Don't get me wrong I've not dipped a single bird this year but there's been some pretty good birds that were either out of reach for the time, distance and money factors that always play a part in my decision making process or just didn't hang around long enough to be twitchable.
I'll start with the big ones despite them both being out of my twitch zone on Shetland and Scilly
Least Bittern: Shetland 7th October found at a beach car park and taken into care but sadly didn't make it through the night. Around a hundred or so birders on Shetland connected with the bird in various fashion. Some saw it alive at the site some saw it alive in the hand and it's rumoured that some travelled to connect with it whilst in care. Maybe some even saw it after it had expired and some of those may even still tick it, I'm not here to judge or police anybody else's list though. The bird was a first for Britain that I wouldn't have twitched if it had stayed a month being Shetland and outside my budget of money and time. I have seen one in Florida but would obviously like to add it to my British list at some point.
Blackburnian Warbler: A long staying bird on Scilly first seen on 13th October saw many on the island connect and with it staying until 29th October most that wanted to travel for it could. Again it was outside my mainland boundary but I must admit I very nearly made my first ever Scilly trip for it. The bird has only ever been seen three times before in Britain and all were short staying island birds. Skomer 1961 5/10 - Fair Isle 1988 7/10 - St Kilda 2009 12/9 - 14/9
And a few mainland misses.....
Yellow browed Bunting: One was trapped and ringed at Sandwich Bay obs in Kent on 10th October but sadly not seen after release. I was on standby awaiting news for this one. Only five previous records and all island birds apart from the 1975 one day Norfolk bird.
Black faced Bunting: One trapped and ringed at Nanjizal in Cornwall on 19th November and again wasn't seen after release. Only seven previous records three of which were mainland birds.
American Purple Gallinule: One was seen by a builder and photographed on 16th November at Dunster in Somerset. News circulated after the image appeared on facebook but sadly the bird couldn't be refound and may have expired. Just three previous records, two found dead and one that died in care.
Lesser Sand Plover: This one hurt as it was found locally at Cliffe Pools in Kent on 1st September and I was in the car on the way there within minutes only for the bird to depart soon after being found and reported. Only six previous records with the last one being 2013.
White-crowned Sparrow: This one is on my dipped list for a few years back so when news broke of one photographed in a garden in Devon I was on standby but sadly the bird wasn't seen again and I don't think hoax was totally ruled out. Thirteen previous records.
Terek Sandpiper: Another from my dipped list but this this year has seen just two "possible" reports. One at Spurn on 18th May and one in Aberdeen on 31st July.
Tawny Pipit: This remains my real bogey bird and top of my target list but this year it didn't give itself up for me. Just four reports all year with one on Scilly for three days in May. One at West Runton in Norfolk for a couple of hours on 11th May, a fly over at Weybourne and another at Gramborough Hill on 6th May
Black Scoter: This one is pulling the twitch strings a bit but it's around six hours from home and views are sure to be distant so I'm waiting for two options....a) one to turn up closer to home or b) to be closer to the area at some point to attempt the twitch. The bird returns each winter and it was seen all year until 19th April and then returned on 23rd September so it gives me plenty of time to connect. Another was seen in Aberdeen on 31st July until 28th August so I suppose they could be the same bird, not sure if this is the considered opinion.
Cackling Goose: Another that is gettable most years but I just can't put in the miles for it. I connected with one in Norfolk once but it wasn't accepted. Birds have been seen in Lancs, Argyll and North Uist this year.
Wilson's Storm Petrel: I could do the Scilly pelagic and tick this bird but I also have the chance of seeing one on a sea watch in Cornwall so hope to be in the right place at the right time one day.
This year the Scilly pelagics connected many times between 6th June and 29th August and there were over twenty sightings from the Cornish coast too.
Blackpoll Warbler: One at Nanjizal Valley Cornwall 2/10. There are many records but as far as I can see the last twitchable mainland bird was back in 1994.
Aquatic Warbler: Dorset Lytchett Fields 7/8, 12/8 and 13/8 and at Abbotsbury 14/8 one in Devon on 14/8 and another on 22/8 one at Nanjizal 25/8 and one in Gwent 13/8 (All trapped and ringed apart from the Abbotsbury one which was seen in the field)
Birds seen only on the islands and therefore out of my twitch range were
Thrush Nightingale : Fair Isle 20/5 Bardsey Island 2/6 Lundy 3/6
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper: Isle of Man 29/8
Collared Flycatcher: Fair Isle 20/5
Baltimore Oriole: Lundy 8/10
Swainson's Thrush: Scilly 6/10 - 12/10 Barra 28/9 Yell 29/9 - 1/10
Wilson's Snipe: Scilly 14/10 - 21/11
Pechora Pipit: Shetland 3/10 - 5/10 Lewis 16/10 Scilly 19/10 (possible on 20th too)
White's Thrush: Orkney 27/9 and 23/10 Shetland 9/10-10/10
Lanceolated Warbler: Fair Isle 9/9 North Ron 1/10-2/10 Shetland 4/10
Tennessee Warbler: Skokholm 12/10
Siberian Rubythroat: Shetland 20/10
Siberian Thrush: One found dead on Papa Westray 27/9 Yell 1/10
Eastern Subalpine Warbler: Lundy 26/4 Skokholm 17/5-18/5 Foula 5/6-6/6
Possibles and Probables
Long-legged Buzzard: Reported in Cornwall on four occasions by single observers between 30/5 & 1/6
Trindade Petrel: Porthgwarra 24/8
Eastern Bonelli's Warbler : a heard only possible on 21/10 at Winterton
Sooty Tern: Papa Westray 4/5
Gyr Falcon: Lewis 27/9 &28/9 Conwy 26/10 (one of unkown origin Dumfries 6/6)
Little Swift: single observer in Feltham London 26/5, Seahouses 1/6 Wangford Suffolk 21/6 and one reported in Bristol 30/10
So after having this little look back on the misses I have just two that I realistically would go for, The Black Scoter and the Cackling Goose. Maybe I could have tried a sea watch to jam on the Wilson's petrel too but the others are either out of my range or moved on and weren't twitchable.
Late news of a Stejneger's Scoter found in Lothian on 10th December. A first for Britain no less, six hours from home but like the Black Scoter I can't bring myself to do the 12 hour return journey for a very distant underwhelming duck I suppose there's every chance this bird will spend the winter in the area so if I'm up that way I may take a chance and have a look for it in a similar fashion to the Black Scoter but a long distant twitch isn't going to happen. Whilst I like to see new birds, I'm still able to perform these little sense checks before shooting off for anything and everything unlike some more competitive souls but as I always say, "each to their own".
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