It's been a thoroughly enjoyable year, with several must-sees finally caught up with, as well as a few cracking surprises, my 300th UK bird species and many laughs along the way!
Some of my main target species for 2015 have in fact not been birds for a change, however have probably been some of the most enjoyable moments.
Three in particular stand out for me, purely as great memories that will stay with me for years to come. The first was the incredible sight of being surrounded by several hundred of my first Marsh Fritillaries on a sunny May day in the Cotswolds. Seeing so many of these beauties and having them literally emerge out of the grass in front of you, as fresh as you could possibly imagine was just magic!
The second was in fact a plant, the Fly Orchid. These have facinated me for some time and I was super keen to see some. Hearing of them and the far rarer Military Orchid being present at Homefield Wood in the Chilterns, I couldn't resist a visit during the last week of May. It was such a well worth trip and to be honest the Flys exceeded my expectations, they really were fantastic!
The last of the three were my first ever UK Swallowtails, a seriously overdue trip!! My mate Simon Hales, an absolute Swallowtail fiend kindly took me along and we managed to see quite a few and made for a brilliant day out! I can certainly see why Simon goes several times to see them every year and I'm sure I'll be now joining him again in 2016!
As always, there's been some fabulous birding highlights with quite a few lifers. These have included a lovely looking Greater Yellowlegs, Radde's Warbler, my 300th UK bird species, displaying Melodious Warbler, great views of a juvenile Pallid Harrier, a barking Little Bittern, TWO Isabelline (Daurian) Shrike, the utter madness of my first Leach's Petrel landing in a bush, point blank views of Little Bunting & both Balearic & Sooty Shearwater .
On top of the lifers, there's been some really memorable birds. The displaying male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker during the spring was incredible and by far my best ever prolonged views of what is a very difficult species to connect with.
The summer plumaged Black Throated Diver at Farmoor Reservoir back in May was also a real highlight for me. Such a stunning sight and amazing to see at such close quarters. However, ultimately, the poorly nature & ultimate sorry end to the bird does take the tint of it all slightly.
Further 2015 birding highlights have included my first Northants Ring-Billed Gull, a showy Lesser Scaup, my first female Ferruginous Duck, a 'flock' of 3 Pectoral Sandpiper, Grey Phalarope, several Rough Legged Buzzards, Shore Larks, Glossy Ibis, a Black Guillemot in Gloucestershire, a couple of Great Grey Shrikes and a great array of eastern fodder during Norfolk 'Magic week' during October including 2 Daurian Shrikes, Red-Flanked Bluetail, Radde's, Dusky, several Yellow Browed Warblers & a White Rumped Sandpiper.
I've also whittled away many, many hours locally, largely between Grimsbury Reservoir, Banbury (see other post) and one of my favourite South Northants sites, Bucknell Wood near Silverstone.
Bucknell Wood has been a real enjoyment for me this year with several real standout highlights including the re-discovery of White-Letter Hairstreak in the wood, up to FIVE Valezina Silver-Washed Fritillaries, the continued presence of Purple Emperors, including what is possibly the latest ever Northants record (a female seen well on 08/08), as well as a lovely male Firecrest. All this, as well as an excellent array of other butterfly species & woodland birds
Other memorable highlights close-ish to home have included my first Northants Adder, finding a smashing male Ring Ouzel on Borough Hill (Daventry), the stunning display of local Bluebells & mega views of Duke of Burgundy and both Black & Brown Hairstreak butterflies.
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