December 2025 Highlights.

 As 2025 has now come to an end, I thought I should show my December highlights, which have been more varied than usual. December is usually a quiet month for me as the butterfly season is all but over. This year though, the milder weather for much of December has brought a few butterfly sightings, as well as some good bird encounters.

Earlier this year I had my first ever Brown Hairstreak sightings on my local patch, something I thought would never happen, but this year the Brown Hairstreak has had a great year and has spread further into East Sussex. With 3 sightings of the butterfly, I was hoping that through the winter months I would find some Brown Hairstreak eggs on the patch too. On December 3rd I found a couple, but I didn't have the camera, so the following day I went back to the site to get some proper images of them.

Brown Hairstreak Egg.

Brown Hairstreak Egg.

The 13th of December was particularly sunny, and a walk up to High and Over brought 4 different Peacock butterflies. The first one was warming up on a fence post and was in pretty good condition.

Peacock 13/12/2025.

On the 16th December I had another walk without the camera, when I came across a group of approachable Scandinavian Rock Pipits. Once again, the following day I went back and relocated them, along with a Water Pipit that was further along the river. The Water Pipit was not so approachable unfortunately, which is normal for this species. However, I did manage to get a photo of it, allbeit not so good.

Scandinavian Rock Pipit.

Scandinavian Rock Pipit.

Scandinavian Rock Pipit.

Water Pipit.

Three days later Lisa and I went to try again. The Water Pipit was seen again, but once again proved difficult. The Scandinavian Rock Pipits were there again, but were not quite so approachable, however, I did get one that posed in a nice way.

Scandinavian Rock Pipit.

On the 21st I came across a small group of Stinkhorn. It was the first time that I had found these on my patch. Once again I had to call back the following day with the camera. One day I will remember to always take it with me!!

Stinkhorn.

On Boxing Day Lisa and I went to Ashdown Forest. We saw very little until we were almost back to the car, when Lisa spotted a male Crossbill in a tree, feeding on Pine Cones. Lisa had her 600mm but I had only put the 100-400 zoom on mine. I regretted not having a better reach, however, a few images were still pretty good. There was also a female Crossbill feeding alongside the male, but she kept hidden amongst the foliage.

Male Crossbill.

Following this we went to a lake near East Grinstead which we had heard was good for Starling murmurations. Here we met up with Dom, and it wasn't long before we saw groups of Starling coming in, and gradually the group grew to an enormous number of birds. The murmurations became very impressive.

Starling Murmuration.

Starling Murmuration.

On the 28th we tried to get some images of the garden birds at home. I have done this a few times over the years, but not for some time. I was really hoping for one of the Greenfinches to settle on the Hazel, but only Goldfinches performed for me.

Goldfinch.

Following the fabulous murmurations at East Grinstead, we decided on the 30th to try again, especially as the weather was forecast for full sunshine. so we hoped for some colour in the sky. The sky was fantastic, although the murmurations were not quite as impressive as the first trip. However, a few good shapes were seen, including one that could have been a whale. We also saw a Peregrine hoping to get lucky!!

Starling Murmuration, or is it a Whale breaching?

Starling Murmuration with Peregrine hunting.

On the final day of the year, I headed up to my local patch in the late morning as it was a glorious sunny day with light wind. I was pushing my luck really as I was hoping for a final butterfly sighting for the year. I have seen a Peacock on the 31st December before in 2020, so I knew it wasn't impossible, but unlikely. However not only did I find a Peacock, but I found a 2nd one that stayed around for a quick photo. So, here is my final butterfly sighting and photo of 2025.

Peacock. 31st December 2025.

Following this we went to Eastbourne to look for Jack Snipe. We did see one, but as usual it saw us before we saw him. We also saw a Water Rail and had some good views of a couple of female Reed Buntings.

Female Reed Bunting feeding.

