January 2026 - a little big year photo challenge?

Not sure where the new year’s photography is going yet - taking lots of images and deleting most of them - Planning on trying to find some goodies on the local patch this year or at least spending more time locally than for several years so thoughts on how many species I can get a decent image of on my local patch during the year - as of January 27th I have managed 96 species which is the most for several years so how many have suitable images?

It has been cold and icy but have not managed to get anything much that reflects the weather so far - Black-headed Gulls resting on ice - so The Little Big Year Number 1!

First-winter now 2cy male Hen Harrier this afternoon but not the colour ringed bird I have been trying to nail for weeks

Cracking bird though

Little Grebe before sunrise in an area of open water amongst the ice - numbers will be the LBY total here number 2

A young male Marsh Harrier dropping onto something in the reeds - a slightly different take — 3

a classic hunting male Marsh Harrier - we have about 4-5 males around at present but only this one adult

The light has been great the last few days

a male Sparrowhawk that flew rapidly past the hide and I didn’t quite get the bird 100% sharp which was a shame as it was a nice adult — 4

female Bullfinch munching on sea buckthorn berries - 5

and Blackthorn buds a favourite on Waters’ Edge

male House Sparrow in the garden - the cold snap had brought 10-12 spoggies back to the feeders but we have also had Coal Tits and Long-tailed Tits fairly regularly which is something that has not occurred for many years - 6

Long-tailed Tit in dappled winter sun — 7

Part of a pre roost gathering of Magpies - there were at least 50 in the gathering at dusk - 8

After seemingly disappearing from the local park for two years it was good to find a Nuthatch back at the end of 2025 and add it to the patch year list on the 2nd — 9

always high up but the 100-500 is a great lens for this type of bird photography

Blackbirds on fallen apples during the hard snap - I counted 30 at one time on this accumulated food resource — 10

Three slightly different treatments of the garden Blue Tit —11

Carrion Crow - winter light is sublime - keep thinking of tracking how many species I can photograph on the patch this year - 12

Fieldfare and berries frozen into the ice - feeding thrushes drop so many berries

what a cracking bird the Fieldfare is — 13

I was sitting in my car waiting for a hunting harrier when this pair of Grey Partridges came out of the ield and settled down to dust bathing

Grey Wagtail on the Wedge foreshore during a very hard frost — 14

During the freeze this Kingfisher was feeding along Far Ings road drain as it was one of the few areas of open water - with constant car traffic it became quite tame - 15

adult male Marsh Harrier - I have not spent long trying for thsese so far but this was a very lucky encounter

Siskin on Waters’ edge - not many about this winter about 12 recently — 16

Siskin preening an adult male

When I got this shot I was thinking if only it was a bit more in the opne but in retrospect I like it with the berry cover - 17

Treecreeper on Waters’ Edge - had several encounters this winter which are always a treat — 18

Woodpigeon catching the light — 19

my first trip of the year to the forest yesterday revealed at least 30 Common Crossbills with several males in song and display flights

I managed to climb up to about 25 feet above the ground to get some better angled shots of birds in the tree tops albeit smallish trees

a bauble decorated old birch

Great Grey Shrike near Fillingham Lincs - lots more images of this bird coming in a GGS blog post under construction

sunlight breaking through the clouds over the Ancholme Valley

Two Chiffchaffs were feeding togetehr on the ground on the side of the Humber bank by Chowder earlier in the week - could have been a Dusky Warbler! - 20

Pink-footed Geese descending against a brooding sky onto Read’s Island

Rock Pipit at Goxhill Haven

Song Thrush with banded snail on Waters’ Edge during a hard frost

A few days later and five males were in full song on Wedge alone

I was walking by the bridge when all the Blackbirds suddenly exploded and this first winter male Sparrowhawk came through the trees about two feet above the ground before landing on this fallen branch - it was only there for seconds hence no time to move and get the intervening twig out of the way but love it anyway

Wigeon on a rather serene looking Humber off Chowder

Goldcrest hunting invertebrates in the Waters’ edge ivy - 21

Stock Dove Wedge - several pairs attempting to occupy the nest boxes already - 22

Often ignored Stock Doves are a striking bird in close up and sunshine

Not often you see a pair sitting together - Tawny Owls in residence — 23

Tufted Ducks and a bit of mist - 24

I am making myself scan harder for birds rather than walking past a lot this year - female Sparrowhawk every one a gem

Black-headed Gull over the Haven

Coot feet - always an odd sight - 25

Great Black-backed Gull - 26 - now scarce on the local Humber foreshore with less than 10 at a peak compared to 400+ only 20 years ago

Goldcrest in our garden spruce January 26th - it spent almost all day in our garden feeding on the wildlife friendly plants, shrubs and trees - the spruce is only about 1.5m tall!

