Top 5 of 2023 (1 Viewer)

[foresttwitcher]

A tough choice this year, I've had to leave out some good bird lifers (Little Bunting, Pacific Golden Plover and Eleonora's Falcon amongst others) not to mention a whole array of butterflies and Violet Dropwing but here goes:

5) This would have been the pick of a good year for herps beating Eastern Slow Worm, Yellow-bellied Toad Greek Stream and Perez's Water Frogs, but eventually got bumped down a place by No. 4 Leopard Snake

4) Tagged along on a trip with some English herpers, one of whom was only one species short of having photographed every European snake. Sadly (and somewhat surprisingly) we didn't find Blotched Snake, but did find probably Europe's rarest Reddish Whip Snake

3) Only a year tick for me but the euphoria after getting my two customers and my friend's (who had been all over Europe in search of it) clients on to it will live long in the memory. Wallcreeper

2) Balearic Warbler on Mallorca.

1) Finally connected with this bird at the fifth attempt and on our last morning on the island. Gran Canaria Blue Chaffinch

Nice, I have a bit of a snake phobia (completely understandable, in my opinion) but those two are beauties.

 

[Mysticete]

With my Sax-Zim Bog trip complete, I can now report my highlights. Ecuador dominates my list, because it being my first visit to that bird country of course it would. Ask me a week from now and I would come up with a different list. These are some of my favorites from this year:

5. Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucan: any of the toucans I saw in Ecuador could claim a spot, but this was probably the best.
4. Chestnut-naped Antpitta: A bird I was pretty sure I was doomed to miss, having missed earlier in the trip
3. Ocellated Tapaculo. Ecuador turned out to be a really great trip for this family of birds, so I got to include the prettiest of the tapaculos in my list
2. American Flamingo: What a bizarre and unexpected lifer for this year, not to mention getting it in Wisconsin of all places
1. Oilbird: Just a really cool bird, and a highlight of my Ecuador trip

Honorable mentions on the bird front would include Varied Thrush (Wisconsin), Tundra Bean-Goose (California), Andean Condor, Velvet-purple Coronet, Sword-billed Hummingbird, Mottled Owl, Limpkin (Wisconsin), and Yellow-crowned Night-Heron (Wisconsin).

.On the mammal front, highlights would be American Marten (Minnesota), as well as Spectacled Bear, Tayra, and Olinguito from Ecuador.

 

[condor1992]

I've been busy this year, the best one I've had despite 2022 bringing me close views of a bearded vulture and eagle-owl in Spain.
In all countries, my top-5 are:
#5 Montagu's harrier skydance, Los Montesinos

A rare harrier is one thing, a bird which you always wanted to see is another. But watching a pair of Montagu's harriers skydancing was another thing entirely. This was a huge distraction from the lesser flamingo out on the lake that day, but there was nothing I could do about that one- too far away!
#4 Long-eared owl roost, Lincolnshire

My discovery of a long-eared owl roost by a large lake this year resulted in absolutely stunning views of 3 sleeping owls crammed into one tree, although one of them was sitting right out in the open, and could not be bothered to do anything except for looking around periodically. I particularly like their fiery-orange iris colour. These views, being no less of the most elusive owl species in the UK, were easily the highlight of December and in fact the entire second half of the year.
#3 Bonelli's eagle, Crevillent

The Bonelli's eagle has long distinguished itself as the laziest eagle species I have ever encountered. Despite knowing where exactly to look for it, it always became active very late compared to everything else, and once slept through a golden eagle buzzing over the eyrie. However, it is a beautiful eagle, reminding me of an enormous goshawk, and very rare as well.
#2 Black vulture, Sierra Oeste de Madrid

Having the biggest bird of prey in Eurasia and the 3rd biggest in the world circling low overhead is a surreal experience, especially for such a majestic and rare bird. This happened just when I had given up hope of seeing them that day. I hope it was not, say, attempting to ascertain if I was edible by flying like that
#1 Spanish imperial eagle, Sierra Oeste de Madrid

#1 on my wishlist for so many years, an encounter with an adult bird as it perched on a pylon in the morning was easily the best moment of the entire year, and by quite a significant margin as well. It also represents my best moment in nature, obliterating the previous record of a bearded vulture in 2022. I hope to return to this exact place in 2024 to see it again.