After this we wanted to see more murmurations, so we headed to Eastbourne Pier that is well known for Starling Murmurations. It was a lovely backdrop with the pier, but the numbers were not so impressive as East Grinstead. It was still a fabulous experience though, and the Mince Pies and Mulled Wine was also rather nice as we watched the spectacle. On the last day of 2025 we felt we could celebrate what had been a very good wildlife year for us both.

Starling Murmuration at Eastbourne Pier.

Autumnal Birds.

 During the Autumn and early Winter I have had a few nice encounters with birds, both locally and on a few trips within the Sussex border.

Very close to home, we had 2 Black Redstart in our Close for a single day. This is not that unusual, as most years we do get these birds visiting and sometimes they stay around for several days.

Black Redstart.

A few days later Lisa and I headed to Warnham Nature Reserve near Horsham. It's quite a distance from Seaford, so it's not a reserve that I often get to, but it can be very good sometimes with woodland feeders and lakes, so there is a good diversity of species here. We did hit luck with one of the local Kingfishers that came quite close to the hide.

Kingfisher.

A Heron also posed well as it rested on a perch in the water.

Heron.

Two visits to Rye Harbour brought the regular over wintering Spotted Redshank, a bird that has always avoided me over the past couple of years. The first visit was with David, where we also got lucky with the Spoonbill. This bird is normally asleep, but for once it woke up and looked a bit more interesting.

 The 2nd visit with Lisa wasn't quite as good as the Spoonbill was asleep, and the Spotted Redshank only showed late on in the visit. However, we did see a Dartford Warbler. We also had better views of 2 Goosander.

Spotted Redshank.

Spoonbill.

Goosanders.

On the local downland I found the Stonechats that I photographed several times last Spring. Once again, the female was quite approachable. I daresay I will be heading back soon for another session with these birds.

Female Stonechat.

A visit to Arundel turned out to be a very wet session, even sitting in the hide was cold and miserable, although the Common Snipe helped cheer us up a little.

Common Snipe.

We also had a hopeful hunt for Jack Snipe locally, but only saw more Common Snipe. Although another Heron did show well.

Heron.

Great Grey Shrike.

 On the 12th November I was sitting at the computer wondering what to do with the day, when I had a text from Lisa asking if I would be willing to drive over to Shoreham as she was desperate for a power lead for her laptop. Her spare one was here in Seaford, and her Shoreham one had gone wrong. As she had a full day of teaching she couldn't get over. Well, as I had no plans, I decided I might as well head over there with the spare lead and to go for a walk along the River Adur to look for owls.

It was around 3 oclock when I parked up at Beeding and a slow walk along the river followed. At just before 3.30 I saw a black and white bird drop down into a reedbed some distance away. I thought it looked a little bit like a Great Grey Shrike, but with the distance it could also well have been something much more common.

I kept the binoculars focessed on the area as I waited and hoped it would fly again. When it did less than a minute later, it was very clear that it was indeed a Great Grey Shrike. It landed at the far end of a hedgerow, but quickly flew again to the other end of that hedgerow which was right where I was standing. I didn't have time to change the camera settings, as it was now straight up with sky behind it, so it was just a silhoette. After 5 very quick shots the bird flew again to a fencepost some distance away. I tried getting closer, but it soon flew over the river, where I only had more distant views of the bird on the top of bushes. My last sighting of it was 15 minutes after I had first seen the bird, and it very quickly went into hiding as a Barn Owl flew over it.

I contacted Matt up in Scotland, and he quickly got the news out, but by now it was getting dark, so no-one else was going to get there in time. Fortunately though, the bird did hang around for another 6 or 7 days, albeit generally very distant.

It was very much a case of being in the right place at the right time!!

Great Grey Shrike. Photoshop certainly helped to rescue an awful photo!!

Great Grey Shrike.

Barn Owl. Even the Shrike hid from this!!

Fungus Foray.

 Shortly after returning from our Scotland trip I decided on a walk in Friston Forest. I started off hoping for some good views of Goldcrest, as there seemed to have been a bit of an influx of them recently. However, it wasn't long before I came across a lovely display of Porcelain Fungus. This is a species I have seen a few times, but they have always been high up in the trees, so I hadn't managed to get any decent photos of them before. They are a delightful looking fungus, being pure white with well defined gills underneath.

