2019 Review

The year started with finding some black and yellow stunners, these cracking Shorelarks.


Shore Larks - These are pretty scarce birds and always delightful little skitterers.



Shorelark - A hard bird to beat.

It was also a good winter for Hawk Owl and Rough Legged Buzzard in the area.



Hawk Owl - The Best Bird in the Universe



Rough Legged Buzzard - Always class.

An obliging male Parrot Crossbill was also one of the Winter's highlights. You rarely get to see them in this manner.





Parrot Crossbill

Winter Owls were also top billing, with Pygmy Owl present in our garden and others in the neighborhood.



That silhouette.



Pygmy Owl 

This Great Grey Owl also gave itself up in the city.



Gandalf - Hard to beat a Great Grey Owl

We then made a trip to Andalucia, Spain for a family meet up and some choice birding.


Azure-Winged Magpie - a long desired lifer


Crested Coot


White-Headed Duck


Griffon Vulture


Spanish Imperial Eagle - A Dream Bird

On return from Spain, we were just in time for the Spring goose migration.






Spring produced the usual flurry of colour in birds such as the grebes.



Red-Necked Grebe - Stunners

It also produced a gorgeous male Seller's Eider in the vicinity.




We also managed to connect with 4 stunning Red-Breasted Geese.





Red-Breasted Geese - the most spectacular goose in Europe.

A Summer visit from my parents for Lyra's birthday meant I got to take my dad out for all the Finnish Nightsingers.



River Warbler


Blyth's Reed Warbler


Marsh Warbler


Thrush Nightingale

We also did a little bit of filthy twitching for a nearby Red-Headed Bunting.




Red-Headed Bunting - now that's a bird!

It was one of my best years for gulling with numerous Caspian Gulls found, as well as a few Heuglins. 











Caspian Gulls Galore - Juvs are a joy to find. 



Heuglin's Gull

The autumn was fairly poor for Pallid Harrier this year, but the experience of a major influx of Red-Footed Falcon, finding several, more than made up for it.


Pallid Harrier


Red-Footed Falcon

Some showy Bluethroat were another autumn highlight.


Bluethroat

And the Rough Legged Buzzard migration was particularly good this autumn.



Rough Legged Buzzard




We also saw big influxes of Three-Toed Woodpecker, White-Backed Woodpecker and Two Barred Crossbill.




Two Barred Crossbill





Three-Toed Woodpecker




White-Backed Woodpecker

One of the prime highlights was the detection of a Eurasian Lynx in our garden.



We finished off the year with Christmas in Ireland, seeing birds such as Med Gull, Yellow-Legged Gull, Ring-Billed Gull and Cattle Egret between Louth and Cork, as well as finding a Red-Necked Grebe.

It was also good to appreciate those common species in Ireland, absent from Finland such as Stonechat, Gannet, Kittiwake, Great Northern Diver etc.


Little Egret - not a sniff in Finland




Shag - under appreciated




Gulls at Clogherhead



Ballycotton - Yellow Legged and Ring-Billed Gull in the lake, with Cattle Egret on Great Island made for good nostalgia

It was good to meet up with Dara Fitz and Phil Davis over the course of the holidays too.

Here's to a fantastic 2020!

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