What a year 2019 has been for me bird-wise! During the year I managed to amass a modest total of 178 species. Here is my birding 2019 as follows:
The year started slowly with only a couple of trips down to Rainham Marshes in January - the most interesting birds of note being Ruff, Stonechat and Fieldfare. Believe it or not, a Cetti's warbler was my first lifer of the year!
Things started to pick up in the month of February. Despite a fail attempt to see a Blyth's Reed Warbler at Hope Carr nature reserve (believe me we tried), a Green Sandpiper (another lifer) was seen as well as a flyover Goosander. A trip to Pennington Flash after the dip also yielded another lifer - the less common Willow Tit along with some stunning Bullfinches at very close range.
March was a particularly good month at Rainham Marshes as I managed 3 patch ticks including 1 lifer. These ticks came in the form of 4 Golden Plover, a flyover Red Kite and even a self found (and somewhat jammy) Jack Snipe which was yet another lifer for me.
The year really got going in April however, despite a quiet first trip to WWT London - the best birds being a Green Sandpiper and several Snipe. This was followed by another trip to Rainham where my first Little Ringed Plover and Sedge Warbler of the year were seen. But it was the young birders walk at Rainham on the 12/4 which was to be the first truly magical moment of the year when a White Stork decided to fly over the point! Watching the bird being mobbed by the many gulls of the tip was a truly amazing spectacle; the fact this was shared with my mates made this event seem even more special. This was not the only interesting bird of the trip however, with Corn Bunting and Raven also being lifers. A Kingfisher also provided a brief flash of blue - well and truly irradiating it's status as my bogey bird. A Red-breasted Merganser was to be yet another top patch tick - a great find by James McCulloch despite only giving us the briefest of glimpses in it's flyby.
The month's great birding had not ended there however, as my first Essex Birdwatching society coach trip - which was to Lynford Arboretum and Santon Downham - provided yet another great birding experience. A total of 5 lifers were amassed on the trip including beautiful Crossbill, stunning Siskins, Brambling, a hidden Tawny Owl and flocks of Lesser Redpoll. The more common but equally beautiful Mandarin Duck and Grey Wagtail were also a sight to behold!
Siskin
Brambling
2 Whimbrel at Rainham Marshes on the 22nd provided me with yet another lifer and was the 9th lifer of the month. The cherry on the cake would've been if I managed to see a frustratingly 'heard only' Grasshopper Warbler - a bird I still haven't seen to this day. A Male Bearded Tit provided some consolation though.
May started very much where April left off - with yet more lifers. A trip to Abberton Reservoir unbelievably provided me with 2 different rarities and lifers showing from the same hide at the same time! These were of course the 5 White-winged Black Terns and the Bonaparte's Gull. A showy Little Gull added yet more quality to the day's species observed (as well as Yellow Wagtail and my first time hearing the Nightingale's stunning call).
2 days later on the May bank holiday, my years birding got even better though. A trip to Rainham Marshes on this date revealed my first UK Cattle Egret affording point blank views. But just as the Cattle Egret flew off, a Spoonbill dropped onto one of the pools from out of nowhere - a truly stunning bird. I could barely believe what I was witnessing. The bird remains my best find to date and provided me with another patch tick of the highest quality. A Hobby noted was my first of the year.
Rainham continued to deliver throughout the month as a showy Spotted Flycatcher in the Cordite store on the 12th being the first of my life as well as a long overdue first Common Sandpiper from the Ken Barret hide. The Cattle Egret remained whilst I also managed to find a Cuckoo and a 'pinging' Bearded Tit - another top day on the patch.
Another coach trip with the Essex Birdwatching Society - this time to Pennington marshes - provided me with my first ever Little Terns (yes I did see my first White-winged Black Tern before my first Little Tern!) The obliging Eiders were my only witnessed all year. This along with more Spoobills, Cuckoo, Turnstone, Med Gulls, Sandwich Terns and a Common Sandpiper made for another fantastic trip with the guys.
My first ever trip to Dungeness on the 31st was a nice way to spend the heatwave and provided a nice end to the month. 3 Sanderling were a new species to me and a particular highlight of mine as well as the heard only Bittern (a fantastic call) and at least 4 (yes 4!) Cuckoo. 2 Bearded Tits were also a lovely sight and sound.