It was about the dullest day of the winter hence a lot of slow shutter speeds and the odd sharp image

Mute Swan — 27

Male Greenfinch in the garden - 28

Grey Heron 29 - I saw Great White Egret before Grey Heron on the patch in Januaruy this year - an unthinkable event not many years ago

smart male Lesser Redpoll - there have been one or two redpolls on Waters Edge with the Siskin flock but always at silly heights - came across this one in a lone birch by the tileyard cafe on a sunny walk - the only birch and the only redpoll - 30

I have actually got very few images of Lesser Redpolls and this was a smart bird

Moorhen on ice - a foot contrast to the Coot - 31

Pied Wagtail on ice a real skater - 32

First-winter Red-throated Diver - a message from Darren at 16:27 on 24th saying he had just had a Red-throated Diver on Hotel pit had me asking is it worth looking as its nearly dark - try tomorrow? sometimes divers stay but Hotel pit has had nothing on it all winter suggesting its dead! - rapid drive and 6400 ISO managed a couple of sharpish images before it had three attempts at flying off disappearing east on the last try — 33

There may be another this year but there may not and they are often not close so a bit soft is better than nothing

Redshanks with some motion blur - 34

Ringed Plover 35 — now a real winter rarity locally a massive change in status - in the winter of 1989 - 1990 when the flock was joined by a male Kentish Plover there were up to 130 at Read’s island and 65 at Barton

36 Yellowhammer - another species we are rapidly loosing just 12 or so wintering locally this year down from 30 - 35 in recent winters -

37 Bittern - no doubt better opps to come but first photo of the year

Canada Geese 38 - always have to include the ornamentals

and the noise machines - Greylag groups getting into spring noise mode 39

Goldeneye - 40 - a party of three Scaup accompanied by a possible first winter drake Lesser Scaup at the weekend flew off to Goxhill in the murk - hopefully they will return with the Goldeneye of which there were 97 on Sunday - getting frisky

Goldfinches on reeds not a regular comobination — 41

an improved Magpie

The 3cy male Marsh Harrier still around hopefully get better spring shots

The easterlies brought oin this drake Red-breasted Merganser but sadly it was always out in the middle of our biggest pit but a less than annual patch visitor —-42

Composite of Merg image

Slightly improved shot with the birda bit clsert on 30th albeit in zero light levels

The Red-throated Diver was still around and the light much better

First winter Red-throated Diver Hotel pit

Drake Shoveler - 43 a different take

And a more standard portrait

The Tawny Owls showing a little better or rather the light was a little better

Female Tufted Duck witht he Canon 100-500 and 1.4x converter - in good light and at reasonable range quality is very good

Drake Tufted Duck in wash mode

Preening drake Wigeon - the birds near Chowder are accustomed to epople and happily feed along the sea wall at just 20m range but you are looking down on them sadly — 44

nibbling algae off the rocks

Pair of Wigeon

Drake Mallard — 45

46 two drake Scaup of three on 30th but again at zero light at 16:30 on one of the dullest days of the winter - maybe better later but for now its 46

47 female Chaffinch in the garden

Another Bittern encounter this morning

The Red-throated Diver still around on day eight but impossible to get the right light on it

48 adult Mediterranean Gull and my 99th species on the patch this month / year making it the best January for many years in fact the second highest January total since 1993

49 Starling in the garden spruce - the Goldcrest was here again for its sixth day

I have become a bit obsessed with Blackbirds in the garden and we have up to 10 - two or three females and the rest are males but only two adult males the remainder being first-winter males like this bird with its brown juvenile flight feathers and primary coverts but it is an advanced bird with a well coloured bill and eye ring compared to some of its companions - needless to say a fair amount of fighting goes on

The adult male Marsh Harrier on a dull end to the month