A quick Summary of the 2014 Years Highlights
JANUARY
New years day found me out down at Sands Lane adding the now long stopping Great Northern Diver to the 2014 list, the day after the 2nd we were at Potteric Carr for the day picking up things like Common Snipe, Willow Tit and Lesser Redpolls a great Yorkshire Reserve and well worth a day out. That brought us onto the 12th and a trip out to Sherwood Forest for a successful day in adding Parrot Crossbill to the life list also saw plenty of Marsh Tit here as well. The 17th back at Sands Lane and the Great Northern Diver in the vain hope of better pictures. Old Moor eventually hit the rader on the 26th along with the new Sigma 150-500mm lens, here we caught up with plenty of common wildfowl and a wintering Brambling. The finals days outing for the month was at Horbury Wyke picked up a few winter thrush along with Goosander, Goldcrest and Treecreeper. Link for the Month HERE
FEBRUARY
The 7th was the first day out although rushed to see the Great Northern Diver still present. The 16th I was out again and once again at Sands Lane, the Diver was still present, before moving on to a new reserve for me Healy Mills, the highlight here were Common Snipe, Teal, Shoveler, Oystercatchers and Goldeneye. Back out again on the 21st first calling at Healy Mills were there were good numbers of Teal, Common Snipe a few Grey Wagtails and a Fox, then moved onto Old Moor to finish the day seeing Dunlin and a Weasel. The last trip out was to the East Coast, Filey and Bridlington on the 26th mainly for a photography day, surprised not to connect with Purple Sandpiper but I did manage Little Gull, Oystercatcher, Knot, Redshank, Guillemot, Razorbill and Turnstone. Link for the Month HERE
MARCH
March was a quite month with only 2 days out one at Healy Mills on the 16th connecting with Chiffchaff a Sparrowhawk and a brief sighting of a Kingfisher. Our last outing was on the 22nd and out to Marshside RSPB seeing our first Wheatear of the year other highlights were Black tailed Godwits, Avocets, and Little Egret. On the way back home we stopped off at Brockholes Nature Reserve adding a few Sand Martins to the year List. Link for the Month HERE
APRIL
Couple of visits out to Old Moor RSPB and locally to Healy Mills. Returning migrants seen Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Sand Martin, Willow Warbler and first Swallow.
Old Moor highlights were Mediterranean Gull, Booming Bittern and a Red Kite
Butterflies on the wing were Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell, Orange Tip, Large White and Brimstone
Link for the Month HERE
MAY
My first outing of the month was the Langsett and Dearne Valley areas. At Langsett Pied Flycatcher, Garden Warbler, Common Sandpiper , Redstart, Dipper and calling Cuckoo were the highlights here. At the Dearne valley Garganey, Sand Martins, Common Terns
Time at the local reserve at Healy brought in more migrants, Chiffchaffs, Common Whitethroats, Sand Martins, Swallows and Swifts and the first Reed and Sedge warblers
Middle of the month saw me again at Old Moor catching up with Large Red, Common Blue, Azure and Blue tailed Damselflies with Four spotted Chasers as a little bonus
Birds brought in Avocet, Common Tern, Willow Warbler and more Sand Martins
End of the month was a Moth night in the back garden giving me highlights like White Ermine, Brimstone, Small Magpie
Link for the Month HERE
JUNE
3 moth night during the moth all in the back garden highlights being Brimstone, Small Elephant Hawk Moth, and Varied Coronet
Trip out to a local Nature Reserve on the 18th Bullcliffe brought in a few damaselflies Common Blue, Azure and Blue tailed with Meadow Brown, Ringlet, Common Blue, Small heath and Large Skipper Butterflies. Moths out were Common carpet, Yellow Shell, Shaded Broad Bar and a Plume Moth
Further a field on the 24th to Leven Canal got me some good insects 4 Spotted Chaser, Large Red eyed Damselfly, Brown hawkers and Emperor Dragonflies. Butterflies about Red Admiral, Large White, Small Skipper, Ringlet with Reed and Sedge Warblers, Common Whitethroats, Cuckoo and Common Buzzard
Link for the Month HERE
JULY
This Month was all moths from the back garden highlights being Gothic, Plain Golden Y, Scalloped Oak, The Flame, Small fan Foot, Burnished Brass, Mother of Pearl, and Swallow Tailed
Link for the Month HERE
AUGUST
A couple of Moth nights in the back garden brought in a Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, Orange Swift, Udea lutealis,
A visit to Old Moor on the 30th gave highlights of Kingfisher, Black tailed Godwits, Green Sandpiper, Spotted Redshank, Ruff, Common Sandpiper. Plenty of Ruddy and Common Darters about.
Link for the Month HERE
SEPTEMBER
Back garden moths again brought my favourite in a Canary Shouldered Thorn along with a Snout and a Brown Spot Pinion
Link to the Month HERE
OCTOBER
10th was a local walk around Sands Lane seeing Grey Wagtail and Kingfishers and a Episyrphus balteatus Hoverfly
A trip to Spurn on the 18th gave me a stunning moment with a Golden Plover, a brief view of a Great Grey Shrike along with many migrants passing thru
End of the Month I had another day at Old Moor seeing many insects, Shield Bug, Speckled Bush Cricket, and many Common Darters. A few waders were at Old Moor Golden Plover, Lapwing, Ruff, Dunlin, and a Greenshank
Link to the Month HERE
NOVEMBER
Was covered by the Gambia highlights on this trip was a visit down to the Kartong Reserve on the 20th ,along with Colin Cross where I saw White Fronted Plovers, Hudsonian Whimbrel, African Fish Eagle, Beaudouins Snake Eagle, Allens Gallinule, Audouins Gull, Splendid Glossy Starlings
Also visited were Abuko and lamin Rice Fields 14th, Kotu Creek/Cycle Track and Fajara Golf Course 19th, Kartong 20th and Mandina Ba/Farasuto and Bonto Woods 24th
Link to the Month HERE
DECEMBER
Late in the Month but Pugneys/Calder Wetlands gave me lifer to finish the year off a Blyth’s Pipit
Link to the Month HERE
Huddsbirder 