Childhood dream resolved #1: Lady Amherst's pheasant, Flitwick. Seen after a 1hr30m search due to it hiding in a rhododendron thicket. I was very upset when the last male vanished in 2016, and was delighted when another reappeared for a short while

Childhood dream resolved #2: Wood duck, Batchworth. An encounter with a drake wood duck at Batchworth put years upon years of a dream to rest ever since I saw a photo of it in a UK bird guide and assessed it to be much more pretty than a Mandarin duck. Hopefully it is still there in 2024. When I was observing it, however, I couldn't help but notice with extreme disappointment that part of its wing appeared damaged

Childhood dream resolved #3: Old Man of the Woods, Berkhamsted. Searching for this fungus in a ditch full of trees and branches was an interesting experience, and I found lots of ruined specimens before I found two immaculate young ones. As I observed these mushrooms, I attracted the attention of a group of foragers, who became very interested in them.

Wish list for 2024:
World:
Spanish imperial eagle (should be easy)
Northern bald ibis (should be easy)
Ruppell's griffon (potentially problematic)
Eagle owl (This will be a problem)
Pallid harrier (male- potentially problematic)

UK:
Snowy owl (Hopefully it appears as beautifully as at Snettisham a few years back)
Baikal teal (This will be a problem)
Pallid harrier (any form will do, and I hope it will not be too far away when I see it!)
Lesser white-fronted goose (Currently at WWT Slimbridge)
Common eider (Will be very easy in the summer)

 

[qwerty5]

My best birding experience of the year was a tour from Bar Harbor, Maine to Petit Manan Island to see nesting seabirds. I ended up with nine lifers and my appetite whetted for pelagic birding. No single species stands out from that though, so here are my top five birds:

1. Limpkin. There was a real explosion of this species north throught the U.S. this year. This one showed up at my local state park, offering good views. Also, it was kind enough to bring along a couple Snowy Egrets and a (self-found) Little Blue Heron, also both county lifers. Three rarities together in the same creek inlet.

2. Hooded Warbler. Not a lifer, but a really great experience. It was a self-found county lifer, and on my second sighting the male sang out in the open right next to me (smartphone recording attached)

3. Laughing Gull. Seeing about a million on the Atlantic coast wasn't too spectacular, but I found one in my home county in October, just the second in the last 15 years per eBird.

4. Cackling Goose. Self-found lifer on a day with a total of 17 waterfowl species at my local lake (which is a lot for my area).

5. California Scrub-Jay. Found in Washington where they are quite rare. Had quite a relaxing time at the location, finding several other lifer western migrants.

I'll have to add another couple. Today I twitched a Western Grebe in a neighboring county, the first record for Ohio in just over three years. Also this afternoon I finally got my extremely overdue county lifer Sharp-shinned Hawk. I have to say no bird sighting ever made me so excited before, even though Sharpies aren't rare.

 

[dandsblair]

My top 5 changes every time I review them but as of today, the last day of the year, they are:

1. Rockrunner (finally got a clear view on the last day of our trip to Namibia)
2. Araripe Manakin - very range restricted bird that showed well in Brazil
3. Hooded Visorbearer - one of the star birds of our North East Brazil trip
4. Citroline Trogon - best of the trogons on our trip to West Mexico
5. San Blas Jay - very confiding bird that came when I was whistling an Owl

 

[ClarkWGriswold]

Has been a pretty decent year birding wise with some great company. Have added my top 5 but feel free to be creative.

1. Long Eared Owl. A bird I’ve been wanting to see for ages. Unfortunately the bird came to a sad end but my youngest was thrilled to see it with me. A good day as we also saw Barn Owl, Shore Larks and a Pallid Harrier on the same day.

