Pilning Wetlands (Northwick Warth) :: 10 March 2026

The reappearance of the female hooded merganser at Pilning Wetlands (Northwick Warth) was one of those moments that ignites excitement. Having slipped through the net during its first stay - with Kev @kev07713, his wife Karen @karenheath62 and I arriving just after it had departed overnight - news of its return offered a welcome second chance, and one that was impossible to ignore. First seen at 11.45am and posted on BirdGuides eight minutes later, Kev’s WhatsApp message reached me at 11.57am, quickly followed by a call - and by 12.10pm we were already on the road, heading there separately as I had to get back home by 5.00pm as I was going out in the evening.

The female hooded merganser proved to be an exceptional visitor to Northwick Warth, drawing considerable attention from birders across the region. Native to North America, hooded mergansers are rare vagrants in Britain, making any occurrence noteworthy. There have been very few accepted records nationwide, which explains the level of interest surrounding this individual; as far as I can determine, only 16 records have been accepted in Britain to date, following assessment through the national rarities process by BBRC and BOURC, with many earlier reports rejected or considered likely escapees.

Historically, records of the species have often prompted debate due to its popularity in captivity. However, growing evidence of genuine transatlantic vagrancy eventually led to hooded merganser being accepted onto the British List.

The bird frequented the flooded gravel pits and surrounding wetland areas, often associating loosely with tufted duck, pochard and other diving wildfowl. Typically favouring quieter sections of open water, it spent much of its time diving actively for small fish and aquatic invertebrates, periodically resting along the margins and reeds.

Identification was straightforward thanks to its distinctive structure and plumage: a compact diving duck with a slender serrated bill, warm brown flanks, and the characteristic fan-shaped crest which could be raised into a striking swept-back shape - a great find by Andy Stockhausen (@andy-1963.bsky.social).

At times it had drifted with feeding flocks or disappeared behind reedbeds, leading to occasional anxious scans from assembled observers - on occasions it would fly out over the river, only to return. The bird’s disappearance after its initial stay of two days, followed now by its unexpected reappearance, only added to the sense of urgency.

As we set off at roughly the same time, it seemed inevitable we might meet enroute, and sure enough Kev soon appeared behind me, having caught up thanks to roadworks just outside Chipping Norton. We remained within sight of each other for most of the journey towards the M5, though I briefly pulled ahead after an overtake and then while Kev was delayed at a junction. Once on the motorway he caught me again, and I gave him a call to suggest he take the lead - my SatNav had decided I was somewhere in the middle of a field. The Audi MMI was clearly struggling to communicate with the GPS, and according to it I was cruising at around 18,500 feet - the car is scheduled to go in for diagnostics in a couple of week time. Not wanting to risk missing the final turn, and with time at a premium, it made far more sense to follow him in - I'd probably remember the route but no sense in taking risks.

As we arrived at the parking spot, a line of birders was already visible along the wall overlooking the three main pools where the bird had roamed during its previous visit.

Kev and Karen had parked further around the corner, and as I set off, I could see they were already striding ahead, knowing I would soon catch them up. It was only a couple of hundred metres before I joined them and we began scanning the line of birders - were they all facing the same direction, scopes trained, and cameras raised? Yes, yes, and yes. So far, so good.

As we approached, we received immediate confirmation that the bird was on the first pool, although diving frequently. It wasn’t long before we were onto it ourselves, enjoying a well-earned life tick - we'd clawed one back.

The merganser spent much of her time actively feeding, rarely remaining on the surface for long. Like other mergansers, she is a pursuit diver, propelling herself underwater with powerful kicks of her feet in search of prey. Most dives were relatively short, typically lasting 10–20 seconds, after which she would resurface briefly before disappearing again.

Hooded mergansers feed primarily on small fish, though aquatic invertebrates - including insect larvae, crustaceans and molluscs - also form an important part of the diet, particularly outside the breeding season. Her feeding pattern was methodical, often working a defined area of open water before drifting gradually with the other wildfowl. At times she associated loosely with tufted duck, though she tended to forage independently rather than synchronising dives with them.

