2022

A enjoyable local birding year, within 12-mile radius of home. A total of FOUR new species for the area was a good return and some very decent additions too in the shape of Ferruginous Duck, Curlew Sandpiper, Spoonbill & Spotted Redshank.

Plenty of other highlights included a good number of scarce species including Cattle & Great White Egret, TWO Brent Geese, Ring Ouzel, Whimbrel, Merlin, Little Gull, Black Tern, Sandwich Tern, Marsh Harrier, Wood Sandpiper, Firecrest, Willow Tit, Corn Bunting & Caspian Gull to name but a few! Spectacular views of a summer-plumaged Bar-Tailed Godwit and singing Grasshopper Warbler, were particular standouts.

A grand total then of 146, surprisingly close to what I thought was an ambitious target of 150. It was looking like a dead cert at one point, however I had a very quiet run through the autumn and winter, only adding a small handful of species and missing quite a few! There were certainly a few notable absentees including Oystercatcher, Tree Sparrow, Crossbill and Arctic Tern. But overall a fun year of birding! 

There was only one contender for my highlight of the year away from home - the spectacular Black-Browed Albatross at Bempton Cliffs, East Yorkshire. Having not found the time last year, I was determined to get up there on seeing it's 2022 return. Thankfully a free day to myself on a warm sunny Bank Holiday weekend, gave me my chance and luckily it showed brilliantly! A crazy long day, also including the Bempton seabird spectacle and the Wykeham Forest Honey Buzzards - but a truly brilliant day that'll live long in the memory!  

I also spent a few days in North Norfolk with Em my wife and son Luca, back in April. I managed to catch the Red-Breasted Goose with Dark-Bellied Brents out of the saltmarsh off Blakeney Harbour - interesting to see if it gets accepted, though of course can never be fully certain, it seems to be a very decent candidate. For now at least, it's on the list!

Another family trip to the Isle of Wight wasn't really geared towards much in the way of birding, however some lovely views of Med Gulls and Sandwich Terns were had.

2021 produced a surprising succession of Northants county ticks for me. 2022 would do well to match it, but despite missing out on a confiding RB Shrike, I was pleased with a couple of new additions: a February Dartford Warbler on the edge of Northampton and TWO late December Yellow-Browed Warblers at Earls Barton GPs.

My usual October birding trip with pals Gareth, Dan and Johnny, took us abroad this year, with a wild goose chase to the Hortobagy National Park, Hungary. Luckily the Geese served us well with 1000s of White Fronts, plus 2 Lesser Whitefronts and 4 Red-Breasted. An amazing urban Long-Eared Owl roost, plenty of raptors and 1000s upon thousands of Cranes made for a really enjoyable few days. 6 lifers for me included Sociable Lapwing, the Lesser White Fronts, Saker, Eastern Imperial Eagle, Pygmy Cormorant and Syrian Woodpecker. News however of a Sandhill Crane discovered in exactly the same area just after our return home was gripping to say the least!

Butterfly and moth highlights included the best summer in memory for Hummingbird Hawkmoths, my first ever Convolvulus Hawkmoth near Brackley and my first Clouded Yellow for several years. All that plus the usual local specialities. Just one brief Purple Emperor sighting this year - though one is better than none!

And finally...our local Foxes continued to entertain throughout the year, hitting a record high of NINE during the summer months and many special encounters had.

A pleasure to enjoy them so often and at such close quarters.