Review of the Year, 2025 - part one

Middle Spotted Woodpecker, Berlin

Sanderling, Filey, January

This post covers January - March 2025. See upcoming posts for the rest of the year's highlights.

A quiet start to the year (birdwise, at least!) - mostly involving the regular surveys on the Humber - was enlivened greatly by our fifth School of Birding in February. What an absolute cracker it was; an exceptionally wonderful team of ten, and the full spectrum of both Highlands weather and classic birds and birding.

White-tailed Eagle, Strathspey

Heavy snowfalls, plunging temperatures, blue skies and sunshine, all conspiring to provide perfect backdrops for a memorable week. As well as it being such a pleasure to see everyone blossoming as birders - collectively, and very much in their own individual ways - we happily cleaned up with all the species we were hoping to enjoy as a team. Another fantastic week in what feels like my second home these days.

 

Plenty more surveying upon return, and my first local guiding days of the year, at the fantastic Tophill Low reserve in East Yorkshire. These wetland and woodland days are a new element of my guiding calendar, and were a joy to lead - in a traditionally quiet time of the year locally, to have such quantity and quality of wildfowl, plus various marshland and woodland species made for great birding. More here.

   

(My Tophill Low days for this coming February are up on the YCN website now - have a look here if you'd like to join me!)

Ruddy & Common Shelducks, North Cave 

By mid-March, it was time to head for Berlin, for a little over a week of messing around, ostensibly with Goshawks (but with plenty of other kinds of fun thrown in). Staying in the centre of town, our initial mission was recon Tiergarten - the huge park that dominates the heart of the city - and pinpoint all the Goshawk territories before Rich's group arrived. We also spent a day on nearby Peacock Island, on the south-west fringes of the city, to likewise prepare for guiding activities there.

   

We factored in plenty of time for enjoying the city by day and night, and for socialising (great to see Patrick and especially my old friend Mitch!), and it was great trip on all accounts. Very much looking forward to guiding a group there this coming March (which happily sold out long since, but check for '27 dates in the spring...)

   

(listen out for joggers, people on their lunchbreak, and kids from the kindergarten in the above clip - yep, this is how close you can get to Berlin's Goshawks...)

Great night here in #Berlin with my brothers Rich and Mitch - by beautiful coincidence, the brilliant Patrick Franke was giving a talk and we got to evangelise birds over beers late into the night with him and the wonderful Manuel Tacke. The Venn diagram was on fire! #Eurobirders

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— Mark James Pearson (@markthebirder.bsky.social) 19 March 2025 at 08:58

Sand Martin at Filey 

A spare couple of days birding on the coast at the end of the month quenched my thirst for early trans-Saharan migrants and also involved some good raptor vismig (see here), before it was time to prep for the next Highland adventure...

Scaup, North Cave Wetlands 

(Part Two to follow soon)

Nocmig update - Flamborough, July - November '25

Arctic Tern - by far the best autumn for this species so far on nocmig

Please use headphones for audio clips

 

Recordings recommenced (after a short summer break) in July - eleven nights, from the 20th - and were immediately productive. Most interestingly, Arctic Terns were recorded on no fewer than seven nights: 19th, 20th, 21st, 23rd, 25th, 26th and 27th, often with substantial flocks involved.

 

To put this into context, this was the sixth autumn I've been nocmigging from the village, and I've had no more than a handful of Arctic Terns recorded in a given year (and then usually just a few calls); something was clearly going on with their post-breeding overland movements this year. The (usually more numerous) Sandwich Terns were also recorded on 21st, and Common Terns on 24th and 30th.

  

Early movements of waders were also evident, with a flock of Redshanks on 21st, Dunlins on 22nd and 24th, Common Sandpipers on 19th and 22nd (with a substantial flock on the former date), and Turnstones on 23rd. Other species picked up included Black-headed Gulls, Oystercatchers, Skylarks, Robins, Moorhens, Meadow Pipits and Song Thrush; a very productive early run.

