Mark Hows - 2025 Wildlife Blog

Me
Welcome to my wildlife blog - I will chronicle my exploits looking for wildlife in the UK and post links to trip reports from further afield. I have plenty of target species this year from Plants and fungi to Ladybirds and plenty of things in between and tracking these down will keep me busy. I will be doing plenty of mammal watching and there will be some twitching in the mix as well which should keep me out of trouble - hopefully! and all this will be fuelled by lots of Chips and Ice Cream.
 

February

Singapore Jan 2025

Sunday 2nd - Schwartz Squirrels

Melanistic Grey Squirrel

I popped into Letchworth on my way home from visiting family and friends. It was only a brief visit as a melanistic grey squirrel was feeding right next to where I parked.


 

January

Friday 31st - Little Reserve Roundup

Red Fox

Being away for half of the month I had to rely a lot on the trail cameras for the goings on in my reserve this month. Plenty of red fox action as usual and some teal which are only occasionally sen on the reserve.


Friday 31st - Monthly Moths

Winter Moth

A dismal moth of moths at home (well two weeks, I was away the other two), nothing trapped at home, shocking weather and only two winter moths seen in Cornwall on a toilet block. However in Australia I had some excellent moths including a Hercules but still trying to identify most of them.


Friday 31st - Monthly Mammals

Wood Mouse

A nice selection of local mammals fallow deer, muntjac deer, grey squirrel, common shrew, Chinese water deer. Including a nice wood mouse in my house which was returned to a local hedgerow.


Madagascar Nov 2024

Saturday 25th - Dark, Damp Dutch Duck(and some geese) Day

Spectacled Eider Spoonbill Greater Flamingo

With nothing planned, not much about in the UK I headed to the Netherlands for the Spectacled Eider. Le Shuttle and overnight drive to Den Helder, I got a few hours sleep before taking the ferry to Texel. Only a few other cars were present and a dozen or so people headed to look at first light. We spread out looking for the eider and more people had joined the search, I was a little further up the coast when it was reported near the cars and headed back to see the stunning Spectacled Eider. It was still very dark and the bird not very close so it was record photo time. I watched it for a while before heavy rain forced me back to the car, and most others had already gone. I drove around a bit and saw plenty of nice birds Spoonbill, avocet, redshank, lapwing. I headed back to the mainland and searched unsuccessfully for the Baikal Teal Nr Alkmaar, then headed to Groene Jonker reserve. It stopped raining and the sun had appeared from nowhere which made finding the bufflehead very difficult as did the presence of a couple of thousand other ducks and the fact that it was a female. It took a while and got a brief view before all the ducks took flight and as time was getting on I headed off. I did find a lesser white fronted goose in a goose flock near Rotterdam and I had just time enough to get to Noorder Krammer to see the wintering greater flamingos. before I had to head back to Calais. A good day with 8 geese species, 16 duck species, and a whole host of other birds, just one roe deer.


Sunday 20th - Fenland Forray

Chinese Water Deer Long Eared owl

I met up with James Hunter and we headed off for a days birding in the Fens, but first stop was the tip. At the pools we had a Chinese water deer but no Glaucous gulls. We couldn’t find them on the tip either but a few Caspian gulls and a Leucistic Greater Black Backed Gull. The Nene washes produced Tawny, Short and Long Eared owls another Chinese water deer and some Ruff, cattle egret. At Deeping lakes we could not fine Glossy ibis or Little owl, but Long eared owls and a goldeneye of note and several goosander on the river. Last stop was at Willowtree Fen which produced a nice selection of birds coming to roost Goosanders, Marsh harriers, including the Leucistic bird, whooper swans and a Bewick’s swan in amongst them. But eventually a couple of cranes appeared, but the main flock were spotted as they flew in. A Barn owl finished off a nice day out, even if the sun never put in an appearance.


Saturday 19th - Where Eagles Dare

Booted Eagle Bonaparte's Gull

I drove overnight to Cornwall arriving in the layby at 5am parked up between to vans and lorries which by 8am had departed the infilling cars made it look like people had parked badly due to the different vehicle sizes. About 9am the first sighting of the booted eagle occurred and it showed for a while but a little distantly until it was lost to view. Satisfied I headed to Sennen Cove, here along with a small group of very friendly and helpful birders we had a great session birding Bonaparte’s and Iceland gulls plenty Chough and rock pipits and even gannets feeding offshore. I popped into Penzance, at the swimming pool at least 30 purple sandpipers were roosting on the rocks, latterly joined by a flock of Sanderling. Blac throated and great northern divers off shore were a bonus. I headed back to the eagle as there had been another report but it had gone again with no sign of it for a while, so I headed off for a late lunch. With no further sign by mid afternoon I headed home.

Steak Pasty – Phips, Hayle – 10/10 Chips – Highlanes Fish & Chips, Hayle – Chips - 7/10


 

2024 Review

Mammals

Greater White Toothed Shrew

Again a quiet year as I concentrated on other taxa. Some nice encounters with Red squirrels and Pine martens in Scotland, otters in the Brecks and on Mull, but the highlight was a new UK species catching Greater whitetoothed shrews in Sunderland.

