With the primary 3 months of the yr now long past, it’s time for a evaluation of my birding efforts thus far this yr. On the time of writing, my British yr checklist stands at a modest however enough 139, whilst my Eu checklist is on 173, due to a consult with to southern Spain in February. The following couple of months will in fact see a spice up to my British checklist, as summer season migrants flood into England, whilst drawing close journeys to Cyprus, Greece and northerly Spain may even turbocharge the Eu checklist.
Pinkfooted Ducks in North Norfolk – wintry weather guests from Iceland
My British checklist is, if truth be told, simply an East Anglian checklist, as I haven’t (thus far) ventured out of the counties of Suffolk, Norfolk and Essex. Nor have I chased explicit birds, both: virtually the entire birds I’ve observed were encountered all over a standard day’s birding, now not a centered twitch for a selected species. I’ve controlled to peer the good majority of the wintering birds I be expecting, however there were a couple of main misses. I haven’t, as an example, observed a Bewick’s Swan, regardless that I’ve encountered a variety of Whoopers, their larger cousins. My goose depend stands at a enough 8 species, together with the bonus of a Pink-breasted, however there were few data of Bean Ducks in East Anglia this wintry weather, so I haven’t observed any.
A lone Whooper Swan on a gray January day in Norfolk
As for the geese – I’m now as much as 15 species. I’ve failed to search out Velvet Scoter, whilst the mildness of the wintry weather (no snow and now not a lot frost) supposed that few Smew reached England, so I haven’t observed one. Brief-stopping signifies that they keep at the continent, however exhausting climate there’ll push them around the North Sea to England. We now have had a wintry weather without a snow, and few frosts, so no Smew.
Drake Shoveler – certainly one of 15 species of geese observed thus far this yr
A drake Pintail was once my one hundredth species of the yr on 22 January, whilst my bonus geese had been 5 Lesser Scaups – 3 grownup drakes and two women – on Abberton reservoir in Essex. I actually loved seeing those birds, as regardless that I’ve watched them of their local North The united states, the place they’re ample, that was once a very long time in the past. They’re rarities in Britain, with the primary particular person best recorded as lately as 1987. The birds I noticed had been jumbled in with a flock of Tufted Geese, their Eu opposite numbers, for they’re a identical dimension and feature very identical behavior and behavior. Frustratingly, there have been simply too far-off to {photograph}.
Goldeneye have turn out to be scarce in contemporary winters
Goldeneye was in style wintry weather guests to this a part of the sector, however they’ve turn out to be a lot scarcer in recent times, once more on account of brief preventing. I sooner or later noticed my first of the yr on Abberton at the similar day that I noticed the Scaup. With their exuberant presentations, drake Goldeneye are all the time entertaining birds to observe.
A Black-winged Stilt in Spain in February
My wader checklist (or what you could possibly name shorebirds in North The united states) is as much as 25, a enough general, however one who doesn’t come with any surprises. I haven’t hooked up with an over-wintering Greenshank or Noticed Redshank, each species I’m certain to peer in the following couple of weeks, whilst in Spain my best notable additions had been Stone Curlew, Black-winged Stilt, Kentish Plover and Little Stint, the ultimate 3 all at the estuary of the Barbate. Wader gazing in spring is all the time thrilling, as such a lot of of those birds are reworked once they achieve their breeding finery. A wintry weather Gray Plover is an unremarkable hen, however in spring plumage, with deep black stomach and silver-spangled again, this can be a other proposition totally.
Gray plover in wintry weather – it’s a unique hen in its summer season finery
One species I used to be happy to search out was once Pink Sandpiper. Although this hen winters often at the rocky northern coasts of Britain, it’s now not simple to search out in East Anglia, with its typically sandy coast. I discovered my birds close to Ness Level at the Suffolk coast, probably the most easterly level within the British Isles.
