MY BIRDING YEAR 2016

The year began quietly enough, but in hindsight, there was little warning of just how extraordinary 2016 would become.

On 2 January, I opened my account with a patch first: my first-ever Cetti’s Warbler at Witton Brook, Northwich. A cracking start—but the day wasn’t finished yet. Later that afternoon, Allan Conlin rang with news that a Pallas’s Warbler had been found at Heswall. Although I’d already seen the species in Cheshire back in 2005, resistance was futile. One glimpse of that tiny eastern gem was all it took to confirm that 2016 meant business

Pallas's Warbler

After a relatively quiet spring, everything changed in May. A mega alert sent shockwaves through the birding community: Britain’s first Dalmatian Pelican had arrived in Cornwall. Within hours, I was heading south, joining the crowds to witness one of the most remarkable birds ever to grace these shores. Seeing such a huge, ancient-looking species in Britain was simply surreal.

Dalmatian Pelican

Barely had we caught our breath when, on 22 May, news broke of a Black-billed Cuckoo on the Outer Hebrides. Plans were made immediately, and by the following morning, I was watching the bird. Few transatlantic vagrants match the presence of this species—an absolutely unforgettable encounter.

Black Billed Cuckoo

Summer continued to deliver. On 5 July, the BOU announced that Chinese Pond Heron and Slaty-backed Gull had been added to the British List—two very welcome armchair ticks. Later that month, I added another patch first when a Glossy Ibis appeared at Neumann’s Flash in Northwich.

Chinese Pond Heron

Glossy Ibis

August raised the bar yet again with Britain’s first Western Swamphen, a bird that felt almost too improbable to be true.

Western Swamphen

Then came autumn—and with it, sheer ornithological madness.

On the morning of 6 September, my good friend Higgo rang from the Isles of Scilly with news of a Cliff Swallow. By 6pm that same day, I was watching it. Few twitches have ever felt so gloriously impulsive.

Cliff Swallow

September also saw a Cattle Egret invasion on the Wirral, with up to five birds present at Burton RSPB. Meanwhile, long-overdue recognition arrived for Allan Conlin, whose Western Sandpiper found at Hoylake and Meols back in September 2012 was finally accepted—Cheshire and Wirral’s first, and only the ninth British record. A richly deserved moment

Cattle Egret

Cheshire and Wirral's first Western Sandpiper

(C)S.Williams

I spent the final week of September on the Isles of Scilly, enjoying superb birding despite narrowly missing Yellow-billed Cuckoo and Eastern Kingbird. There’s always next time.

On 9 October, another phone call—this time from Simon Slade—changed everything. A Siberian Accentor had been found on Shetland: Britain’s first. I was there the following day, unaware that we were witnessing the opening chapter of one of the most extraordinary invasion events in British birding history.

A strong and sustained easterly airflow poured birds out of Asia and into northern Europe. Siberian Accentors were soon joined by a remarkable supporting cast: Sakhalin (Pale-legged) Leaf Warblers, Black-faced Buntings, Dusky and Siberian Thrushes, Two-barred Greenish Warblers, along with multiple Pine Buntings, White’s Thrushes, Eastern Black Redstarts, Brown and Isabelline Shrikes. Even more “expected” rarities appeared in unprecedented numbers, including Red-flanked Bluetails, Dusky and Pallas’s Warblers, and the largest influx of Yellow-browed Warblers ever recorded.

By the end of October, an astonishing 182 Siberian Accentors had been recorded across northern Europe:
66 in Sweden, 58 in Finland, 12 in Britain, 10 each in Germany, Poland, and Denmark, with others scattered across Norway, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

The story wasn’t finished. Early November brought further birds across Scandinavia and mainland Europe, and Britain’s final individual appeared at Avoch, Highland, from 6–9 November—fitted with a BTO ring, a fitting end to an extraordinary episode.

Siberian Accentor

Closer to home, Cheshire and Wirral experienced their own Yellow-browed Warbler inundation, with 35 records. I caught up with one at Houghton Green Pond, Warrington.

Yellow-browed Warbler

December provided a strong finish. On the 6th, I travelled to Beeley in Derbyshire to see my second British Dusky Thrush.

Dusky Thrush

Britain’s first Masked Wagtail was identified at Camrose, Pembrokeshire, on 29 November, and on 12 December the BOU added Acadian Flycatcher and Chestnut Bunting to Category A of the British List.

Masked Wagtail-Camrose-Pembrokeshire-9th December 2016

Chestnut Bunting

Finally, on 27 December, a Blue Rock Thrush appeared in a garden in Stow-on-the-Wold, Gloucestershire—an intriguing bird that sparked much debate. I went to see it and will await the BBRC’s decision.

Blue Rock Thrush

By any measure, 2016 was a landmark year for British birding. With only eleven species left to reach the magic 500, the goal feels tantalisingly close.

But no year can be remembered without acknowledging loss. Two very close friends—Kenny Dunningham and Pete Antrobus—both birding legends—passed away in 2016. I spent countless hours in the field with them, and they are deeply missed by all who knew them.

A phenomenal year, in every sense of the word.