Gibraltar Point Bird Observatory Blog: May 2025

May 31st. Again, a cloudy start to the day, breaking as the day went on, with just a hint of a south-westerly breeze.

Early news involved a Crossbill calling at the north end of West Dunes, along with the Bittern again on Jacksons Marsh. Also 23 Mediterranean Gulls flew North. On Tennyson's Sands were a Little Ringed Plover, 2 Little Tern and a Spoonbill whilst on Jackson's Marsh there was 2 Great White Egret. The high tide produced 1000 Knot and 300 Oystercatcher.

Around was a Brent Goose, a Cuckoo, a Buzzard, a Barn Owl, 11 Whitethroat, a Stonechat and a Siskin (south).

A morning ringing session in East Dunes yielded 2 new birds: a Wren and a Blackbird; and 5 retraps: a Wren, a Whitethroat, a Great Tit, a Reed Bunting and a Dunnock.

A male Red-veined Darter was seen on the Outer Dunes and given its location, could well have been a freshly arrived migrant. The individual seen last week was teneral and quite likely to have emerged locally. Both were very flighty and difficult to approach - achieving a photo of the teneral individual was not possible - ultimately, today's individual had to be phone-scoped.

Red-veined Darter, 31st May 2025.
Photo - Kev Wilson

Barn Owl (with ring on), 31st May 2025
Photo - Paul Neale

Avocet, 31st May 2025
Photo - Paul Neale

Great White Egret being dive bombed by an unruly Avocet! 31st May 2025
Photo - Paul Neale

Great White Egret being chased off by an Avocet, 31st May 2025
Photo - Paul Neale

Great White Egret, 31st May 2025
Photo - Paul Neale

Spoonbills, 31st May 2025
Photo - Paul Neale

Little Tern, 31st May 2025
Photo - Paul Neale

Little Tern with fish, 31stMay 2025
Photo - Paul Neale

Little Tern, 31st May 2025
Photo - Paul Neale

Little Ringed Plover, 31st May 2025
Photo - Jack Hood

Reed Warbler, 31st May 2025
Photo - Jack Hood

May 30th. A mostly cloudy day with occasional sunny intervals, and with increasing south-westerly wind.

Early news involved a Spotted Flycatcher at the south end of West Dunes and the Bittern was again on Jacksons Marsh.

On the water bodies around the reserve were 2 Egyptian Geese, 16 Gadwall, 1 Wigeon, 54 Avocet, 1 Little Ringed Plover, 65 Black-tailed Godwits, 2 Little Terns, 1 Common Tern, 5 Spoonbill (Including a Dutch colour-ringed bird - awaiting life history), 4 Great White Egrets, 1 Grey Heron and 1 Water Rail. Around were a Red Kite, a Buzzard, a Barn Owl and 25 Long-tailed Tits.

A wind-shortened morning ringing session in East Dunes provided 3 new birds: a Chiffchaff, a Meadow Pipit and a Reed Bunting; and 3 retraps: 2 Whitethroat and a Wren.

Spotted Flycatcher, 30th May 2025
Photo - Nigel Lound

Little Tern on Tennyson's Sands, 30th May 2025
Photo - Mike Watts

Common Tern on Tennyson's Sands, 30th May 2025
Photo - Mike Watts

Little Terns, 30th May 2025
Photo - Jack Hood

Female Roe deer and Fawn, 30th May 2025
Photo - Mike Watts

May 29th. Cloudy, with early morning rain and moderately strong south-westerly wind.

Highlight of the day again was the Bittern which showed again in the morning on Jacksons Marsh. Also a Red Kite was over the saltmarsh and Visitor Centre mid morning.

News received from a visiting birder during the morning indicated that at least six observers saw the Red-necked Phalarope at 10am yesterday (28th May) on Jacksons Marsh but unfortunately nobody bothered to report it. This sighting can unfortunately, not be verified.

Other birds around the reserve on the water bodies included 3 Spoonbill, 1 Common Tern, 1 Wigeon and 3 Great White Egrets.