2. Red-backed Shrike. Acting on a tip for Dartford Warblers I went out with the pup around Norfolk. Had to take a serious double take when I was scanning and got on to this stunning male. Have only seen juveniles previously so was chuffed to bits for a self found male.

3. Greater Roadrunner. A real bucket list bird. No photos as I was too busy horse hanging on. And also regretting the amount of jalapeños and beers I’d had the night before. But a morning to remember.

4. Great-tailed Grackle. The Pembs bird. Great company and a bird of real character. Was good to see them later on again in the States acting exactly the same as the Pembs bird. Good to see an American Golden Plover earlier in the day as well.

5. Laughing Gull. A top day out with Owen and Rob. Never thought I’d have a ruddy Seagull in my top 5 but this was belter. The only previous Laughing Gull I’d seen was on Chew Valley Lake a couple of days before the first lockdown. And that was miles away. This one we practically had to duck when it flew over our heads. A nice supporting cast of Isabelline Wheatear, Smew and Long-tailed Duck. Good to bump into Rich again as well. A Yorkshireman now living in Plymouth.

Honourable mentions go to the Great Reed Warbler, Little Owl, Alpine Swift, Magnolia Warbler and Forsters Tern. As well as the Pink-footed Geese in Moray. And how could I forget the Kingfisher that landed next to my feet, whilst I was having a nice glass of red in Somerset.

Top food of the year was the chippy (again) in Flamborough, the apple and cider cake with clotted cream in Somerset, and the green apple chutney me and the youngest made.

Good luck for 2024 all. I’ve got a trip to the Cairngorms coming up so there’s a slight chance my top 5 might always change.

A potential flagrant breach of the “rules” here😉 But I’ve had to add a joint 3rd today.

A flock of 10 Waxwings in NethyBridge. Belted over to my parents holiday cottage. Woke them up and managed to get them on to them before they flew off. Lifers for both of them.

Joint 3rd: Waxwings

 

[ovenbird43]

Mostly from my recent trip to Indochina, I suppose I'll go with:

1. Giant Ibis. Tmatboey, Cambodia. What a beast of a bird, seen from a respectful distance on its nest with a chick. It gave its crane-like call in response to a circling buzzard, and in the fading light of day we watched the mate come in to relieve the attending parent and to feed the chick.

2. Blue Pitta. Di Linh, Vietnam. Gotta love pittas, and this one is a real stunner.

3. Bare-faced Bulbul. Ban Nahim, Laos. Such a weird-looking bird, endemic to Laos and only discovered in 2009. Easy to see at the Rockview boardwalk, and the whole reason I included Laos on my itinerary.

4. Silver Pheasant. Bach Ma National Park, Vietnam. A ghostly male seen in the foggy, early morning light after missing out on a whole day of birding due to rain. My guide was so excited he gave me hug.

5. Baird's Sparrow. North Dakota. Maybe not truly in the top five when I have so many other Asian birds to choose from, but figured I'd include my one North American lifer from 2023, the species that completed my ABA sparrow set and seen in my 50th US state.

 

[lammergeier05]

2023 had a lot of highlights but will narrow down to a mix of challenging and spectacular species from Brazil, Mexico and South Africa

1. Araripe Manakin, Ceara, Brazil. A highly range restricted species discovered to science in 1996, this striking red and white bird can readily be seen in a water park in Arahara
2. Tufted Jay, Mazatlán, México. Simply one of the country’s most iconic birds, found on the magestic Durango highway.
3. Drakensburg Rockjumper, Sani Pass, South Africa. The reward for a steep 1500 m 7 km hike up from the guard station.
4. Pinto’s Spinetail, Alagoas, Brazil. Another sadly endangered species in one of the world’s most threatened biomes, the Atlantic Forest now best seen at the Pedro D’Arta Reserve, where it can be tricky to find
5. Brazilian Merganser, Serra da Canastra, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Due to its stringent requirements for clean streams, this increasingly rare species can be tricky to find but lucked into one after hours of combing riverside overlooks at dusk