After a remarkable May, the month of June only featured one session of birding - another trip with the Essex Birdwatching Society. This time to the Old Lodge SWT (in Ashdown forest). Here I managed to see my first ever Redstarts (5 in total including 1 fledgling!) as well as my first Woodlark and Tree Pipit. Year ticks of Dartford and Willow Warblers provided some good quality - as well as 2 Lesser Redpoll and even a Peregrine Falcon seen from the coach!
The heat of July is generally a struggle at Rainham Marshes due to it drying up much of the water. This was certainly the case on a trip there on the 13th as a distant Yellow Wagtail and the regular Barn Owl were the only birds of note. However, things began to pick up once again as a cheeky twitch at Oare Marshes resulted in a Lesser Yellowlegs finding it's way onto my list. Spotted Redshank and Greenshank were nice year ticks. 12 species of wader were amassed in total - a rather remarkable number for one day! On the 27th, a visit to my Grandparent's house in Cheshire resulted in a trip to Burton Mere Wetlands. With the Wood Sandpiper invasion in full swing, I was silently hoping to see one - this was not to be the case. However, my first Garganey of the year more than made up for this as well as an obliging Green Sandpiper and a few Snipe.
Despite August usually being a quiet time of year, mine was a fairly productive month. The second London Young Birders walk of the year took place and, although it didn't meet the standards of the last one bird wise (a near impossible feat), it was still a highly productive walk. I finally managed to get some Wood Sandpiper action thanks to Arjun nicking my scope and finding one. A first for me which I was highly greatful to him for despite the regret of not finding it myself! This was topped off when Callum managed to find a new Cattle Egret on Wennington marsh, a top find and a great way to end the day. This was to be my only session of birdwatching in England during August. However, I attempted my first ever birdwatching abroad on my birthday in El hondo natural park, Spain. Here I managed to pick up an abundance of world lifers including: Whiskered Tern, Little Bittern, Purple Swamphen, Marbled Duck, Purple Heron, Red-knobbed Coot, Audouin's Gull and Hoopoe as well as many more. What a way to spend a birthday!
As September dawned, I could hardly contain my excitement as this was the month of migfest. In hindsight, the target of 4 lifers I set for myself was rather modest in comparison to the 17 lifers I managed to accumulate over the 2 days! A Tawny Owl over the car on the way there (somewhere in Lincolnshire) was a good omen for the weekend. The full details of the trip and all the birds seen are on my migfest blog - I won't go into too much detail as you'd be here all day otherwise! But the highlights of the first day were a White-rumped Sandpiper and a self-found Wood Sandpiper as well as some good seawatching. The second day started off badly when I missed a Long-tailed Skua by literally a minute, but a Merlin chasing a glistening flock of Golden Plover was more then compensation for this! The excitement of witnessing a Barred Warbler being ringed was surely one of the highlights of the trip as well as a Marsh Warbler and my first Bonxies.
Two trips to Rainham in the following weeks provided me with a patch tick of Whinchat along with the first Wheatear I'd seen at Rainham for a few years. Another Spotted Flycatcher also served to keep things interesting.
October was a rather quiet month for me personally (despite being a good time of year for rare birds). However, another great London Young Birders trip on the 29th provided me with my first Caspian and Yellow-legged Gulls as well as my first Rock Pipit (finally!). November was yet another quiet month for me with only one trip out birding again. This was a rather productive trip however as Rainham delivered once again with my first Short-eared Owl for years which showed brilliantly. This more than made up for the heard only earlier on.
I managed to end the year on a fantastic month of birding in December. My first and only trip to the North Norfolk coast on the 22nd provided me with 6 more lifers, including: Shorelark and Snow Bunting (second time lucky) as well as Rough-legged Buzzard, White-fronted Geese, Grey Partridge and best of all, a self-found Firecrest. One of my better finds during the year, made all the more sweeter by the heard only bird at Rainham the previous month.
I wasn't quite done on the lifer front there though, with 3 more secured. The first of these was a successful twitch to Ashton's flash to see the Siberian/Stejneger's Stonechat which was followed the day after by a visit to Frodsham marsh where I managed to see my first ever Whooper and Bewick's Swans. A fantastic way to end a top year featuring some great birds and even better people.
