A bit of Winter Sun 2026

 On the 12th of January 2026 my wife and I enbarked on a cruise for some winter sunshine. Our home for the 23 days was aboard the Ambassador Ambition. We left Tilbury heading for Leixoes in Portugal which was two days at sea and which meant crossing the Bay of Bicay in really windy weather,  and a four metre sea swell -  not good for people that suffer with sea sickness [which gladly the wife and I don't suffer from.] The weather did stop me getting out on deck to look for cetaceans and what few birds there were, Gannet and Kittewake were the only birds I saw. Shearwaters would be way out in the Atlantic off the eastern seaboard of South America. This wasn't a birdwatching holiday, but when the opportunity arose I did take a few images.

                                                                        Yellow-legged Gull

Apart from Madeira and the Canary Isles where the weather was excellent, tempreture in the mid 20's, the visits to Malaga, Cadiz and Vigo, all in Spain were cold and sometimes really wet, but we still managed to get out and have a mooch about. Our two ports of call in North Africa, Casablaca and Tangiers were both cancelled due to inclement weather conditions. When we were in Gbralter we had to leave 3 hours early due to strong winds and a large sea swell coming in from the Atlantic.

                                                                      Cormorant

Below are a few images from the trip, all the waders were taken the harbour at Arrecife in Lanzarote. I love it there as you get fairly close to birds when the tide is right.

                             Atlantic Canary this was taken in Maderia at a childrens play ground 

Yellow-legged Gulls are common in the harbours around Iberia and Atlantic Islands, in Lisbon there were a flock of around 30 Mediterranean Gulls, sadly never came close enough to the ship for any images.

Canary Isle ChiffChaff

Rose-ringed Parakeet

Santa Cruz (Tenerife) has one of the best botanicl gardens, lots to see and lots of wildlife. it's a lovely walk and when you have had enough you finish with a nice cold drink from the cafe on site. Both the above images were taken here.

Like I've said,  Arreciefe is great for watching waders up close and it was nice to bump into 5 Eurasian Spoonbill; all the images below ere taken here.

                                                          Two of the five Eurasion Spoonbill

                                                                    Common Sandpiper

                                                                        Dunlin

                                                                        Whimbrel

 

                                                                              Little Egret

                                                                             Little Egret

                                                                     Turnstone

                                                                        Plain Swift

                                                                 Spanish Sparrow

Whilst I was on the ship in Arreciefe Harbour trying to take images of Yellow-legged Gulls I noticed a bird with a different wing pattern and bill structure; picking up my binochulars and getting on the bird,  I surprised  to see a lovely Audouin's Gull, and  also a very dark Lesser Blacked-back Gull, could be (fuscus) but I'll send the images to our Gull guru Carl Baggot.

                                                                 Audouin's Gull

          Lesser Blacked-backed Gull

The two image below were taken in Malaga when it was raining fairly heavily, it was that heavy my camera got wet through and stop working. but having got back to the ship it did dry out and none the worse for wear,

Monk Parakeet

Monk Parakeet

We have never been to Gibralter and was really looking forward to seeing the Barbary Macaque's. We don't go on many of the ship's trips as we like doing our own thing, but this was a must; on our way up the rock I did see some Barbary Partridge -  a bird I have not seen in a long time. but the Macaque's didn't dissapoint us, what alovely animal

Barbary Macaque

I can see one

Mum what they all lookig at

Do I need this many carrots

Oh, I saw that

Our last port of call was Vigo (Spain) always a good place for Black Redstart, I had seen a female type in Lisbon but had no camera with me, but here in Vigo I have always seen them around the harbour or very close to it, this time was no exception- a male and female were frequenting a little area next to the marina feeding around the statue of Jules Verne. along with a couple of Chiffchaffs.

Female Black Redstart

Male Black Redstart

Chiffchaff

It was a shame about the weather and the missed ports - although we did have a 'confused sea' according to the captain -  a new one for us. We still had a great time visiting some new ports, but Gibralter was the place for me. As alaways thanks for stopping by and hopefully be posting again very soon.                     

                                                                                                               

 

A Trip To Derbyshire

 Just a quick post before I get stuck into sorting through my images from our cruise So, just before myself and the good lady went on our cruise down to the Canaries and the Mediterranean which started on the 12th of January, John Hague [Shrike Birding Tours] Dave Gray and I had a trip to Derbyshire in search of a few year ticks. First stop was Cromford - a good area for Hawfinch and Dipper; sadly neither was seen, but great to watch some Long-tailed Tits and Siskin busily feeding away.

                                                                    Long-tailed Tit

                                                                          Siskin

It was then on to Darley Dale to try again for Hawfinch and this time we were successful, with two birds feeding at the church yard.

