2025 in Review - The Peaks and Troughs
2025 was probably my second best birding year in the Western Palearctic, after 2019 when I toured 28 European countries in my camper van, covering a wide variety of habitats from the Arctic to Greece and Scotland to Andalusia.
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| Marsh Owl |
Retrospection of 2025
However, on a personal note, it's been tough. This year both my late father's siblings passed away, then in Autumn I received the news that a very dear friend, travel buddy in South America and Europe, and ex-girlfriend, had also died at the young age of 40. In addition to the ongoing failing health of my last family member, it was a really shitty year. Birding serves to distract from these harsh realities to some extent.
In May, when I came across the very rare Eastern Bonelli's Warbler in Kent, on a day that should have been one of celebration, I felt no joy in it at all. It was an anti-climax. The twitchy bush bashing that followed was unsavoury.
I've never been big on twitching, especially over long distances. Now I find myself becoming more opposed to it, despite dipping my toenails in more than usual this year. I'm unlikely to do it much beyond a mile or two going forward.
Amongst the birding/twitcher community, they've been many moments of good times and camaraderie, but when it gets too serious, or when desperation creeps in, I want to walk away.
Birding review of 2025
The year began in the middle of a Moroccan camper van adventure, with my girlfriend at the time, on which we visited; cities, mountains, artworks and deserts.
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| Crimson-winged Finch |
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| Temminck's Stint |
After Elise left Merzouga in order to get back to her job in Paris I joined forces with Italian seabird expert Sofia and her friend for a desert trip with a local guide/bedouin. We encountered species like Egyptian Nightjar, African Desert Warbler and Desert Sparrow.
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| Desert Warbler |
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| Egyptian Nightjar |
By the 13th January I was in Laayonne in Western Sahara where I noted two White-winged Black Terns, a seldom seen species during winter, and by the 16th I had arrived in Dakhla. Despite searching tern roosts whenever I passed them, I only saw one West Aftrican Tern during the whole time there.
There were plenty of Gulls and Terns present to to check for colour rings. One Mediterranean Gull had been ringed in Hampshire, England, other species had come from; Iceland, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, France, The Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, Germany and Sweden.
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| White-winged Black Tern |
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| Caspian Tern |
A two day trip to the desert and the famed Oued Jenna didn't produce the hoped for goodies, partly due to the time of year but also drought conditions, but also because of the lack of site information. I did see Lanner, Short-eared owl, Plain Crag Martins, Bar-tailed Lark, Tristam's and Western Subalpine Warblers and plenty of Desert Sparrows.
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| Barbary Falcon |
On the Northward journey, on the 28th January, I came across a surprise in the guise of an American Golden Plover at the rather humble but amazing Oued Boukila, where, because of a sandstorm, and birding highlights, I ended up staying for three nights instead of the one planned.
The previous day I had noted a Lesser Whitethroat in the Oued at Laayoune, a species very seldom seen in this region.
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| American Golden Plover |
In a park in Rabat, on the 10th and 12th February with Mohammed Hilmi, we rediscovered the presence of Olive-backed Pipits, a species noted to be present over wintering at three locations around Rabat in 2017-18 by Pedro Fernandes, but seemingly unrecorded since then.
Spain
I crossed back to Spain by ferry on the 18th February, a bit earlier than I would have liked as far as Spring migrants are concerned., which means I'll have to go back to Morocco again one April.
A pair of Little Bustard were near La Janda on the 21st February but I was disappointed not to locate a Ruppell's Vulture during two trips to a nearby vulture colony.
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| Little Bustard |
On the 28th Feb I managed to see the male Black-faced Bunting that had been discovered by a visiting Polish birder and sound recordist the week before, and the following day, local birder Nacho and I drove to see the Isabelline Shrike at El Pantano Sud.
Throughout the last few winters Little Bunting and Rustic Bunting were being seen on La Janda in numbers. I went to look for them on several occasions before eventually discovering the location of one of their favourite trees. I was amazed to see six Little Buntings together in this tree. Nearby, a Rustic Bunting was seen here a few day later.
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| Little Bunting |
On the 19th March I finally saw a Ruppell's Griffon Vulture, at the third attempt. These had long eluded me on my many visits to Andalusia so I was thrilled.
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| Ruppell's Vulture |
Lesser Flamingo and Ring-necked Duck were noted on the 26th March at Fuente de Piedra.
A trip up the east coast from El Hondo to the Ebra Delta added several Moustached Warbler, a Marsh Sandpiper, Savi's Warblers, Penduline Tits, and both Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs.
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| Moustached Warbler |
Three nights in the area around Belchite eventually provided good views of a Dupont's Lark, after hearing them singing on multiple occasions with nothing but a glimpse. 62 Dotterel at El Planeron were a major highlight on the 4th April, where I had a rare sighting of Black Tern and Whiskered Tern.
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| Dupont's Lark |
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| Dotterel |
On the 10th March, whilst waiting to collect my girlfriend, Elise from Hendaye train station in France, I visited the Hume's Warbler across the border in Hondarribia.
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| Hume's Warbler |
By the afternoon of the 12th, we had parted ways for good, her to pursue her digital addiction in the Balearics, whilst I headed back to the Pyrenees, alone once again.
