Tuesday, October 19, 2021
What with the festive season and the impact of ice bound Britain it looks like I may not get out birding for a day or two. So until then and in order to keep simmering I have picked some highlights of 2010, dug out pictures old and new, mainly of warmer days and relived a few memorable moments, the odd notable day, with a few personal favourites. I scanned through photographs that I keep in folders in alpha order; Animals, Buntings, Chats, Ducks etc - you get the idea. The problem was I found so many to share that I may have to do this in two or more stages.
The year kicked off with a windy spell and an Eider that got blown onto Knott End foreshore but recovered well enough for a photo shoot on release as it sailed majestically for the safety of the open sea. What a gorgeous duck!
2011 had its share of cold weather too, and being into birds isn’t just about our feathered friends but also an appreciation of all animals and the natural environment. Stoats are such magical little wild creatures that when a photographic opportunity presents itself it becomes a privilege to capture their image.
I seemed to spend most of the spring, summer and autumn getting up at silly times to go ringing on Rawcliffe Moss where our ringing efforts contributed to a record finch year for the Ringing Group of Redpolls, Siskins, Chaffinches, Goldfinches and Greenfinches, then later in the season, Reed Buntings.
A spring break in Menorca was a chance to photograph a few local specialities with a Turtle Dove posing, puffed up on a cool Mediterranean morning, or a Scops Owl surprised by a flasher in the darkness.
Back home it was already the breeding season and time to ring a nestling or two.
Before we knew it a busy autumn arrived, birding bonanza time when waders, warblers, pipits and chats abound and when I enjoyed a few memorable photography sessions in wonderful light with Swallows, Wheatears, Meadow Pipits and others.
That’s all for now and it is a small selection, but if anyone has any favourite species for the next or indeed any time, I am open to requests.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the people who contributed to the success of my blog this year – critics, supporters, contributors and commentators. I hope that everyone who joined in so gained as much interest and enjoyment as I did from simply keeping the blog alive.
To end here is a sad but true tale - I spoke to a bloke the other week who recently retired from work and is bored, doesn’t know what to do, just follows his wife around like a lost puppy and thinks he might look for a job; I offered to take a couple of days a week off his hands.
PS, I wish everyone a Happy Christmas and prosperous New Year, but remember................
