These are some of my highlights for 2023, they are a mix of birds and during June/July/Aug/September dragonflies. Only 7 of these records are other peoples birds and marked*
January.
Cockersand. Black Redstart* Hen Harrier*
Our Urban Garden. Chiffchaff, Goldcrest, Blackcap.
February.
Lancaster Cemetery. Bullfinch pair.
Cockersand. Merlin*
March.
Our Urban Garden. Reed Bunting was a first and unexpected record.
April.
Williamson's Park/Lancaster Cemetery, 8 Chiffchaff.
Birk Bank. Cuckoo.
Holme Wood. Redstart.
Holme Wood. Redstart 29 April.
May.
Gibson Wood. Wood Warbler*
Circuit Rigg Lane-Crag Wood-Birk Bank-Rigg Lane, 6 Garden Warbler.
Hawthornthwaite Fell. Ring Ouzel.
Bull Beck. 4 Garden Warbler.
Birk Bank. Bilberry Bumblebee, 10 Pearl-bordered Fritillary over the bog.
Glasson-Conder Green Canal. 5 Banded Demoiselle.
Grisedale Brook. 12 Golden-ringed Dragonfly.
Glasson Dock. White-letter Hairstreak.
August.
Birk Bank Bog. 4 Keeled Skimmer, Golden-ringed Dragonfly, 6 Migrant Hawker.
Crag Wood/River Conder. Up to 20 Migrant Hawker overhead at one time.
Canal Towpath Aqueduct-Lancaster. Southern Hawker, 12 Brown Hawker.
Canal Towpath Glasson-Galgate. 30 Brown Hawker, 12 Migrant Hawker, Banded Demoiselle.
Bank End. 3 Yellow Wagtail*
Bodie Hill Glasson. American Golden Plover*
Aqueduct Pool. Emerald Damselfly, 2 Southern Hawker, Brown Hawker.
September.
Canal Towpath Garstang. 20 Migrant Hawker, 10 Brown Hawker.
Cockersand. Curlew Sandpiper, Marsh Harrier, 1st winter Little Gull, 12 Wheatear.
Lune Estuary Glasson. Curlew Sandpiper, 7 Migrant Hawker.
Canal Towpath Conder-Galgate. 112 Migrant Hawker, 44 Red Admiral.
Cockersand. 1st winter Merlin, 30 Twite, 4 Cattle Egret.
November.
Conder Pool. Barn Owl.
Cockersand. Hen Harrier ringtail.
December.
Cockersand. 2,500 Pink-footed Geese, Snow Bunting.
Jeremy Lane. 1st winter Russian White-fronted Goose*
And The Winner Is....
The truly amazing record of 394 Stonechat over 54 days from 7 February - 2 April, which I collected from two sightings pages, in the main FBC and to a lesser degree LDBWS.
In 2nd Place. Seen three times, a Bilberry Bumblebee, including some remarkable footage of a specimen burrowing on Clougha 12 June. Thanks to Ian Mitchell. It was suggested by an expert in the field, it was burrowing to hibernate as opposed to attempting to nest.
In 3rd Place. Between 8 August and 21 September, I found and logged 206 Migrant Hawker.
A Happy New Year To Everyone
I hope you have some good birding for 2024. If it's half as good as 2023 was for me, then your in for an excellent year and something special.
Every one of those records is enviable, Pete, and many are truly remarkable. It will be hard for you to beat that in 2024, but I hope you do!
ReplyDeleteMy very best wishes to you and KT for the New Year - - - - Richard
Thank You for this Richard. Looking forward to seeing what the New Year brings.
DeleteMy Best Wishes for you too, and for Lindsey also.
Good end of year report.
ReplyDeleteNice header picture and Redstart video.
Looking back you have seen plenty of variety through the year as a whole.
So glad we both managed to find our first local Bilberry Bumblebees, this was of my year’s highlights along with the Cockersands Merlin, Black Redstart and Snow Buntings and Purple Hairstreak.
Thanks for your blogs all the best for the new year.
Ian - from my iPad (unable to sign into google for some reason)
Your end of year report would have looked good on B2B too. The Bilberry Bumblebee video was an Oscar winner. You should realise, not only the insect on the summit of Clougha, but also the video of it is a UK first....YEEHAA!
DeleteBest Wishes for 2024 Ian.