Birding for another Year comes to an End. What does 2009 have Instore? Have a Very Happy New Year!!

I have seen 281 birds in the World this year not quite the list that Alan Davies and Ruth Miller have put together in their "Biggest Twitch" They have seen 4,327 a New World Record!! I suppose something to aim for ;-)

The start of the year was helped by a visit to Namibia which was brilliant and I hope to get back there in the not too distant future.



It really is a wonderful country and I would recommend it to anyone. It is relatively easy to bird and with the help of SASOL Birds of South Africa I was able to identify all but a very small handful of birds. The only downside was a partner who was totally disinterested in Birding.

There are a few other things that stand out in the year. One was going to see The Little Tern Colony at Baltray just North of Dublin. Of which I was really impressed.
Here the Louth Nature Trust manage The Little Tern Conservation Project. They essentially set up a fence around the area of beach where the Little Terns breed and volunteers sit throughout the whole breeding season of May through to August in daylight hours and discourage people from walking their dogs too close to the area. They also disturb any vermin such as Hooded Crows from predating the eggs or Foxes getting too close.






I think the volunteers do a wonderful job and is a good example of people taking conservation into their own hands.

Talking of Terns I have seen 9 different species this year the majority of them in Namibia. Sandwich, Caspian, Common, Arctic, Black Tern, White Winged Tern, Little Tern, Foster's Tern and Damara Tern.


This Foster's Tern photographed flying into a Rainbow about a mile from my house. (Nice to have a rarity such as this so close to home.)



One of My favourite Images of the Year is this Arctic Tern at the Belfast Harbour Reserve.


The other event which I really enjoyed was going on my first pelagic with Anthony McGeehan off Inishbofin.
I am going on my next one in about six weeks time off Kaikoura in New Zealand. Hopefully my yearly list will again start of with a bang as I am spending the whole of February with my father in NZ.

Well all I can do now is wish everybody who visits this blog a Very Happy and Hopefully Prosperous New Year.