Porcelain Fungus.

This was quite near the start of my long walk through the forest and onto Lullington Heath. Just before I got to the heath I found a beautiful fungus which I believe is Yellowing Curtain Crust.

Yellowing Curtain Crust.

Once on Lullington Heath I stumbled upon a small group of Blackening Waxcap. The one photographed was very fresh. As they age they apparently turn black.

Blackening Waxcap complete with fly.

Blackening Waxcap.

A little further on a Fibrous Waxcap caught my eye. 

Fibrous Waxcap.

Finally, another group of Waxcaps partly hidden in the grasses gave a lovely bit of colour. These were Scarlet Waxcaps.

Scarlet Waxcap.

It's not often I have a walk dominated by funguses, but it turned out to be an unexpectedly enjoyable walk. I even went back to see the Porcelain Fungus again on the return to the carpark.

On Top Of The World.

 On our final three days in Scotland, we headed a little south from our Highlands base near Inverness. We were now heading to Braemar, where we planned to climb up Glenshee, a mountain we had great success in 2023, at exactly the same time of year. In fact just 2 days different this time.

https://bobsbutterflies.blogspot.com/2023/11/ptarmigan-or-bust.html

On the way to Braemar, we were going to stop at Findhorn Valley. A beautiful area that is well known for its Mountain Hares. Two years ago we caught up with some of the Hares here, and we were keen to see more. On arrival at Findhorn we were going to visit the other side of the valley that we went to before, but there was another guy already on that side, and to be fair to him we decided to go to the other side. However, we did keep an eye on the other guy, and it was pretty clear that he was having some success, something we were not having!! After climbing high up, the weather deteriated and we were soon getting rather wet, thankfully we had the coats that we had bought for the Antarctica trip.

 However, it certainly wasn't very pleasant, and not seeing any Hares either wasn't helping us feel any better. Also seeing the other guy was obviously doing rather well didn't help us either at that time. After well over three hours of getting wet and blown around we decided to head back down the hill. At this point the other guy had walked back to his car. At the bottom of the valley Lisa then suggested trying the other side where the other guy had been. I was hoping to do that, but was certainly not expecting Lisa to be keen. Especially as the rain soon started to get worse. However, after searching for so long already, it would have been a shame to leave without really trying. 

After another climb, at last a Mountain Hare was spotted. It was well tucked away in its 'form'. A very careful approach got us close enough to photograph it, but far enough away so it wasn't disturbed. It was certainly looking as wet as we were. Amazing how hardy these animals are.

A very wet Mountain Hare.

We then left this one and searched further, making a note of where it was so we could return if the weather brightened up a little. As it was, another Hare was very soon seen, and this one was very confiding, being in a clearer position but also not at all bothered by our presence, even grooming itself while we were watching it. It also came out of the form and stretched, as it surveyed the area, all the time keeping a watchful eye on us keeping a watchful eye on him!! Even the weather improved a little too.

Grooming.

Stretching.

Looking around.

Mountain Hare.

After this encounter, one that we certainly couldn't have believed possible only a few minutes earlier, we didn't need to go back to the first Hare. Also after more than 5 hours on the hillside, we were extremely tired, so it was with a little regret we decided to leave. On the return to the car I spotted a Water Pipit. A rare bird in the area. We also saw some Brown Hares on the drive back along the valley.

It was then a long drive along some tricky roads in the dark as we headed to Braemar.

The following day, it was a climb up Glenshee. Two years ago, we did this climb in horrendous weather so it was a relief to be able to climb up this time in dry weather, albeit, a bit breezy. However, unfortunately the weather soon went downhill as we climbed uphill. Once again it was a case of us getting pretty wet. However, Lisa once again was really keen to keep on going and it was another five plus hours at the top of the mountain. We saw lots of Mountain Hares here, but they were much more wary here and it was difficult to get close enough for photography. The main target here though was the fabulous Ptarmigan. Two years ago we climbed the mountain three times before we succeeded with these birds. This time we only had a few fleeting gimpses of the Ptarmigan. Very frustrating when we had put so much effort into it, and walked and searched through wind, rain and sleet. Our only photo opportunity came when we saw a Ptarmigan pop its head up above the rocks.

