Review of 2022
/REVIEW OF THE YEAR
1) STATS
2022 was a real slog. I felt I gave it more effort than average during the year but it was one of my least successful ever for finding my own birds. Nothing rarer than Wryneck or Yellow-browed Warbler appeared in front of my bins. The rarities that I did see were top-quality birds, such as the Alpine Swift, Blyth’s Pipit and Desert Wheatear, but these were few and far between. Probably about half the number of rare birds than usual were found on the island in 2022. Finally getting Red-throated Diver means that I only have one more “non-rarity” to get in Guernsey - bloney Golden Oriole. My lucky run of rare birds in Yorkshire on trips home continued with both Baikal Teal and Turkestan Shrike ticked off. The very hot summer resulted in quite a few great insect sightings. There were plenty of new ones for the garden moth trap despite only 20-odd nights of trapping, including a couple of new ones for Guernsey, Scarce Silver-lines probably being the best. The presumed Coleophora scabrida cases I found at L’Ancresse look like they will be a new species for the British Isles* which has got to be my rarest find of the year.
Top three birding moments for 2022 : difficult to choose due to the lack of “champagne moments”,
A) Seeing the Alpine Swift in early April, a species I have long-wanted to see as a vagrant having eluded me both in Guernsey and in the UK. Especially as I had thought it had probably gone already, and especially as it was flying round me so close.
B) Watching two recently-fledged Peregrines chasing and racing around in June, right by the roadside and within metres of where I stood - terrific stuff.
C) Twitching the Turkestan Shrike which showed brilliantly in the fog at Bempton - I couldn’t believe it stayed for so long.
3 new birds for the World List - Baikal Teal, Turkestan Shrike, plus a split - Chihuahuan Meadowlark I saw 30 yrs ago in Arizona - now on 805.
3 new birds for Britain (inc. C.Is.) - Baikal Teal, Alpine Swift, Turkestan Shrike - now on 407.
4 new birds for Guernsey - Chough, Alpine Swift, Red-throated Diver, Blyth’s Pipit - now on 272.
0 new 'self-found' bird - still on 277.
2 new garden birds (in or from) - Great Spotted Woodpecker, Common Gull - now on 98.
2022 Guernsey year list total - 151 .
Official local rarities found - 0 - pitiful!
Official local rare species seen - 6 - Canada Goose, Alpine Swift, Blyth’s Pipit, Siberian Stonechat, Desert Wheatear, Chough.
End-of-year British Pan-species list - 2947, (new species during year 65).
End-of-year Guernsey Pan-species list - 2465, (new species during year 57).
Garden moth list - 676
New Lepidoptera in garden - 8 - Bucculatrix thoracella, Stathmopoda pedella, Hypsopygia glaucinalis, Lesser Cream Wave, Dingy Shell, Scorched Carpet, Dotted Rustic, Scarce Silver-lines.
New Lepidoptera in Guernsey - 8 - Bucculatrix thoracella, Stathmopoda pedella, Coleophora scabrida, Scrobipalpa ocellatella, Lesser Cream Wave, Scorched Carpet, Dotted Rustic, Scarce Silver-lines.
1 new Hommet to Rousse 'patch' birds - Little Tern - 169.
2022 Hommet to Rousse ‘patch’ year list total - 99.
The benefits of keeping accurate notes - checking exactly where I saw Meadowlarks in Arizona many years ago leads to a new tick!
PHOTOS
Here are probably my favourite 20 photos from 2022 in chronological order. Still no overseas trips so a limited number to select from.
1) Carrion Crow - Fort Hommet, March
With the low sun shining on the crow, you can see almost all the individual feathers of the all-black plumage. Despite the bird being stood on the ground there is a lot of movement in the picture, with the open-bill and stance of a bird calling with gusto, and also the wind fluffing up the mantle feathers.
2) Hoopoe - Pleinmont, March
A straightforward portrait of a cracking species against a simple background. A little bit of sunlight creeping through the trees onto the bird. Crest fluffed-up just enough not to be tacky.
3) Peregrine - Pleinmont, April
An adult Peregrine caught as it raced below me along the cliffs at Pleinmont. Despite the limitations of my camera I managed to get the bird sort-of in focus and the background seemingly racing past. The photo illustrates just what a Peregrine is - an absolute speed-merchant who looks on in pity at the puny humans below.
4) Alpine Swift - L’Eree, April
Unexpectedly seeing the Alpine Swift when I thought it had gone was a major highlight of 2022 but it was so difficult to photograph well due to its speed. I really liked this pic of the bird arcing over Rocquaine Bay, with the Cup and Saucer in the background, showing the bird in context. Makes it look rarer compared to a frame-filling shot and you can just ID it too. Photos of rarities in familiar locations are always nice to get.