We then ended out little tour of Derbyshire at Straw Bridge LNR where a Ring-necked Duck had been frequenting. This bird showed ridiculously close - down to 15 feet at times, the best views I have had of this species.

                                                               Ringed-necked Duck

                                                                 Ringed-necked Duck

Once I've sorted through the images from our cruise, I'll put a post on about our trip. It wasn't a birding trip,  just a few images from when I had my camera with me.

As always thanks for stopping by.

Snowed Out

 On January 3rd this year, Dave Gray, John Hague from Shrike Birding Tours and I decided to go and have a look at the long staying Black-winged Kite which was residing at Ludham Bridge in Norfolk. We knew the weather was giving snow showers down the east coast but arriving on site just after 9.30am, the so called snow  showers turned out to be a snow blizzard, so we abandoned the Kite idea when John said the Eastern Black Redstart (a sub species of Black Redstart) was showing in Sherringham- a bird I had not seen. Driving conditions were horrible,  and so a 50 minute drive to Sherringham turned out to be over an hour and half;  fair play to Dave for driving in those coditions. On arrival at the esplanade, it was not long before this really confiding bird was showing really well on the beach and groynes.

We picked up a few year ticks from the esplanade, an adult Caspian Gull, adult Med Gull, Kittiwake and Turnstone plus the usual  more common gulls.

We finished at Roydon Common where the Harriers come into roost, Male and Female Hen Harrier were seen, and up to 10 Marsh Harriers, well over 30 Red Kites a Couple of Barn Owls and Dave picked out a bonus Little Owl

Overall it turned out to be a better day than expected after a miserable start!

Happy New Year to everyone, as always thanks for stopping by, and here's to a bird filled 2026 and any thing else to do with nature.

Another Year Gone

 Well, we've nearly come to the end of another year [where's that gone?] and its been quite a good year for birds in Leicestershire where I live. Some birds I saw and some I didn't, some birds I got images of and some I didn't. It started for me back in April when a Savi's Warbler was seen and heard at Cossington Meadow NR, sadly no images, but a county tick for me!

Snow Bunting, Beacon Hill

Black Redstart, Hathern Church

                                                                               Black Redstart

Then in July, Rod Baker found a Caspian Tern at Eyebrook Reservoir, again no images but once again it was a county tick

Snow Bunting having a stretch. 

In early October a very confiding Baird's Sandpiper turned up at Rutland Water but we were on our pilgrimage to the Shetland Isles. It was still there when we returned, but for the life of me I don't know why I didn't go!  Another bird I didn't go for was a Dusky Warbler found by Mark Andrews on his local patch at Aylestone Meadows, but I did have lots going on with one thing or another,

 

                                                          American Wigeon, Eyebrook Reservoir

                                                                        American Wigeon

                                                                           Lesser Scaup

We had not long been back from Shetland when Andy Mackay found an American Golden Plover at Eyebrook Reservoir. This bird showed really well, but was always distant for my camera.

Also in October, a Black Restart was found residing at a church at Hathern, a village in the north of the county, and a very confiding Snow Bunting was found feeding around the Trig point at Beacon Hill. 

                                                          Lesser Scaup with female Tufted Duck

Into  Mid-November and Toby Carter found a Lesser Scaup from the causeway at Swithland Reservoir, another bird that showed really well. The last week of November, once again Andy Mackay hit the jackpot finding a Drake American Wigeon, and once again it showed really well to visiting birders.

A bird that's declining in our county is the Marsh Tit, so when a good mate Ben Croxall tipped me off that the Groby Pool birders had found one or even two coming to the feeders, I had to go and see for myself; it took a while, but with a little patience it (or they) showed really well.

                                                                      Marsh Tit, Groby Pool

As aways thanks for stopping by, and I would like to wish you and your families a very Merry Christmas and a Happy bird filled New Year.

Shetland 2025

 Remember storm Amy? well it caused myself, Andy and Dave an awful lot of grief for our trip to Shetland this year. We were originally to go on the Friday the 4th but we decided to go a day early which turned out to be the right decision as the ferries were cancelled on the Friday and Satuarday sailings. Normally I would say an uneventful trip up to Aberdeen but not this time! We left Leicester at 7.30am for our 8hr journey to the ferry which was leaving at 5.30pm Little did we know the M6 at Carlisle and at Greta would be closed;  it was absolute carnage around Carlisle and I've got to say the most stressful road jorney I have ever made. We made the ferry with just 6 minutes to spare. We boarded the MV Hrossey for our journey to Lerwick via Kirkwall, unevenful but rather bumpy.

Arriving in Lerwick, the tradition is for breakfast at the Fjara Cafe, always a great way to start day.

After brekki our first port of call was to the Loch of Asta for a Siberian Thrush, a lifer for me,  that had been frequenting a little copse at the side of the road feeding in the elderberry bushes. We were only there an hour or so when I saw it in the top of one of the said bushes, eventually we all saw it, a great start to the trip. We did go back to this bird a couple of times and had great views of this eastern rarity. Must thank the owners of the Scalloway Caravan park for their tolarence whilst the bird was frequenting their garden.