 

A total of 27 nights were recorded during a productive August, with plenty of decent returns, including eleven species of shorebird: Dunlins on three nights, Ringed Plovers on two (including two on 14th), Whimbrel on 10th, flocks of Knot on 13th and 18th, flocks of Sanderlings on 16th and 17th, Turnstone on 17th, two Redshanks on 19th, an early Golden Plover on the same night, duos of Curlews on 20th and 21st, Whimbrel on 25th, and Oystercatchers on the majority of nights. Other species picked up included Skylarks, Moorhens, Grey Heron, and two Song Thrushes on 26th.

 

Not as fruitful (owing largely to periods of poor conditions), September was still reasonably productive, with highlights including a flock of Bar-tailed Godwits on 28th, Common Scoters on 30th, good movements of Pink-footed Geese beginning on 17th (with eleven skeins on 19th), two more groups of Arctic Terns on 4th, Ringed Plover, Dunlin, Curlew, Whimbrel, Redshanks and Golden Plovers in small numbers, and pulses of passerines, which were headlined by Song Thrushes on nine nights, as well as Skylarks and a Redpoll on 17th. 

  

The first half of October saw movements of Pink-feet continued in earnest, while numbers of Redwings went from one on 1st, to 58 on 8th, to 757 on 12th and then to a month-high of 1447 on 13th - the same busy night that also produced a Ring Ouzel, groups of Sanderling and Common Scoter (with a further flock the previous night, and two more the following night), 62 Song Thrushes, two Robins and 21 Blackbirds.

Knot

  

Song Thrushes continued to prevail throughout the month, with double figure counts on the majority of nights from thereon with a peak of 64 on 14th; Redwings were also regular in small numbers, as were Blackbirds (spiking at 64 on 14th and 122 on 15th). A Brambling on 16th, a flock of Knot on 29th, and Common Snipe on 11th were also notable.

   

Much of the action in November was centred around a few consecutive nights at the end of the first week of the month. After a quiet start, movements began to pick up on 5th, with 439 Redwings, 218 Blackbirds, 26 Song Thrushes, two Curlew, Wigeon and two Meadow Pipits; on 6th, Redwings numbered 897, Blackbirds 107 and Song Thrushes 113, with three Fieldfares, two groups of Wigeon, Golden Plover, Dunlin and plenty of Pink-feet.

  

A Hawfinch was a welcome scarcity on 7th (the second of the year, after none previously), as was a Shelduck, with 572 Redwings, 188 Blackbirds, 28 Song Thrushes and a flock of Wigeon also recorded. Thereafter, Redwings peaked at 138 on 14th and 168 on 15th, Blackbirds at 122 (also on 15th), and Pink-feet continued top move in good number on several nights, while more Common Scoters were picked up on 15th. 

 

The rest of November petered out with small numbers of thrushes still trickling over, with a total of 18 nights recorded during the month, concluding another decent autumn's nocmig in the village.

Brambling

Nocmig update - Wigginton, autumn 2025

 

Whooper Swan (recorded in October)

Please use headphones for sound clips 

   

After moving to the northern suburbs of York last summer, this is my second autumn recording migrating birds overnight and over our (sleeping) heads here.

   

A few nights at the end of July produced two Common Sandpipers, plus Skylark and Oystercatcher, before our usual lengthy summer trip to the States; back at the end of August, when four nights produced Water Rail, Meadow Pipit, Golden Plover, Oystercatcher and Moorhen.

   

Fifteen nights were recorded in September, with 4th and 5th providing quality passerine migration - Pied Flycatcher, Tree Pipit (and Robin) on the former date, and two Spotted Flycatchers on the latter. The first Common Scoters of the season beeped over on 19th, and the first Pink-footed Geese followed on 21st, while more Scoters and a Dunlin were picked up 22nd.

   

A generally quiet end to the month provided several more Snipe and Skylarks amongst other species, which scattered through the month included several Water Rails, Grey Herons, Moorhens and Oystercatchers, with Golden Plovers recorded on five occasions, and Robins on a further three.

 

Seventeen nights were attempted in October from 5th, with a slow first half of the month featuring small numbers of Song Thrushes, Redwings, Robins, Skylarks, Golden Plovers, Common Scoters on 7th and Pink-feet over on two nights.

