Christmas Eve at Staveley, Yorkshire

A beautiful day for a walk through Staveley Nature Reserve, and a few year ticks to boot - WATER RAIL, TREE SPARROW, MARSH/WILLOW TIT & GOLDENEYE
This brings the year list up to 100 - the lowest count so far on record but squeezed over to three figures!

Northern family trip to the nature reserve

Great tit

Tree Sparrow

Reed Bunting

Goldeneye

Ashridge walk - Buzzard delight

A beautiful sunny day in Ashridge - a walk with family and friends.

A stunning BUZZARD over , a ROBIN keeping check at the very busy cafe shop and lots of MARSH TIT (?) in the woods along with LONG TAILED TITS.

A cheeky monkey in the woods

Buzzard in the morning light

Through the branches

Robin at the cafe

'Shrooms 

Family trip to Suffolk

We stayed in a nice caravan near Southwold - I got flu which was nice. Great time anyway and went looking for a Purple Sandpiper along the sea wall at Southwold - managed a few TURNSTONES.
Caravan site right on the sea edge and good sunny days :)

Suffolk Coast with the gang 

Bird count for the year - 92!!! Record low score so far !!!

Bournemouth Warbler

A nice view of a DARTFORD WARBLER on Canford Heath by Robs on the way back from a Chesil trip. 

Dartford Warbler on the Heath

South Coast Birding

A weekend down in Bournemouth / Weymouth with Rob.

It's been a light touch year this year , this trip bringing the rarest sites and pics of the year...
GREY PHALAROPE and OSPREY
A a stop off at Lychett Fields near Rob produced some good birding , once we found it! STONE CHAT and GREEN SANDPIPER the highlights. Didn't have the scope which didn't help and got lazy on carrying the camera.

Sunning by the tent in Wyke Regis

In our local, the Smuggler!!

Grey Phalarope at Lodmoor

Osprey over Lodmoor

Mobbed by gulls 

Wilstone Dipping

A suspect Spotted Crake at Wilstone - I had a couple of attempts with the mighty scope but no joy. The equipment some people had - what chance have they to see the water right over the other side of the ressie - but hey each to their own!

Family camping - Cotswold Lakes

A family holiday in Cirencester on the Cotswolds lakes - Coke Pit LNR brought the first RED CRESTED POCHARD of the year.
One of the local lakes had massive swans!!!!

Bewick or Whooper??? Fun ride either way 

College Lake with the family

A nice trip out to see the local birds with the family - nothing of note to report on the species seen

Father & Son in the hide @ College Lake

Wilstone Bird Watch Chilterns Walk

We went on a family bird watching walk organised by Anna as part of the Chiltern's Walking Festival.
32 species in total including a pair of SPARROWHAWKS over
Some good bird geeking with the walk leaders!

Harry checking out the bird life on Wilstone. Mummy waiting in line!!

Grandma advising on viewing techniques

Croxley Birds

Croxley Business Park produces a few nice species during the work wandering or out the meeting room windows... GOLDCREST, RING NECKED PARAKEET, LITTLE EGRET, GREEN WOODPECKER and JAY are the highlights of the year ..... No kingfisher so far

Portland tourist trip and South Coast

Rob & I headed down to the South Coast for our usual beer, camping and pub tour - we went to Portland and absolutely nothing around - except a ROCK PIPIT , SKYLARK and COMMON SANDPIPER. 
We also saw 20 species around Chesil including  LITTLE TERN and 20 species at Lodmoor including MARSH HARRIER
Beautiful day - and a picture from Lodmoor in Sept just to be random!!

Starling in great light at Lodmoor 

The roaring fire pit and a takeaway- business as usual! 

A tent with a view - looking out over Chesil 

The view along Chesil during a mighty breakfast

Great British Bird Watch

We took part in the GBBW this year at the cemetery project in Berkhamsted.
13 species in an hour - 25 birds from CHAFFINCH to LONG TAILED TIT to GREENFINCH to SONG THRUSH

HSF marching up for the bird watch 

Commute a bird

On the way home from work I spotted a BARN OWL flying over the A5 near Tottenhoe on my way back from Northampton. A rare and enjoyable sight!

Some bird life in the garden

it's been very barron in the garden recently - however yesterday GOLDFINCH arrived on the niger seed feeders and today around 40 CHAFFINCH and GOLDFINCH were in the trees

BLUE TIT in the hedge

GOLDFINCH

A flock of GOLDFINCH and CHAFFINCH

Hawfinch - local tick!

A visit to Great Gaddesden church produced a flock of HAWFINCH in the bad light and rain of New Years Day.
No other birders in sight when I arrived - and I saw about 6 at the top of the trees as soon as I arrived.
C. 10 in total - two different Hawfinch sites and sightings in 2 days!!!

Tricky to get on the birds - quite flitty!

A couple of Hawfinch in the lens 

Hawfinch in flight at the churchyard 

New Years Day family birding

So another year is upon us - so straight out the Granville bedroom window to start year ticking!
My first of the year is one of my faves - a BLUETIT :)
Then a family trip to College Lake picked up a few nice ticks such as:
WIGEON
TUFTED DUCK
LAPWING
GADWALL
POCHARD
Year List at a mighty #20 on day one !
Granville Garden list at #7