On Christmas Eve an American yellow warbler was found at New Hythe in Kent by local birder Glenn Honey - a remarkable sighting as the species is a very rare visitor to the UK - there have been approximately ten recorded sightings of this warbler in the UK ,according to BTO records. The majority of previous sightings have been in Shetland, including one in October 2023.
News spread rapidly, drawing birders from across the region. Over the following days, the site saw significant activity, with reports from Lee Evans estimating up to 400 birders seeing the bird each day - it was most inconvenient as over the Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day there was no chance of visiting myself.
At first light the bird would come from roost in some buddleias but soon disappear for a while, presumably into the sewage works to feed. The bird was then frequently seen in a small group of alder trees near a stream, bordering a sewage works, or in alders a hundred metres or so back down the footpath. It was actively foraging, flitting through branches and occasionally dropping down into brambles in front of the alders. Its vivid yellow plumage made it relatively easy to identify, despite its constant movement and gave some welcome colour to the festive period. On Boxing Day, the bird showed exceptionally well through most of the afternoon and appeared to be defending the alders from chiffchaffs and various tit species.
So on Boxing Day evening Kev @kev07713 and I had a chat and agreed that Friday would be the best day to visit, planning to meet a bit later in the morning since the bird was most active from midday onwards. I picked him up and I was pleasantly surprised to find that his wife Karen @karenheath62 had decided to join us. The journey went smoothly, and we stopped for a late breakfast just before reaching the bird’s location. Upon arriving at the car park, we were pleased to find an available space and parked across from our friend Nick Truby’s @old_caley car.
We followed the footpath from the car park, and after a short walk, we spotted a few people gathered ahead. As we got closer, the crowd grew larger until nearly 300 birders were assembled, waiting and watching. For the first time, the warbler hadn’t been seen emerging from its roost in buddleias that morning, sparking conversations among the group about the possibility that it had moved on. The overnight conditions had been foggy and cold across much of the region, so Kev, Nick, and I felt confident the bird was still around. We anticipated it would make an appearance later, likely around lunchtime or in the afternoon when conditions improved.
A sparrowhawk flew at distance and landed to our right, while chiffchaffs, goldcrests, and long-tailed tits began appearing, foraging among the alders. Not long after, the sparrowhawk landed in the alders themselves, scattering the few birds present - a disturbance and activity that might have been influencing the warbler’s behaviour as well. Rich Mooney, a familiar face from various birding sites, came over to say hello.
A while later, a call went up, and the group of birders moved as one toward the outfall; someone had heard the warbler's call. Upon arriving, we learned that a couple of people had also caught sight of it. Soon after, the warbler appeared, but I struggled to get a clear view before it disappeared from sight - not enough to ID and confidently count it as a tick. It briefly popped up again, but I had trouble locking onto it before it flew off strongly to the right, heading back toward the alders. Once more, the crowd moved in unison, returning to our earlier position.
When we got there the warbler now showed better although was flitting quickly and between branches, left to right and up and down. It was difficult to keep track of and made locking onto it with a camera particularly challenging. In between movements it would frequently stop behind denser twigs and woody cone-like fruits making detailed photos near impossible. We got a number of shots of it from behind but eventually a handful from the front - Nick suffered alongside me.
Within just a few minutes the bird was gone, and we had to wait a considerable time before it returned - it also showed in the alders further back along the track; at one point it dropped behind the brambles and when I saw movement I started snapping only to find it was a lovely firecrest. Finally, we followed the crowds as it worked back through the trees and down the footpath, eventually crossing and along a brook. We weren't being afforded the lengthy views of the day before but were happy to have had good if only brief views of an exceptional bird. See Nick's account of the day here (once you've finished mine!).
While we were waiting, news came through about a Scops owl that had been reported in the grounds of Broadstairs Cricket Club and present for the past five days, with confirmatory photographs. There was also information about an organised twitch scheduled for 4:30 pm; how often would we be so close to a Scops owl? We decided to pack up and head to Broadstairs (an hour away), feeling incredibly fortunate to be in the area. Nick and Anne Truby had already seen one 18 years ago and are planning a trip to Lesvos next year, where they would certainly encounter more, so they decided not to join us.
