My year list for 2011 was slightly better than last year, I managed to see 267 species in Britain and I had 4 lifers plus an armchair tick (Siberian Stonechat) so I’m creeping along ever closer to the big 500! My highlights of the year were trips to Speyside, Scotland in April; Shetland in September & Scilly in October; White-winged Scoter twitch to Aberdeen in June; the White-throated Robin at Hartlepool in June; Northern Water Thrush & Scarlet Tanager on Scilly in October and finding a Dusky Warbler on Scilly. A Western Bonelli’s Warbler in Derbyshire was a surprise county […]
It really is hard work birding in South Derbyshire. I take my hat off to the group of locals that do Willington day in & day out. Having said this, it wasn’t too bad this morning. We had a fly through Little Stint, the juvenile Spotted Redshank still present; 5 Greenshank; 3 Green Sandpiper; 1 Common Sandpiper; 1 juvenile Ringed Plover and 538 Lapwing. Still a few Common Tern; 10 Shoveler & 5 Little Egret. Also a fly over Hobby. At nearby Branston Gravel Pits, just over the county boundary in Staffs a fine juvenile Pectoral Sandpiper […]