Year 2021
The year 2021 wasn’t the easiest one for us when it came to birdwatching. Still, we managed to add several interesting species to our bird list beyond the ones we were aiming for. Some sightings came down to luck, while others were the result of research, preparation and plenty of searching.
We got off to a good start on 2 January 2021, when we spotted a Tawny Owl. Just a week later, on 9 January, we managed to find a Little Owl. This time, it wasn’t just luck. We had studied the available information and researched its distribution beforehand, and our efforts paid off.
Our holiday also brought some memorable moments. On 22 April, we heard a Eurasian Eagle-Owl and spotted another Tawny Owl. Other interesting additions to our bird list included the Eurasian Hobby and the Osprey. We also discovered nesting sites of the Common Crane and the Bluethroat.
Another exciting find was a nesting site of the European Bee-eater, where I managed to take some fantastic photographs. One of the highlights of the year was spotting and photographing a Common Hoopoe. Encounters like these are always rewarding, especially when we manage to capture them with the camera as well.
Towards the end of the year, after quite a bit of research and preparation, we discovered a Black Grouse lek. We returned to the site several times, managed to observe the birds on multiple occasions and even took a documentary photograph. It was a great reward for all the time and effort spent searching.
Overall, 2021 may not have been as successful as the previous year in terms of the total number of species recorded, but it certainly brought us some memorable experiences. For us, birdwatching isn’t just about adding new species to a list. It’s also about discovering new places, doing the research and enjoying that special moment when all the effort finally pays off.
We ended 2021 with a total of 148 bird species recorded, three fewer than in 2020. Even so, we had plenty of great memories to look back on and some fantastic sightings to take with us into the next year.
