Welcome to a look back over my birding year, which, I'm happy to say, has been another great one. The latter half of the winter was dominated by work, with several ongoing projects running simultaneously - two on the North bank of the Humber, one on the South bank, and, by mid-March, a mammoth breeding bird survey across the North York Moors (which I'll focus on in the next post).
... and Lapwings leaving theirs
As always, the Humber surveys were never a chore and often a pleasure, with the spectacle of many thousands of waders always enough to make a day worthwhile; as always there were also plenty of bonuses, whether while working (see below) or on minor twitchy diversions (never more than 15 minutes off route, naturally)....
Sexy! Young male Hen Harrier just gone SE through farmland 2km east of Paull, heading towards Patrington and maybe @spurnbirdobs.... pic.twitter.com/yhzAl9OVLR
Screengrabs from digiscoped videos (hence crappy quality) of a couple of nearby (to work) wintering vagrants - White-tailed Lapwing near Winter's Pond, Lincs, and Baikal Teal at Tickton, East Yorks
Any job surveying birds is a privilege, and all the more so when you're lucky enough to monitor productive, bird-filled sites and locations over long periods; something I never take for granted. More here and here.
Golden Plovers (above) and Kestrel (below) sheltering on Humber surveys at Paull in February
As well as the surveying, other work-related activities included a series of talks (as is usual during the winter), and an ongoing series of YCN Winter Birding Discovery Days, the latter of which were again really productive and pleasure to lead.
As always they're small teams and we're flexible as to where to include on a given day, depending on conditions, tides and where the birds are (or may be), and included many highlights - from Snow and Lapland Buntings, Great Northern, Black-throated and Red-throated Divers up close, Bottlenose Dolphins, sparring Peregrines, point-blank Brent Goose, Merlin, Harbour Porpoise, Common and Velvet Scoters, Richard's Pipit and plenty more.
Great Northern and Red-throated Divers - up close and side-by-side in Scarborough Harbour
As is also the usually the case these days, running was a regular feature (whatever the weather), and February saw the culmination of my efforts to raise funds and awareness for Champions of the Flyway's Year Of The Dove campaign, helping save Turtle Doves from illegal hunting on their Mediterranean flyways. I called it my #Couch2500K - 500km over the course of 12 months - and by the time I'm reached my running target in mid-Feb, I'd raised just over £4000 for the cause, thanks to many generous donations.
A December run towards my #Couch2500k target - between estuary counts, during a work day on the Humber at Killingholme
Overwintering Richard's Pipit at Filey....
... and one of many Lapland Buntings at Buckton
Late winter / early spring nocmig (nocturnal migration recording) at Filey and Flamborough was productive, especially at the latter site, where late March saw unprecedented overnight migrations of Common Scoters and Redwings - absolute magic. See here for full details and audio clips.
Dave, meet Goliath - the world's smallest and largest gulls together at #Filey Dams today (Little gull, left, Great Black-backed Gull, right). pic.twitter.com/7Nrp4Nv6Ja
