2016 has been quite a year for birds - several of which I have never seen before (crested tit, crossbill, Pallas's warbler, etc) or photographed before (cuckoo, green woodpecker, snipe, etc). There isn't room for them all but here are a few favourites.
I expect most of you will recognise them all but, in case not, in order they are: crested tit, female smew, male crossbill, female crossbill, willow tit, common snipe, great crested grebe, green woodpecker, little owl, tawny owl, long-eared owl, juvenile cuckoo, water rail, kingfisher, barred warbler, Pallas's leaf warbler, redshank, waxwing, curlew, bittern, and shore lark.
As for next year, I'll take whatever comes along. I am very keen to get more raptors and an adult cuckoo.
The weather wasn't good for dragonflies in the early part of the season but I managed to see quite a few, including some for the first time. Here are a few favourites from the year.
First, and best of all, a female golden-ringed dragonfly.
A female large red damselfly, my first sighting of the year.
A male large red damselfly.
A male southern hawker.
A male common hawker.
A male emperor dragonfly.
A male beautiful demoiselle with a male banded demoiselle in the background.
A female beautiful demoiselle.
A four-spotted chaser.
A pair of black-tailed skimmers.
A pairs of black darters.
A lone black darter.
A male emerald damselfly.
An ovipositing brown hawker.
A male small red-eyed damselfly.
A female azure damselfly (a first for the garden).
A male common hawker.
A female common hawker.
And finally, a female blue-tailed damselfly having a male common blue damselfly for breakfast.
My hopes for next year include a white-faced darter, a hairy dragonfly and a male golden-ringed dragonfly.
I have come across several of the larger British mammals this year but fewer of the smaller mammals and to get photos I often have to rely on the trail camera. Here are some of my favourite images.
The highlight of the year was this guy who moved into the garden for eight days in July.