 

An upturn in numbers from mid-month saw the best Redwing counts for October - still modest, but into three figures - of 328 on 17th, 386 on 18th and 122 on 20th, with a Common Snipe over on 17th, Common Scoters over on 21st, Pink-footed Geese on 21st and 23rd, and Whooper Swans on 29th. 

Song Thrushes were a constant throughout September and October, with a peak of 65 on 17th, and additional passerines of interest included Siskin and two Meadow Pipits on 18th, Skylark on 20th, and small numbers of Blackbirds on various dates.

 

Barn Owl - surprisingly an autumn regular over the suburbs here.... 

Blackbirds arrived in much bigger numbers at the end of the first week of November, with 212 on 5th and 171 on 6th being by far the highest counts of the year. Redwings likewise peaked over the same 48 hours, with 876 and 407 respectively; four Robins and two Redpolls on the 5th were also notable. 

Siskin (recorded in October)

A further week of recordings produced diminishing returns as the month went on, with continuing poor conditions and limited records consisting of smaller numbers of thrushes, odd Moorhens, Teal on 15th, and a final skein of Pink-feet on 17th.

School of Birding, November '25 - Class Seven dismissed!

"How many?"

Yep, that's seven - eight, if you include this spring's fabulous School Trip to the Outer Hebrides - Schools my estimable partner Simon and I have so far completed. We've come a long way from a kernel of an idea over a pint in Grantown a couple of years back....

A full week with a fantastic cast list (all team players, all helping each other, all a great craic) and some great birding - in mixed conditions, as you might expect in the Highlands in the early winter - which challenged us to degree, but then provided some of the most beautiful moments and backdrops I've ever had up there.

Temperatures plunged to -10 midweek and the forecast snow was even heavier than predicted, but oh boy, was it the absolute archetypal winter wonderland. In the forests, in the valleys, on the hills and mountains, across farmland and in the villages, the white stuff was fresh and deep and the experiences we had were especially peaceful and mindful as a consequence.

Two of four Waxwings we stumbled across in Carr Bridge

Thanks to all of Class Seven for making it such a pleasure for us - a really memorable one, and we look forward to seeing you again for Module Two....

Treecreeper

... speaking of which, next up is our very first Module Two, in February; watch this space for a hopefully positive report! We've another five schools (all booked up) until our next Module One in November next year - there's a couple of places left I think, so have a look here if you fancy joining us.

Crestie (above), Red-breasted Merganser (below)

Gulls at Lossiemouth - spot the four argentatus Herring Gulls... 

Lekking Black Grouse

Thanks once more to our good friends at Zeiss Birding, who again provided a wide range of their qulaity birding optics free of charge for our team to use, with big discounts available on purchases thereafter. We appreciate your ongoing support!

 

Eastern Black Redstart, Castle Hill, Scarborough - 28th Nov '25

Another fabulous and accommodating rarity on Castle Hill after last month's Needletail (thanks again, Ben!), this beautiful male Eastern Black Redstart graced the urban but picturesque confines of St. Mary's Churchyard on our afternoon jolly to the coast yesterday.

It's the second I've seen in the area, after a bird on a Scalby housing estate at a similar time of year (reported as a male Common Redstart, I believe, before a much-recommended and predictable re-identification) some years back - a fun outing with the must-missed Martin G; there's been a third locally, too (Cayton Bay, maybe?), suggesting this bit of the coast is arguably the best spot for Eastern Black Reds in the UK...

After our session watching it feed high up in bare trees (conveniently at eye-level, from neighbouring steps), the heavens opened and we retreated to the Watermark cafe for celebratory jacket potatoes, Bottlenose Dolphins cruising past as we ate. Quality!

Snow Buntings, Filey - 26th Nov '25

Back from the Highlands, and with work on the Humber the next day, a now familiar routine - a session on the coast (at Filey) before staying at Flamborough and seeing the folks. Not much going on in blustery, cold south-westerlies and under gloomy skies, but when there's Snow Buntings around, it's always a good day.

A total of eight flew in and dropped in at my feet on Carr Naze, making for another satisfying session on my knees in the weeds. This may be the 2000th post about this species here, but I can assure you, it won't be the last....