Pink Sandpipers like rocky beaches – we don’t have many in East Anglia
A hen that many British birdwatchers combat to peer is the Woodcock, the wader of the woods. I’ve observed reasonably a couple of, together with no fewer than 14 flushed, one after the other, from a small Suffolk picket in overdue January. The Woodcock had been disturbed through beaters using Pheasants for a sport shoot. Although the Woodcock is a prison quarry species, many of us not shoot them, and now not one was once fired at on these days. I think that just about each Suffolk picket holds a Woodcock (and even a number of Woodcock) in mid wintry weather, however as a result of they hardly fly all over the day until disturbed, they move unseen. A couple of breed in the community, and in March I went out two times at nightfall to wait for roding (showing) men: I noticed unmarried birds on each events.
A normal view of a Woodcock – top over the woods
The heath the place I noticed the roding Woodcock is a normal website for Lengthy-eared Owls. They bred right here in each 2021 and 2022, regardless that none had been discovered ultimate yr. There was once a possibility I would possibly to find one when in search of the Woodcock, however I didn’t have any success, and the one owl I recorded was once a hooting Tawny.
All the time a just right hen to peer: a Brief-eared Owl. This hen was once within the Norfolk Broads
It’s been a just right wintry weather for Brief-eared Owls, however I failed to peer any till the top of March, after I got here throughout a unmarried hen within the Norfolk Broads (above). This was once a co-operative person who spent a while looking a box of tough grass, giving a lot of alternatives for images.
One of the crucial wintering White-tailed Eagles, photographed in North Norfolk in March
The previous wintry weather has been notable in the community for the illusion of 2 White-tailed Eagles, one a tagged younger hen from Sussex (the primary English-hatched hen for 200 years), the opposite any other first-year hen that had fledged in Holland. Although they got here just about house, and had been even observed through non-birdwatching buddies, I failed to peer them. I did, then again, revel in two sudden encounters (almost definitely with the Dutch hen) at the Norfolk coast in February and March. Seeing eagles is all the time thrilling, and I a lot loved those two encounters.
An grownup Spanish Imperial Eagle, perched on a roadside pylon
As for different birds of prey, I did see a feminine Pallid Harrier that wintered for the second one yr in a row in Norfolk, regardless that the view was once a far off one. I struggled to discover a Rooster Harrier, however after all noticed a ring-tailed hen inside of a mile of house when strolling my spaniel, a stunning sighting that I used to be reasonably extremely joyful with. In Spain, my maximum notable raptor was once a wonderful grownup Spanish Imperial Eagle, sitting on a roadside pylon close to town of Medina-Sidonia. This can be a just right space to peer those good-looking eagles, regardless that pylons hardly ever take advantage of photogenic of perches.
Nice Gray Shrikes have turn out to be uncommon birds in East Anglia
In Spain I unusually failed to peer a Southern Gray Shrike, as soon as a commonplace hen in rural Spain, however which has turn out to be scarce in recent times. Right here in East Anglia Nice Gray Shrikes was common wintry weather guests, however they’ve turn out to be reasonably uncommon this century. Just one was once reported in the community within the Brecks this previous wintry weather, so I did make an effort to move and notice it. It was once a protracted stroll to search out it, on wooded area tracks, however was once a lot loved through Emma my spaniel who accompanied me. After they’ve discovered a space they prefer, those shrikes turn out to be site-faithful, so they’re rather simple to search out if you realize the place to appear.
Hawfinches are a lot wanted through birdwatchers in the United Kingdom
At the near-continent Hawfinches may also be reasonably commonplace, however right here in the United Kingdom they’re uncommon birds, so are a lot wanted through birdwatchers. I’ve loved 3 sightings this yr: the primary had been very far-off, sitting in a hornbeam tree; the second one was once a celebration of six birds that flew over my head, whilst the 3rd was once a co-operative particular person that allow me {photograph} it. Two years in the past Hawfinches nested in a pal’s Breckland lawn, however he hasn’t had any sightings but this yr.
Once a year I stay up for the go back of our summer season breeding birds. There was once a mass arrival of chiffchaffs on 14 March, and now they’re in every single place, whilst I heard my first Blackcap in the community on 23 March. Although I noticed each Swallows and Area Martins in Spain in February, I don’t be expecting to peer them right here till April. But it surely’s now not till I pay attention my first Cuckoo (typically round 21 April) that I do know that spring has actually arrived. I will’t wait.