Great Garden Birdwatch (RSPB annual event)

I watched my garden for an hour to count the greatest number of each species that visited to send in for the RSPB Annual Garden Birdwatch. A shame the 2x grey wagtails that visit occasionally recently did not show up, despite my freshly cleaned and filled feeders but I still had a fair few visitors.
Blackbird x3
Blue Tit x3
Great Tit
Long Tailed Tit
Wood pigeon
Collared Dove x2
Robin
Starling
and of course the resident Dunnock.

Risley Moss

It's been quite stormy the last few days with gale force gusts of wind. This weekend we just had a quick hour at Risley Moss but we were rewarded by wonderful views of two Great Spotted Woodpeckers, long tailed tits x6, blue+ great tits x 5+ each, chaffinch x 6, Robin x2, Blackbird x3 and a Jay.
Nipped into Asda Birchwood on the way home and saw a Pied (white) Wagtail new for the 2014 list too.

New Years Day over NYE anytime!

Usually I spend 1st Jan hungover and not doing much of significance. This time I took it easy last night and went birding with my family today. We set off for Marbury CP around 11ish, had a nice walk around. Rain was threatening but it stayed dry and it wasn't too cold (around 12 degrees C). We went into Northwich for lunch and then to Neumanns and Ashton's flashes, after 30 mins or so it started to rain and the wind got up but nothing too bad. All in all that has to be my best New Year's Day of my life so far, started my list with 35. I missed out on a Curlew and Buzzard seen by family members but with 35 in one day I can't be too upset about that :)

The highlight was probably seeing a Kingfisher flash of blue (not the one pictured as it was too rainy to take the camera today) flying across Budworth Mere and hearing some young kid say something like "I will remember this as a special day" to his mum. Me too!

2014 Summary

I had to put my hobby on hold during December due to illness and busyness with buying a house, working and coursework for my degree due. I've still been reading about birds (H for Hawk, Birdwatching magazine and Stephen Moss amongst others) and keeping an eye on the various reporting sites though. All in all I spent only around 5 months of this year (June - Nov) on birding at the weekends but it still was very memorable for me and I hit my target of 100.

I'll have a new garden within a couple of months but in the 8 years I lived here in this one I have had great garden sightings for a very small patio garden in the middle of a council estate. Highlights included regular Goldfinches, Buzzards flying over (and perched on neighbour's roof), 2 Grey Wagtails that have become recent flyovers, Great Spotted Woodpecker and a territory-zealous Dunnock (now called a Hedge Accentor apparently, I learned today) who guards the bird feeder and his bush home against blackbirds, collared doves and in particular his nemesis the Robin.

As I'd never kept any form of bird list before 2014 all my birds were lifers this year but lifers in the true sense and highlights of my year were Osprey, Whooper and Bewicks Swans, Goldcrest (when pursuing Hawfinch which still eluded me) and a Ringed Plover doing it's funny "distraction dance" to lead me away from the nest at a building site I was working at.

Birding feels real and adds a different dimension to life which I am so glad to have rekindled. Although the listing element is just a cherry on top as it's watching any birds I enjoy, I finished the year with 113 species on my UK year list (and therefore my life list) which placed me 283 on Bubo rankings.

2015 is going to be a busy one for me with hopefully moving into my new house and completely renovating it, completing my degree and continuing in my full time job. Luckily birds are everywhere though and I can't wait to see what 2015 brings my way!

Martin Mere for the NW England Birdwatching Festival

Martin Mere for the NW England Birdwatching Festival:
Whooper, Bewick and Mute Swans
Pintail
Garganey
Gadwall
Tawny Owl
Buzzard
Kestrel
Shelduck
Pink Footed Geese
Greylag Geese
Barnacle Geese
Pochard
Reed Bunting
Blue, Great and Long-Tailed Tits
Robins
Blackbirds
Fieldfares (not seen properly by me but another in the party)
Magpie
Wood Pigeon
Goldfinch
Chaffinch
Starling

Falconry Gift Experience

For my birthday in June I received a voucher for an "Owl Experience" at Gauntlet Birds of Prey Centre. I used it in November after returning from Finland,  I didn't get to handle the Snowy or European Eagle Owls that I had been hoping for but there were still some amazing birds:
Tawny Owl
Long Eared Owl (Eric, now fully grown who I had handled at my first Experience Day when he was six months)
Russian Scops Owl (noisy!!)
Chaco Owl
Barn Owl (American)
Great Grey Owl
Little Owl (preferred running!!)
African Eagle Owl

Helsinki 1st Nov 2014

Away with work in various parts of Finland for the week and I got chance for a couple of hours birding on Saturday morning on the way home whilst waiting for my connecting flight in Helsinki. I was staying in the Radisson Blu which was only a few minutes walk from the botanical garden and parliament square, both of which had plenty of birds (albeit mostly birds I could find at home but still!). I did see an interesting squirrel though!

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