Don't be too hard on Yourself. Those shot's from Brighton were truly Wonderful. You can't win a coconut every time.! One of my best finds for 2024, was your Channel. 😊
I'm glad you liked them 😊 I'm still planning on getting some better footage of them in future! I'd love to film them against a nice sunset Thank you very much mate, glad to have you along for the quest 😁
Swans are one of my favourite birds. When we go to a holiday park, there are a few swans. They are so used to humans feeding them that they will get aggressive and demand food. After I fed them a few slices of bread, they would recognise me and start pestering me for more. Animals are smarter than people think!
Yeah I think birds especially are very intelligent, you better go armed with bread from now on then... I'd really like to find a whooper swan or a Bewick's swan
Yes. Sometimes, birds really make you think about how we evolved first, and not them. Especially when you see videos of parrots having conversations with their owners. It can make you feel bad for bird species that have been hunted to extinction, since they are more ‘aware’ then other animals.
I think my favourite of the small songbirds might be the Wren. The way they flit around the bushes and the little sounds they make are so cute, and they would always cheer me up as a kid when I was waiting for the school bus
The only time I've ever seen an Osprey was in Scotland,in the Forth estuary. Even got to see it making it's characteristic dive to grab a fish! I've seen a bunch of white tailed eagles, but all either in Scandinavia or the Netherlands (we got a couple breeding pairs) . Was lucky enough to even see one fly over my home, way up high once.
10:33 I’ve never seen one of those before. What a little beauty. 👌🏻 I was going to insert a smutty joke here. I’m not proud of myself, but there it is. 🤣🤣🤣
Iv herd naterjack at hegistbury head neer bormouth, as for cranes there rspb otmoor in Oxfordshire theres are pair that a seen fairly common around there and also they are fairly commonly seen at WWT Slimbridge but I don't know if there are any there right now. Not as common as white tailed eagles but golden eagles are fairly common on the isles of Mull. hope that helps love the series
Poole harbour has an osprey nest site I believe, they will hopefully be there during the summer. Down here in the south west we have no nesting ospreys to my knowledge but get a fair few stopping during autumn migration in September that stay for a few weeks around Exeter, Plymouth and Truro. I’m in Cornwall and some species I know are round here that might be rarer elsewhere include choughs, cirl buntings and corn buntings. Also lots of grey seals here, and this past week some humpback whale sightings
I could check out the Poole Harbour ospreys this year then, thanks for that tip. I also need all those animals you mentioned from Cornwall.. I absolutely love 🌽🧱 so hopefully I'll be back there soon but And I would LOVE to see a whale!
Hoopoe - a migrant like that is tough. I’ve only ever seen one in Cornwall during spring migration. Maybe try rare bird alert or ebird to keep tabs on the latest rare bird sightings. Cranes - defo Otmoor. Breeding there in spring/summer so good chance of seeing them at least fly past. Volunteer wardens on site will be able to give you tips on where best to see them Waxwings - when they come to the uk it is often an influx. Combination of cold weather plus poor berry harvest in Northern Europe causes them to head south. When that happens they turn up in urban parks on the Rowan trees. Dependant on these conditions rather than a specific location. Osprey - Loch Lomond Scotland is where I’ve seen them. But Wikipedia has a good list of UK Osprey projects… with a bit of research you may be able to find a spot closer to home. Golden Eagle - Scotland west coast islands. Ive only ever seen either from a vast distance though. Nest sites are kept secret so it’s hard to find information sadly. Long eared owl - I’ve never seen one sadly. I’d keep an eye on bird spotting websites this time of year in the hope there is a roost nearby. It can apparently mean starring in to dense thickets for hours in the hope of a glimpse! Lesser spotted - hopefully someone can give you a good spot. Google says Shut Heather wood nature reserve in Essex. Apparently March-early April before the leaves come out is best.