Ptarmigan head above the rocks.

Who says perseverance doesn't pay off. The following day, the weather had improved a little and it was back to Glenshee again for another full day on the mountain. This time, to help Lisa as her back was still playing up a little, we went up on the ski lift. It was certainly a little easier, and from the height of the lift we saw our first Mountain Hare of the day.

Once we were up the top again, we headed out around the top of the mountain. We concentrated on an area where we had seen Ptarmigan the previous day, albeit briefly. Once again there were plenty of Mountain Hares. Perhaps due to it not being quite so breezy the hares were not quite so skittish, although it was still hard to get close to them. 

I suddenly had two Ptarmigan fly past me. I kept an eye on them and saw roughly where they had landed, just over a brow of the mountain. We quickly moved to that area in hope, but there was no sign, until one of the birds suddenly appeared, walking up the side of a rock. Wow, at last, a fabulous Ptarmigan in full view. Unfortunately, it was very brief, as both birds took off again and flew a further 30 metres or so.

Ptarmigan climbing a rock.

We then moved in the general direction of their new position, making sure we kept some distance. Once again we couldn't see where they were straight away, but by careful searching we soon spotted them again. They were now resting together in a small clearing in the rocky terrain. We very quietly moved slightly away to get to their height before gradually moving a little closer, all the time in view to the birds, so we didn't suddenly alarm them. We now had some great views of them, and we were able to watch them as they rested, fed a little and generally relaxed in front of us. We were in this postion for over 20 minutes. During this time we had a little rain and snow as well as a little sunshine. Eventually they decided it was time for them to move to another spot, at which time one of them called, and off they went. An absolutely brilliant time watching these beautiful hardy birds. Like the Hares they were changing into their white winter plumage.

At times, especially when they stood up, the 600mm lens I was using was actually too powerful, although this did help get close views without the need to disturb them.

The two Ptarmigan resting together.

Ptarmigan resting by some snow.

The white plumage on this one was slightly behind the other bird.

Just before the birds flew.

A call to his buddy, and they were off.

After this fabulous encounter we were totally buzzing, and the tiredness of being on top of the mountains again quickly went away. We enjoyed further Hare encounters. At one time we had 3 Mountain Hares together, all in different stages of  their changing into winter coats.

Mountain Hares changing colour.

As the first snows had now begun to settle, the Hares would have to change quickly. However, those still brown would have the advantage of remaining hard to see for any passing Eagle until more snow arrives.

This one has partly changed colour.

This one however, is still in its summer coat.

After another 5 hours plus on the mountain top, it was time to call it a day, at least this day had been much more successful than the previous day. We really couldn't have hoped for a better day on the mountain. Our patience and perseverance certainly had paid off. Our final full day in Scotland had been fantastic to say the least. I found it amazing that Lisa had not complained at all, despite her sore back. She had been just as keen as I had been to keep at it. She even suggested the following day that we could have another go during the morning!! However, time was not on our side really, and we had already spent over 15 hours over the 3 days on top of the mountains in dismal weather.

As we descended down the mountain we had one final treat in store, as we came across a small flock of Red Grouse. We both managed a quick shot of the birds looking at us before they all flew off.

Red Grouse.

On the final morning before we headed back to England, we saw a Red Squirrel outside our cabin. I spotted it as I was washing up. Then instead of going back up the mountain we concentrated for 3 hours along the river valley. We saw at least 3 Dippers and one Golden Eagle.

Dipper.

It was then back into the car for the long drive south. Scotland had once again been brilliant, and we are already looking forward to heading up there again. With Matt and Emily being there now, we have more reasons than ever to go back more often.