Ringed Plover, 29th May 2025
Photo - Mike Watts

Avocet chicks, 29th May 2025
Photo - Mike Watts

Great White Egrets, 29th May 2025
Photo - Jack Hood

Cormorant, 29th May 2025
Photo - Jack Hood

Black-tailed Godwit, 29th May 2025
Photo - Jack Hood

Azure Damselflies copulating, 29th May 2025
Photo - Mike Watts

Four Spotted Chaser Dragonfly, 29th May 2025
Photo - Mike Watts

May 28th. Heavy overnight rain clearing to a broken cloud day with a hint of a westerly breeze.

Highlights of the day were a Bittern on Jacksons Marsh but negative news on the Red-necked Phalarope with no sign of it all day despite plenty of observer coverage, but there are some more pics of the bird from yesterday received overnight below. Also there was a Little Stint on Greenshanks Creek.

On the water bodies around the reserve were 27 Shelduck, 3 Shoveler, 34 Gadwall, 15 Tufted Duck, 1 Water Rail, 56 Avocet, 1 Little Ringed Plover (Jacksons Marsh briefly), 80 Black-tailed Godwits, 1 Snipe, 1 Spoonbill, 4 Great White Egrets, 1 Grey Heron and 1 Kingfisher.

On a sea watch were 7 Gannet (South), 1 Eider, 1 Common Scoter, 2 Great Crested Grebe, 200 Oystercatcher, 1 Fulmar (North), 3 Common Tern, 9 Sandwich Tern (North) and 21 Little Tern.

Elsewhere on the reserve were 2 Cuckoos, 2 Buzzards, 1 Red Kite (South), 14 Whitethroats and 10 Robins.

Bittern, 28th May 2025
Photo - Stuart Ainsworth

Black-tailed Godwits been harassed by fighting Coot and Moorhen, 28th May 2025
Photo - Tom Baker

Reed Warbler, 28th May 2025
Photo - Tom Baker

Shoveler, 28th May 2025
Photo - Tom Baker

Red-necked Phalarope, 27th May 2025
Photo - Tom Baker

Red-necked Phalarope with Black-tailed Godwits, 27th May 2025
Photo - Tom Baker

Red-necked Phalarope with Snipe, 27th May 2025
Photo - Tom Baker

Red-necked Phalarope with Shelduck, 27th May 2025
Photo - Tom Baker

Avocet chicks, 27th May 2025
Photo - Mike Watts

Redshank, 27th May 2025
Photo - Mike Watts

May 27th. Early morning rain before clearing somewhat, but only briefly, before more persistent rain set in for most of the day, with fresh south-westerly wind.

Highlight of the day was a female Red-necked Phalarope discovered after the early morning rain had stopped on Jacksons Marsh, showing well at times all day until 1900hrs at least and was seen well by all of the local birders and quite a few from further around the county.

On the water bodies around the reserve were 46 Shelduck, 10 Gadwall, 14 Tufted Duck, 2 Water Rail, 65 Avocet, 75 Black-tailed Godwit, 1 Snipe, 1 Ringed Plover, 2 Redshank, 2 Little Tern, 1 2CY Caspian Gull, 38 Herring Gulls, 3 Great Black-backed Gulls, 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 2 Spoonbills, 3 Great White Egrets and a Grey Heron.

Other birds around the reserve included a Cuckoo, a Barn Owl, a Buzzard and a Spotted Flycatcher (West Dunes).

A rain-delayed morning ringing session in East Dunes produced 2 new birds: a Whitethroat and a Chaffinch; and a retrap Wren.

Female Red-necked Phalarope, 27th May 2025 - Video - Nigel Lound

Red-necked Phalarope, 27th May 2025
Photo - Mike Watts

Female Red-necked Phalarope, 27th May 2025
Photo - Nigel Lound

Red-necked Phalarope, 27th May 2025.
Photo - Phil Hyde

x2 Little Terns, 27th May 2025
Photo - Nigel Lound

2CY Caspian Gull, 27th May 2025
Photo - Nigel Lound

x3 Lapwing chicks still growing, 27th May 2025
Photo - Nigel Lound

Little Grebe with chicks, 27th May 2025
Photo - Mike Watts

Little Grebe feeding chick, 27th May 2025
Photo - Mike Watts

Pied Wagtail feeding chicks, 27th May 2025
Photo - Mike Watts

Little Egret with fish, 27th May 2025
Photo - Mike Watts

May 26th. Increasingly cloudy, with an increasing south-westerly wind.

