As the end of 2025 approaches we always like to appraise how the birding has gone and for me that means, in particular, my local patch. As I have mentioned on more than one occasion, my patch is not a nature reserve. It has no large areas of fresh water, estuaries or scrapes. There is not a hide to be had. Other observers are thin on the ground, so combining this with working full time, a lot of the birds are self found on my daily dog walks. I miss a bit too when I am at work.
This year I have been using eBird to keep a list and in doing so I have input quite a few records for my 3 sq km area, see Map -
Whilst 2025 was just about average in the number of species recorded at 154, over the last 16 years on site ( record is 166 in 2019, lowest 136 in 2014) . Here are the rarity highlights with comments -
White fronted Geese - 6 stayed for a month Jan - Feb. Only the 3rd occurrence after birds in 2011 and 2023.
Great Crested Grebe 1 on the sea in August, like the geese only the 3rd occurrence after birds in 2011 and 2016. 9 years since I last recorded one here.
Red necked Grebe 1 on 26th October on a seawatch another 3rd record after birds in 2010 and 2019. Equals Great Crested Grebe in regularity here.
Glaucous Gull 1 2nd Winter in February seen twice. Yet another 3rd after singles in 2015 and 2018.
Osprey 1 flew N past our house early on 24th April, the 4th here.
Bee-eater 1 south on 31st May a patch first at last. Pity it didnt linger for photos, it was seen twice in half an hour as it moved south.
Garden Warbler. This is what makes patch watching interesting. Despite being on the east coast these birds are hard to catch up with here. This one singing on the coast path and seen in spring was the first for 9 years. They were more or less annual for the first few years after we came here in 2009. Getting rarer.
Common Rosefinch. My second garden record, but not as good as the first one in 2010. In fact this one was a heard singing only record that departed before I could get eyes on it. 27th May.
Other notable species for the patch were Gadwall, Pintail, Long tailed Duck, Cuckoo, Water Rail, Grey Plover, Knot, Bar tailed Godwit, Greenshank, Mediterranean Gull, Little Gull, Little Tern, Roseate Tern, Pomarine Skua, Long tailed Skua ( all 4 skuas), Little Egret, Marsh Harrier, Short eared Owl, Willow Tit, Yellow browed Warbler, Grasshopper Warbler, Spotted Flycatcher, Twite.
Biggest misses include Sanderling, Common Sandpiper, Redstart, Red legged Partridge, Little Auk and Waxwing both the latter near annual. Its 5 years since my last Whinchat here though they have been seen by others occasionally.
So, here's to 2026, lets hope it brings something interesting...
