My GM highlight was spotting my first Ring Ouzel in Greater Manchester - on Horwich Moors. Highlight out of county - Wryneck on Ramsey Island. It was also great meeting up and learning from some very knowledgeable bird watchers out there. Finally - massive thanks to Ian McKerchar for his time and effort in setting up and administering the Manchester Birding Forum. Muchas gracias!
I tend not to wander out of Stalybridge, never mind the county, so my out of county highlights don't take a lot of working out.
Nightjar displaying and roding Woodcock on a balmy June evening at Wharncliffe Heath with Roger, Ian , and Oliver, was brilliant. However, for me, it was just shaded by the fantastic display put on by the much ignored Great Grey Shrike at Woodhead in October.
I know what my GM highlights are, but am unable to post most of them
Great post Si and we certainly had some definitive moments. -the Lifers including the ones you mentioned and more -our seemingly impeccable timing at some sites to see what some people had waited hours to see -Spurn and the Lifers that turned up on a plate a few minutes walk away -the Hilbre Island day with the Arctic Skuas was incredible -productive days at Leighton Moss, Wirral and Burton IMF, North Wales, The Fylde, Martin Mere, Swillington Ings etc -last minute texts and phone calls that turned out to be cracking decisions and all the "while we're here we might as well try for the..."
I had some great times in Cornwall with some Lifers again including Common Rosefinch and the very showy juvenile Rose-coloured Starling. Lots of the expected sea birds again and also some brilliant sightings of the Choughs at various locations. I also had a belting time birding abroad on essentially a non-birding holiday and highlights from Zante included Eastern Olivaceous Warbler, Serin, Woodchat Shrike, Eleonora's Falcon, Alpine Swift, lots of Yellow-legged Gulls, and a brief flight view of a Euradian Scops Owl to name a few!
Some lighter moments too this year including... -the Bee-eaters up at Brampton, brilliant but a relief especially after my mate and I had dashed all over Cornwall daily to try and get them, sometimes in and out of data signals -the Honey Buzzard over at Welbeck after a few false alarms with pale phase Common's, and then later that day mine and Simon's fruitless search through a council estate that led to an inaccessible allotment to try for a Golden Oriole that had vanished the day before -your elusive Garganey which provided a bit of entertainment for me and Steve -mine and Steve's Melodious Warbler outing that had us looking in the wrong place first off -our North Wales trip incl Bangor pier and the ridiculous winds that almost blew us over the side into the sea -the Wild Goose chase at Singleton for Wild Geese and the subsequent wrong turn on way home missing the M55 and going the long way through thick fog -all 4 of us being drenched in a viscious downpour during that awful electrical storm at Hesketh Out Marsh...brought into perspective as to why we do it when the last of our target birds (2 Spoonbill's) flew right past us in full view You can't script half of that, it's what makes the trips all the worthwhile, and all of ours certainly were!
It was certainly a year for Owls with plentiful Short-eared's, Long-eared's, and Barn Owls, my first Little Owl in a while (Elton wood pile), my first Tawny in ages (Martin Mere), and my Scops Lifer! Also a year for Iceland Gulls, having got the adult Lifer (well spotted Si) at Marton, they seemed to crop up everywhere after that.
Two last things from 2015 that will last long in the memory are my first Otters (a family of 4 no less) at Leighton Moss, and a special day at Walney Island. Special memories of this place from my younger days as it was one of my Dad's favourite places (along with Leighton Moss) and he took us there lots of times, so it was an emotional day really. Simon came along and it was a fantastic day with some brilliant species seen, and some in good numbers.
Hope 2016 is going to be just as good for us and for everyone else too. But if you're staying local Simon, it looks like just me and Steve then. We'll make sure we text you and Skype you at every Lifer, that's only fair.
I thought I'd start this 'hardy perennial' topic up as we have had the GM discussion, but not one for those of us who sneak off to other places occasionally. Apologies in advance for any perceived self-indulgence here...
I have had a really good year, my year list has ended up on 232 and I am on 249 UK lifers and 147 for GM. My newest list is 'Parent's Back Garden', which is on 9, so needs some work...
As Rob Creek mentioned in his post on the GM 2015 thread, we have had some great trips out to see birds at what you might call 'classic' sites. Some examples are: A superb day on Hilbre, watching Arctic Skuas chasing Sandwich Terns A 3 hour vigil at Welbeck rewarded by a stately glide overhead by a female Honey Buzzard 2 Hawfinches showing beautifully at Sizergh 2 autumn weekends at Spurn, seeing things like Arctic and Pallas's Warbler, Red-breasted Flycatcher and Great Grey Shrike A fantastic morning at World's End, a lek of over 30 Black Grouse topped off with a Goshawk powering over us 3 Dotterel on Pendle Hill, in the sunshine
We did a bit of twitching too, some crackers were: A soggy Night Heron at Swillington Ings 2 not remotely disappointing days at Blacktoft Sands watching the Montagu's Harriers. The entertaining Wryneck at Lytham Breeding Bee-eaters up in Cumbria
I did manage a few good birds on my own: 2 effervescent Penduline Tits in Devon in March My first Nightingales and stunning Nightjars at Greenham Common A flock of Crossbills at Binn Green watched for about 30 mins at point blank range on the tree next to the viewpoint (the Crossbills were up the tree, not me) A wonderful day at Padley Gorge in June, with Redstarts, Pied and Spotted Flycatchers and the icing on the cake being a showy singing Wood Warbler. What a bird.
The best single day in some ways was probably with Steve Burke down in Newbury. We started the day at Greenham and saw Woodlarks and Dartford Warblers, in fact we saw all 5 UK breeding Sylvias there, which I thought was pretty cool, then we went 'somewhere' and dug out a pair of Stone Curlews in the evening sun, the most enigmatic birds I've ever seen, then we went back to Greenham and clocked roding Woodcocks and a Nightjar churring in plain view. The Sunday at Spurn where we saw the Arctic Warbler runs it close though. My first day at Spurn! I'm sure they won't all be like that though...
I also had a brilliant week in Portugal in the summer, with a standout day at Vilamoura bringing me Black-winged Kite, Woodchat Shrike, Hoopoe, Turtle Dove, White Stork and Bee-eaters in the burning hot sun
Finally as I mentioned in the GM thread, Black Redstart, Short-eared Owl and Lesser Spotted Woodpecker in county were special to me.
It's hard to pick the very best out from all that but I think the Lesser Spotted, Arctic Warbler, Wood Warbler, Stone Curlew, Arctic Skuas and Montagu's had me buzzing the most. Next year is about more county birding for me. As this year has tailed off I have been enjoying local sites more and more, so I am going to stay put and try and find a few birds myself.
Thanks to everyone I've met and birded with this year, I've learnt a lot and owe lots of people lots of thanks for advice and tips. Also let me say this forum is brilliant so thanks to Ian for running it so well.
