2016 started off with me watching my first Cetti's warbler at Witton brook in Northwich a patch first, on the 2nd of January. Later that afternoon Allan Conlin rang me to say that a Pallas's warbler had been found in Heswall, I'd already seen one in Cheshire back in 2005 but I couldn't resist going to see this little eastern gem, little did I know that come to the end of the year the east would play a big part in my birding year.
Pallas's Warbler-Heswall-3 January 2016
All was quiet in the birding world until May when the mega alert went off and I was off down to Cornwall to see Britain's first Dalmatian Pelican.
Dalmatian Pelican-Polgigga-Cornwall-10th May 2016
On the 22nd of May a Black billed cuckoo was found on the outer Hebrides,I made plans and I was watching the bird the next morning.WHAT A BIRD!
Black Billed Cuckoo-Bayhead-North Uist-Outer Hebrides-23rd May 2016
News filtered through on the 5th of July that the BOU had added Chinese Pond heron and Slaty backed gull to the British list, two nice armchair ticks for me.
Chinese Pond Heron-Hythe-Kent-2014
Another patch first for me in July when a Glossy ibis was found at Neumann's flash in Northwich.
Glossy Ibis-Neumann's Flash-26th July 2016
August started off with Britain's first Western Swamphen.
Western Swamphen-Minsmere-Suffolk-2nd August 2016
On the morning of the 6th September my good friend Higgo rang me off the Scillies to say that a Cliff swallow had been found.I was watching the bird by 6pm that night!EPIC TWITCH!
Cliff Swallow-Porth Hellick-Isles Of Scilly-6th Semptember 2016
The Wirral had a Cattle Egret invasion in September where up to five birds were seen at Burton RSPB.
Cattle Egret-Burton RSPB-13th September 2015
There was some great news for my good friend Allan Conlin at the beginning of October who had found Cheshire and Wirral's first Western Sandpiper at Hoylake and Meols from 19th-24th September 2012!At last the bird had been accepted and this represents the 9th record for Britain.Well done mate!
Cheshire and Wirral's first Western Sandpiper
(C)S.Williams
I spent the last week of September on the Isles of Scilly and had a great weeks birding, but did miss Yellow billed Cuckoo and Eastern Kingbird.THEY'LL BE ANOTHER!
On the 9th of October I took a phonecall off of Simon Slade that a Siberian Accentor had been found on the Shetlands, another first for Britain.Plans were made and I was watching the bird the next day.Little did we all know whilst watching this bird that there would be an invasion of these birds in Britain.
From early October, we were treated to a robust easterly airflow out of Asia which delivered to Britain not only the Accentors, but a surfeit of other eastern rarities:Sakhalin/Pale-legged leaf warbler,Black faced bunting,Dusky thrush,Siberian thrush and Two barred greenish warbler,along with multiple Pine buntings,White thrushes,Eastern black redstarts,Brown and Isabelline shrike's.These have been backed up by a generous supply of more expected rarities and scarcities such as Red flanked bluetails,Dusky and Pallas's warblers and our greatest inundation yet of Yellow browed warblers.
Siberian Accentor-Mossy Hill-Shetland-10th October 2016
To say that this autumn will go down in history for one of the most phenomenal rarity events of all time is not hyperbole as October concluded ,a full 182 had turned up in northern Europe over the course of the month:66 in Sweden,58 in Finland,12 in Britain,10 each in Germany, Poland and Denmark, eight in Norway, seven in Estonia,six in Latvia and four in Lithuania.
It wasn't over:early November saw more in Finland,Sweden,Norway,Denmark,Latvia, Germany,Poland and Estonia.One last British bird (for now) was at Avoch,Highland,from 6–9th-it had the honour of being fitted with a British Trust for Ornithology ring.
Cheshire and Wirral also had a Yellow browed warbler inundation with 35 records being recorded.I managed to catch up with one at Houghton Green Pond in Warrington.
Yellow Browed Warbler-Houghton Green Pond-14th October 2016
I went over to Beeley in Derbyshire on the 6th of December to see my second Dusky Thrush for Britain.
Dusky Thrush-Beeley-Derbyshire-6th December 2016
Britain's first Masked Wagtail (Moticilla alba personata) was identified in the small village of Camrose in Pembrokeshire on the 29th November.
Masked Wagtail-Camrose-Pembrokeshire-9th December 2016
On the 12th December the BOU announced that it had accepted Acadian flycatcher and Chestnut Bunting onto Category A of the British list, taking the number of species recorded to in Britain to 605.
Chestnut Bunting-Papa Westray-Orkney-26th October 2014
On the 27th December a Blue Rock Thrush was found in someone's garden in Stow on the Wold in Gloucestershire.The bird has caused much discussion but I went to see it and will wait on the decision of the BBRC.
Blue Rock Thrush-Stow-on-the-Wold-Gloucestershire-28th December 2016
Another great year birding in Britain and hopefully this time next year I will have hit the magic 500 species,only eleven more needed!I cant finish this year's summary without mentioning two very close friends that passed away this year,who I spent much time with birding Kenny Dummigan and Pete Antrobus,both birding legends who will be sadly missed by all that new them.
