Eleven of my favourite photos I took in November 2025 and month summary
The photos are of; sun shining through trees and frosty gate post at Lakeside Country Park, view at Hawkhill in the New Forest and view including a nice sky at Lepe, Blue Tit at Blashford Lakes, Green Woodpecker at Lakeside, Long-bodied Cellar spider at home, gorse at Lakeside, soft shield fern at Blashford Lakes, turkey tail at Hawkhill and false death-cap at Acres Down in the New Forest.
As the days got shorter, the trees got barer and cold weather crept in at times key moments of another brilliant wild month were seeing a trio of birds I either hadn’t seen for ages or had never seen; my first exquisite Great Grey Shrike seen for half a decade in the New Forest and two I never envisaged seeing in the wild in Hampshire the exotic Scarlet Ibis and the bubbly Boat-tailed Grackle. Other key birds seen this month included a bird of prey fest of the Tawny Owl in the New Forest again, Peregrines, Merlin, Kestrel, Buzzard, Red Kite, Marsh Harrier and Sparrowhawk as well as Dartford Warbler, Cetti’s Warbler, returning Redwings and Fieldfares, Siskin and the also warmly welcomed back waterfowl of winter including Brent Geese, Wigeons, Pintails, Pochard and Goldeneye as well as Gadwall, Teal, Shoveler, Shelduck and Egyptian Geese. Raven, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Kingfisher, Goldcrest, Wren, Meadow Pipit, Stonechat, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Long-tailed Tit, Water Rail, Snipe, Avocet, Lapwing, Common Gull, Great White Egret and Little Egret also stood out. Green Woodpecker, Stock Dove, Chaffinch, Herring Gull, Cormorant, Tufted Duck, Greylag Geese, Coot and Great Crested Grebe were delightful birds to see on regular walks at Lakeside Country Park this month with Blue Tit and Goldfinch enjoyed at home.
Some insects brought vibrance to my month with Red Admiral and possibly Peacock butterflies, my first ever Large Pale Masoner moth, Common Darter and Migrant Hawker dragonflies, Seven-spotted Ladybird, my first ever Giant Willow Aphid, wasp, hoverfly and bees seen. Grey Silverfish and spiders Long-bodied Cellar spider and Missing Sector Orbweaver were nice to see at home. Grey Squirrel, Fallow Deer, Brown Rat and Rabbit were nice mammals seen.
There were some very interesting flowers around this month with a theme of early risers or late re-flowerers with things in flower which I wouldn’t necessarily expect for November such as hawthorn, winter heliotrope, sweet violet and alder and hazel catkins coming through all at Lakeside. Other key plants seen this month included comfrey, water forget-me-not, green alkanet, knapweed, white deadnettle, red deadnettle, shepherd’s purse, petty spurge, common or heath dog violet, bramble flower, viper’s-bugloss, ragwort, hogweed, yarrow, buttercups, lesser spearwort, self-heal, fennel, daisy, dandelion, sow thistle, cleavers, maidenhair spleenwort, ferns including hard fern, soft shield fern and bracken, mistletoe, bell heather and a winter favourite of mine bright coconut scented gorse. For fruits cheery hawthorn and holly berries, blackthorn sloes, guelder rose berries and still some blackberries clinging on were good to see with hemp agrimony and old man’s beard and cuckoo-pint and foxgloves among pretty seed heads and leavers enjoyed.
November had much fungi delight in one of my best ever fungi seasons with cauliflower fungi, candlesnuff fungi, poronia punctata (nail fungi), sulphur tuft, shaggy scalycap, shaggy inkcap, porcelain fungi, my first ever purple jellydisc and common grey disco, penny bun, alluring turkey tail and false turkey tail, false death-cap and more wonderful fly agaric a big standout mushroom of my year with many seen key species seen. I also liked seeing pin mould, moss and lichen a lot. The landscape simplified as we edged towards winter and I loved immersing myself in woodland, heathland, wetland and marshes, coast and parks in some stunning soft soothing sunlight at times with crisp and frosty days too which I love. It was a great month of admiring the sky including at sunset and sunrise with some epic rainbows and the spectacular super Woodcock/Beaver moon at the start of the month and a new building moon towards the end including outdoors with darkness falling so early. In November the rich light permeating the darker times brought peaceful and joyful moments. Have a good December all.
