End of 2020.

 December and a look back at my highlights.

Not much to report during December, plenty of geese back and forth over the village and still a lot of Blackbirds are around. Finch numbers are up on their groups with a lot of Chaffinch around my house. The only other note during the month was a mouse up in my bird feeder halfway up the tree! 

With little of note here are some of my highlights of 2020:

This Ring Necked Parakeet put in an appearance over a couple of the days during the spring.

This Rough Legged Buzzard was reported further along the coast during the morning of the 25th April, how lucky was I to see it fly over my house, then if that hadn't sealed the day a Osprey flew along the coast whilst I was in the garden.

During the summer months with the birding quieter except for local breeding birds, my attention turned more to mothing, and the onset of some new species kept me trapping as much as possible in the hope of something rarer, here are some of the new garden additions caught through summer.

Scalloped Hook-Tip

My first Lime Hawkmoth was a very welcome tick.

​Varied Coronet​

​Canary Shouldered Thorn

The approach of autumn brought the prospect of some migrating birds and a new wave of autumnal moths.

​The arrival of the Pied Flycatchers have been lovely the last couple of years, I hope this is repeated every year, this year the numbers were up on the previous and I never tire of photographing these birds.​

​ Centre Barred Sallow (above) and Sallow.

​This seasonal moth is appropriately ​named..the Autumnal Rustic.

​We had a welcome move in weather during October and easterlies started to bring birds in, I was so pleased to find a little Siberian Jem along the lane past the church, the stunning Pallas's Warbler. What a little beauty and my highlight of the year.

​Pallas's Warbler​

​And if that wasn't enough I was able to see at least 3 different Yellow Browed Warblers, not as scarce as the Pallas's but still a great bird to see.

Yellow Browed Warbler​

As the autumn moved to winter I kept adding a few moths to the year list, but the weather was to start having a effect on how regular I got the trap out. One species I had been waiting for since moving here finally gave itself up, the beautifully marked Merveille Du Jour.

Merry Christmas to all. 

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A Quiet November for me.

 Due to working in the studio nearly every day, November was a quiet time for me birding or recording stuff. The weather had a big effect on being able to put the moth trap out, some nights when I did put it out I trapped nothing!! But not to be disheartened, I did get 2 moth species that I had been hoping for and new for the garden list....Feathered Thorn and December Moth. Maybe if I am lucky I will get the trap out in December in the hope of something on the wing I still need, but as it stands my 2020 Macro list stands at 211 species, easily beating last years tally.

Feathered Thorn

December Moth

Now onto birding and busily working away, my main viewing came from the dog walking, Sarah and I were seeing a lot more Pink footed geese passing over as of late, one morning we watched 400+ geese pass overhead, a lovely sight and sound to start the day. The flocks of birds were on the rise locally, the Linnets were increasing in numbers as were the Yellowhammers, Reed Bunting were still around no doubt but they were keeping further afield.  Blackbirds were still arriving in the area, some mornings along the lanes that is all you could see flitting along ahead of us. Woodcock were flushed on the walks too.

Mid month another Yellow Browed Warbler was found near the shelter, I managed to hear and glimpse it but it was very elusive and no way going to stop for a photo, Chiffchaff and Willow warblers were loosely associating in the same vacinity.

With quite a few reports of Great Northern Divers and Bonxies moving through, I managed a short seawatch and got just the one Bonxie'. 

Hopefully I can get out more during December.