Year 2024
At the end of every year, I like to look back and reflect on what we’ve achieved, and this year will be no different. First of all, I have to say that all my plans for the year took a back seat to the greatest joy of all: the birth of our daughter, Štěpánka.
Naturally, this had a big impact on my photography and birdwatching activities. For obvious reasons, I put both hobbies on the back burner and focused mainly on spending time with my family. Even so, I still managed to achieve some of the goals I had set for myself.
So, join me as I look back at what we managed to accomplish this year and share our plans for the year ahead!
Plans vs. Reality
For 2024, we set ourselves several birdwatching goals. However, the truth is that we had to scale back our ambitions a little this year. Family life naturally took priority, but that doesn’t mean we came away empty-handed. Let’s take a look at how we got on with our plans.
BIRD OF THE YEAR 2024 – Tawny Owl – Goal not achieved. Due to various circumstances, I didn’t manage to spot a single Tawny Owl in 2024. But that’s okay — hopefully, 2025 will give me another chance to make up for it!
BIRDWATCHING GOALS – Any species not previously recorded, Common Crane, owls (Long-eared Owl), Eurasian Hoopoe and waders Goal largely achieved. Among the new species I managed to observe for the first time were the Icterine Warbler, Goldcrest and European Serin. As for the other targets, I successfully spotted the Long-eared Owl, Eurasian Hoopoe and plenty of waders. So, despite a somewhat quieter year, there were still some great additions to my bird list.
PHOTOGRAPHY GOALS – Waders, owls and birds of prey – The best way to see how I got on with this goal is to check out my Facebook or Instagram, where I share my latest photographic encounters.
TARGET LOCATIONS – Bavarian Forest National Park, Lusatian Mountains, Velký and Malý Tisý National Nature Reserve and the surrounding area. Unfortunately, I managed to visit only one of these planned destinations: Velký and Malý Tisý National Nature Reserve. The other locations will have to wait for another time!
European Goldfinch
Eurasian Wryneck
Dunnock
Common Shelduck
Yellowhammer
European Turtle Dove