The Scops owl is a species native to southern Europe, the Middle East, and parts of North Africa. It’s a rare but regular visitor to the UK, typically recorded about once a year, primarily in spring and autumn. It’s more unusual to spot one at this time of year. These owls are often found in woodlands, farmland, and parks. As nocturnal hunters, they prey on insects and small vertebrates, and they are smaller than our native little owl, roughly the size of a starling (19–21 cm in length).
We grabbed some food which we ate on the way and arrived at the site, parking further down the avenue to avoid obstructing residents' driveways; though it meant a bit of a longer walk back, it was still close. We crossed the cricket pitch, careful to avoid the roped-off cricket square, and made our way through the fog to join a crowd of over a hundred birders. After waiting for over an hour, a call came from our left that the bird had been located using thermal imaging scopes; the group had grown to over 200. We watched, but didn’t see it - we did, however, unfortunately flush a tawny owl.
We all returned to the original spot, where the Scops Owl had just been found perched high in an oak tree. A birder had been designated to direct us to the owl’s location with a torch, aiming just off the bird to minimise disturbance. We had the chance to take photos and videos before the torch was switched off, with everyone confirming they had seen the owl. It was an incredible experience and a life tick for us all, and a 300th species for the year for Kev. The bird was then left to go about its business and the crowd dispersed. The journey home was longer as although we didn't stop, we encountered pockets of fog which required some higher levels of concentration.
The next morning, Kev picked me up, and we headed to Old Hunstanton in Norfolk to see if we could catch a glimpse of the Glaucous gull that had been feeding on a seal carcass on the beach. It would be a good sighting, as Kev hadn’t seen one in 2024, and it would nicely bookend the year for me, having spotted one in Saltcoats at the start of January. (account here).
We stopped in King's Lynn at our usual breakfast venue, arriving on the beach a little after 9.45am. We had bumped into another birder hoping to see the gull too and walked with him from the car, through the golf course, and onto the beach, turning right towards where the carcass lay. In just a couple of minutes we came across six shore (horned) larks - it was very cold and there was a stiff wind. Regardless we stopped and watched the larks as they foraged and hunkered down in the sand. Our companion tried to get closer to the birds and they took to the wing and were lost - that is usually my job!
We chatted with a chap Kev had met in a hide while unsuccessfully twitching for a bird, only to find out that he had seen the Glaucous gull just ten minutes earlier. We searched the area, but it wasn’t there. While scanning the surroundings, we spotted dunlin, sanderlings, knot, various other gulls, turnstone, redshank, oystercatchers, little egrets, and more. My feet were getting cold, as I’d made the wrong choice in footwear for the conditions - thinking that our friends had had to walk through water to see the bird and opted against just walking boots. So, we decided to retreat to the dunes, where we could watch from a distance, hoping the gull might return without us standing over the carcass. Unfortunately, that didn’t stop others: dog walkers, pedestrians, fellow birders, and dogs rolling on the carcass. It was a bit frustrating, but I guess the beach is for everyone ...
We spent several hours watching with pink-footed geese over, mostly concealed by the fog that rolled in and out, and stonechats. A party of eight long-tailed tits passed through and a bar-tailed-godwit dropped in to a pool in front of us.
As dusk approached, gulls and other waders began to gather for their roost, with high tide still nearly an hour away. We watched and hoped, enjoying great views of flocks of oystercatchers, knot, sanderling, and dunlin along the water's edge. However, as time passed, everything gradually settled down. With the light fading, it was time for us to pack up and head home. It had been a pleasant day of birdwatching, but it was a shame we didn’t manage to see our target species.
Year list: 254.
I usually create a collage of some of my favourite or significant species of the year and post with a new year message on my social media feeds. If you are reading this then first of all, thank you!, and then please accept my best wishes for health, wealth and happiness for you and yours in 2025. Let’s hope for another cracking year of birding.
Bring on 2025!
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