Carsington Water & 2-day break :: 08-11 November 2025

Carsington Water is one of those places where a simple walk can quickly become a memorable birding adventure. The mix of open water, woodland edges, reedbeds, and rolling Derbyshire countryside makes it a magnet for birds - whether you're spotting familiar species or hoping for something more unusual.

The main reservoir viewpoint is often alive with activity. Great crested grebes gliding in close, tufted ducks diving in synchronised rhythms, and cormorants perch with wings outstretched like patient sentinels. Kev @kev07713 and I were surprised by how low the water level was, with wide stretches of dry mud around the edges and the birds pushed out toward the deeper centre. Even so, a few people were still out on boats, fishing.

But some of the best moments happen away from the crowds. The hides around the wildlife centre offer quieter encounters: in winter, flocks of wigeon and teal gather on the water, and if you're lucky, you might spot a visiting goldeneye or even a great northern diver.

Carsington Water has a habit of surprising its visitors - the reservoir’s ever-changing birdlife makes every trip feel fresh. With good paths, welcoming hides, and wide-open skies, Carsington is the sort of place that reminds you to slow down, look twice, and let the natural world reveal itself, one bird at a time.

We first stopped at the Millfield's Picnic area where some woodland species are drawn out to the feeders when food sources become depleted in the surrounding woodland - species such as marsh and willow tits. We paused here, filling up feeder that had been attacked by the tits and finches visiting regularly. We could hear jays calling from distant oak trees and had two ravens fly overhead - we returned our attention to the three trees in front of us.

We picked out a distant flock of linnets and watched meadow pipits feeding on the exposed mud and rocks, but our attention quickly shifted when a great spotted woodpecker dropped into the right-hand tree, scattering the tits and finches that had been busy on the fat balls and suet pellets.

We continued watching and waiting, now spotting coal tits joining the blue and great tits in the trees, with long-tailed tits flitting quietly behind. A couple of birds dropped into a tree to our left and into the hedgerow, and we could see they were siskins - a male and a female. They lingered for less than a minute. More linnets passed overhead, and the Merlin app reported a hawfinch nearby, though we never saw or identified it by call.

Kev walked along the path to get a wider view of the water, and as he passed under one of the trees, a handful of siskins broke cover and vanished behind a small copse. On his return, we briefly caught sight of some lesser redpolls landing in the top of a tree within the copse, but they stayed only about twenty seconds.

We lingered a while longer, but eventually decided that lovely as it was to watch these birds, we would try to track down the four twite reported here the previous day, thought to be associating with a linnet flock. We jumped in the car and drove to the main Visitor Centre and car park, heading toward the area indicated on BirdGuides.

From the vantage points we could see wigeon, teal, cormorants, and some geese, but only a couple of meadow pipits and pied wagtails. We circled around, stopping frequently to scan the exposed mud, rocky outcrops, and water edges, but there was no sign of anything unusual.

Following a grassy track, we heard the soft call of a bullfinch. Kev quickly located them, a male and female feeding in the low scrub. The male perched on a distant plant, while the female stayed further left, giving Kev a better view.

A greater scaup had also been reported, and through our scopes we thought we could make it out in the bay farthest from our position, only for it to drift left and vanish from view, frustratingly out of reach. We moved on and spotted a great white egret stalking along the water’s edge. Though distant, it seemed intent on a particular spot. It paused briefly - just ten seconds - before striking, not just gracefully but with full force, plunging deep into the pool.

We continued along the shoreline, spotting a few meadow pipits before finally noticing an increasing number of linnets. For the next thirty minutes, we watched them feeding among the long grass and rocks, but there was still no sign of any twite - just the familiar meadow pipits and linnets.

Our patience was tested when three people strolled across the exposed shore, sending the flock into the air. We waited for their return and carefully worked through the birds again, only for a dog walker to appear and flush them once more. Eventually, we circled back and found the flock moving along another section of shore. We worked through the birds one last time but still drew a blank. Accepting defeat, we made our way back to the car.