The frequent diving meant views could be fleeting, adding a slight edge of anticipation each time she resurfaced - scanning the water to relocate her among the wintering duck. It also made taking videos difficult as there was little time to locate the bird, focus, and start recording, before she was diving again. When relocating it was amazing to the speed with which she motored across the water.

We were then treated to the bird half-climbing out of the water to begin preening, allowing for longer, more settled views through the scopes. I waited in hope of a wing-flap at the end of the preening session and, sure enough, she duly obliged. I managed to grab a few photos, though I later kicked myself for not increasing the frame rate - despite being largely prepared, the results were slightly disappointing, even if I did come away with a few usable shots.

A couple of the birders who had clearly been here for a while longer than us had strolled off to look on the other pool and reported that there were little ringed plovers on the near edge of the next pool. We quickly relocated there as they would be an early year tick for this species - we will see more in the coming weeks, but it is always good to catch an early one. There were reports of up to five, but when we looked there appeared to be two with at least three ringed plovers, one still in first-winter plumage.

Kev hadn’t been filming when the merganser performed its wing-flap, so he decided to stay a little longer in the hope of capturing the moment on video, while also later investigating the site for raptors - a male kestrel had already passed through - and perhaps finally connecting with his elusive merlin (though I later heard that species remains unfound). Meanwhile, I packed up and headed back on the road; the traffic was kind, and I made it home and through the door by the required 5.00pm.

Year list: 191.

Camp Lane Pools, Grimley :: 19 July 2025

It had been a strange week for weather. As Saturday approached, conditions turned wet, with easterly systems sweeping across much of the country and suggested that the best birding spots might be in the west. As it happened, a black-crowned night heron had been reported at Camp Lane Pools, Grimley, Worcestershire, from 15 July. So, when I messaged Kev @kev07713, he already knew where I’d want to go. It was one of just five UK records that week—and with a travel time of only 1¼ hours, we didn’t need an early start.

Camp Lane Pools, part of the Grimley Nature Reserve, is a mosaic of former gravel and brick pits now transformed into a haven of open water, reedbeds, and grassland, ideal habitat for wildfowl and the occasional rarity.

We left Banbury under dry skies, though rain would be following us. Fortunately, by the time we arrived at Grimley, it remained dry. Could we be lucky enough to avoid the rain altogether?

Grabbing our gear, we set off through the trees along a public footpath. A short way in, we paused at a gap in the left-hand hedge to speak with two birders scoping the water. The heron had been favouring the southern end of the main pool, and we were only halfway to the causeway, our intended vantage point. They confirmed we were on the right path and that the bird had been showing that morning.

Continuing along the path, we crossed a field and passed through a gate, turning left toward the causeway. A small group of birders was already stationed there with scopes, and as we arrived, they confirmed the heron was still in view, perched in a tree to the left. Viewing through a gap cut in the willows, we shifted to the far right and finally had eyes on the bird. Before long, the group began to move, giving us a better viewing position before more birders arrived.

The black-crowned night heron is a medium-sized, globally widespread species, but in the UK it remains a rare visitor. They’re most frequently seen in spring and summer, typically in wetlands and reedbeds, with individuals likely drifting in from continental Europe. UK sightings are often of wandering juveniles from southern Europe, which are brown with white spotting. This bird, thought to be a second-summer individual, also lacked the vibrant colours we saw on the adults during our trip to Ossett a couple of years ago (that report here).

Before long, our bird took flight, moving to the right and landing in a more exposed, leafless tree, actually a better spot for photos. From the gate at the end of the causeway, we could shoot through the willows for clearer views.

We also heard Cetti’s Warbler and Kingfisher calling nearby, though both remained stubbornly out of sight ... for now.

Kev also had a great video of the bird which can be seen on his post on X --> here .

