To say that 2014 has for me been a difficult year is perhaps
somewhat of an under-statement. At times
it has been stressful and distressing.
I’d first of all like to offer my sincere thanks to those close to me
who have helped me through it. Knowing
that I have folk to fall back on has been more important this year than it has
ever been and the folk involved know who they are. Despite the difficulties, the year did
provide enjoyable highlights and it is not a year that I would want to have
missed. Commitments meant that patch
birding for me was on the whole put on the back burner as I devoted what free
time I did have to getting out and about to other places. Some of the highlights I mention below.
In January Sam and I were invited by Blanaid Denman to visit
RSPB Geltsdale. The focus of the day was
to be Hen Harriers and happily we
were able to watch two ringtail Hen
Harriers that day. Sam and I were
becoming involved in the RSPB Skydancer
Project and we were filmed that day for an RSPB video. I must find out if the video has been
released yet as I’m sure you’ll all want to watch it! The atmosphere at Geltsdale at this time of
year was wonderful and we also managed to have sightings of the likes of Merlin and Black Grouse. In February
the focus was on a Mallard and a Bittern, and yes other locomotives. That was the day I stood on a Mallard! That early morning adventure was excellent
and provided a great chance for photography as we joined the photographic event
before the event opened to the rest of the public at Shildon. Interesting enough, a blog about that day
brought sixteen comments, more than I have ever had when the focus was on
birds. Maybe I need to try train
spotting!
Geltsdale
My UK
highlight of the year was when Sam and I had another very early morning in
April when we visited the Upper Pennines with
Martin Kitching. Sam had won this day out as a prize in the North East
Photography competition run by the NHSN and NWT and as in the previous year he
invited me along as the second person on the photography day with NEWT. We experienced a long and exciting day out in
the field which began with sightings of Tawny
Owl, Woodcock and best of all the Black
Grouse lek. The atmosphere was never beaten throughout
the rest of the year. Other notable highlights
were twenty-two Whooper Swans, Rough
Legged Buzzard, Red Grouse,
Red-legged Partridge, Grey Partridge, Golden Plover, close up Common Snipe and Raven to name
a few.
Common Snipe
L
Other highlights of the early part of 2014 were the walks
Sam and I completed up at Druridge
Bay. Perhaps the best one of them began with us
spending time at the start of the walk photographing Snow Buntings. I can’t miss
from my year’s highlights the breeding Great
Crested Grebes on Killingworth
Lake. I wasn’t able to spend as much time with them
this year as on previous occasions, but they would not have been lonely as it
would seem that every camera owner in the North East has now discovered Killingworth Lake and pay a visit when the Great Crested Grebes are nesting! Some,
I’m pleased to say visit at other times and it was only yesterday when I was
able to pass some time with Sedgdunum Warbler beside the lake, as John and I
remembered our youthful sightings of murmurations of Starlings in Newcastle City centre.
Those were the days when bird crap on buildings was an accepted part of
city life. Now we have the wannabes complaining about a few
Kittiwkes!
Move forward a little and I have two great memories of
2014. The first of these is the trip to Hungary with
Sam and Graham. We started the Hungarian
trip with a stay in Budapest which in my opinion
is a fantastic city and it provided us with some decent birds, the best one
being the Night Heron flying away at
night from the Danube
River over the brightly
lit St Matyas Church. Then of course
there were the odd looks from locals as Sam and I spent so much time
photographing Hooded Crows near the Royal Palace. I have great memories of Budapest and even greater ones of the birding
in the Bukk Hills and at the Hortobagy.
We were greeted on arrival by a Goshawk
mobbing and Eastern Imperial Eagle
and we watched the likes of Hawfinch
and Middle Spotted Woodpeckers in
the garden! The greatest highlights were
however our day on the Little Hortobagy with the likes of Black Stork, Spoonbills, Common Cranes, Short Toed Eagle and Red
Backed Shrikes, and another day when we found a flock of European Bee-Eaters as we searched for
butterflies. Oh yes, the butterflies
were wonderful, not least the Swallowtail
Butterflies which allowed such good close up photo opportunities. The trip brought us many a laugh. Then there was the trip to Berlin
and Prague with
Sam. Not a birding trip this time, but a
cultural trip. It wasn’t a trip without
birds though and included the likes of Goshawk,
Marsh Harrier, Tawny Owl (over
the Brandenburg Gate at night), Black
Redstarts and Pied Flycatchers.
Heath Fritillary (Hungary)
Black Stork (Hungary)
The trip to Berlin had me
searching out Berlin-The
Downfall by Antony Beevor. What a
great read. I was so impressed I went on
to read Antony Beevor’s Stalingrad, The Spanish Civil War, The Battle
for Crete and D Day. So not a lot of time
for natural history reading at that point.
Oh well, no one wants to be a one trick pony do they?
Brandenburg Gate
Back home of course Sam and I found the first ever Black-Winged Pratincole at Holywell
Dene. Yes please note…6th July! OK, we said initially that it was a Collared
Pratincole, but come on! So no one can take that one away from us. It was a lifer (I’ve seen dozens of Collared Partincole :-)) My only other lifer this year was the Stilt Sandpiper at Cresswell Pond. On another occasion I spent one of those
wonderful evenings at Cresswell Pond and watched the likes of five Little Egrets, Three Spoonbills, Avocets, Little Ringed Plover, Yellow Wagtail and
the Barn Owls further up the road at
opposite Druridge Pools. We were there
until after the wonderful sunset.
Of course there was the annual evening trip to Slaley, this
time with Marie, Tony and Sam. It took
us some time to pick up the sounds of Nightjars,
but we did and we also had good sightings.
There were two memorable RSPB group trips this year. One to Bishop Middleham and the old quarry
and another to Threave and Mersehead.
Both led by Sam and I, suggesting that is why they were memorable!
:-) The day at Bishop Middleham was very
hot and we had sightings of the Northen
Brown Argus and many other butterflies and of course the Dark Red Helleborines.
The day at Threave and Mersehead was rather cooler but very rewarding
with sightings including Whooper Swans,
White-fronted Geese, male and female Hen
Harrier, Pintails in great number and of course the Barnacle Geese. It was a
first time sighting of Hen Harrier for some participants and that is what I
think RSPB groups should be all about i.e education and raising awareness about
nature and conservation. It was the
first time I had explored Threave and hope it will be the first of many visits.
Dark Red Helleborine (Bishop Middleham)
So despite my traumatic year I’ve found I’ve managed to pack
in quite a bit. I’ll enter 2015 with no
less passion for nature and no less determination to keep away from most of the
technology that has crept into bird and nature watching. Sorry it’s just not for me (except the bins,
scope and camera gear that is). I must
belong to a different era. Just let me
do my own thing with good mates and let me read good books and I’ll be
happy. I have a pile of books ready to
read in 2015 and I’m presently stuck into the New Naturalist Owls by Mike Toms.
No New Year resolutions for me. Well none that I’m going to share. I do hope to get round to buying new camera
gear, but I said that last year I’m sure!
Best wishes for the New Year Brian! I hope 2015 shall be a nice one.
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