Acts of Random Birdwatching
One of my childhood loves was birdwatching. As is the case for many people, this interest disappeared but I have refound it in mid-life. One of my happiest things is to sit and watch birds, or listen to them. Every year I keep a list of the birds I have seen. For the last two years I have seen 91 different species without making a lot of effort. In 2025 I am aiming for 92! I am also going to try recording on BirdTrak (will see how this goes) and learn to identify some more birds by sound. This page will be a log of what I see each month and a list of the bird species I see for the year, along with some random notes.
Current Number of Bird Species for 2026
58
February 2026 - Number of birds 58
I always expect a slow down, but a walk brought an unexpected skylark singing in the gloom on the 7th February. Lengthening days and leaving work on time allowed me to spot a couple of kestrels at the side of the dual carriageway. I also had a lovely male Blackcap in the garden, which I just happened to see when I glanced up from the washing up. Siberian Chiffchaffs had been spotted at the country park, I may have seen them, or maybe not because I didn't have my telescope and I am not sure whether I know the difference or not.
Notable Birds 2026
Double figure numbers of Pochards have been nice and more regualr sightings of Great White Egrets are always a positive. I both heard and saw my first skylark singing on the 7th February on a dreary day - I think this is possibly the earliest I have seen one.
January 2026 - Number of birds 53
The first month of a new year is a joyous affair when bird listing as nearly every day brings new birds. The first three days took me to 26 after a run and a walk. I was surprised to see and hear Ravens in the first few days of the year, as it took until July last year. A walk along the canal upped the number of birds, but the biggest surprise was seeing a Great White Egret perched in some trees with a Grey Heron as I walked home along the Old Railway Track. I have also been happily surprised seeing quite a few Pochards at the Country Park as well, even into double figures. All male as I believe males and females winter separately. I always used to see them in Winter there, but they are a bit hit and miss these days. It took until 24th January to reach 50 birds this year, a week later than last year, but I am not in a hurry.