Reflections of the year - what were your special moments?

Happy New year to all our readers.

So here we are again, 2018 is bowing out and we look forward to whatever 2019 may bring. We've all been reflecting on our best moments of the year and here's a few.

I've had quite a few special moments home and abroad this year myself, here's a few I'll share. 

Spring saw me in Chilly Scotland with Jeff Clarke's group staying at the birders hotel The Grant arms. I dipped the Capercaillie😒 but loved the Loons

Black throated diver

Loch Mallachie

and the landscapes.

Not long after I was in the 30 degree heat of Extremadura staying on a farmhouse/ranch with Jeff's group again.

Casa Rural Las Canteras - Casa Rural en Trujillo

 Every morning I woke up to the sound of hundreds of sparrows in the hedge, hoopoes calling and storks clacking fabulous.So many great birds, butterflies, mammals. Nightjar on the road was a highlight ..sorry no pic.

Gt spotted Cuckoo

Queen of Spain fritillary

Read all about it here - http://www.jeffclarkeecology.co.uk/blog/extremadura-may-2018

Make no bones about it I had a busy and fortunate year.

September, and I was in Bulgaria with the RSPB group. Corncrakes under foot, stone curlews, head turning Wrynecks and a fabulous Bluethroat.

Bluethroat

Wryneck - Chris Daniels who was on the same trip also named this as one of her  highlights too

Team Liverpool with Iolo Williams

Back at home I was on the march in London -  the People's walk for nature, and standing up for nature at the Parkgate Hen Harrier day. WE WILL WIN

Team Liverpool

Laura Bimson

Enough about me....

Chris Tynan has been doing the patchwork challenge at one of the local parks http://patchworkchallenge.com/

Hawfinch Stadt moers -I Igglesden

I never thought of being able to find hawfinches 5 minutes from my house but the 2017 hawfinch invasion meant that I found a single bird 7th January and by Febuary there was two

At the end February the beast from East brought snowstorms and gales to the UK and  a very unexpected bonus, when some friends were saying that they were finding lots of displaced golden plover.

Golden Plover

So I called in to the park after work and couldn't believe it when I counted eight birds, three birds were still there in the morning but dog walks flushed them and witnessed fly high and away.








Phil & Sue Heery

My best birding experience of 2018, was a trip at the start of the year to Parkgate on 3rd January 2018. The RSPB had advertised the event. Almost as soon as we arrived, we watched a merlin crossing the marsh, glimpsed a peregrine taking a snipe and saw hen and marsh harriers hunting.

Water rails at wall  R Blythe

Then later, as we walked coastwards the high tide seemed to surge. The marsh swelled with rivulets of saltwater driving the tide towards us. Looking up there were suddenly 12 short-eared owls that really seemed to come out of nowhere; some hunting, some perched scanning for the scurrying voles and waders.

Short eared owl

 A gull, buffeted in the wind, dropped and knocked and then grabbed a water rail about 20 feet from us, lifting it clear in to the air. The wind was strong though, and the rail broke free, and found refuge in a hole in the old quay. This, in itself, was a revelation; that water rails may find sanctuary in a wall - not where you would expect to find one.
Thanks, happy new year and best of luck for 2019!!!

Azure tit    R Lewis

Rob Lewis

My highlight was an azure tit at Baltoji Voke in Lithuania, which was the 5th record for the country. Picture made it on Tarsiger and birding Lithuania fb pages. Loads of other highlights as I was abroad eleven times in 2018.




Jen Brown
My best part of 2018 was my trip to Canada and America with the highlight being seeing a hummingbird, not once,twice but 3 times. What an amazing bird!! Sorry don't have pics!


Sean O'Hara

Snowy Owl    I Igglesden

  

S O'Hara

In July an exceptional day. Sean caught up with the Snowy owl on Anglesey and his first grandson was born on the same day!











Ann Thomson

Lambs   A Thomson

Feeding the orphaned lambs, North Ronaldsay Observatory was one of the highlights for me!

Sanday

Sanday, Orkney Isles, nice place to stop for lunch.

Grey Phalarope   N Gordon

Neil Gordon

Highlight either this grey phalarope that landed at my feet at new Brighton or watching Austin run in the rain for the worst common rosefinch you'll ever see 🤪







Damian & Austin


Highlight of the year for me I think has to be the Red Billed Tropicbirds me, Patrick, Austin and Gary saw in Fuerteventura.

Austin & gang

Tropicbird   A Morley

 When we booked to go we new they were there and had very ropey directions (which proved to be wrong) but I don't think any of us really thought we'd see them. But we eventually found them and got the most incredible views too. Literally at touching distance. Unbelievably fantastic birds seen with a great group of fellas. This is one of Austins pictures and there's a full write up of our trip on his blog if anyone hasn't read it. https://austinmorley.blogspot.com/p/fuerteventura-april-2018.html?m=1


Ian Igglesden

Pitta   I Igglesden

Had this Male Blue Pitta with a Female also 2 Coral-Billed Ground Cuckoos,Siberian Blue Robin and a White-Rumped Sharma all within touching distant while I was hid practically inside a bush.

Ground cuckoo   I Iggleseden

Had to stay totally silent and not move.I watched them on my own on and off for two hours. Didn't think life could get any better till........White rumped swift at Hornsea 🤓


Jackie Binks

Tree sparrow   J Binks

 I was made up to see the grey phalarope but I’ve got to be honest and say watching the barn owl and tree sparrows has been my highlight.

Barn Owl   J Binks

John Doragh

Smew

Lots of highlights this year but I'll go for the drake Smew at a snowy Scotsman's Flash back in February





Jenny Jones

No pics, but I'd say capercaillie in flight in Scotland was mega for me, but the Golden & White tailed eagles in Findhorn valley came close second.

Team Ronaldsay

Lengths gone to when birding on North Ronaldsay 2018

 Paul Kurs

Goshawk over my head at Hale on Vizmig was a special highlight I won’t forget. Another would be going to Spurn and Kilnsea Wetlands with Tyno, Rev and Shaun O. Grand total of 80!!  Sooty Shearwater, Arctic Skua and the Sabine’s gull I believe I may have located myself although I’m open to opinion.



Thanks to all contributors