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 […]
Sandhill Crane – A 3rd record for Britain. Sandhill Crane – Grus canadensis – Windwick, South Ronaldsay, Orkney – 26th September 2009 An adult Sandhill Crane was discovered in stubble fields in the area of Windwick on South Ronaldsay, Orkney on Tuesday 22nd September, the third record for Britain of this North American Crane. According to the locals the bird had been present for some 2 weeks, undiscovered!. We set off from Derby at 9pm on 24th and arrived John O Groats at 6:30am on 25th. We travelled as foot passengers on the ferry to Burwick and after sorting out a taxi […]