The Year 2025 - October to December

These posts are a summary of the year 2025.  This the fourth, four of four, looks at the end of the year from October through December.  If you want more details you can go back and review the full post for the dates and photographs referred to.

Happy New Year!

October

I spent a good three hours on Old Winchester Hill on the 2nd in a fruitless search for Ring Ouzel that had been seen the previous day and that morning.  On the 4th, despite the wind and rain, there was a Willow Emerald still present around Darter's Dip at Titchfield.  With sunshine and clear skies I spent the morning at Acres Down in the New Forest on the 6th.  There was a spectacular display of various fungi and a very wise old Tawny Owl.

The quintessential Fly Agaric, everyone's idea of what a mushroom should look like.

There were plenty of SWallows and House Martins moving south as I walked the Titchfield Canal path on the 7th.  On the reserve there were two Whinchat, a Firecrest and Common Gull in the bay.

An afternoon at Farlington Marshes on the 10th provided an interment time with a couple of Field Voles.

Also present was a single Glossy Ibis and a very confiding Kingfisher.

On the 11th I decided to visit Keyhaven - Lymington reserve, the first time for a while, highlights were the numbers of Pintail, Spotted Redshank, Greenshank and Bar-tailed Godwits.  As we walked back to the car park we were treated to some great views of a female Sparrowhawk.

On the 14th at Titchfield there was a distant Black-throated Diver and 19 Eider, while the Brent numbers had increased significantly.  On the 18th I was back in Kent at a very dry Elmley, highlights were some good views of Bearded Tits and a close fly over from an Osprey.

On the 21st at the Hayling Oyster Beds there was a very high tide that produced some spectacular wader activity involving Dunlin, Knot Grey Plover and Turnstone as they sought dry land to roost on.

Also present around the Oyster Beds were two Whimbrel, Greenshank Rock Pipits and a brief appearance by two Water Pipits.

An immature White-tailed Eagle, one of those bred in West Sussex spent about a week at Fishlake Meadows.  I caught up with this impressive eagle on the 24th.

Back in the New forest on the 25th Ian and I had very brief views of a juvenile Ring Ouzel and the highlight of a visit to Titchfield Haven on the 28th was the Marsh Harriers over the reed bed.

November

The arrival of a large Grackle at Calshot was the big topic of discussion in early November.  First off it had to be ship assisted, secondly was it a Great-tailed, or Boat-tailed.  Neither would count as a first British Bird due to the supposed manner in which it got here, either way I decided to go and see what was now confirmed as a Boat-tailed Grackle on the 4th.  It was a very tame bird, taking meal worms and following birders around to try and get more.  This typical grackle behaviour made it easy to photograph.

There was yet another twist in this tail (!)  On the 19th December there was news that after DNA analysis on some collected poo, the bird was re-confirmed as Great-tailed Grackle.  You still probably won't be able to tick it!

A distraction from the grackle was the presence of a Red-throated Diver close in from the beach giving great views.

Leaving Calshot I went to Shatterford where the Great Grey Shrike was showing well in the autumn sunshine.

On the 6th it was back to Titchfield where the Sanderling and Snipe were showing well.  A visit to Blashford on the 8th produced some great views of the adult female White-tailed Eagle hunting a Goosander on Ibsley Water.

On the 11th, the 13th and 15th I tried hard for the reported Penduline Tit at Titchfield with out any luck.  On the 17th I was at Keyhaven for the first time in a long while and it delivered with great views of Spoonbill, Pintail and a very confiding Dartford Warbler.

Back to Titchfield on the 20th had good views of Sparrowhawk from the Spurgin hide.  On the 21st Ian and I visited the Hayling Oyster Beds with great views of Red-breasted Merganser and then on the afternoon a Sparrowhawk gave us some great views along the main path.

On the 25th at Titchfield it was a glorious winter's day and there were good numbers of Sanderling feeding along the beach.

On the reserve there were huge numbers of Teal, exceeding 500 birds.  The Shoveler were also in good numbers with the drakes looking superb.

On the 28th the drake Goosander was in the harbour fishing as the tide dropped.   Water Rail showed well as did the Marsh Harriers which were reported to be at least eleven around the area.  Mostly female or immatures there were two adult males

Last day of the month, the 30th we went over the border into West Sussex and Thorney Island.  The target were some Bearded Tits and they showed very well.

December

A brief trip to Farlington on the 5th wasn't that fruitful, with the highlight on the day being the journey home with at least fifteen Red Kite in the air over a dead Brown Hare in a field at Froxfield.  On the 6th Ian and I met up at Blashford  where a pair of Peregrine entertained over Ibsley Water.  There was a distant Goshawk and Great Egret, while in the afternoon from the Ivy Lake north hide there was a very close Water Rail.

And a very showy male Kingfisher.

On the 8th, the male Goosander was back in the harbour at Titchfield once again and there were twenty two Common Gull in the bay.  The Shoveler were very active around the south scrape.