Highlights of the day included 2 Red Kites (South) and a Hobby (South). On the sea were 8 Common Scoter and 1 Eider, whilst 3 Gannet went North. Around the water bodies were 2 Little Tern, 59 Shelduck, 6 Gadwall, 21 Tufted Duck, 61 Avocet, 2 Whimbrel, 65 Black-tailed Godwit, 1 Snipe, 1 Spoonbill, 3 Great White Egrets and 1 Grey Heron.

The high tides (best of am & pm) produced 600 Oystercatcher, 6 Bar-tailed Godwit, 80 Grey Plover, 60 Ringed Plover, 10 Turnstone, 2400 Sanderling, 25 Dunlin, 1620 Knot and 740 Dunlin. Other birds around included a Barn Owl, a Buzzard, a Cuckoo, a Green Woodpecker, a Stonechat and a Yellowhammer, whilst 88 Swifts flew West into the prevailing wind.

A wind-shortened morning ringing session in East Dunes resulted in 4 new birds: a Chiffchaff, a Whitethroat, a Meadow Pipit and a Blackbird; and 3 retraps: 2 Whitethroat and a Chaffinch.

Colour-ringing news involved an Avocet which was one of our first parents this year and had colour rings on that were successfully read on 24th May 2025. It seems that this bird was ringed as a chick at Martin Mere in Lancashire on 11th June 2024 and was subsequently reported by the colour-rings at Burton Mere wetlands, Cheshire on 24th April 2025 before it turned up at Gibraltar Point to breed.

Red Kite, 26th May 2025
Photo - Mike Watts

Great White Egret facing the wrath of an Avocet parent, 26th May 2025
Photo - Paul Neale

Great White Egrets, 26th May 2025
Photo - Paul Neale

Little Egret facing the wrath of an Avocet parent, 26th May 2025
Photo - Paul Neale

Muntjac Fawn, 26th May 2025
Photo - Nigel Lound

Hare, 26th May 2025
Photo - Paul Neale

Common Blue, 26th May 2025
Photo - Paul Neale

May 25th. Cloudy, with quite strong westerly wind.

On the water bodies around the reserve were 66 Shelduck, 14 Gadwall, 2 Wigeon, 20 Little Grebe, 88 Avocets, 71 Black-tailed Godwits, 1 Snipe, 1 Common Sandpiper, 4 Redshank, 250 Herring Gulls, 8 Great Black-backed Gulls, 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 1 Spoonbill, 3 Great White Egrets, 2 Grey Herons and a Kingfisher.

Elsewhere around the reserve were a Cuckoo, a Buzzard and 4 Swift (north), whilst a flock of 10 Crossbills went south early morning along with small numbers of Swallows and Goldfinches.

Oystercatcher, 25th May 2025
Photo - Paul Neale

Little Egret, 25th May 2025
Photo - Paul Neale

Spoonbill, 25th May 2025
Photo - Paul Neale

Snipe, 25th May 2025
Photo - Paul Neale

Shelduck, 25th May 2025
Photo - Paul Neale

Avocet, 25th May 2025
Photo - Paul Neale

Roe Deer and fawn, 25th May 2025
Photo - Paul Neale

Fawn Roe Deer, 25th May 2025
Photo - Paul Neale

May 24th. Cloudy, with some long over-due persistent morning rain and fresh westerly wind.

A complete lack of records for the day, probably due to the rain!

Avocet, 25th May 2025
Photo - Paul Neale

May 23rd. A broken light cloud day with a warming westerly breeze.

Highlight of the day was a Black Redstart around the Visitor Centre garden along with a male Stonechat. On the water bodies were 2 Yellow Wagtails, 61 Avocet, 75 Black-tailed Godwit, a Snipe, 7 Redshank, a Greenshank, a Common Sandpiper and 4 Great White Egrets, a Spoonbill, 2 Grey Heron and a Water Rail.