We decided to grab some lunch before heading up to the Sheepwash car park, planning to visit the hide. There, we met another birder and chose to join him along the track to see if we could locate the scaup. Along the way, we spotted goldeneye, tufted ducks, wigeon, teal, and a large group of pochards, but there was still no sign of our target.

On the way back, we paused to look across the bay and were delighted to spot a peregrine perched on a narrow strip of shoreline. With the sun low in the sky, the scene was bathed in a beautiful orange glow. We'd walk back to the car and make our way home.

I had planned to take the week off, and with Charlotte’s birthday falling mid-week, we decided to spend a couple of nights away in Bournemouth. On the way, we stopped in Lymington to visit the Normandy Lagoon, hoping to catch up with the drake long-tailed duck. Planning to have lunch at the Yacht Haven, we parked there and set off to explore the area.

A light breeze kept us on the lower path, and soon we were passing the pools surrounding the main water body. Redshanks and teal moved through the shallows, while a greenshank fed constantly, oblivious to our presence and getting reasonably close.

We made our way around the edge of the lagoon and were greeted by impressive flocks of dunlin, wheeling across the water before settling and then lifting off again in a constant swirl. Redshanks moved through the shallows, while black-tailed godwits fed methodically nearby. A lone spotted redshank kept appearing and disappearing in the distance. A group of dunlins finally settled on a spit opposite us, and I stopped to snap a few photos.

Scanning the water’s edge, I spotted a grey plover alongside two ringed plovers, hunkered down against the wind. At the back of the pool, even more black-tailed godwits and lapwings were scattered across the shallows, joined by an astonishing nineteen spoonbills - more than I’ve ever seen here before. Strangely, not all of them were asleep, which is usually the case when I encounter a large number together.

We made our way to the far side of the lagoon and as we scanned I picked out the drake long-tailed duck diving constantly and staying under for long periods. Long-tailed ducks are remarkable divers, often considered among the most accomplished of the sea ducks. Unlike many other ducks that feed on the surface, these birds spend a significant portion of their time underwater, diving for invertebrates, molluscs, crustaceans, and small fish. They are capable of impressive dives, frequently reaching 20–60 meters (65–200 feet), with some recorded diving over 60 meters. Their dives usually last between 20 and 90 seconds, though they can occasionally stay underwater longer when pursuing prey. With this pool being relatively shallow it was impressive how long it stayed under.

Their diving style is often described as active and deliberate, contrasting with the shallower, dabbling dives of other ducks - often diving repeatedly in the same area, surfacing briefly between dives. In winter, they are known to feed more frequently in sheltered bays, lagoons (such as here), or estuaries where molluscs and crustaceans are abundant.

True to their name, the males sport long, elegant tail feathers that trail behind them like a graceful ribbon in flight or on the water. Their plumage is particularly eye-catching: in winter, males display a bold contrast of black, white, and chestnut.

While down in Bournemouth we tried to find a Pallas's warbler around Durlston Country Park but delayed by rain and then search for an hour and a half we eventually gave up and repaired to RSPB Arne for lunch where a sparrowhawk was cruising and being mobbed by finches over the Visitor Centre. We made our way to the Middlebere Lookout and along the way spotted a single greenshank cutting along the water. We chatted to a couple on the hide and enjoyed black-tailed godwits, pintails (some juvenile males included), wigeon, teal, shelduck, cormorants and egrets - but nothing of particular note.

On our return we stopped to see a couple of Sika deer in the trees and made our way back to our hotel for dinner.

On the way home, we debated what to do and noticed that a penduline tit had been reported at Northwick Warth, Avon - a species I’d tried to see several times before but never managed to catch. It was quite a detour, but we decided to go for it and soon met up with a couple of friends (Adrian Sparrowhawk and Bryan Manston) who had travelled from Banbury and Didcot. They told us the bird had been seen at 7.00 am., but not since. Oh dear ...

