#LocalBigYear - January

Apart from work-related visits to the Axe patch and Kilmington WTW, the whole of January was #LocalBigYear birding. While I wasn't too fussed about chasing down tricky species I did make some effort for one or two. A generous tip-off gave me an easy Dipper, while Purple Sandpiper succumbed to sheer persistence. My first Lesser Scaup for 35 years was an unexpected rarity, and a local-tick Bearded Tit was an unexpected find. And that is pretty much how birding so often goes: some effort, some reward, a little gen, a little jam. My final outing of the month involved a couple of hours at West Bexington yesterday afternoon. Descending the slope to the bunting hedge I was thrilled to spot a jagged bunch of pointy feathers in twisty-turny pursuit of a Skylark high overhead. A female Merlin. I saw just one last year, a passage bird at West Bay on 2nd November, and it is a long time since I last watched a Merlin do that relentless, never-give-up pursuit thing. The protagonists eventually went out of view and I didn't get to witness the outcome. Merlin is my 89th species for 2022.

Shortly after the Merlin I got this instructive photo of a female Cirl Bunting with a female Yellowhammer...

Cirl on the left.

And just to complete the month's gallery...

Local Green Sandpiper on Saturday afternoon. One of two.

January was great. Here's to February...