We could hear kingfishers calling, but frustratingly, they stayed out of sight. A Cetti’s warbler also sang from the willows behind us, and we caught only fleeting glimpses as it flitted through the cover. Our friends Nick @old_caley and Anne Truby arrived not long after, but by then, the night heron had dropped down into the reeds and was now only partially visible.

The group of birders had grown, with conversations buzzing around us, yet the heron remained stubbornly hidden. Some began to drift away, though a steady stream of new arrivals kept the numbers up.

Back in front of the gap cut through the willows, we scanned the water again and were rewarded with views of great White egrets, adding to the gathering of the night and grey heron already present. We had a shower of rain, not heavy but we were under the cover of trees and would stay dry.

A kingfisher called again, this time from our left, roughly where the night heron had originally been perched - this was the fifth time that Kev had said he'd heard the call and still had not seen one. We scanned the area casually, and before long I spotted it further along the bank - it must have shifted position since its last call.

Still, we waited for the night heron to re-emerge, but it remained stubbornly tucked away in the reeds. Eventually, Nick and Anne decided they'd had enough and were preparing to leave. We were thinking the same and made our exit shortly before them, encouraged by a tip about a nearby café, Bonnie’s Tea Room and Visitor Centre at Wildgoose, just a few minutes down the road. Brunch was calling.

As we made our way out, we paused to watch a kestrel lift from the stubble field. Moments later, a peregrine falcon soared over the pools, attracting the attention of a common tern and a lesser black-backed gull. The gull soon gave up the chase, but the tern wasn’t so easily put off, relentlessly mobbing the peregrine with sharp calls and impressive aerial manoeuvres until it had cleared the water.

We stopped to talk with another birder who was scanning the hedges, and he informed us there were common redstarts flitting around them - Kev had thought he'd scoped one from extreme distance when we were on the causeway and this now seemed more likely - it took only five minutes, and we were on a juvenile. We then left for brunch.

Bonnie’s is part of Wildgoose Rural Training (WGRT), an organisation that, wherever possible, uses produce grown directly on-site. When local or British ingredients aren’t available, they prioritise high-quality alternatives with minimal food miles. Wildgoose operates as a Care Farm, a centre offering support and meaningful day opportunities for adults with learning difficulties and young people facing challenges in mainstream education.

In 2017, the charity acquired the land: a former quarry and disused asparagus field. By 2019, the main hub was up and running, and the site has continued to evolve and grow ever since.

Next to the centre is a 14-hectare nature reserve, formerly a sand and gravel quarry. The landscape retains many post-industrial features: settling ponds, a shallow reservoir, embankments, and old tracks, which have given rise to a rich mix of habitats. These include woodland, scrub, pockets of flower-rich grassland, reedbeds, and shallow open water.

After brunch, we explored the reserve, hearing reed warblers, great spotted woodpeckers, and a variety of other species. While nothing particularly unusual turned up, it was a genuinely lovely area to walk through.

WGRT works closely with the West Midlands Bird Club (WMBC) and the local RSPB group. WMBC supports the reserve by organising an annual Bioblitz, a nestbox and open nest breeding bird survey, and a ‘birds seen and heard’ report. They’ve also helped develop infrastructure such as wildlife ponds, gates, and access steps. The RSPB group carries out breeding season bird surveys and holds regular conservation volunteer work parties. The site also has a strong tradition of bird ringing, with an active Wildgoose ringing group.

We debated our next move, whether to make a stop on the way home or head back to Camp Lane Pools to look for the common redstarts. In the end, we chose the latter and were back on site within five minutes.

As we walked down the slope, I caught a flash of orange-red, a redstart’s tail, as it darted out and along the hedge. We continued down and stepped out into the field slightly to give the bird some space. After a short wait of around ten minutes, we were rewarded with another sighting - a juvenile redstart, moving steadily along the hedge, a little ahead of us. On the edge of the water, we found a Mediterranean gull preening and then asleep.