Crossbill - Thetford Forest Corn Bunting - “W Sussex at Arundel. Drive up to the Burgh, have a walk around and you can't fail to see them” according to the internet! Twite - east coast winter. Northern Moors around Lancashire in the summer.
Thank you so much for all this information! Hopefully I'll utilize them this year and get some shots of at least one but hopefully more of them 😁 Do you keep track of how many species you've seen? I get the feeling you've seen a lot!
@CreatureChroniclesUK I used to volunteer for wildlife charities about 20 years ago and really got in to bird watching. I haven’t kept up with it in the last ten years though so any list I did have is on my old computer! At a guess I was around 150-170 on my uk bird list. If you can find someone who knows bird song/calls that will really help you too. Whimbrel for example are so much easier to differentiate from curlew once you know their calls.
Awesome video! About your target birds, Hoopoe are vagrant birds to the UK, with around 5-10 being seen every year. The last Hoopoe seen in the UK was on the 3rd January 2025 in South Yorkshire at Rossington feeding in the lawns along Maulays Court (53.47177, -1.056920) which has been there since the 7th November 2024. Waxwings are also a vagrant bird to the UK, with some winters being better than others for these birds. This winter has been poor for Waxwings, however last year was an incredible year for them. Long-eared Owls and Cranes can be seen at Eldernell at this time of year. The Long-eared Owls roost in the hedge 200yds west of the RSPB Nene Washes car park (52.57430, -0.06040000) and Cranes can often be found on the reserve as well. Hickling Broad is also a good spot for Cranes especially in the winter as they come into roost at the raptor roost benches (52.73904, 1.608094), RSPB Greylake in early mornings and evenings and WWT Slimbridge. Last year there was a showy male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker drumming in the oaks opposite RSPB Middleton Lakes car park. Arriving there early in the morning at late February/March time is best to see them, but they were still showing and drumming into April. One of the best places to see Osprey in the UK is Lyndon Visitor Centre at Rutland Water, where they can be seen hunting around the reservoir and on the nesting platform. RSPB Loch Garten, RSPB Arne at Foulshaw Moss CWT are also all good sites for Osprey in the summer months where they can be seen on their nesting platforms. The Isle of Mull is probably the best place in the UK for Golden Eagle, where they can be spotted all throughout the island in mountainous habitats. The public footpath running along the River Otter in Devon (50.65958, -3.304511) is one of the best places in the UK to see Beavers. The Isle of Mull is also one of the best places in the UK to see Otters, as they can be found along all of Mull's coastline. If you cruise around the coast in your car, especially in the morning, you have a high chance of finding Otters. For small mammals, you can buy a Longworth Trap online. If you put bait and bedding in the trap, set it, then leave it out camouflaged among the long grass, you will often catch voles, shrews and mice. However, you do need a license to trap and handle shrews, so you can buy traps with tiny holes which shrews can exit from, but voles and mice can't. Natterjack Toads can be seen in Norfolk by standing along the sea wall by Thornham Harbour in the evening and listening out for the toad's song. Most heathlands in Dorset are home to Smooth Snakes, however they are extremely elusive and hard to spot. One site for them down in Dorset is RSPB Arne, however even in the hottest weather they can be really hard to find. Hope all this helps.
This is awesome. A breath of fresh air😁
Thanks mate, I'm glad you enjoyed it 😀
Don't be too hard on Yourself. Those shot's from Brighton were truly Wonderful.
You can't win a coconut every time.!
One of my best finds for 2024, was your Channel. 😊
I'm glad you liked them 😊 I'm still planning on getting some better footage of them in future! I'd love to film them against a nice sunset
Thank you very much mate, glad to have you along for the quest 😁
Swans are one of my favourite birds. When we go to a holiday park, there are a few swans. They are so used to humans feeding them that they will get aggressive and demand food. After I fed them a few slices of bread, they would recognise me and start pestering me for more. Animals are smarter than people think!
Yeah I think birds especially are very intelligent, you better go armed with bread from now on then...
