2012 Summary !!!

Another totally crazy year ...

Firstly 2012 has been amazing for so many reasons, Trips, Birds & Rain but most importantly images !!

That's what its all about images, Photographing birds, trying to capture artistic, pleasing shots of the chosen subject as best you can ...

This year has been difficult at times, mainly weather related, rain, grey cloud and the general lack of birds with many weekends resulting in no images.

Some months were laden with images to choose from and others well, scraping the barrel springs to mind !!

This is going to be extremely tough to choose but I'm going to start with ...

"Image of the Month"

January

Caspian Gull ~ Dungeness, Kent

February

Great Northern Diver ~ Galway, Ireland

March

  

Meadow Pipit ~ North Pennines, County Durham

April

Cuckoo ~ Two Tree Island, Essex

May

Kentish Plover ~ Albufereta, Majorca

June

Puffin ~ Farne Islands

July

Green Woodpecker ~ Elmley, Kent

August

Baird's Sandpiper ~ West Angle Bay, Pembrokeshire

September

Crested Tit ~ Loch Garten, Scotland

October

Hornemann's Arctic Redpoll ~ Norwick, Unst

November

Bonaparte's Gull ~ Dawlish Warren, Devon

December

Goosander ~ Billericay, Essex

In total 209 species photographed this year in the Western Palearctic.

British Year List for 2012 was 261 species.

Best Trip

Has to be our Ireland Trip in February for gull's .. The 3 of us birded from dawn till dusk at great locations and  resulted in some brilliant birds !!

Gulltastic trip and a return is planned !!

Worst Trip

For me sadly i'm going to have to give it to the Shetlands Trip, this was all weather dependant and it just didn't happen for the 2nd week and with no birds to photograph it made it hard work .. And to top it off the seasickness tablets didn't work on the way back !!

Best for Images

Has to be the Romania trip with Sakertours plenty of species all at touching distance !!

Superb !!

Luckiest Moment

So many but surely the Baird's Sandpiper at West Angle Bay, Pembrokeshire arrived at first light and had a 8 hr wait then Kev picked it up on call as it flew in ... we had it virtually to ourselves !!

Unluckiest  Moment
Stupidly waiting two days to go see the Cream-Coloured Courser, then Me & Kev drive half way there only to get news it had flown !!

Bird of the Year

Now with so many great birds seen this year it should of been hard to choose, but a day trip to the Pyrennes, Spain with Rachel & Aaron gave good views of Lammergeier...

Plans for 2013

Jan/Feb .. Ireland for Nearctic Gull's

March .. Morocco ~ BOOKED

Apr/May .. Lesvos ~ BOOKED

June .. Mull, Spain or Eygpt be nice ..

September .. Cape Verde ??

With a few long weekends,

You can never have enough trips !!

Target Species for 2013

Well  just about any species that let's you get close enough !! 

Thanks to all who take the time to talk, comment and give out info ...

" My Image of the Year 2012 "