My big year
Neil Glenn is a freelance writer and bird tour leader who aims to see 250 species in Britain in a year. In 2019, he went a step further and totalled 309 ‘accepted’ species in Britain ( it was actually 311 but two species were rejected by the BBRC!!).
I’ve always found New Year’s Eve a fake day; enforced jollity for no discernible reason. However, my ‘ bah humbugness’ means I can spend time counting up my list for #My200BirdYear (a respectable 269 in 2021). I can also plan out a January itinerary to get the New Year off to a flyer!
I suspect, like many people, Robin was the first species on my 2022 list. These cheeky garden regulars are always a delight, but on 1 January, every species is thrilling.
I’d planned a bit of family time, but it just so happened that on the way to the in-laws, there was a fantastic bird to get the juices flowing: a Hen Harrier on my local grassland! My Robin was a welcome start, but it couldn’t compete with the harrier half a mile from my house. What a bonus! Also on show were Linnets, Sky Larks, Meadow Pipits, a Buzzard and a Kestrel.
And this brings me to my first tip for #My200BirdYear: birdwatch whenever and wherever you can. The above haul was tallied during a 30-minute trip to somewhere else. I grabbed the opportunity and was rewarded. As the late, great DIMWallace once said to me: “Neil, it’s always a case of time in; birds out.”
The next day, 2 January, saw me practising my second tip on how to build a decent year list: plan a ‘Big Day’. There are many UK places where, with planning, one can rack up quite a list in a day without having to travel far.
My chosen venue was Rutland. I’m fortunate enough to be about an hour’s drive away from Rutland Water and Eyebrook Reservoir. In January, a mouth-watering list of birds could be seen, as well as many species of common birds.
Thousands of winter wildfowl glowed in the sunlight. Delights such as Shoveler, Wigeon, Goldeneye and Tufted Duck, as well as bonuses such as two Whooper Swans and three Avocets, upped the year list nicely.
Seasonal delights
While scanning these flocks, I managed to pick out species such as Smew, Scaup and, best of all, in rarity value if not in the looks stakes, an immature female Ring-necked Duck.
Later, I popped in to see Tim Appleton MBE in his garden, and took part in one of his Global Birding 30-minute birdwatches. We logged 41 species, including more wildfowl and a few woodland birds, such as Coal Tit and Great Spotted Woodpecker, taking advantage of Tim’s feeders. In 30 minutes, more than 20% of the 200 target for the year. Time in; birds out!
If you want to reach your #My200BirdYear target, consider one or two ‘Big Days’ or long weekends. Destinations could include the Norfolk coast, Yorkshire, the Somerset Levels, Cornwall and many more. Pore over the Go Birding walks in this magazine for more ideas.
The idea of searching out birds leads me to my third tip: visit certain habitats at particular times of the year. By the end of January, I aim to be heading towards the 150 species mark, but remember that whatever you miss, you will get a second chance at from November to December.
But there are some species you’ll only have a small window to connect with. Birds that only visit us to breed will have to be sought out between April and September. Migrants such as Little Ringed Plover, Wheatear, Garganey, Sand Martin and Stone-curlew arrive early – usually