Tuesday 31 December 2019

A Year's Birding Highlights 2019

Here is a pictorial record of birding highlights that I experienced this year, 2019. It is a personal selection that is by no means comprehensive and the subjects are not necessarily rare but each image brings back fond memories and here's to repeating the experience in 2020.

Happy New Year to everyone although with a new and totally untrustworthy Government of liars, cheats and worse, I fear both for us and the wildlife we treasure.

Waxwing - Southampton Hampshire   January

Slender billed Nutcracker - Wageningen The Netherlands  January

Great Northern Diver - Goring on Thames Berkshire  January

Rose coloured Starling - Oxford January

Jack Snipe - Slimbridge Gloucestershire  January

Common Crossbill - Forest of Dean Gloucestershire  January

Snow Bunting - Goring West Sussex  February

Black Redstart - Oxford  February

Long tailed Tit - Kingham Oxfordshire  February

Kingfisher - Farmoor Oxfordshire  February

Northern Soveler - Weymouth Dorset  February

Bearded Tit - Weymouth Dorset  February

Ring necked Duck - Weymouth Dorset  February

Tengmalm's Owl - Mainland Shetland  February

Iceland Gull - Lerwick Shetland  February

Long tailed Duck - Lerwick Shetland February

Glaucous Gull - Lerwick Shetland  February
Hawfinch - Forest of Dean Gloucestershire  February

Great Spotted Cuckoo - Isle of Wight Hampshire  March

Mediterranean Gull - Hayling Hampshire  March

Water Rail - Farmoor Oxfordshire  March
Common Cuckoo - Thursley Surrey  April
Common Redstart - Thursley Surrey  April

European Stonechat - Thursley Surrey  April

Wood Lark - Thursley Surrey  April

Great Northern Diver - Isle of Arran Ayrshire  April


Black Guillemot - Isle of Arran Ayrshire  April

Red rumped Swallow - Banbury Oxfordshire  May
Sedge Warbler - Mansfield Nottinghamshire  May

Lesser Yellowlegs - Weymouth Dorset  April

Eurasian Teal - Weymouth Dorset April

Common Redshank - Standlake Oxfordshire  April

Common Eider - Farne Islands Northumberland  June

Atlantic Puffin - Farne Islands June

Northern Gannet - Noss Shetland  July

Great Skua - Lerwick Shetland July

Wood Sandpiper - Spurn East Yorkshire  August

Eastern Olivaceous Warbler - Farlington Hampshire  September
Turnstone - Farmoor Oxfordshire  September

Eastern Black EaredWheatear - Pilling Lancashire  September
Red breasted Flycatcher - Mainland Shetland  September

Red backed Shrike - Mainland Shetland  September

European Bee-eater - Mainland Shetland  October

Yellow browed Warbler - Unst Shetland  October

Mealy Redpoll - Unst Shetland  October

Dusky Warbler - Unst Shetland  October

Semi palmated Sandpiper - Mainland Shetland October

Wren - Mainland Shetland  October

Little Bunting - Mainland Shetland  October

Spotted Flycatcher - Mainland Shetland  October

Sanderling - Farmoor Oxfordshire October

Yellowhammmer - Cleeve Common Gloucestershire October

Common Nighthawk - Galgorm Northern Ireland  October
Spotted Crake -  St Mary's  Isles of Scilly  November 
White rumped Sandpiper - St Mary's Isles of Scilly  November

Blue winged Teal - St Mary's Isles of Scilly  November

Pine Grosbeak male - Oslo Norway  November

Pine Grosbeak immature/female - Oslo Norway  November

Little Auk - Oslo Norway  November

Steller's Eider - Papa Westray Orkney  November

Hermit Thrush - St Mary's Isles of Scilly  November

Redwing - Whipsnade Bedfordshire  December

Slavonian Grebe - Farmoor Oxfordshire  December

Black throated Thrush - Whipsnade Bedfordshire  December
Red breasted Merganser - Isle of Arran Ayrshire  December