What 2012?

On a personal level and from a birding perspective, with talk of 2012 being the wettest year since records began, and 'other things' overwhelming me to make my birding days at an absolute minimum, this year will go down in my history book as being by far the worst since the day I discovered the difference between a Wren and a Golden Eagle about 250 years ago and have been birding ever since. And so I have no particular interest in reviewing a year I'd rather sooner forget in birding terms.

But doing my daily trawl through the internet yesterday I came across several photographs which took my breath away, though nothing really new there as I find them all the time. It is for this reason I should look back at 2012, and instead of reviewing the birds I've barely had the chance to see/find, I should thank my lucky stars I found and got to know something like 24 excellent photographer/birders in the UK, America, Spain, and France who all willingly gave me permission to post their images on Birdsblog in order to enhance it no end. On ocassions I've been in touch with all of these people and they with me, some of whom have forwarded me stunning pictures unsolicited for which I'm truly grateful. But theres another side to this arrangement, and 'spyware' I have in place on my computer tells me that all these people in turn get some good numbers of visitors to their own websites by having had their photographs published on Birds2blog. So the set up here then is....we're all winners in the best possible way.

Red Kite. Ana Minguez.

One of the first images I found yesterday was of the Red Kite with thanks to Ana Minguez 

Golden Eagle. Antonio Puigg

So I decided to look for a couple more raptor images to put up on this 'gap in my birding' filler and found another stunner in this one of the magnificent Golden Eagle thanks this time to Antonio Puigg 

Marsh Harrier. Phillip Tomkinson.

And finally, the third of these magnificent three, the brilliant juvenile Marsh Harrier with another thanks going to Phillip Tomkinson 

I'D SOONER BE BIRDING....But the weather continues to have other ideas and I just have this feeling it could well be 2013 before I do. But one thing for sure, next year is going to be turn around year for me and its back to 'business as usual' as far as I'm concerned, I need the birds....watch me!