5) Wheatear - Rousse, April
A close-up portrait of an iconic species. This was part of a mini-fall on the beach and allowed close approach without flying off. Many, many pics were taken and this was my favourite in a typical upright posture.
6) Whinchat - Rousse, April
I see so many Whinchats here but I don’t get very many spring males. Nothing too special about the photo but I liked it.
7) Peregrine - Herm, May
We were bobbing around on the rib behind Herm on the bird race looking for auks when this bird was spotted perched on an offshore stack. It wasn’t very close so this is pretty zoomed in. Colour wasn’t doing anything for the photo so I desaturated it to black and white, then overlaid it with a slight sepia filter. Again, the bird is tiny in the frame but I the composition is pleasing - the falcon appearing to be perched on the head of an ancient giant.
8) Goldfinch - garden, May
The garden stones get covered in Groundsel in the spring and I tend to leave them there for the Goldfinches. I also made a small bird drinking pool for the garden which became well-used very quickly. Sitting on my usual chair in the garden, the bird soon got used to my presence. The Groundsel seeds are so tiny you wouldn’t think they were worth the effort for the finches. Most of the fluff on the plant here isn’t actually from the Groundsel seeds, but from Willow the dog after a recent brush!
9) Common Darter - Grand Pre, June
Perched dragonflies are easy targets for the insect photographer. One of few that are large enough for a normal zoom lens and they tend to sit motionless out in the open for ages. The grass head here is in full flower, with the anthers bursting out.
10) Woodpigeons - garden, June
One thing I made a distinct effort to do this year was to try and get some decent pictures of common species taken in Guernsey. I watched this pair of amorous Woodpigeons walking along the garden wall and thought it would make a nice picture. The subtle colours stand out nicely against the dark background and the birds are in nice poses. The differences in iris posture between the sexes I presume is some kind of signaling about mating. In any case, the female doesn’t look impressed and is trying to get away it seems. #MeCoo
11) Purple Hairstreak - La Garenne, July
The first time I have ever taken a photo of this species, one that isn’t too rare in Guernsey but I don’t see very often. Just a quick call-in on the way back from work, it was so hot and a few of these were flying round the isolated Oak at the nature reserve. The sun is shining nicely through both the leaf and the butterfly wing, and you can just see the purplish sheen on the upperwing.
12) Colletes fodiens - Les Vardes, July
An almost identical photo to one I took a couple of years back. These have to be the cutest bees ever and always seem to be devouring the nectar on the yellow composites.
13) Emerald Damselfly - Driffield, August
Not a species we have on Guernsey, there were plenty of these around a dried-up pool on the outskirts of the town. This photo is full of straight lines and angles.
14) Beverley Minster - Yorkshire, August
Absolutely love exploring churches, so when I visited Beverley I had to pay a visit to the Minster and took a few pics on the phone. The light was shining through the massive windows in the room beyond an ornate passageway, bouncing off the shiny floor tiles and other surfaces, with lens flares from the electric lights. Only after looking at the pic afterwards did I notice that the woman gazing up at the cross was using a crutch - this is Beverley love, not Lourdes!
15) Swallows - Flamborough, August
A pair of grumpy baby Swallows resting along Old Fall Hedge, two of four juvenile birds that an adult kept returning to to feed. I did get a few shots of the adult flying in with their mouths agape but nothing clear. A bit of sun might have helped but it was a dull, dull day.
16) Siberian Stonechat - Pleinmont, September
Not the sharpest picture at all, in fact it is decidedly blurry, but as for showing a rare bird along with its main ID feature, it is second to none. The bird was flycatching in the sun and you can easily see the unlucky fly it had zeroed in on. The peachy uppertail-coverts, all dark tail, thick pale wingbars and light supercilium can all be picked out.
17) Yellow-browed Warbler - La Garenne, October
One of my favourite species perched up as if posing for a field guide painting. The grey tones to the photo mirror the dull, wet, autumn days that this species is often discovered.
18) Dartford Warbler - Pleinmont, November
The return of Dartford Warblers to Pleinmont was one of the best local bird news stories of 2022. It took me a while to see them but eventually I saw them a few times. Mostly these were flitting views but this day, the male bird was feeding out in the open in the sun. I preferred black and white for this pic against the sky.
19) Lapwing - St. Saviours, December
When you don’t see something common very often you can appreciate it more, especially when it looks this amazing. Those crazy head plumes and oil-slick rainbow upperpart feathers are superb.
20) Red-throated Diver - Rocquaine, December
After looking for this species for over 20 years, lopping it off in 2022 was superb. I saw this one to the north and dashed up the beach when I realised it was slowly coming closer. I positioned myself on a suitable rock and waited and managed a few nice pics just as it surfaced close by. Getting pics of divers seems impossible as they are always far away, but every now and then one comes close. With 4 divers now on my Guernsey list, it would be nice to get all 5.