Common redstarts are striking and relatively shy songbirds that often prefer the cover of hedgerows, woodland edges, and scattered trees, especially during migration or in breeding areas. They often forage low in hedgerows or along woodland edges, flicking their bright orange-red tails and making short dashes after insects. They are nervous and agile, rarely staying in one spot long and you’ll often see a flash of orange-red as they dart from a perch, especially when disturbed.

Young redstarts are more mottled in appearance (pale speckled breast, duller tail) and often quietly work through hedges feeding, often making them harder to spot than adults.

We continued watching the juvenile, but by now there was a noticeable increase in disturbance as more people arrived, hoping for a glimpse of the night heron, among them Adrian Sparrowhawk, Bryan Manston, and Mark. Wanting a bit more peace, we moved on to another section of hedge, and sure enough, we soon picked up both a male and juvenile redstart. It’s always a treat to see the stunning colours of a male, even if often briefly.

We spent a good while observing them, occasionally joined by passing birders, and were still enjoying the views when our friends returned. They were heading off to Slimbridge, hoping to catch up with the tundra bean goose currently present there, most likely the same bird that’s been roaming the West Midlands for the past couple of years.

After a while, we decided to explore more of the site. As we crossed another track between the pools, we came across a group of birders who mentioned that the night heron had just flown from the southern end in our direction, and they were now searching for it. We pointed out a Mediterranean gull nearby, and together we watched a family group of little ringed plovers moving along the water’s edge in front of us, gradually working their way farther into the distance.

While Kev scanned the water, my attention was caught by a family of reed warblers moving through the reeds. I followed them for a while, watching the adult feeding its young both among the reeds and along the fence line.

Reed Warblers typically begin their autumn migration from the UK between August and September, with most gone by mid-September. Juveniles often leave a little later than the adults, but by October, reedbeds fall silent as the last few stragglers head south.

We spent another half hour scanning the area, but eventually it was time to head home. We’d managed to stay mostly dry, only encountering a brief shower. With much wetter weather back home, it was clear we’d made the right choice and enjoyed a fantastic day out birding - Kev's other videos from today can be seen on X --> here.

RSPB Frampton Marsh :: 05 July 2025

It was shaping up to be another potentially damp Saturday, so Kev @kev07713 and I headed northeast, where the forecast looked driest; our destination this time was RSPB Frampton Marsh. There was nothing particularly headline-worthy reported and most of the recent highlights had already moved on - but there’s always hope, and a day spent birding at Frampton is never wasted.

We skipped our usual breakfast stop, planning instead to grab something from the Visitor Centre once it opened. Arriving in good time, we made our way toward the 360 Hide and Reedbed Hide, pausing along the way to enjoy good numbers of black-tailed godwits, ruff, little ringed plovers, and a couple of redshanks mixed in with the usual wildfowl. A reed warbler darted across our path, while linnets and goldfinches flitted overhead.

At the 360 Hide, we settled in and began scanning the pools. Reports of spotted redshanks had come in recently with 11 individuals reported earlier in the week, it looked like they were all still present and showing well.

The spotted redshank is a striking and elegant wader, medium-sized, with long legs and a distinctive silhouette. They pass through the UK mainly on migration and occasionally overwinter in small numbers. Seeing a group like this together made for one of the day’s highlights. In summer breeding plumage it sports striking black with white spots, long red legs, and a slightly upturned bill with a red base. Our birds were in this form but as winter approaches they will return to non-breeding plumage - a pale grey above and white below, more subdued.

They do not breed in the UK but in the far north of Scandinavia and Russia. A passage migrant, they are typically seen in spring (April–May) and more commonly in autumn (July–October). There are often up to 5 birds but there has obviously been a bit of an upgrade! Between here and the Reedbed Hide we had some distant but occasional good views. From the Reedbed Hide there was an individual who was sleeping in the edge of the grass, beak tucked under its wings and motionless - well every five minutes or so it would look up and before you could even reach for the camera it would be back down.

