Of Birds & Cake the Blog of Paul: Review of the Year 2025

2025 has been a fairly average year, 210 on the list! 3 Lifers, White-winged Scoter, Least Sandpiper and Turkestan Shrike, which was probably my Bird of the Year!

Turkestan Shrike

Details of an enjoyable trip to Suffolk can be found at the link

Turkestan Shrike

Least Sandpiper

A trip to Medmerry for the Sandpiper, more at the link

Least Sandpiper

White-winged Scoter

The White-winged Scoter was seen on the first day of our trip to Scotland, details at the link below!

Scoterfest

Shrikes featured quite strongly this year, details at the links

A Woodchat Shrike at Newhaven earlier in the year, Woodchat

A Great Grey Shrike on and enjoyable jaunt to Essex Essex Jaunt

A Daurian just down the road at Woodsmill Daurian

Woodchat Shrike

Durian Shrike

Great Grey Shrike

We have had two Holidays this year a Spring trip to Scotland, first week staying near Carnoustie, the 2nd spent on the Isle of Skye and an Autumn trip to Cornwall!!

In Scotland both East and West were highly enjoyable, though Skye was a bit crowded with so many Camper Vans!! Apart from the Scoterfest we had some enjoyable days on the East Coast, with the highlight probably the Seabird Colony at RSPB Fowlsheugh, Where we got our yearly Puffin fix!

Puffins et Al

Puffin

Razorbill

Fulmar

Guillemot

Skye was all about the Eagles, we did manage good views of both Golden and White-tailed but was hard work!! We stormed the Old Man of Stor and had some lovely days around the Island!! A good example at the link

Skye

Golden Eagle

White-tailed Eagle

WTE and Hen Harrier!

A few more pics from Scotland below

Black Guillemot

Chiffchaff

Common Gull

Common Sandpiper

Scoter

Dipper

Eider

Gannet

Goosander

Hooded Crow

Housemartin

Minke Whale

Osprey

Me having conquered the Old Man of Storr

Pied Wagtail

Red Squirrel

Redpoll

Rock Dove

Sanderling

Sandmartin

Sedge Warbler

Shag

Starling

Stonechat

Surf Scoter

Song Thrush

Tree Pipit

Tree Sparrow

Wheatear

Willow Warbler

The highlight of our trip to Cornwall was a pelagic boat trip with AK Wildlife Cruises , which despite the wild weather, we are now officially old seadogs, some great birds were seen, Dolphins cruised next to the ship and a Minke Whale blew!! Full details on this blog post Boat Trip

Fulmar

Sooty Shearwater

The rest of week in Cornwall, was spent looking for Choughs, with some success, looking for Black Kites with no success, Seawatching with little success, enjoying the scenery and eating Gluten Free Pancakes with a fair amount of success!! A few pics below and yes there are pancakes whoop!!

Pancakes with Blueberries Bacon, Maple Syrup and extra Blueberries to ensure healthiness

Chough

Glossy Ibis

Manx Shearwater

Got a Shag in Cornwall and Scotland Whoop!

Wheatear

Spotted Flycatcher

White Wagtail

Grey Wagtail

Redshank

Pectoral Sandpiper

Ruff

Apart from our Holidays, we pretty much stayed in Sussex, with the odd foray into Kent, including a memorable trip to Elmley Nature Reserve see more at link Owlfest

Had a few trips to Pulborough Brooks, visited the Clayton Windmills quite a lot and Woodsmill, just down the road got a few visits. Some pics below with descriptions when I can remember where we were!

Chiffchaff plenty heard all over

Bearded Tit from Elmley

Black Guillemot from Sovereign Harbour

Black Redstart saw several throughout the year, this one was at Seaford Head

Black Redstart this one from the Clayton Windmills

Brambling from Warnham

Cattle Egret from Pulborough Brooks

Coal Tit

Common Scoter from Seaford, didn't get much seawatching in this year, didn't even get a Pom😢

Whimbrel and Bar-tailed Godwits flying past Seaford

Med Gulls past Seaford

Common Whitethroat

Corn Bunting

Curlew

Dartford Warbler from the trip to Dunwich

Possibly the worst photo of the year essence of Hoopoe from Medmerry

Seen quite a few Goldcrests this year

Goldfinch

Goshawk

Grasshopper Warbler a memorable encounter from Seaford Head

Great Crested Grebe

Green Woodpecker

Greenfinch

Green-winged Teal from Pulborough Brooks

Little Egret

Grey Heron

Herring Gulls

Kestrel

Kingfisher, this on down the Cuckmere, seen them on several occasions without getting a decent pic!

Kittiwake from Seaford Head

Lesser Whitethroat

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Linnet

Little Grebe

Little Ringed Plover

Marsh Harrier from Elmley

Marsh Tit from Weirwood

Meadow Pipit

Med Gull

Merlin, from Beeding Brooks

Nightingale

Peregrine, seen a few this year, the best poser was on the Undercliff

Purple Heron being predictably uncooperative at Pett Level

Purple Sandpiper from Newhaven

Red Kite

Reed Bunting from Warnham

Reed Warbler from Warnham

Robin from Pulborough Brooks

Rock Pipit

Got a Shag in Sussex too!!

Short-eared Owl Elmley

Skylark, seen all over

Stonechat, seen all over

Turnstone from Sovereign Harbour

Water Rail from Woodsmill

Wheatear seen all over, this one from the Cuckmere in the Autumn, I think!

Whinchat from Medmerry

Woodlark

Yellowhammer

Yellow-legged Gull, Brighton Marina

Another great encounter was actually in Hurstpierpoint with a Barn Owl hunting in gorgeous light, last winter. Sadly doesn't seem to be about this year!

More pics at link

Barn Owl

The absolute highlight of the year though occurred on the side of our house😲, where the Swift Box put up the year before, produced a youngster !!! Whoop, whoop and whoop again! It had been investigated in the first year and we had seen birds going in earlier in the year but there was some confusion if they had actually produced until the chick was observed sticking it's head out!! Over all the project to restore Hurstpierpoint's Swift population has gone well with several of the boxes producing Swiftlets this year!

Needless to say I spent many happy but also frustrating hours in the garden, trying to get pictures of these awesome birds as up to 40 were flying over the village !! Not easy!! I'm hoping my new Camera/Lens Combo will increase my success rate next year!!!

Swift

Overall our small garden has been entertaining this year, with several tons of Frogspawn producing loads of Tadpoles in the Pond and views of one smallish Frog suggests we have had some success, there were at least 4 big Frogs during the Spring. Apart from that it has been the usual Starlings, House Sparrows, Blue Tits, Great Tits, Dunnock varying numbers of Goldfinch, the occasional Wren, a Great Spotted Woodpecker and a male Blackcap which has returned for the winter. We had a super flock of various Tit species and Chiffchaffs in the Autumn, though it has now dwindled down to about 8 Long-tailed Tits, our Resident Robin still lurks and Margie's attempts to get it to take mealworms from the hand seemed destined to fail!! Mr White-eye our resident Blackbird, seemed to have a fairly successful year with several youngsters appearing through the Summer, worryingly he seems to have disappeared during the Winter, although we have seen a male with a smaller white bit, maybe son of White-eye! Hopefully he will return in the spring which would be for his 4th year!