I'd really like to find a whooper swan or a Bewick's swan
Yes. Sometimes, birds really make you think about how we evolved first, and not them. Especially when you see videos of parrots having conversations with their owners. It can make you feel bad for bird species that have been hunted to extinction, since they are more ‘aware’ then other animals.
Ps. Those swans were chasing us around for bread we didn’t have. Have you ever seen a swan fly? They’re like helicopters mixed with air raid sirens.
Yeah I have, they're not the most subtle fliers 😂
I think my favourite of the small songbirds might be the Wren. The way they flit around the bushes and the little sounds they make are so cute, and they would always cheer me up as a kid when I was waiting for the school bus
They are really nice 😁 they seem inquisitive about people
The only time I've ever seen an Osprey was in Scotland,in the Forth estuary. Even got to see it making it's characteristic dive to grab a fish!
I've seen a bunch of white tailed eagles, but all either in Scandinavia or the Netherlands (we got a couple breeding pairs) . Was lucky enough to even see one fly over my home, way up high once.
Wow that sounds amazing I'd love to see that!
I've seen white tailed eagles once myself but from a loooong way away at Pulborough Brooks
I liked your top 5 for 2024, looking forward to seeing what's new this year.
Hopefully I'll find an even more impressive top 5 this year!
10:33 I’ve never seen one of those before. What a little beauty. 👌🏻
I was going to insert a smutty joke here. I’m not proud of myself, but there it is. 🤣🤣🤣
It was my first time seeing one too, they are awesome birds!
What was the joke!?!
@ it was „That’s what she said!“ 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Iv herd naterjack at hegistbury head neer bormouth, as for cranes there rspb otmoor in Oxfordshire theres are pair that a seen fairly common around there and also they are fairly commonly seen at WWT Slimbridge but I don't know if there are any there right now. Not as common as white tailed eagles but golden eagles are fairly common on the isles of Mull. hope that helps love the series
Ok awesome thanks for those tips! Bournemouth and Oxfordshire are too far from me so that's handy 😃
Thanks for following the series 👍
Beautiful footage. Wishing you well with your ongoing quest.
Thank you very much 😊 hopefully this year will bring some exciting new species
Poole harbour has an osprey nest site I believe, they will hopefully be there during the summer. Down here in the south west we have no nesting ospreys to my knowledge but get a fair few stopping during autumn migration in September that stay for a few weeks around Exeter, Plymouth and Truro. I’m in Cornwall and some species I know are round here that might be rarer elsewhere include choughs, cirl buntings and corn buntings. Also lots of grey seals here, and this past week some humpback whale sightings
I could check out the Poole Harbour ospreys this year then, thanks for that tip.
I also need all those animals you mentioned from Cornwall.. I absolutely love 🌽🧱 so hopefully I'll be back there soon but
And I would LOVE to see a whale!
Hoopoe - a migrant like that is tough. I’ve only ever seen one in Cornwall during spring migration. Maybe try rare bird alert or ebird to keep tabs on the latest rare bird sightings.
Cranes - defo Otmoor. Breeding there in spring/summer so good chance of seeing them at least fly past. Volunteer wardens on site will be able to give you tips on where best to see them
Waxwings - when they come to the uk it is often an influx. Combination of cold weather plus poor berry harvest in Northern Europe causes them to head south. When that happens they turn up in urban parks on the Rowan trees. Dependant on these conditions rather than a specific location.
Osprey - Loch Lomond Scotland is where I’ve seen them. But Wikipedia has a good list of UK Osprey projects… with a bit of research you may be able to find a spot closer to home.
Golden Eagle - Scotland west coast islands. Ive only ever seen either from a vast distance though. Nest sites are kept secret so it’s hard to find information sadly.
Long eared owl - I’ve never seen one sadly. I’d keep an eye on bird spotting websites this time of year in the hope there is a roost nearby. It can apparently mean starring in to dense thickets for hours in the hope of a glimpse!
