in, heading into the wind and allowing lovely views. Lots of Kittiwakes, other gulls, Gannets - and a wonderful, constant procession of Fulmars. After just mentioning how it good it looked for one, what should swing effortlessly into view but a beautiful, smoky, stunning Blue Fulmar, from a long way north....

... what a beauty. Back up during 90 minutes strolling and stopping along the clifftop included a Northern Guillemot and two argentatus Herring Gulls, and a dedicated seawatch would've put some serious totals on the board (and perhaps further scarcities) - but that'll do more than nicely for a fairly brief family session.

The coast - mid-January, '26

Woodcock in the Dell 

For the last few days I've been back over on the coast, primarily on family duties, but with a couple of birdy sessions (and nice runs) thrown in for good measure.

Snow Buntings 

Of these, both were along the clifftop at Bempton and Buckton - the second being a guided walk led by Will and I for the lovely volunteer team at RSPB Bempton Cliffs. We started leading these almost-monthly walks early last year, after I wanted a to find way of continuing to contribute, in whatever small way, to the great work of the reserve after moving to York (and thus being unable to carry out my seabird productivity monitoring).

A small proportion of the Corn Bunting totals... They've been a real joy to lead, and the volunteer team at the reserve really are a lovely bunch - they do so much to keep this legendary, flagship reserve ticking (and excelling) in its various ways, especially visitor engagement. God knows how many thousands of hours they clock up between them, but I'm in awe of their efforts, and make a great place even greater.

Anyway, so to the birds... there's a lot up there right now. The Buckton clifftop and neighbouring stubble fields in particular are absolutely alive with flocks of passerines, and that's where we focused our efforts. Of the highlights here, the minimum 250 Corn Buntings were outstanding (and maybe the largest flock I've seen in Yorkshire?), with 24 Snow Buntings, 35 Yellowhammers, 25 Rock Pipits, 130 Linnets, 250 Starlings and more;

while raptors here included Hen Harrier, Peregrines, Sparrowhawks, buzzards and Kestrels. With thousands of Guillemots (including one obvious nominate bird), plus Gannets, Fulmars, Red-throated Divers and other seabirds on our other side, it's quite the spectacle up there right now.

Holy Island, the Highlands & Hogmanay - the end of '25 and the beginning of '26

A room with a view

The view 

We've been back the best part of a week (including some entertaining guiding and surveying - see last posts), but for the post-Christmas and New Year period, we headed north for a lovely trip split between Lindisfarne and the Highlands.

The ruined abbey and our hotel

For the first two days and nights, Holy Island was our home, with long walks, dinners, and drinking / rummy sessions (and a couple of lovely runs) the order of the day (and night). A cheap deal on a hotel overlooking the castle and south bay was well worth it, and while we've been here many times, this was the first time we'd actually stayed on the island, but likely not the last.

Bar-tailed Godwits, Sanderlings, Ringed Plovers, Turnstones and Purple Sandpipers - Lindisfarne's beaches were loaded with 'em

Next up, the Highlands for Hogmanay - specifically Grantown-on-Spey, and more specifically the Grant Arms Hotel, who kindly invited us up for a few nights in return for some guiding / speaking / quiz-hosting.

Brent Geese (the best geese), Holy Island 

As regular readers will know I (we) have been regular visitors to hotel for many years now; as guest speaker and guide for most years from 2017, and over the last few years, multiple times a year to host of School of Birding.

So it's familar and very welcome territory (and almost like a second home these days); but this was our first Hogmanay up there, and my first time officially co-hosting with our dear friend, Mike (Dilger). Better still, Mike was up with his family - Christina, Zachary and Bramble the dog - and we had a great time with them over the course of our stay.

Aberbethy's Coal Tits are the BEST tits

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— Mark James Pearson (@markthebirder.bsky.social) 30 December 2025 at 12:49

One of many Cresties

Mike and I split guiding and speaking duties for the guests but were able to come together for a fabulous day down our favourite valley, Strathdearn - skillfully assisted by Amity (what an accidentally brilliant co-guide she is) and Zach (who absolutely wiped the floor with us oldies in the eagle-finding stakes). A fine day with fifteen or more guests enjoying no fewer than seven (!) Golden Eagles, three White-tailed Eagles, Mountain Hares and much more.

 

A word re: Hogmanay in Grantown - joyous! Despite shitty weather, thousands of people crowded the square, many of whom were traditional dancing (and at least half cut) to great live music coming from the turned-over articulated lorry that doubled up as a road block. It was a late, and memorable, night... 

White-tailed Eagle

The timing of our guiding days was excellent, as not long afterwards, the weather turned - and over the course of the next day or so went from howling gales and cold rain to almost constant, thick, heavy, snow....

... which was, of course, wholly beautiful and seasonally evocative. To a point, that is - the point being trying to get out and get home in time for Amity to restart school and me to get back to work. As it turned out we were effectively snowed in and had to stay another day and night (thankfully we'd one 'in reserve'), which was a lovely bonus - a long walk in the silent, deeply covered forest with Am, a long run in the forest afterwards, and then a very fun evening with friends and guests at the hotel.

Heading out the next morning was a bit spicy, but we followed a snow plough out of the worst of the conditions, and eight and half hours later, made it back to Yorvik. A fine festive period in every sense.

Happy New Year from the heart of the Highlands! We spent the last day of '25 guiding with our dear friend Mike (Dilger) for the good folk up for Hogmanay at the Grant Arms Hotel - a cracking day including seven Golden Eagles, three White-tailed Eagles, Mountain Hares & lots of other local wildlife.

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— Mark James Pearson (@markthebirder.bsky.social) 31 December 2025 at 17:24