Birding Highlights 2018 - Top 11

2018 has been an extremely successful birding year for me, with so many highlights, some I didn't put on this list. This is also just a list of birding events, so doesn't include the Birdfair or the People's Walk for Wildlife, even though they were probably the highlights of the year. 

It also doesn't include the best birding event of the year, Poland, because this is purely based on my birding top 11 in Britain.
Smew
One of my first birding excursions of 2018 was to Rutland water, without any specific targets. After seeing many good birds around the reservoirs, including Goosander and American Wigeon, I entered a hide to see a Smew, although not a real one, but one being filmed through a camera. I looked up to see a stunning drake Smew swimming a couple of metres in front of the hide, the kind of views you can get at from captive birds. It swam away and joined a female more distantly. Awesome views of an awesome bird.

Butterflies
Another highlight was searching for butterflies, which I only got interested in last year. Many of the species with restricted range could be found locally as well, sometimes within walking distance from my house! Not really a 'birding' highlight, but falls in to the category of searching for wildlife. 

Duke of Burgundy 

Purple Hairstreak

White-Letter Hairstreak

Gulling
After buying the Gulls of The World book at the start of the year, I begin to understand how to ID Yellow-Legged Gulls, and others. I can't say I can tell them all apart, but I'm better than I was. Events throughout the year also helped, as I went on a couple of 'gulling days' in Suffolk. Gulling also produced a recent Caspian Gull in London, one of the best-looking large gulls!

Juvenile Yellow-Legged Gull

Yellow-Legged Gull - near adult 

Little Gull, because they don't all look the same

Redstart

During a long weekend in Norfolk in May, seeing Purple Heron, Dotterel, Wood Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, Cuckoo, Woodlark, Dartford Warbler, Nightingale and many other good birds, the highlight was probably this male Redstart, found by the warden of Holme Bird Observatory. It stayed out in the open and at extremely close range at all times, perching on open posts, low bushes and on the grass, often next to a Wheatear. 

Oriole Birding day trip 3rd February

An extremely successful day's birding in Norfolk, led by Jason Moss, Oriole Birding. Highlights were Glossy Ibis, Rough-Legged Buzzard, Merlin, Cranes, Barn Owl, masses of waders, male Hen Harrier, Mediterranean Gull and Bewick's and Whooper swans feeding in fields.

Migfest

I was delighted to be in the final of the young birders competition at Spurn, and although I didn't win the competition, the weekend was a huge success (ignoring the worst-quality tents I've ever had). 

I found Pied Flycatcher and Redstart, not 'mega finds' but both great birds. The Pied Flycatcher was thanks to David Walsh telling me what the call sounded like beforehand as well. I also had good views of Common Rosefinch, but it was the whole experience of the event that was the best thing.

Pied Flycatcher

Yellow-Browed Warblers

 I was concerned I would not have time to see one of these this year. However, in the end, I managed to see/hear about ten, including one trapped and ringed at Portland, and four self-found ones, mostly in Cornwall. With almost every bird, I heard the distinctive call, which, for me, has become a sound of autumn. One experience included one calling at the same time as a Dusky Warbler in Cornwall!

Yellow-Browed Warbler

Spurn in August

My second visit to Spurn (before the Migfest) and my second time in August. Even more successful than the previous year, with a trip that started with Spotted Crake and Stilt Sandpiper on the way up, and ended with a perfectly timed Citrine Wagail flying over my head as I was getting in the car to leave. 

Other birds included at least three Icterine Warblers, including one probably self-found (a chance it could have been a re-find, but was likely a different bird from the first), Woodchat Shrike, Black and Roseate Tern, Spotted and Pied Flycatcher (including three in one bush), Tree Pipit, Long and Short-Eared Owls, Fieldfare, loads of Whinchats and so many more great birds. 

Icterine Warbler

Spotted Crake (Gibraltar Point, on the way to Spurn)

Catbird and Bittern

The two rare birds I saw in 2018, the American Bittern involved a long range twitch and the Grey Catbird, involving pure luck, as it chose the week I was going to Cornwall to arrive and settled 10 minutes from where I was staying. Of course, right before I had amazing views of the it, my camera screen fell off and became broken beyond repair. 

The American Bittern showed well,after a four-hour wait, although it was distant, and began to display to a Eurasian Bittern, both birds standing out in the open some of the time. The day also produced a male Hen Harrier.

Local Birding

I would call it patching, but I didn't have time to visit my patch much during the second half of the year. My local area included much the Colne Valley, Ruislip Woods and a few other areas in between. The highlights of local birding included self found Dunlins (once again, might not be considered much of a 'find', but it was an unusual, underwatched site inland and in walking distance from my house), a Curlew flying over Broadwater, Garden Warblers, Bittern, Jack Snipe and Yellow-Legged Gull.

Countless other local highlights include Goldeneye, Caspian Gull, Kingfisher, Siskin, Bullfinch, Water Rail, Pintail, Hobby, Oystercatcher, Water Pipit, Lesser Whitethroat (singing at my school!) and Fieldfares in my garden.

Siskin

Bittern

Dunlins

Fieldfare

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker

One of the highlights, mostly because of the six attempts it took to see it. The first five at Cassiobury Park, all of which didn't produce a sighting, although I heard one drumming briefly. However, for the sixth attempt, I visited a woodland in Buckinghamshire, where, after a bit of searching, I heard one calling, drumming and I got views of it. A success after so many failures!