Still hopeful, we joined the handful of other birders scanning the reedbed, but all we could find were stonechats, robins, wrens, blue tits, and a restless kestrel moving around the area. We waited for over two hours, but with the wind picking up -so strong that the Severn Bridge had been closed - we eventually accepted that a sighting was unlikely. Another failed attempt.

We headed home to focus on Charlotte’s birthday and finish wrapping the last of her presents.

Year list: 245.

Upper Hollesley Common & The Naze :: 02 November 2025

The brown shrike is an exceptionally rare visitor to the UK, typically appearing as a vagrant from eastern Asia. Most records occur in autumn (late September to early November), likely caused by migration disorientation or strong easterly winds. This species breeds across eastern Russia, Mongolia, China, and Japan, and winters in tropical Asia, including India, Thailand, and Myanmar. To date, there have been around 46 records of brown shrike in the UK, with notable sightings in Shetland, Yorkshire, the Isles of Scilly, Cornwall, and London.

Recently, one of these rare shrikes was discovered at Upper Hollesley Common, Suffolk, near a Ministry of Defence (MOD) compound, where it has remained for over a week. The bird was first reported on Wednesday 22 October, and while initial reports were uncertain, confirmation soon followed - identifying it as a first-winter brown shrike. Early on, the bird was often seen perching along the fence line along the road and nearby bushes, easily visible from the road. More recently, it has spent more time within the MOD compound, which has restricted access, though it frequently perches on both the inner and outer fencing, offering good viewing opportunities for birders.

The MOD compound forms part of the Defence Training Estate, which includes some areas open to the public, though entry to the secure compound itself is prohibited. As a military training site, access is restricted during live firing or exercises, when red flags or lamps signal active danger zones. However, public access remains available on designated paths and registered common land under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, including much of Upper Hollesley Common. Kev @kev07713 had already visited the site the previous Wednesday with his wife and seen the shrike, but given the bird’s rarity, he was happy to visit for second helpings. Due to other commitments, we decided to go birding on Sunday rather than our usual Saturday and I planned to pick Kev up at 5.00am., allowing us to arrive early and remain flexible should any other notable species appear nearby.

The journey brought intermittent rain, though conditions improved as we arrived. It was dry when we reached the car park, and with no other birders present, we set out to search for the shrike. As we neared the fence line, the rain returned, prompting us to take shelter beneath some trees while scanning the area.

Within ten minutes, Kev called out - he had the bird in his scope and urged me to take a look to add my lifer. Up to that point, our views had been limited to stonechats, yellowhammers, skylarks, and robins. The shrike was perched far down along the fence, so we decided to move closer, taking cover near a small group of trees. From there, we managed to capture a few photos and videos before the bird dropped out of sight, remaining hidden for about twenty minutes. Despite the lingering drizzle, both we and the bird gradually began to dry out.

We spent the next couple of hours watching the shrike and a supporting cast of other species.

Upper Hollesley Common features a mix of coniferous woodland and heathland, providing excellent habitat for common crossbills, which feed on pine cone seeds. They’ve been particularly conspicuous in recent days, often seen drinking from puddles on the ground — several fine photographs have appeared on social media. Perhaps because of the weather, we only saw a few flying overheads with none perched or feeding on the ground.

The heathland is also home to Dartford warblers and woodlarks, both key species for this habitat. Dartford warblers often follow stonechats, so spotting one may lead to another. They are best observed on warm, calm days, as they tend to stay low in windy weather. Woodlarks are frequently heard singing from fence posts or in flight, favouring open heathland with short vegetation, particularly near pine plantations.

At first, we only heard Dartford warblers calling, but on a couple of occasions we managed brief views of one perched on low scrub, and once enjoyed a longer look as it showed well on the front fence. Every so often, a yellowhammer would drop in to share the barbed wire perch above the chain-link fence.

In the distance, a couple of woodlarks called as they circled overhead. I couldn’t seem to keep them in focus, though Kev was snapping away quite happily. Eventually, they dropped out of view.