Other birds around the reserve included a Wheatear, a Cuckoo, a Barn Owls, 3 Buzzard, a Hobby, 2 Red Kites and a Jay (North).

A morning ringing session in East Dunes provided 6 new birds: 2 Chiffchaff, 2 Reed Bunting, a Chaffinch and a Blackcap; and 3 retraps: a Great Tit, a Chaffinch and a Dunnock.

Great White Egret, 23rd May 2025
Photo - Stuart Ainsworth

Yellow Wagtails, 23rd May 2025
Photo - Stuart Ainsworth

Barn Owl, 23rd May 2025
Photo - Mike Watts

Black Redstart, 23rd May 2025
Photo - Nigel Lound

Common Sandpiper, 23rd May 2025
Photo - Tom Baker

Great-spotted Woodpecker, 23rd May 2025
Photo - Mike Watts

Midges in the afternoon sunlight, 23rd May 2025
Photo - Tom Baker

Red Kite, 23rd May 2025
Photo - Tom Baker

Mother Shipton Moth, 23rd May 2025
Photo - Tom Baker

Grey Squirrel, 23rd May 2025
Photo - Mike Watts

Brown Rat, 23rd May 2025
Photo - Mike Watts

Hare, 23rd May 2025
Photo - Stuart Ainsworth

May 22nd. A cloudy start with some light early morning rain before the cloud broke up, turning into a sunny broken cloud day, feeling cool in the increasing northerly wind.

Highlight of the day was a Quail flushed from the North Saltings during the late afternoon. Then in the evening a Temminck's Stint was on the River Steeping outflow with a single Dunlin and 20 Ringed Plover briefly.

Avocets were feeding chicks today on Jacksons Marsh, whilst two more lots had hatched on Tennyson's Sands. The Lapwing chicks on Moat Pond are still growing at an furious rate despite every large gull flying over, looking at them! Also on Jacksons Marsh the Bittern was reported again during the early morning.

During the early afternoon, a Spotted Redshank was on Tennyson's Sands. Also on Tennyson's Sands were 4 Shoveler, 7 Gadwall, 17 Tufted Duck, 14 Little Grebe, 2 Common Terns, 88 Avocet (+3 chicks), 80 Black-tailed Godwits, 11 Redshank, 1 Greenshank, 1 Snipe, 81 Shelduck, 2 Teal, 4 Great White Egrets, 3 Spoonbills, 1 Grey Heron, 100+ House Martins and 30 Swallows. On the Mere were 4 Gadwall. Other birds around included 2 Swift and 3 Cuckoos.

House Martin, 22nd May 2025
Photo - Tom Baker

Blue Tit with food for chicks, 22nd May 2025
Photo - Tom Baker

Spoonbills, 22nd May 2025
Photo - Jack Hood

Snipe, 22nd May 2025
Photo - Jack Hood

Great White Egret, 22nd May 2025
Photo - Jack Hood

May 21st. Partly cloudy, with increasing northerly wind.

Early news involved a Cattle Egret flying in and associating with the Cattle on Croft Marsh. Then the Bittern showed again briefly on Jacksons Marsh.

Elsewhere on the water bodies around the reserve were 74 Shelduck, 7 Shoveler, 10 Gadwall, 22 Tufted Duck, 66 Avocet, 78 Black-tailed Godwit, 1 Snipe, 8 Redshank, 1 Greenshank, 3 Spoonbill, 10 Little Egret, 4 Great White Egret and 2 Grey Heron.

On the sea during a brief sea watch there was an Eider. Other birds around included 3 Cuckoos, 2 Red Kites (South), 3 Buzzards, 1 Peregrine, 1 Barn Owl, 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 16 Swift (North) and 100+ House Martin with 10 Swallows (hawking Tennyson's Sands late afternoon).

A morning ringing session in East Dunes produced 5 new birds: 2 Chiffchaff, a Chaffinch, a Robin and a Reed Warbler; and 2 retraps: a Great Tit and a Wren.