Everything was quiet until February 17th, when news emerged that a Common Yellowthroat had been found in Rhiwderin, Gwent. I arrived at dawn the next morning and had excellent views of the bird.
This first winter male was the 11th Common Yellowthroat for Britain & Ireland.
(C) R.Stonier
May arrived, and on the 21st, I received a phone call from Dan Pointon informing me that a Cream-Coloured Courser had been found on a golf course in Hertfordshire. I met up with Josh Jones, Ash Howe, and Dan Pointon at dawn, and we quickly located the bird. What an incredible find! This must be one of the most remarkable records of the 21st century—a spring adult Cream-coloured courser perched atop Bradnor Hill in rural Herefordshire.
This made up for the bird I missed on the Isles of Scilly in 2004
(C)Josh Jones
l will remember this one for a long time, not least for the fact that many birders didn't even hear about it until they woke up in the morning, by which time we'd already left the site!
On the evening of May 24th, a Ballion's Crake was reported at Malltraeth on Anglesey. I called Josh Jones, who was already on his way, and he picked me up along the route. By first light, I was watching my first Ballion's Crake in Britain.
May 29th, I had just finished a night shift when the news broke that an Orphean warbler had been trapped and ringed at the bowling green in Hartlepool, Cleveland, and was set to be released at 8:45 AM. After a few quick phone calls, I assembled a team consisting of Malc Curtin, Fred Fearne, and Ash Powell, and we were on our way.
Fred drove us, and we met up at Lymm Services before continuing on to the bowling green, arriving around 11:30 AM. Fortunately, the bird had not moved since its release and was still sitting in a bush when we arrived, thanks to Stewart Piner, who got me straight on the bird.
Another great day birding and three lifers in a week! It’s a long time since that has happened!
On June 26th, I had just finished doing some gardening when Phil Woollen called to inform me that Mark Turner had found a possible Little Swift at New Brighton. Without wasting a moment, I rushed out of the house and sped up the M53 to New Brighton, making calls along the way. Since no news had been broadcast on the bird services yet, I called Dan Pointon to give him a heads-up. Just as I was speaking with him, the mega alert went off. I arrived at New Brighton and was quickly met by Mark Turner, who directed me straight to the bird.
What a bird and twenty minutes up the road!
(C)P Woollen
This was another great bird I had longed to see after missing the 2005 bird in Norfolk. This year was turning out to be a fantastic year for grip backs, long may it continue!
All was quiet on the birding front until September 5th, when a Long-billed Dowitcher was discovered at Lodmoor RSPB in Dorset. However, it was later re-identified as a Short-billed Dowitcher. The news broke at 10:00 PM, so I gathered my things and headed south, picking up Dan Pointon from Bristol along the way. We saw the bird the following morning.
(C) A.Chard
Autumn came and went without new bird sightings for me, but on December 20th, a Rose-breasted Grosbeak was found on St. Mary's, Isles of Scilly. I picked up Higgo, who had been visiting his parents and we headed to Newquay Airport for the morning flight. Thankfully, the bird was later seen in my friend Joe Pender's garden. While enjoying tea and biscuits, I watched the bird, recalling how I had missed one on St. Agnes by a day in 2007.
I had a great year birding and saw some amazing birds. I look forward to 2013!