On the evening of the 16th, after searching the entire length of the Roncal Valley all day, I finally saw Citril Finch in a town garden in Isaba.
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| Citril Finch |
I left Spain having managed to see 256 species in less than two months. And all this before the main migration period for passerines so scores of species could have been added given time. Amazing Spain!
At least I had finally completed the journey that lockdown had taken away from me in Spring 2020, when I had been confined to an apartment in Benhavis until June.
The main sites visited were Ebro Delta, El Hondo, the region south of Valencia, Belchite and the Western Pyrenees.
There was nothing much to report from the 2-3 stops in France except a lot of Nightingale, a Grasshopper Warbler, a few Turtle Dove and two Garganey.
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| Garganey |
Netherlands
The next notable day came on the 26th April from my friend's back garden in Oosterbeek, on a day with very good raptor watching conditions. Prize bird was a Short-toed Eagle (for which my camera was stashed upstairs unfortunately), but amazingly there was also a Black Kite, a Rough-legged Buzzard, some Common Buzzards, Kestrel, Sparrowhawks and one Peregrine. Quite a haul for suburban back garden.
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| Black Kite Kent |
In May at the RSPB Dungeness reserve, interesting migrants included Whiskered Tern, Temminck's Stint and Red-footed Falcon. Then around the DBO recording area there was Bee-Eater, and a nocturnal calling Night Heron of note
But 2025 peaked on the 24th May when I stumbled upon a singing EASTERN BONELLI'S WARBLER (a first for Kent). I firmly believe that I really should have retired from birding that day. Seriously. I won't top that. That should have been my last day birding.
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| Eastern Bonelli's Warbler |
England/Scotland
A few weeks pet sitting in the New Forest in June provided opportunity to see singing Wood Warbler as well as a number of Woodlarks, Redstarts, two Nightjars and a Lesser-spotted Woodpecker. Disappointedly, I didn't see any Goshawks or Honey Buzzards. They would have to wait, for now.
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| Wood Warbler |
On the 16th June I stopped off for a few hours birding at Salisbury Plain, eventually seeing a female Great Bustard in flight as Black Hawk helicopters hovered in the area (directly overhead at times), firing (presumably blank) 50mm cannons.
I later spent time birding Scotland, and ( unusually for me) twitched a few species, visiting Northumberland and Coquet Island en route. My only rule for twitching was to only visit birds that were on the way to my next overnight stop. I felt that I should make an effort to see some of these species, having for so long, been reluctant to twitch anything more than ten miles away (including one time, skipping an American Sparrow just ten minutes drive away).
By November, the desire to travel to see new species had disappeared completely.
I wasn't even enthusiastic to go and see the Black-faced Bunting at Spurn to start with, though I dragged myself there, and I was glad I did.
But later the Autumn, I wouldn't even try for Olive-backed Pipit and Lesser Scaup despite being within a few miles of both.
I'm still much more excited to go twitching with others. I guess I just don't like being alone that much anymore.
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| White-winged Scoter |
Blyth's Reed Warbler
Western SandpiperKent
The highlights of a few weeks at Dungeness in Kent were an amazing seven Honey Buzzards (groupings of five and two), that went over the area and out to sea at 11:40 am on the 4th September.
Whilst checking through the over night arrivals on the 9th September, I was pleased to see a juvenile Red-backed Shrike amongst the Whinchats and Yellow Wagtails.
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| Red-backed Shrike |
East Yorkshire
I'd always wanted to visit East Riding of Yorkshire in the Autumn, because of it's reputation for exciting Autumn passage. I decided on a long open ended visit to the area (as I have done before in Oland in Sweden, Tarifa in Spain, and Dungeness in Kent), in the hope of self-finding some interesting migrants. But it turned out to be a very poor year by Spurn standards and despite a couple of great days I failed to find anything of note at all, which was surprising given the year I'd had to that point.
A few good days of thrush movement (hooray!) were a highlight, when thousands of Fieldfare and Redwing arrived, along with hundreds of Blackbird and a few Ring Ouzel.
The stand out sightings of the season where the White-throated Needletail in the Flamborough area and the Black-faced Bunting at the narrows at Spurn.
The latter came on the best day of the year (20th October) when a Pallas's Warbler, Hume's Warbler, Little Bunting and Yellow-browed Warbler were also present.
But as mentioned, it was a comparatively poor Autumn before and after this date. I stayed much longer than was sensible in the hope of finding something noteworthy, but alas, it didn't happen for me, and the winds didn't facilitate another bumper year. Two Barred Warblers reduced the self pity somewhat! One (pictured) showed very well in a private garden. A Dusky Warbler was also glimpsed as it crept through Church Field early on in my visit.
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| Barred Warbler |
An Isabelline Wheatear and an Eastern Black Redstart did provide some interest later on in the season, but overall the Autumn was more of an endurance test, once the initial enthusiasm had been killed off by lack of good weather conditions.
Surprisingly, there were two more Hume's Warblers present in Easington in late November at the same time, which represented the 3rd and 4th individuals I'd seen in 2025. I held on at Spurn, waiting for a miracle self-find, but the motivation had left long before.
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| Eastern Black Redstart |
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