Birding round up of the year 2017!

After the rollercoaster of a ride that was the British birding scene in 2016 (where firsts for Britain were turning up at a rate of knots), 2017 in comparison turned out to be a little bit of a damp squib. The majority of new birds and “uber” megas turned up on the remote offshore islands, while the year’s unquestionable star bird – North Ronaldsay’s fine adult male Siberian Blue Robin - was only seen by a handful of extremely lucky observers!

Nevertheless the year still held a few welcome surprises – Britain’s first DNA confirmed record of Elegant Tern down on the south coast was a huge bonus, while individuals of Red-breasted Goose, White-billed Diver and Rock Thrush ensured that 2017 held some grip backs at least!

Elegant Tern (honest!) - Pagham Harbour, West Sussex

Red-breasted Goose - Cockerham, Lancashire

White-billed Diver - Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire

Rock Thrush - Gwent, Wales

Not every bird was gettable however – the Amur Falcon down in Cornwall – the first twitchable one of its kind – proved frustratingly out of reach during the working week, while the year’s Red-winged Blackbird, American Redstart, Cedar Waxwing and Yellow-breasted Bunting all proved to be just a touch too far away on remote islands to tempt us, especially having already seen 3 out of the 4 in large quantities over in America before.  

Red-winged  Blackbird in New York

American Redstart in New York

Cedar Waxwing in New York

However, for me, our trips birding abroad stole the show for 2017. Mallorca and Tenerife provided some welcome European birding in stunning scenery and fantastic climes, while our once in a lifetime trip to Queensland Australia during the summer created some lifelong memories that will never be forgotten. A male Golden Bowerbird at his bower deep in the heart of the Australian mountains, the flashy colours of Fairywrens and Boatbills and the imposing majesty of the fierce and iconic Cassowary just mere feet away are all experiences that will live on in years to come. 

Green Turtle

Likewise our snorkelling expeditions exploring the Great Barrier Reef and the accompanying helicopter ride above one of the greatest wonders of the world created lasting memories of an experience of a lifetime.

The Great Barrier Reef

And so to the top birds of 2017….

In joint 3rd place are the diver duo of the Northumberland Pacific Diver and the Lincolnshire White-billed Diver – turning up on the same weekend and both affording absolutely unbeatable views. Having seen the returning Cornish Pacific Diver as a distant dot miles away through a scope, a chance to see this mega species of diver in Britain so close proved irresistible, and we soon found ourselves gazing eye to eye with this fearless individual mere feet away.

Pacific Diver - Northumberland

Meanwhile news was breaking of another rare species of diver giving phenomenal views further south with a White-billed Diver having been discovered fishing on a river in rural Lincolnshire 20 miles inland. In a remarkable coincidence, this mirrored the only other British record of an inland White-billed Diver to date, occurring on the very same stretch of river back in March 1996. Having had to wait a whole week before making the journey down to Lincolnshire it was a relief to finally connect with this stunning arctic visitor, finally putting to rest the regrets of not travelling to Devon/Dorset for the popular Brunnich’s Guillemot and Brixham White-billed Diver duo a few years ago.

White-billed Diver - Lincolnshire

In second place, while not strictly a lifer, is the beautiful male Pallid Harrier that graced the hillsides at the Forest of Bowland earlier in the year. Living in England, male Harriers are not something I see all that often, so it was an honour to be able to watch on as this ghostly displaying male skydanced his way over the moors in an effort to attract a mate. Sheer beauty, and to have a male Pallid Harrier skydancing over your head is a thing of enchanting magic. Without a doubt this was one of the most exquisite birds I’ve seen, and to watch him perform was an absolute privilege.

Pallid Harrier - Lancashire

In first place, rather surprisingly, was Durham’s very own Scops Owl – found roosting in a small elder bush one morning in September where it proceeded to stay for the next few days much to the delight of the growing crowd of birders coming to admire it. This quirky, angry looking miniature bird of prey has always been a firm favourite of mine when visiting falconry exhibits, and having only seen Scops Owls abroad in Spain before, in near pitch black at that, this was a species that I was especially keen to see in Britain, seeming such an unlikely visitor from the continent. 

Scops Owl - Durham

Thankfully the Scops was still in place when we arrived, tucked up against the trunk of its spindly elder and giving cracking views as it kept a watchful eye on the crowd, blending in perfectly with the gnarled bark. With 84 accepted records in Britain to date this is by no means a “mega mega” but it was still an absolutely superb bird that was most definitely worth travelling for and a bird on my personal wish list for Britain.

With 2018 now in full swing who knows what avian delights await us – a wintering Wallcreeper is most definitely long overdue and is sure to whet the appetite of almost every birder in Britain, while a scattering of American warblers in the autumn would be most welcome, especially if a male Blackburnian was amongst them. With Far Eastern sprites also coming ever closer to our shores over the past few years, who knows what "First for Britain" oriental goodies might just be carried over on the easterly winds… Whatever the case, fingers crossed for a good bird-filled year! 

Coming soon to a south coast cliff near you... we hope!