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.
Pallas's Warbler
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.
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| Dalmatian Pelican |
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
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
Another patch first for me in July, when a Glossy Ibis was found at Neumann's Flash in Northwich.
Glossy Ibis
August started off with Britain's first Western swamphen.
Western Swamphen
On the morning of the 6th of 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
The Wirral had a Cattle egret invasion in September where up to five birds were seen at Burton RSPB.
Cattle Egret
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 represented 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 week birding, but did miss Yellow-billed Cuckoo and Eastern kingbird. There'll be another!
On the 9th of October, I took a phone call from 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 surplus 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, Browns, and Isabelline shrikes. 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
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 the 6th–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
I went over to Beeley in Derbyshire on the 6th of December to see my second Dusky thrush for Britain.
Dusky Thrush
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 12th December, the BOU announced that it had accepted Acadian flycatcher and Chestnut Bunting onto Category A of the British list.
Chestnut Bunting
On the 27th of 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
Another great year birding in Britain, and hopefully, this time next year I will have hit the magic 500 species, only eleven more are needed! I can't finish this year's summary without mentioning two very close friends who passed away this year, whom I spent much time birding with, Kenny Dunningham and Pete Antrobus, both birding legends who will sadly be missed by all that knew them.