Sunday 30 December 2018

2018 in Pictures

I didn't think I'd be able to top the previous year, but 2018 served up a bumper crop of sightings (September in particular had enough highlights to fill a best-of list all by itself). But here for your viewing pleasure, after much vacillating, are the pick of the bunch:

January
There's nothing like a Waxwing to brighten up a dull winter's day:

Waxwing (Bombycilla garrulus)

February
I've got to include at least one Kestrel (it's the Law) and this bird was a bit special:

Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)

March
Why go to the trouble of catching your own frog when you can steal one from a Marsh Harrier?

Buzzard vs Marsh Harrier

April
The light wasn't great that morning, but it's not every day that a Cuckoo pops up right in front of you:

Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus)

May
Here's something else you don't see every day, a Mole out in the open:

Mole (Talpa europaea)

...though it really wasn't the best day for small furry things to come out of hiding.

Also at Stodmarsh, a Hobby grabs an in-flight snack:

Hobby (Falco subbuteo)

June
At Foreness Housemartins collect mud for their nests:

House Martins (Delichon urbicum) 

And a Stoat pops up at Stodmarsh:

Stoat (Mustela erminea)

July
A typically quiet month for birds, but not for dragonflies such as this Norfolk Hawker:

Norfolk Hawker (Aeshna isoceles) 

August
Last ones to arrive; first ones to leave. A Swift prepares for its autumn migration at North Foreland:

Swift (Apus apus)

September
1st September at Grove Ferry was one of those rare and remarkable days where everything falls into place. It included Spotted Flycatchers and a Bullfinch (in the same tree), a Whinchat, and even a surprise Bittern. But it was the reserve's star attraction that stole the show:

Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis)

Return visits later in the month uncovered a Small Copper butterfly (the first one I can recall seeing at the reserve), plenty of Willow Emerald damselflies, Lizards, and this juvenile Green Woodpecker:

Green Woodpecker (Juvenile) 

October
Winter birds start arriving along the coast, including this handsome Brambling at North Foreland:

Brambling (Fringilla montifringilla) 

November
Not the best photo, but arguably the best bird of the year; Scott Haughie's White-billed Diver (in summer plumage!) which attracted birders and photographers from across the country:

White-billed Diver (Gavia adamsii) 

I expect I'll be frowned on in some quarters for including it, but this ESCAPED Hoopoe brought some entertainment (unless you're a grub) to an unlikely part of Thanet:

Grub's Up (again)

December
Another month, another loon; a Red-throated Diver (not in summer plumage) in Ramsgate Harbour:

Red-throated Diver (Gavia stellata)

All the photos on this page were taken with a Canon 80D DSLR and the trusty Tele Vue-60 refractor.

In the next post, I will be returning to outer space.