My Top Five

My recent unforgettable encounter with the Blue-cheeked Bee-eater on Sanday, one of Orkney's North Isles prompted me to  consider what are the top five birds of all time that I have been fortunate enough to see Britain in my birding lifetime. I take into account not just the bird but also the circumstance and overall experience which are just as important. It is noticeable that all bar one have involved travelling to remote and distant islands. Inevitably it has been no easy task to select just five as there are so many memorable birds and experiences to choose from but I have after some deliberation settled on these. You can access the full story for each by clicking on the words see here at the end of the paragraph below each photo.

Here they are in order of preference

Blue-cheeked Bee-eater  19th July 2026

First: It has to be number one and will be forever. I cannot imagine anything that will top this. An unforgettable, fabulous, exotic creature that I only ever fantasised about and never thought I would see in this Britain.Two previous failures to see one only made it all the sweeter when finally I stood with nine others at the edge of an isolated road on Sanday in Orkney and watched this iconic species for four glorious hours. It was the fourteenth record for Britain, the first for Orkney and the fifth for Scotland see here.

Black browed Albatross 8th April 2022

Second: The adult Black browed Albatross that spent two summers in and around the Gannet colony at the RSPB's Bempton Cliffs Reserve on the East Yorkshire coast. I travelled there to see and photograph it on no less than five occasions with Mark R my twitching pal. Each visit equally thrilling and in a glorious setting atop the cliffs at all hours of the day see here.

Varied Thrush  29th October 2021

Third: Another Orkney special and only the second of its kind to be found in Britain had us travelling north to Papa Westray, requiring a twelve hour overnight journey by car to Caithness, then a ferry to Orkney and a chartered boat to Papa Westray where we were met by a bus and taken to the site frequented by this very rare bird indeed see here.

Bay breasted Warbler  26th of September 2023

Fourth: Part of a unique and possibly never to be repeated influx of North American passerines that rained down on Britain in late September 2023.This Bay breasted Warbler was only the second ever to be found in Britain, on RamseyIsland off the coast of Pembrokeshire, Wales.Due to adverse weather and other restrictions only four sailings were permitted on a Saturday and we were very fortunate indeed to secure places on the third sailing and equally fortunate to have the bird show perfectly see here

Wilson's Warbler  17th October 2015

Fifth: A trip to the Isle of Lewis to view this stunner of an American Warbler frequenting a secluded garden almost at the northern tip of the island and possibly one of the most pleasurable twitches I have ever made due to a combination of unbelievably benign weather for the time of year, the difficulties of getting there which precluded a 'big crowd' and being in the splendid company of my former twitching pal Clackers see here.