Before long, a few other birders began to appear, their numbers gradually growing until there were around a dozen of us. Most had decided to take their chances once the rain eased, and we were able to point out where the shrike was showing best. Among them was Oli Beacock @oli_beacock, who we’ve bumped into several times before, and another birder we last met at Winterton Dunes while watching the lesser grey shrike.

We had another close pass from the two woodlarks, but once again I failed to get a photo, much to Kev’s surprise and disappointment.

As time slipped by, we checked BirdGuides to plan our next move. Oli and the other birder mentioned they were heading to The Naze, where a Pallas’s warbler had been reported earlier in the day with confirmed sightings. We said we'd do the same, parting ways with a quick “see you there.”

Oli had mentioned that the best place to park was at The Naze Tower, and we found the parking fees to be quite reasonable. The tower, located near Walton-on-the-Naze on the Essex coast, is an early 18th-century navigational landmark built to aid shipping along this stretch of coastline. It was constructed in 1720–1721 by Trinity House, the authority responsible for lighthouses and navigation aids around England and Wales.

Standing 26 metres (86 feet) tall, the octagonal brick tower originally served as a daymark; a visual reference point for sailors navigating the Thames Estuary and Harwich approaches. At the time, the surrounding low-lying coast was prone to fog and shifting sands, making navigation hazardous.

During the Napoleonic Wars, the tower was used as a signalling station, and later, in the 19th century, it was repurposed for coastguard observation. In World War II, it again took on a defensive role, used by the Royal Observer Corps for spotting enemy aircraft.

Over the centuries, coastal erosion has dramatically altered the surrounding landscape. The cliffs of the Naze continue to recede, and significant conservation efforts have been made to preserve both the tower and the fragile coastline around it. Today, The Naze Tower is a Grade II listed building and serves as a heritage attraction, housing an art gallery, museum, and viewing platform offering panoramic views across the North Sea, Hamford Water, and the surrounding nature reserve - a favourite spot for migrating birds and birdwatchers alike.

We set off in the direction indicated on BirdGuides, and before long we were caught up by another birder carrying a serious lens and tripod with a gimbal head. We decided to follow him down to the spot where good views had reportedly been had earlier in the day. On the way, we paused for a quick chat and watched two jays fly through.

We joined half a dozen birders watching long-tailed / blue / great tits, goldcrests, chiffchaffs and more working through the trees, and a siskin over. We could swear that 90% of birds were goldcrests! - some getting close as they fed around us.

We searched high and low, and Oli joined us for part of the time, but despite enjoying the search and watching a variety of other species, we never managed to locate the Pallas’s warbler, although we did hear a couple of possible calls.

Eventually, time ran out, and we said our goodbyes, beginning the long journey home along the M25 and up the M40, a tiring but satisfying end to the day.

Year list: 245.

Oldbury Power Station & WWT Slimbridge :: 25 October 2025

With Kev away on holiday, birding along the west and east coasts of Scotland before heading into Yorkshire, I had to decide on my own plan for the regular Saturday outing. I asked my wife, Charlotte, if she’d like to join me, and she agreed, giving up her regular Pickleball session since she’d already played nearly every day during her club’s holiday week. I started looking for somewhere not too far away, with decent facilities and the potential for a year tick or two. In the end, I settled on a trip to Oldbury-on-Severn and the power station in search of black redstarts, followed by a visit to WWT Slimbridge to try for the Temminck’s stint.

There’s often a black redstart at the power station around this time of year, but reports over the past few days have mentioned anywhere from four to seven birds, so the odds of finding a male seemed promising. I’d only been to the site once before,back in March 2023, when I went to see an Alpine swift (report here).

The power station is located on the south bank of the River Severn, near the village of Oldbury-on-Severn in South Gloucestershire. The station comprised two nuclear reactors of the Magnox type, each originally producing about 217MW capacity. The first of the reactors started generating back in 1967 - a good year - and when it shutdown in 2012 was the oldest operating nuclear power station in the world. Over its lifetime the station generated circa 137.5 TWh of electricity - enough to power one million homes for 20 years. The reactor buildings were enclosed in prestressed concrete pressure vessels, the first in the UK to employ this method. The site used water from the River Severn via intake/outfall structures connected by underground culverts to the turbine hall's condensing units for cooling.

