Sunday 21st December 2025.
Though I never did any ‘proper’ birding today, I was up a ladder putting up the outside Xmas lights, when I heard a singing Grey Wagtail overhead and sure enough, a pair of birds were flying over the rooftops heading east. Sadly, no photos of the birds this time, but I would like to put a few photos of Emma Parkes, who made the trip with her husband Matt to Kent.
On the way there, they first stopped off at Sovereign Harbour, Eastbourne, for the long-staying Black Guillemot, which was a ‘lifer’ for both of them and Matt's 300th bird species in the UK, then onto the Isle of Sheppey for a weekend break. Some of the birds they saw included up to 4 Short-eared Owls, Marsh Harriers and a Little Owl.
In Hampshire today:
The now renamed Great-tailed Grackle (previously Boat-tailed Grackle, but after DNA evidence was achieved at Aberdeen University, the results came back as a different species altogether!) was again still at Holbury, Southampton and up to 7 Great Northern Divers were off Weston Shore. The two Slavonian Grebes were still near the islands from Broadmarsh and the Black-necked Grebes and female Scaup were off the nearby Oysterbeds. There was just the one Purple Sandpiper that had been seen at Southsea Castle this morning. Amazingly, the very long-staying Great Grey Shrike is still residing in its usual place near Beaulieu Road, New Forest.
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