End of year update

A strange year in many ways and also for the birds. When you count up the sightings then 2016 seems quite good. However we have been rather spoiled at times, in recent years, and though the Spring was great, perhaps the autumn left a little to be desired. Some excellent Spring birds included: Gull-billed Tern, Eastern Subalpine Warbler, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Black-headed Wagtail and American Golden Plover etc. A couple of top-notch waders at the start of the autumn or maybe late summer were Semi-palmated and Spotted Sandpipers but it was tough going at times for the rarity hunter; even the Islands had less than a classic season, though Skomer turned up an excellent selection of semi-rarities and Jon Hudson's Masked Wagtail is a British first so that can't be bad! The Squacco Heron also did a round of garden ponds in the south of the County. And now it's 2017 and time to see what the new year brings.