At one point, something spooked the flock - godwits, lapwings, ducks, and even the spotted redshank all lifted into the air in a sudden burst of activity. After a couple of circuits over the hide, the birds gradually settled back down. The spotted redshank returned to the island, at first keeping close to cover. After a few minutes, it stepped back into the open water, spent some time preening, and then returned to its preferred roosting spot to doze.

From the 360 Hide, we had a good view across the pools. Most birds were either sleeping or preening, though a few were actively feeding in the shallows. Spotted redshanks forage by wading through shallow water, using their long legs and slender, slightly upturned bills. In deeper areas, they often sweep their bills from side to side, a technique similar to that of an avocet, to detect and disturb prey. Much of their foraging is done by touch rather than sight, thanks to sensitive receptors in the bill that can detect movement in the water.

On the island, behind the spotted redshank was a single spoonbill - others were grouped elsewhere and as usual, fast asleep.

From the 360 Hide, we also watched a pair of little ringed plovers fiercely defending their territory. They repeatedly chased off any birds that strayed too close, first a few ruff, then a couple of unsuspecting lapwings. After a few minutes, the reason for their agitation became clear - two tiny chicks appeared, likely no more than a day old. Cute.

Within just a few hours of hatching, little ringed plover chicks are up on their feet - long legs and all - and leave the nest almost immediately to begin foraging. They’re precocial and nidifugous, meaning they’re mobile and feeding independently from the start, though both parents stay close to guide them to invertebrate-rich spots and keep watch for danger.

We started back to Reedbed Hide and came across a sedge warbler calling and perch just below the tops of the reeds - in the end I found an angle I could get a clear view - I suppose it won't be too long before they are on the move.

Almost back to the Reedbed Hide we stopped to look at the sand martin wall - there had been significant numbers of them in the sky above us and here we saw them returning to their chicks to feed them. In mid‑June, the reserve team observed the first nesting tunnel being dug in a constructed sand/gravel bank, and now 67 Sand Martin nests are active in the colony. Many pairs attempt a second brood before they depart in late summer or early autumn

Several of the nest holes had chicks perched right at the entrance, their tiny heads poking out as they waited to be fed. Now and then, a cluster of adults would gather near the wall, only to scatter suddenly, as if sensing a nearby threat. I managed to capture one of these moments on video.

We continued toward the East Hide, pausing along the way to watch several ruff and a mix of dabbling ducks and other wildfowl. At one point, Kev picked out a bird and called it as a wood sandpiper, a call we both quickly agreed on. It stood in place preening, giving us a good look, though it didn’t move much. Eventually, it took off to feed elsewhere, leaving us to carry on to the hide.

From the East Hide, Kev once again picked out the wood sandpiper, this time feeding along the far side of the pool. It moved steadily from right to left, and a few others in the hide were eager to get onto it. Once they realised just how distant it was, most abandoned any hopes of a photo, though one determined birder mentioned heading to another hide in case it offered a better view.

We lost sight of the bird for a while but managed to relocate it a couple more times before heading off to continue our walk along the sea wall.

Now on the sea wall we saw marsh harrier, male and female, quartering on the saltmarsh, and a single brent goose - the UK hosts tens of thousands of brent geese from October to March and this time of year they have usually migrated to Arctic Russia, Svalbard, and Greenland to breed (May–August). RSPB Frampton Marsh and similar wetland reserves occasionally report isolated birds in summer.

Back off the sea wall, we chatted with a reserve volunteer who mentioned a couple of green sandpipers had been seen along the return route. We’d already picked up a couple of common sandpipers, so it was great to add another species to the list. Thinking about it, I’ve seen fewer green sandpipers this year than usual, so it was a welcome addition, and our 57th species of the day.

We stopped at the Centre for some food, catching it still serving, but not long before they would close – almost too late even for lunch!

Year list: 219.