Lesser spotted - hopefully someone can give you a good spot. Google says Shut Heather wood nature reserve in Essex. Apparently March-early April before the leaves come out is best.
Crossbill - Thetford Forest
Corn Bunting - “W Sussex at Arundel. Drive up to the Burgh, have a walk around and you can't fail to see them” according to the internet!
Twite - east coast winter. Northern Moors around Lancashire in the summer.
Thank you so much for all this information! Hopefully I'll utilize them this year and get some shots of at least one but hopefully more of them 😁
Do you keep track of how many species you've seen? I get the feeling you've seen a lot!
I'm not that far from Arundel so I could check that lead out soon!
@CreatureChroniclesUK I used to volunteer for wildlife charities about 20 years ago and really got in to bird watching. I haven’t kept up with it in the last ten years though so any list I did have is on my old computer! At a guess I was around 150-170 on my uk bird list.
If you can find someone who knows bird song/calls that will really help you too. Whimbrel for example are so much easier to differentiate from curlew once you know their calls.
I’ve seen a starling murmiration at Brandon marsh
I’ve seen hoopoe in Spain
I hope it was a bit better than this one..
Awesome video! About your target birds, Hoopoe are vagrant birds to the UK, with around 5-10 being seen every year. The last Hoopoe seen in the UK was on the 3rd January 2025 in South Yorkshire at Rossington feeding in the lawns along Maulays Court (53.47177, -1.056920) which has been there since the 7th November 2024. Waxwings are also a vagrant bird to the UK, with some winters being better than others for these birds. This winter has been poor for Waxwings, however last year was an incredible year for them.
Long-eared Owls and Cranes can be seen at Eldernell at this time of year. The Long-eared Owls roost in the hedge 200yds west of the RSPB Nene Washes car park (52.57430, -0.06040000) and Cranes can often be found on the reserve as well. Hickling Broad is also a good spot for Cranes especially in the winter as they come into roost at the raptor roost benches (52.73904, 1.608094), RSPB Greylake in early mornings and evenings and WWT Slimbridge.
Last year there was a showy male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker drumming in the oaks opposite RSPB Middleton Lakes car park. Arriving there early in the morning at late February/March time is best to see them, but they were still showing and drumming into April.
One of the best places to see Osprey in the UK is Lyndon Visitor Centre at Rutland Water, where they can be seen hunting around the reservoir and on the nesting platform. RSPB Loch Garten, RSPB Arne at Foulshaw Moss CWT are also all good sites for Osprey in the summer months where they can be seen on their nesting platforms. The Isle of Mull is probably the best place in the UK for Golden Eagle, where they can be spotted all throughout the island in mountainous habitats.
The public footpath running along the River Otter in Devon (50.65958, -3.304511) is one of the best places in the UK to see Beavers. The Isle of Mull is also one of the best places in the UK to see Otters, as they can be found along all of Mull's coastline. If you cruise around the coast in your car, especially in the morning, you have a high chance of finding Otters.
For small mammals, you can buy a Longworth Trap online. If you put bait and bedding in the trap, set it, then leave it out camouflaged among the long grass, you will often catch voles, shrews and mice. However, you do need a license to trap and handle shrews, so you can buy traps with tiny holes which shrews can exit from, but voles and mice can't.
Natterjack Toads can be seen in Norfolk by standing along the sea wall by Thornham Harbour in the evening and listening out for the toad's song. Most heathlands in Dorset are home to Smooth Snakes, however they are extremely elusive and hard to spot. One site for them down in Dorset is RSPB Arne, however even in the hottest weather they can be really hard to find.
Hope all this helps.
have you found a egret crane?
Yes I found one in episode 11 and more recently in episode 22 😁
I saw a wild wallaby the other day In Gloucestershire would that count as one of the UK animals on your list?
That's awesome I've heard about them! Was that your first time seeing one?
Yes I am planning on finding them eventually 😃