My top 5 moments of the year were:
1) White Stork on the patch
2) Finding a Spoonbill at Rainham
3) Migfest
4) Holkham and Wells trip
5) Two rarities at Abberton
Here's to another year of top birding!
The year started slowly with only a couple of trips down to Rainham Marshes in January - the most interesting birds of note being Ruff, Stonechat and Fieldfare. Believe it or not, a Cetti's warbler was my first lifer of the year!
Things started to pick up in the month of February. Despite a fail attempt to see a Blyth's Reed Warbler at Hope Carr nature reserve (believe me we tried), a Green Sandpiper (another lifer) was seen as well as a flyover Goosander. A trip to Pennington Flash after the dip also yielded another lifer - the less common Willow Tit along with some stunning Bullfinches at very close range.
March was a particularly good month at Rainham Marshes as I managed 3 patch ticks including 1 lifer. These ticks came in the form of 4 Golden Plover, a flyover Red Kite and even a self found (and somewhat jammy) Jack Snipe which was yet another lifer for me.
The year really got going in April however, despite a quiet first trip to WWT London - the best birds being a Green Sandpiper and several Snipe. This was followed by another trip to Rainham where my first Little Ringed Plover and Sedge Warbler of the year were seen. But it was the young birders walk at Rainham on the 12/4 which was to be the first truly magical moment of the year when a White Stork decided to fly over the point! Watching the bird being mobbed by the many gulls of the tip was a truly amazing spectacle; the fact this was shared with my mates made this event seem even more special. This was not the only interesting bird of the trip however, with Corn Bunting and Raven also being lifers. A Kingfisher also provided a brief flash of blue - well and truly irradiating it's status as my bogey bird. A Red-breasted Merganser was to be yet another top patch tick - a great find by James McCulloch despite only giving us the briefest of glimpses in it's flyby.
White Stork (by Ben Rumsby)
The month's great birding had not ended there however, as my first Essex Birdwatching society coach trip - which was to Lynford Arboretum and Santon Downham - provided yet another great birding experience. A total of 5 lifers were amassed on the trip including beautiful Crossbill, stunning Siskins, Brambling, a hidden Tawny Owl and flocks of Lesser Redpoll. The more common but equally beautiful Mandarin Duck and Grey Wagtail were also a sight to behold!
Tawny Owl (I promise!)
Whimbrel
May started very much where April left off - with yet more lifers. A trip to Abberton Reservoir unbelievably provided me with 2 different rarities and lifers showing from the same hide at the same time! These were of course the 5 White-winged Black Terns and the Bonaparte's Gull. A showy Little Gull added yet more quality to the day's species observed (as well as Yellow Wagtail and my first time hearing the Nightingale's stunning call).
White-winged Black Tern
Bonaparte's Gull
Little Gull
Cattle Egret
Spoonbill
Spotted Flycatcher
Another coach trip with the Essex Birdwatching Society - this time to Pennington marshes - provided me with my first ever Little Terns (yes I did see my first White-winged Black Tern before my first Little Tern!) The obliging Eiders were my only witnessed all year. This along with more Spoobills, Cuckoo, Turnstone, Med Gulls, Sandwich Terns and a Common Sandpiper made for another fantastic trip with the guys.
Little Terns
Eider
My first ever trip to Dungeness on the 31st was a nice way to spend the heatwave and provided a nice end to the month. 3 Sanderling were a new species to me and a particular highlight of mine as well as the heard only Bittern (a fantastic call) and at least 4 (yes 4!) Cuckoo. 2 Bearded Tits were also a lovely sight and sound.
After a remarkable May, the month of June only featured one session of birding - another trip with the Essex Birdwatching Society. This time to the Old Lodge SWT (in Ashdown forest). Here I managed to see my first ever Redstarts (5 in total including 1 fledgling!) as well as my first Woodlark and Tree Pipit. Year ticks of Dartford and Willow Warblers provided some good quality - as well as 2 Lesser Redpoll and even a Peregrine Falcon seen from the coach!
