The last bit of birding for 2025.

Wednesday 31st December 2025.

A foggy and very cold start to the day. A heavy frost was on the grass here as we made our way around my 'local patch'.

So, the end of the year is now upon us and what a damn miserable looking day it was too! The weather forecast this morning said it was going to brighten up after a very cold frosty start, but when I took the dogs for a walk around Highland Road Cemetery, there was plenty of fog drifting about and worse still, it got a lot thicker in the afternoon. The sound of ships foghorns were out in the Solent and I was only thinking that I do hope it's not more of the same tomorrow during our Hampshire Birdrace. The Fly / Pye Cup is up for grabs again to see who gets to 100 species in Hampshire first.

The female Black Redstart at the back of my garden this morning.

Before I took the dogs for their walk, a quick check in the back garden revealed the female Black Redstart yet again for now its SIXTH day, perched up in my neighbours tall tree. Mind you, I did struggle in trying to get a reasonable photo of the bird in the poor light. 

Highland Road Cemetery, Southsea:

You can just see this Jay hiding within the branches despite the foggy conditions.

Over within the Cemetery, there was a heavy frost and what with the poor light, birds were actually at a premium. There was just the one Jay noted, high up in one of the tall Chestnuts by the Mausoleum and I suppose the only other bird really of note was a male Greenfinch high up in the bushes in the south-east corner. A few male Blackbirds were scurrying about in the bushes and a Song Thrush was seen briefly flying through the vegetation. All the usual birds were seen here including at least two Collared Doves among them (such scarce birds here this year), but again, no Woodpeckers or raptors today.

A male Greenfinch broke the monotony of the usual Pigeons and Crows.

I had work to go to at 10:30am and so made my way back home. When I got home after work, I let the dogs out in the garden and saw the female Black Redstart yet again perched in the tall tree for around a minute or so until it flew off to neighbouring gardens.

There were a few Blackbirds seen, but none too easy to see this time.

A new year starts tomorrow and hopefully, Andy and myself will have a good start to the year. We shall see. Incidentally, I finished 6th in the Hampshire Birding Listers with a reasonable total of 207 species seen in Hampshire and 217 species in total for the year. The only ‘lifer’ I got this year was the Hudsonian Godwit on Titchfield Haven way back on the 17th May. Hopefully, a few more next year would be very nice. Congratulations to both Andy Friend and Andy Tew who were joint top in the Hampshire Listers for 2025 with 218 species each.

The only 'lifer' seen this year, the Hudsonian Godwit.