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The Very Best of British and Irish Birding - 2008 Review


(roll your cursor over each image for a summary of the month's highlights -and click on
any image for a larger version. For non IE users click here for a full account of the year)

2008 got off to a cracker with a fine male White-crowned Sparrow that became perhaps Britain's most twitched bird arriving, where else but Cley, Norfolk. As surprising was the return of the Pacific Diver to its Pembrokeshire reservoir. Up to 4 Hume's Warblers were seen during the month. The Cattle Egret invasion into the south-west and into Ireland continued with some 85 birds logged during January. Most birders had to remain content with long-stayers, including the wintering Barrow's Goldeneye in Northern Ireland and an American Buff-bellied Pipit in County Cork. Other, newly found, passerines included two Penduline Tits in Suffolk and a Pallas's Warbler in Dorset. A Black-bellied Dipper arrived and remained into March in East Yorkshire whilst an adult Night Heron possibly of nearctic origin visited South Yorkshire. A female Black Duck in Pembrokeshire was the third record for Wales. The Killdeer reappeared in Shetland. Ross's Gulls were spotted in Northumberland and in Lancashire, whilst a Great Reed Warbler on the Isles of Scilly and two White-spotted Bluethroats in Suffolk and Norfolk heralded the arrival of spring. A stunning male Black Lark in Norfolk, only Britain's third record, arrived on the same day as a Calandra Lark in Shetland. A Slate-coloured Junco in Kent and a male Little Crake in Devon, being more accessible to birders, were more popular, whilst Hoopoes, Bee-eaters and Red-rumped Swallows arrived in numbers. A Pallid Swift flew around the Isles of Scilly at the month's end.
January 2008
February 2008
March 2008
April 2008
May's highlight was a Caspian Plover in Shetland, whilst Scots also added Killdeer and Upland Sandpiper within the first five days of May. English birders quick off the mark chased River Warbler in East Sussex, Trumpeter Finch in Norfolk and Stilt Sandpiper in Leics. Other excellent birds included Spectacled Warbler in Suffolk, Collared Flycatchers in Devon and Orkney and Eastern Olivaceous Warbler in Dorset. A one-day White-throated Sparrow in Lancashire was another short-staying major May rarity. Highlight of the month was Britain's first Citril Finch on Fair Isle whilst East Yorkshire managed to produce a Pacific Swift and a Little Swift at the same site on the same day. Rarer passerines included another Trumpeter Finch in East Sussex, Lesser Grey Shrikes in Norfolk and Northumberland and a singing Thrush Nightingale in Suffolk. May's Red-footed Falcon invasion continued although sightings dwindled to virtually nil by the end of June. At the end of the month an influx of Two-barred Crossbills into the Northern Isles occurred whilst a White-billed Diver summerred on Orkney. A Caspian Tern was seen in South Yorkshire, then Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire whilst a Terek Sandpiper hung around for birders in Cleveland. Unsurprisingly, seawatchers logged good numbers of Wilson's Petrels and Cory's Shearwaters. Britain's fourth Audouin's Gull gave some birders the run around in Lincolnshire. For those prepared to drop everything including their bank balance South-west Ireland offer a mouthwatering trio of Yellow Warbler, Northern Waterthrush and Solitary Sandpiper towards the month's end. The Two-barred Crossbill invasion picked up force with some 60 birds logged whilst a Stilit Sandpiper at an inland reserve in Gloucestershire proved yet again the value of patch watching.
May 2008
June 2008
July 2008
August 2008
A male Cretzschmar's Bunting on Orkney was the highlight, although other top-notch rarities included Brown Shrike in East Yorkshire, Brown Flycatcher on Fair Isle, Eleonora's Falcon in Essex (identified only from photographs) and a stowaway Common Yellowthroat in Hampshire. A reported Red-footed Falcon in East Yokshire turned into Britain's first Amur Falcon when photos were studied. Other quality rarities included an American Redstart in Ireland, Bobolink, Sykes Warbler and Siberian Thrush in Shetland. Perhaps the best October ever with nearctic vagrants dominating. Highlight was Britain's first Alder Flycatcher in Cornwall. Ireland hosted Europe's first Little Blue Heron along with Scarlet Tanager and Philadelphia Vireo. Other nearctic vagrants included Common Nighthawk, Blackpoll Warbler, Rose-breasted Grosbeak and at the month's end a confiding Green Heron in Kent. Rarities from elsewhere included Sociable Plover and Snowy Owl on the Isles of Scillly. November's highlight was a very tame Steppe Grey Shrike in Linconshire, whilst a Two-barred Crossbill at a North Yorkshire feeder encouraged south-coast birders to double-up. Elsewhere birders found a Pied Wheatear in North Yorkshire, another Slate-coloured Junco, in Somerset, and a Spotted Sandpiper in Staffordshire. The Outer Hebrides hosted the month's rarest birds however with a Brown Shrike and an all too brief American Black Tern. The year finished with a bang as an adult Glaucous-winged Gull turned up on Teeside on the very last day - although it was not until 2009 that the bird was positively identified. Other white winter fare included an Ivory Gull in Shetland and a Gyrfalcon and Snowy Owl on the Scilly Isles before both relocated to Cornwall. The returning Pacific Diver also reappeared in Cornish waters, whilst another Desert Wheatear hung on in Scotland. County Derry produced an elusive American Buff-bellied Pipit.
September 2008
October 2008
November 2008
December 2008

Photos from top left: White-crowned Sparrow copyright John Carter; Black-bellied Dipper copyright John Harwood; Ross's Gull copyright Darren Robson; Black Lark copyright Mike Lawrence; Caspian Plover copyright Mark Breaks; Citril Finch copyright Rebecca Nason; Two-barred Crossbill copyright Mark Breaks; Solitary Sandpiper copyright Josh Jones; Cretzschmar's Bunting copyright Adrian Webb; Alder Flycatcher copyright Simon Chidwick; Steppe Grey Shrike copyright Dean Eades; Glaucous-winged Gull copyright Craig Shaw.

You can search thousands of photos from 2008 and earlier for other rare birds - simply go to any gallery and use the search feature on the left hand bar. Many thanks to all the photographers who have 'showcased' their work on surfbirds in 2008.