The last of the station's fuel was removed in early 2016 meaning about 99% of the site's radioactive hazard had been removed. Site decommissioning is still underway with current work focussing on waste retrieval, processing, storing and dispatch. The site is scheduled to enter the "Care and Maintenance" phase in 2027 with final site clearance and demolition planned for wel into the 2090s or 2100s.

With sunrise at 6:51 a.m., there was no need for an early start - I wanted enough light for photography - so we planned to arrive around 9.00am. Pulling into the car park, we spotted another birder setting up his gear, also heading out in search of the birds. He’d been before, though he admitted he still hadn’t managed a great photo. The sky was overcast, which meant good shots might be tricky, but hope springs eternal. He set off ahead of us, though we soon caught up and followed him to the spot where the best photos had reportedly been taken. Even before reaching it, I spotted a female perched on top of a white corrugated building.

The black redstart is a rare breeder in the UK and is more regularly encountered as a passage migrant and winter visitor from continental Europe - France, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Autumn passage typically spans from September to November, with a peak in October. Its preferred habitats include old buildings, industrial sites, quarries, churches and cathedrals, and cliff faces - basically places with bare or rocky ground.

The male is sooty-grey/dark overall, with a distinct bright orange.red tail, and often with a white-ish wing patch. Females and juveniles are a duller grey-brown overall but still with the orange-red tail - juvenile males often exhibiting the white wing patch.The wing patch on juvenile males is a great clue to their age and plumage stage, and changes quite a bit between late summer and their first spring. Freshly fledged there is no wing patch but juveniles undergo a partial moult before the autumn migration and crucially develops a pale or white wing patch. Females will lack ay wing patch and are more uniformly grey-brown.

There are thought to be typically 60-80 breeding pairs nationally with autumn migrants totalling several hundred to circa 1,000 individuals - total individuals recorded annually are therefore roughly 1,000-2,000 birds. They are highly localised with key areas are London and the Thames Estuary, Brisol and Severnside, Birmingham, and along the south coast.

I was able to locate various female type birds but always at distance and after a while of enjoying them through the scope we relocated down onto the coastal path, viewing one of the Severn Bridges in the distance. Although the light was still limited it was at least reasonably still. It took five minutes or so before we located a female but it was now closer and viewable through the fence. It then dropped down and into a dogwood shrub growing up a chain-link (wire-mesh) fence - this type of fence is common around industrial areas because it’s durable, affordable, and provides visibility while still creating a boundary.

We watched two females, a juvenile male and one male visit the fence around the dogwood and eventually observed them feeding on the dogwood berries - dogberries. Black redstarts are primarily insectivores, but their diet shifts seasonally to adapt to food availability. During the breeding season and warmer months, they focus on insects and other small invertebrates, which are rich in protein and essential for raising chicks.

In autumn and winter, insect numbers drop sharply, especially in northern or urban areas. To survive, black redstarts switch to fruits and berries, which provide sugars for energy and some essential nutrients. Dogwood berries, along with hawthorn, ivy, rowan, and other small fruits, are easy to find and digest, making them a convenient winter food source.

This seasonal flexibility is one reason black redstarts can survive in urban and semi-urban areas where insect availability may be unpredictable. They’ll often forage on berry-laden shrubs, supplementing their diet with whatever is available.

We enjoyed the views, and our earlier companion soon joined us, clearly noticing that we were getting better sightings than he had. Another birder appeared on the path as a kestrel flew around the cylindrical building structures, flushing pigeons from hidden perches. The kestrel made several passes, keeping the pigeons from settling, though they continued to circle the area. After a while, the kestrel seemed to give up its search and departed. It was evident that the peregrine, occasionally reported in the area, was not present today.

