Champions of the Flyway!

Thursday, December 23, 2021

Review Of The Year, 2021 - Part One

Not what you expect when you nip out to pick up your recorder... White-billed Diver, Filey, March 

So how was it for you? Dispiritingly apocalyptic again, except minus the novelty value this time? Same here.... But this isn't the place for adding another series of doom-scroll strokes to your chosen device; instead, it's a place to celebrate the joys of birds and wildlife, from a personal perspective, throughout 2021 - and, plague notwithstanding, there's been a lot to celebrate over the last twelve months.
A local Peregrine enjoying the winter sunshine 

While the beginning of the year was indeed unavoidably under the shadow of the pandemic and its repercussions, it was again a time to feel lucky; lucky to live here, with access to so many birding and nature opportunities on my doorstep and beyond, and lucky that I could continue working in the field, with all my ornithological surveys being lone and remote.
Pink-footed Geese on the Humber - more post-apocalypic visions here 

Ongoing surveys continued on both sides of the Humber and at various sites, and in the evenings, giving plenty of talks wasn't a problem either, with technology as it is; not quite the same as the personal connection of an in-person presentation, but with the silver lining of delivering them with a nice glass of single malt from comfort of my study. All very civilised.
Flurries of Avocets on the south bank of the Humber, March - more on the Humber surveys here 

Local birding here in Filey was entertaining, with the regular species and usual suspects as appreciated as ever - be they Purple Sandpipers and other waders on the Brigg, Great Northern Divers and other wave-dwellers just offshore, or Snow Buntings up on Carr Naze (fortunately a small flock of the latter stuck around over midwinter this year:)

As always, the darkest days delivered a few less predictable treats locally, too, with a wintering Black Redstart in the bay corner, brief visitations from a Slavonian Grebe, Grey Phalarope, Black-throated Divers, a wonderfully tame Little Gull (also in the bay corner, below) and - with a period of particularly bone-chilling and harsh conditions in early February - an impressive influx of Woodcocks.

Sunny days toward the end of February means heading into the forests with the old man to enjoy displaying Goshawks, and this year was no exception; such a treat to have them less than half an hour from the house. Somewhat less expected at the end of February (that's a contender for understatement of the year) - or indeed, at any time of year here up here - is the unmistakable long-call of a Stone-curlew; but that's exactly what my nocturnal recorder picked up on North Cliff on 25th. As an early reward for my local nocmig efforts, it was magical, and surely would be hard to beat as the year spring wore on....

 

It was while retrieving my recorder a few weeks later - and wandering up onto the cliff for a quick scan, as I often do - that one of the diurnal birds of the year presented itself: a stunning, banana-conked White-billed Diver. Not disappearing distantly over the horizon, but swimming around innocently on the sea below me..... an unforgettable highlight of the birding year, especially when considering Black-throated, Great Northern and Red-throated were also present - a unique full house!
Wintering Black Redstart in the bay corner 

So, on reflection, a productive and entertainingly birdy first part of the year - but it was about to get much better....
Barn Owl, Filey, February 

Part Two to follow soon
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