Redstart
The heat of July is generally a struggle at Rainham Marshes due to it drying up much of the water. This was certainly the case on a trip there on the 13th as a distant Yellow Wagtail and the regular Barn Owl were the only birds of note. However, things began to pick up once again as a cheeky twitch at Oare Marshes resulted in a Lesser Yellowlegs finding it's way onto my list. Spotted Redshank and Greenshank were nice year ticks. 12 species of wader were amassed in total - a rather remarkable number for one day! On the 27th, a visit to my Grandparent's house in Cheshire resulted in a trip to Burton Mere Wetlands. With the Wood Sandpiper invasion in full swing, I was silently hoping to see one - this was not to be the case. However, my first Garganey of the year more than made up for this as well as an obliging Green Sandpiper and a few Snipe.
Lesser Yellowlegs
Despite August usually being a quiet time of year, mine was a fairly productive month. The second London Young Birders walk of the year took place and, although it didn't meet the standards of the last one bird wise (a near impossible feat), it was still a highly productive walk. I finally managed to get some Wood Sandpiper action thanks to Arjun nicking my scope and finding one. A first for me which I was highly greatful to him for despite the regret of not finding it myself! This was topped off when Callum managed to find a new Cattle Egret on Wennington marsh, a top find and a great way to end the day. This was to be my only session of birdwatching in England during August. However, I attempted my first ever birdwatching abroad on my birthday in El hondo natural park, Spain. Here I managed to pick up an abundance of world lifers including: Whiskered Tern, Little Bittern, Purple Swamphen, Marbled Duck, Purple Heron, Red-knobbed Coot, Audouin's Gull and Hoopoe as well as many more. What a way to spend a birthday!
As September dawned, I could hardly contain my excitement as this was the month of migfest. In hindsight, the target of 4 lifers I set for myself was rather modest in comparison to the 17 lifers I managed to accumulate over the 2 days! A Tawny Owl over the car on the way there (somewhere in Lincolnshire) was a good omen for the weekend. The full details of the trip and all the birds seen are on my migfest blog - I won't go into too much detail as you'd be here all day otherwise! But the highlights of the first day were a White-rumped Sandpiper and a self-found Wood Sandpiper as well as some good seawatching. The second day started off badly when I missed a Long-tailed Skua by literally a minute, but a Merlin chasing a glistening flock of Golden Plover was more then compensation for this! The excitement of witnessing a Barred Warbler being ringed was surely one of the highlights of the trip as well as a Marsh Warbler and my first Bonxies.
Wood Sandpiper
Barred Warbler (by Beth Clyne)
Two trips to Rainham in the following weeks provided me with a patch tick of Whinchat along with the first Wheatear I'd seen at Rainham for a few years. Another Spotted Flycatcher also served to keep things interesting.
October was a rather quiet month for me personally (despite being a good time of year for rare birds). However, another great London Young Birders trip on the 29th provided me with my first Caspian and Yellow-legged Gulls as well as my first Rock Pipit (finally!). November was yet another quiet month for me with only one trip out birding again. This was a rather productive trip however as Rainham delivered once again with my first Short-eared Owl for years which showed brilliantly. This more than made up for the heard only earlier on.
Short-eared Owl
I managed to end the year on a fantastic month of birding in December. My first and only trip to the North Norfolk coast on the 22nd provided me with 6 more lifers, including: Shorelark and Snow Bunting (second time lucky) as well as Rough-legged Buzzard, White-fronted Geese, Grey Partridge and best of all, a self-found Firecrest. One of my better finds during the year, made all the more sweeter by the heard only bird at Rainham the previous month.
Snow Bunting
Rough-legged Buzzard
White-fronted Goose
Grey Partridge
I wasn't quite done on the lifer front there though, with 3 more secured. The first of these was a successful twitch to Ashton's flash to see the Siberian/Stejneger's Stonechat which was followed the day after by a visit to Frodsham marsh where I managed to see my first ever Whooper and Bewick's Swans. A fantastic way to end a top year featuring some great birds and even better people.
Siberian/Stejneger's Stonechat
Whooper Swan
Bewick's Swan
My top 5 moments of the year were:
1) White Stork on the patch
2) Finding a Spoonbill at Rainham
3) Migfest
4) Holkham and Wells trip
5) Two rarities at Abberton
Here's to another year of top birding!
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