The Marsh Harriers showed well from the Spurgin Hide, this female chasing off the smaller male.

On the 13th I was in Kent and made a visit to Elmley.  The reserve was still suffering from the summer's drought and it had impacted the raptor breeding season.  There was no sign of the Short-eared Owls, but good views of Bearded Tits and the Little Owl at the Old School House.

A walk from Titchfield to Brownwich Pond on the 19th had Ian and I finding the drake Ferruginous Duck on the pond with Tufted Duck.  This has to be the same drake that I saw back in January, where it has been in the mean time is anyone's guess.

On the 20th Ian and I were back at Blashford in the morning.  The Tern hide was closed so we had the long trek to the Lapwing hide, but it proved fruitful with some good views of female Goosander in front of the hide.

The Goosander hide was also good too with the redhead Goosander showing well.

In the afternoon a visit to the New Forest was not so good with no Hen Harriers seen coming into the roost.

It was dark and gloomy on the 23rd, and not the best day for photography at Titchfield, but the Sanderling were special in the high tide roost, counting ninety three and also sixty seven Ringed Plover.

A male Cirl Bunting turned up at Wicor on  Christmas Eve and I hoped it would still be there on the 27th, but after waiting for most of the morning we had to presume it had gone.  The afternoon was a little better though with forty two White-fronted Geese on the East Meadows at Titchfield.

My last day out was on the 30th and a change of plans with Ian had us at Testwood Lakes, where we didn't expect to find two Rose-ringed (or Ring-necked) Parakeets!

And that was 2025, hope you enjoyed a look back over the year.  A big thanks to my good friend Ian with whom I have spent some wonderful experiences this year.

30th December - Testwood Lakes and Lower Test Marshes, Hampshire

Ian and I had arranged to meet today, but plans changed on Monday night as Ian had to take his van in for a service issue, this was near to Testwood Lakes so we agreed to meet there.  It was a lovely morning, cold but sunny.  In the car park Redwing flew over and we were surprised by a pair of Rose-ringed Parakeets that flew over calling and quickly disappeared from sight.

We walked around to the hides, stopping to watch the thrushes including Redwing and Fieldfare along the way.  A young buck Roe Deer appeared at the back of the field as well.

Opening the windows in the hide spooked the Wigeon feeding on the grass bank and they all took to the water, there was around a hundred present.

They quickly returned to the grass bank to feed.

The view wasn't brilliant with the low sun shining intot he hide.  Looking around the pools were Teal, Lapwing, Shoveler, Mallard and a few Gadwall.  Moving to view Meadow Lake there were quite a few Cormorant, the closest taking in the sunshine and drying wings on the posts.

Good numbers of Coot feeding around the Wigeon.

A Great Egret flew in from behind us and settled on the grass in front of the hide.

Once upon a time this was one of the places you would come to to see Great Egret, now they turn up almost everywhere there is water.

Then flew off with a lovely black background.

With little else around Ian and I decided to walk around the lakes.  Plenty of alder catkins were an attraction to a good sized flock of Siskin.

A Grey Heron standing high up in a willow tree.

As we picked up the main path towards the car park there were several Chiffchaff catching insects from the bramble bushes.

As we watched the Chiffchaff we heard the Rose-ringed Parakeets again, they appeared to be behind us and a dead Oak tree looked a likely candidate.  Once we eventually found them they flew into the bushes below which made it a little difficult to photograph them.

They were definitely a pair, the male, the one with the black chin markings appearing to be feeding the female.

The female, lacking the dark markings.

They then flew back up to the old oak, the female going to a suitable nest hole.  Eventually she went inside.

While the male sat close by.

The male then went to the nest hole, staying outside.

Rose-ringed Parakeets start nest building in January and will lay eggs early in the year.  The nest is lined with bark and chippings.

The male spent a lot of time like this and appeared to be chewing away at the wall of the hole inside and on the edges.

At last a chance to see the whole bird, body and beautiful tail streamers.

The male then flew off and the female appeared at the hole.

And eventually I got the money shot with a lovely shadow.

They both flew off and we walked back to the car park. After lunch, with Ian's van still under investigation we decided to walk around Lower Test Marshes.  we walked down the path and over the river.  We remarked that the few times we come here we usually see a Grey Wagtail at the start of the board walk and one duly appeared!

The boardwalk was officially closed but we walked as far as we could.  The bird life was almost non existent, a Kestrel the only highlight.  Looking across the reeds there was a stark contrast between the reeds of nature and the docks of man!

Coming back a male Stonechat was on the posts.

We decided to walk in the other direction towards Redbridge, this was probably even worse.  A few Meadow Pipits and Long-tailed Tits and closer to Redbridge groups of Canada Geese and Greylags.

Turning back we headed to the dealership where Ian's van was having to stay in overnight so I took him back home to Stubbington.  What could have been a dire day was brightened by the presence and plumage of the Parakeets.