Birds

Northern Waterthrush

A mediocre year birdwise with 221 species seen. Some highlights were White tailed eagles, greater sandplover, tawny owl, grey phalarope to name a few. I caught up with four new species Northern Water Thrush, Myrtle Warbler, Bridled tern and Pale legged leaf warbler.

Other Wildlife and Trips

Pinthaeus sanguinipes White Prominent Early Orache

Following up on my other areas of interest I had a great year with two new Shieldbugs Greater Streaked shieldbug and Pinthaeus sanguinipes, the latter only the second UK record. Ladybird wise a it was pretty quiet as the weather and other things got in the way. Moth year trapping this year was generally poor. I trapped at home and work regularly as well as some mobile trapping in the Brecks and at Chippenham Fen. I also did some mobile trapping further a field in Scotland a couple of times. Trapped many sites with James Hunter and Alan Lewis and was assisted by several local mothers and their help was most appreciated. Some super moths included Sloe carpet, Morris's wainscot, Ashworths rustic, weavers wave, Northern dart, dark bordered beauty, Anomalous, Slender striped rufous, Spiny hooktip and many more. I acheived my 25 new moths target - The highlight was White prominent in ireland.

My 25 new plant project went well I managed 25 and did see some excellent ones Club sedge, leafy rush, Pygmyweed, Early Orache, Small-flowered Wintercressmany more and I will try a similar target again this year. The highlight was to finally see Pipewort.

Trip wise Lesvos, Romania, Estonia, Madagascar and Australia produced some excellent stuff. Highlights were Lynx, Grey Dwarf Hamster, Platypus, Koala, Fossa, Indri,


Catch up with the 2024 blog

 
 

Upcoming Trips

  • Australia - Dec 2024
  • Singapore - Jan 2025
  • Kenya - Feb 2025
  • India - Mar 2025
  • Romania - Apr 2025
  • New Zealand - Nov 2025
  • Romania - Mar 2026
  • My Flickr Photos


    My Flickr Photos

     
     

    2025 Targets

    Green when Seen

  • Weather Earthstar
  • Elegant Earthstar
  • Boat Bug
  • Heather Shieldbug
  • Marsh Carpet (photo)
  • Alpine Foxtail
  • Scarce tortoise sheldbug
  • Lundy cabbage
  • Silurian
  • Whortle-leaved Willow
  • Drab looper
  • Scarce pug
  • Mat leaved fescue
  • Transparent Burnet
  • Slender Scotch Burnet
  • Alpine Woodsia
  • Alpine Bearberry
  • Concolorous
  • Narrow-bordered Bee Hawk-moth (photo)
  • Silvery Arches
  • Wish List

    Green when Seen

  • Ladybird Spider
  • Heather Shieldbug
  • Triangular Club-rush
  • 13 Spot Ladybird
  • Bee Beetle
  • Marsh Fleawort
  • Alpine bearberry
  • Slender Naaid
  • Marsh moth
  • Manchester treble bar
  • Dusky hooktip
  • Least Adders Tongue
  • Upright forget me not
  • Southern sickle bearing cricket
  • Starwort Mouse-ear
  • Small Dark Yellow Underwing
  • Silurian
  • Speckled footman
  • 2025 UK Mammal List (No Target This Year)

    Green when photographed

  • 1 -
  • UK Birds

  • 494 - Asian Desert Warbler
  • 495 - Lammergeier
  • 496 - Tennessee Warbler
  • 497 - Whites Thrush
  • 498 - Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler
  • 499 - Lanceolated warbler
  • 500 - Siberian Thrush
  • 501 - Taiga Flycatcher
  • 502 - Rufous-tailed scrub robin
  • 503 - Crag Martin
  • 504 - Northern Mockingbird
  • 505 - Red Necked Stint
  • 506 - Black Browed Albatross
  • 507 - Green Warbler
  • 508 - Long Toed Stint
  • 509 - Two barred Warbler
  • 510 - Belted Kingfisher
  • 511 - Eleanora’s falcon
  • 512 - Cape gull
  • 513 - Common Nighthawk
  • 514 - Stejneger's Scoter
  • 515 - Grey Headed Lapwing
  • 516 - Black Winged Kite
  • 517 - Red Footed Booby
  • 518 - Magnolia Warbler
  • 519 - Canada Warbler
  • 520 - Red headed Bunting
  • 521 - Canvasback
  • 522 - Northern Waterthrush
  • 523 - Myrtle Warbler
  • 524 - Bridled Tern
  • 525 - Pale legged leaf warbler
  • 526 - Booted Eagle
  • 20 New Plant Species Photo Project



  • 1 -

  • 20 New Moth Species Photo Project


  • 1 -


  • The Chip Count

    Chips 1
    Fish
    Fishcake
    Battered / Sausage /br> Saveloy
    Spring Roll
    Pasty 1
    Pickled Egg
    Cheese and Onion Fritter
    Mushy Peas / Fritter
    Spam Fritter
    Haggis
    Mac n Cheese bites
    Pizza
    Parmo
    Burger
    John Bull
    Onion Rings
    Ice Cream

    2024 Total
    Chips 34
    Fatbirder's Top 1000 Birding Websites