Big Year 2026: June Update Special Edition

Well, this month has been a special one. If you’re a long‑term reader of my posts, you’ll know that my journey into wildlife photography began with watching the Peregrine Falcons at Tewkesbury Abbey.

I’ve spent a good amount of time down at the Abbey again this month, watching these magnificent birds. This year has been a mix of joy and sadness, but certainly never dull.

Other Visits

Of course, I’ve been out to other places over the last couple of weeks. Local reserves have been a little quiet — the time of year means many birds are hiding away, tending to youngsters, or zipping around unpredictably.

A visit to Slimbridge brought plenty of babies, which is always a pleasure to see. However, there wasn’t anything new to add to the Big Year list, as most species were ones I’ve already recorded earlier in the year.

One standout bird, though, was the beautiful Bullfinch. I’ve only ever seen four in my lifetime, so getting a photo of one was a real treat. Last month I had fleeting glimpses of a couple at Coombe Nature Reserve, and I even saw one at work — though it didn’t stay long enough for a photo.

Here are some images from Slimbridge.

I also visited Kemerton and Coombe Hill, but both were fairly quiet. I only had a short window to be out, and during those couple of hours, not much was happening.

The Peregrines

As many of you know, Tewkesbury Abbey has had the same breeding pair of Peregrines for about 8–9 years. They were seen on the nest in December last year, and things looked promising for another successful season. With CR (Christopher Robin) being 16 years old and Bella being his third partner, both were at a good age for wild Peregrines.

As the year progressed, we had numerous visits from other Peregrines. On February 15th, two birds were on the platform — one ringed as “3HL,” born at Pershore Abbey during their first successful season in 2024.

Then on March 1st, two females were seen at the nesting site, one inspecting the box while the other flew in.

One female stayed around the box, seemingly waiting for her chosen male. On March 18th, an unringed male and female were seen displaying courting behaviour.

On March 29th, the same pair were recorded again. The male, later named Percy, brought a pigeon as an offering to the female, who was named Penny.

Then came the exciting news: on April 3rd, the first egg was laid. A second followed on April 5th, then a third, and finally a fourth. The community following the nest was absolutely over the moon.

Both birds took turns incubating the eggs, even through rough weather. Thankfully, the side of the tower with the nesting box offers a bit more shelter.

Unfortunately, one egg went missing — no one knows exactly what happened. Despite showing signs of being first‑time parents, Percy and Penny were doing an amazing job.

On May 11th, the first chick hatched, followed by the second on May 12th. Both chicks fed well and developed quickly. By May 14th, it was clear the third egg wouldn’t hatch, likely due to natural causes such as an embryo failing early on.

Over the next couple of weeks, Percy and Penny brought in plenty of food. During the hot weather, they sheltered the chicks with their wings, and during a violent thunderstorm at the end of May, Penny provided protection once again.

On May 29th, specialists from the Gloucestershire Raptor Monitoring Group abseiled down the Abbey tower to ring the chicks. They checked weight, size, and fitted both BTO rings — one metal ring with a unique number, and one coloured ring for easier identification. This year’s chicks received the identifiers FS and CZ. At that stage, they were still too young to sex.

Once ringed, the chicks were returned to the nest for Percy and Penny to continue their excellent parenting.

By June 10th, the chicks were losing their fluffy white down and becoming very active. Their growth has been astonishing.

On June 18th, both Peregrines were officially named: CZ became JoJo, and FS became Flo.

Being able to watch these stunning birds in my hometown is mind‑blowing. Following their journey has been incredible, and it never gets boring.

Big Year Progress

Now onto the Big Year update — and to be honest, there isn’t any. I didn’t record a single new species this month, which is tough to take. But looking back at the Peregrines’ journey, I’m more than happy to have spent the month focused on them.

That said, we’ve got some catching up to do over the next couple of months. Brace yourself — next month’s post could be a big one.

As I’ve said before, my goal for this Big Year is simple: record every new species I spot. If you’d like monthly stats or breakdowns, let me know in the comments and I’ll start adding them.

For June, I recorded 0 new species, keeping my total at 115.

Shoutout

A massive shoutout to the person who runs the Tewkesbury Abbey Peregrines Facebook page. It must be a huge task to manage, and I’d highly recommend following it if you love Peregrines as much as I do.

June Gallery

Here are some of the photos I managed to capture of the Peregrines this season.