                                                                                Siberian Thrush

Once again, I will not bore you with a day to day account of all the birds we saw, but just the interesting ones we encounterd on this trip. After leaving the Thrush,  just up the road at the Loch of Tingwall Dave found the Ringed-neck Duck. We decided to then meander our way to our one night stay at Da Haa bed and breakfast near Walls, can certainly recommend it.

The following morning we were at Melby beach- always a great place to see many waders and sometime the odd Diver. Just as we were heading away from Melby, Andy called out some Red Grouse at the side of the road - not seen them around here before. It was then a really slow drive back to Bigton, birding on the way of course to Sheepfold which would be our home for the next 10 days.

                                                                       Red Grouse

Once we unpacked, there was a bogey bird of mine not a 5minute drive away at Ireland [no not the country]in the shape of a Ortolan Bunting, weather was windy and raining but managed to get good scope views from a fellow birder. Thanks, who ever you were.

                                                                            Bar-tailed Godwit

A couple of days later we went in search of a Western Sublapine Warbler at Levenwick. It does not happen very often, but within 15 minutes of arriving at the bird's favoured garden, there it was, feeding in the field bordering the garden. This was my 3rd tick. 

Turnstone

Purple Sandpiper

     Barnacle Goose  

Always worth checking the flocks of Greylag as other species of goose sometimes join them

                                                                       Curlew

                                                                          Redshank

   Whooper Swan Loch of Spiggie, the numbers certainly increased this year whilst we were on Shetland

                                                                               Drake Teal

                                                                       Wheatear

                                                                   Skylark

                                                                       Raven

                                             Starling, always think these birds are underated

     Sanderling

 Always love watching these little waders running in and out of the surf like they have been wound up with a key.

With storm Amy out of the way,  all the birders were wating with anticipation for the fall of American migrants. Iceland and Ireland [yes the country] had a few, then on the 8th, a Blackpoll Warbler was found at Haroldswick on Unst, so the following day it was a day out to Unst. Again we srolled up, and there it was just feeding on the beach, pleasing a lot of birders. Whilst on Unst we also caught up with Bluethroat at Norwick and Glossy Ibis.

                                                                           Gloosy Ibis

                                                                     Hooded Crow

The 10th was a special day - news had come through that 3 Orcas and been seen travelling North by Sumburgh Head; we did try from the head, but Dave said we would do better at Levenwick, and sure enough he was bang on, decent views had of this iconic animal! Sadly too far away for any images. much to my wife's disgust!

                                                                  Blackpoll Warbler

                                                               Blackpoll Warbler

                                                                   Bkackpoll Warbler

On the 11th, we caught up with a Rustic Bunting at Hoswick but the bird was really mobile. At the Loch of Asta,  a confiding Yellow-browed Warbler showed well but not so well were the 3 Scaup on the Loch of Tingwell which were very distant.

          Barred Warbler. I do not know why but the birds on Shetland always seem to show really well.

 

                                                                               Chiffchaff

We had been trying to catch up with a Blue-winged Teal on the Loch of Spiggie and also frequenting the Loch of Hillwell, but the weather was never in our favour - either too windy, raining or foggy. but on the 13th it gave itself up, good views though distant.

                                                                           Barred Warbler

The 13th was our penultimate day so its always nice to do a trip to the pool of Virkie, again always good for waders. It's the most Bar-tailed Godwits I've seen on there; this year 30/40 individuals. There were also Wheatear, Ringed Plover, Dunlin, RB Merganser, Curlew and Redshank - also quite a few Sanderling.

                                                                            Blackbird

Andy and Dave had not seen Otter this year, I had seen a Dog Otter on Levenwick beach. so we decided to go and have look at some of the haunts we had seen them in previous years. We ended up at Bridge End [it's between East and West Burra.] Dave pulled up at the marina so we could scan for otter, bringing up my bins the first thing I seen was a G.W.Egret - quite a rarity on the Shetland Isles. After taking some record images for the Shetland recorder as it is a description species, 5 minutes later, Dave had found our quarry, an Otter happily feeding in the voe.

                                                                       Yellow-browed Warbler

                                                                        Yellow-browed Warbler

Our last day; after packing and leaving Sheepfold as we found it, we mooched around Lerwick, but we did have great views of one of  the two  Barred Warblers that had taken up residence at Clickimin Loch.

Aother great trip with two good mates, had a few laughs as always and saw some great birds.

I finished on 99 species 4 new british ticks 3 being lifers and we travelled in excess of 2000km door to door.

As always thanks for stopping by, hope you've enjoyed reading about our 2025 Shetland trip