This is just a short note to say that I simply cannot be bothered to write an end-of-year post. In years gone by I actively looked forward to this, best bird, stupidest moment etc, but this year I find myself strangely ambivalent towards the whole thing.
In summary I've had a fun year birding, with only a pitiful performance here in the UK somewhat letting the stats down. As of right this moment I am sitting on 199 for the year which I find intensely irritating. It was 198, but some oh-so-kosher Barnacle Geese on the Isle of Wight yesterday halved the number required for respectability. I am back in London now, so in a minute I shall head out to Wanstead Flats again to try and see that bloody Barn Owl, which would not only be a nice end to my local patch year but also to my UK and global year lists, getting me up to 200 and 1075 respectively.
In a few days everything resets and I can get excited about everything all over again. Ugh. Let's see what happens, sustaining patch enthusiasm seems like a stretch at times, and on a claggy late December day there is almost nothing I would like to do less than go birding on Wanstead Flats. Fortunately I have avoidance plans in place that will soon be enacted. Yes that's right, I am buggering off again.
That said, I did genuinely enjoy birding on the Isle of Wight. For starters it enabled me to get out of everyone's hair - there were a lot of people around and I am often not good at that. And secondly Brading Marshes RSPB was very pleasant indeed with stacks of birds showing really rather well, including those Geese. A shame then that I couldn't be arsed with my camera which was with me yet not with me, if you see what I mean. I really must make more of an effort next year. I say this every year of course.
Here is a Collared Crescentchest, one of the best birds I saw this year. I have not yet written about it as I am so far behind, but it is in the post.
No comments:
Post a Comment