Birds I Met in January

 

We're into the seventh year of Birdy Round Ups, and compared to when I first started these posts, it would seem birding as a hobby in general has greatly increased in popularity. While it always feels a little strange when something I have loved for a long time becomes a 'trend', it's absolutely great that people are noticing and appreciating our beautiful wildlife more and more. They need as much help as they can get, and when people are more aware of who we share the planet with, it raises the chances of them getting that help.
As someone who has been a birder for around 22 years now, I vouch for the joy and peace that our bird kingdom brings. For what we get from them, we must give back. Feed the birds. Provide fresh water sources all year round (keep them topped up in Summer and the ice broken in Winter). Plant native trees, bushes, flowers - look into which are great food sources, shelter, etc. Resist the urge to sanitise your outdoor spaces (for example, leave the leaves, don't over-prune, try to keep things as wild as possible with as little concrete and such as possible). Give them space. Stop pets and children from chasing or scaring them, even more so in Winter when they need to conserve energy and taking flight takes a lot of their energy! Most importantly, just be kind. All species, from gulls and pigeons to birds of prey and 'game birds' like pheasants, are all equal and deserve to live a safe, healthy life.

Anyway! Here are all the beautiful birds I met in January.

2nd January 2026
Magpie
Blackbird

3rd January 2026
Rock Dove
Blackbird
Blue Tit
Robin
Dunnock
Wood Pigeon

5th January 2026
Robin
Wood Pigeon
Rock Dove

6th January 2026
Long-tailed Tit
Great Tit

10th January 2026
Goldfinch

12th January 2026
Fulmar
Black-Headed Gull
Great Black-Backed Gull
Pied Wagtail

15th January 2026
Rock Dove
Herring Gull
Siskin
Coot
Blue Tit
Phesant
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Coal Tit
Chaffinch
Shelduck

17th January 2026
Blackbird
Starling

20th January 2026
Sparrowhawk

21st January 2026
Jackdaw

23rd January 2026
House Sparrow
Blue Tit
Rock Dove

24th January 2026
Starling
Rook

25th January 2026
Dunnock
Rock Dove
Robin
Great Tit
Blackbird
House Sparrow
Blue Tit
Wood Pigeon

31st January 2026
Pink-Footed Goose
Blue Tit
Rock Dove

---

Annual Total
Blackbird
Black-Headed Gull
Blue Tit
Chaffinch
Coal Tit
Coot
Dunnock
Fulmar
Goldfinch
Great Black-Backed Gull

Great Spotted Woodpecker
Great Tit
Herring Gull
House Sparrow
Jackdaw
Long-Tailed Tit
Magpie
Pheasant
Pied Wagtail
Pink-Footed Goose

Robin
Rock Dove
Rook
Shelduck
Siskin
Sparrowhawk
Starling
Wood Pigeon

- 28 

Monthly Totals
January - 28 birds

Of course, in any year, January is likely to be one of, if not the, highest scoring month of the year as I photograph my regular garden visitors and more common species. It is with no thanks to the Big Garden Birdwatch at all, though, because as I mentioned in that blog post, it is as if the birds know when that weekend arrives, and they go into hiding for 3 days! 
Looking back to my 2025 list, I am only 1 species off from last January! However, the comparison of species is actually quite varied. I assumed it may have been one or two different from the above list, but on a quick count, I can see at least 10!! Pop on over to see for yourself > The Birds of 2025 - January

Until next time...