Charlotte had walked along the path and back and mentioned that she was beginning to feel cold, so we decided to pack up and head back to the car. On the way, we crossed paths with a birder coming the other direction, who confirmed spotting some female-type birds near our original vantage point. As we continued, we glimpsed a couple more ourselves, and a couple of stonechats.

We made our way to Slimbridge, which wasn’t far away, and on arrival we decided to postpone lunch until we had seen the Temminck’s stint that had already been reported that morning. We headed around to the Rushy Hide, only to find it full, with no spaces by the windows. Luckily, being tall, we were able to peer between others and try to catch sight of the bird. I was struck again by its size, particularly as it moved just behind a shelduck. Charlotte had a little trouble picking it out at first, with only directions and little sense of its scale, but she eventually spotted it, and we watched as it fed along a narrow muddy spit.

It is adapted for foraging in shallow mud and along the edges of freshwater wetlands. Its feeding behaviour is characterised by active probing and pecking. It mainly feeds on tiny invertebrates - insects, larvae, small crustaceans, and worms - which it picks from the surface of mud, sand, or shallow water.

Unlike some waders that use a rapid, continuous probing motion, Temminck’s stint often pause briefly between pecks, carefully inspecting the surface before striking. In winter or during migration stopovers, it will opportunistically consume tiny seeds or plant material, though invertebrates remain its main diet.

They breed across northern Europe and Siberia and winter in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and parts of southern Europe. In recent decades, there are about 100 records per year, with around 70 of those in spring passage - the species is extremely variable year‑to‑year, partly because Britain lies on the edge of its migration route, which makes numbers highly dependent on weather and migration patterns. There was a reportedly low count in 2021 of 54 individuals and a record influx of at least 226 in 2004.

Scanning the rest of the water we could see that numbers of birds have not built to the level we would expect for the winter months. We did however see a couple of common snipe out in the open and three spotted redshanks. After just a few minutes the stint flew onto the near bank but significantly distant and perhaps midway between the Rushy hide and Peng Observatory. From there it relocated again but this time to the back of the pool. After a further ten minutes Charlotte decided this was the time for us to visit the Visitor Centre for lunch.

We had been listening to one of the volunteers describe bittern flights between the Zeiss and Van de Bovencamp hides, which seemed to heighten Charlotte’s eagerness to return to the reserve. There was also a reported sighting of a yellow-browed warbler in the bushes near the Kingfisher hide. We decided to head straight for the Van de Bovencamp hide, joining about half a dozen others scanning the grass, reeds, and pool beyond. On the way, we stopped to chat with some friends who had dropped by after playing golf at Celtic Manor over the past couple of days.

One of the birders mentioned seeing bitterns within the last 45 minutes, so we were hopeful that regular sightings meant we wouldn’t have to wait long. About 20 minutes later, a bittern took flight in front of us, heading toward the Zeiss hide and dropping into the reeds to the front left. I managed to fire off a couple of shots, though the bird was already passing before I could get the camera on it. We watched for signs of movement in the reeds, and noticed people in the Zeiss hide pointing their lenses, suggesting they might have had partial views.

Around 15 minutes later, a second bittern burst out from roughly the same area, this time closer. It caught the strong wind now blowing through the hide windows and sped off quickly, veering right and disappearing over the track behind us. I didn’t have time to get the camera on it, though I was the one who had spotted it first. Later, a birder dropped by and showed us a photo of the second bird flying straight toward him before turning and crossing the track.

We spoke with a few birders who had gone looking for the yellow-browed warbler but returned empty-handed; perhaps the bird had taken shelter from the now brisk wind. Deciding to wrap up the day, we headed back towards the Visitor Centre for a cup of tea before making our way home.

On the way, we bumped into Nick and Anne Truby, who had stopped by on their return from a birding holiday in Cornwall. Unfortunately, the trip hadn’t been as rewarding as they’d hoped, and both had been under the weather with colds - Anne was still feeling unwell. We chatted briefly before continuing on our way.

Year list: 244.