The Year in Pictures, 2022

A very pleasant and memorable year with highlights including trips to West Papua and Azerbaijan and also visiting projects in Bulgaria and the Azores. Most of the time was working at the Old Vicarage, including expanding the mini-zoo and the moth trapping effort and also working in London. 

As always thanks to everyone in our network, all the people working at Little Oak Tree and Garden Care, friends and partners in projects and family and friends for making it another great year (out here on the outer rim of society lol ) 

   

January 

Siskins and Blackcap were regular garden birds in January at the Old Vic

David published this article in British Birds which we contributed too

February

Highlight of a winter trip to the Azores was finally seeing a Belted Kingfisher in the WP

We also published the 2018 local report in February HERE

Caspian Tit. One of the year's highlights was a trip to Azerbaijan in search of 'Omid', the last Siberian Crane in the Western Palearctic. Unfortunately we missed Omid who decided to migrate after we left but the trip nonetheless was a great success. 

Little Bustards in Az- symbolic of Azerbaijan

Darryl found these Trumpeter Finches while I was standing next to him (he has a habit of that). A bit of an Az rarity. 

Finally caught up with Siberian Buff-bellied Pipit  in Az (Photo by Vince)

Goitered Gazelles in Az

Marbled Polecat in Az- was top of wish list for WP mammals so well pleased with this (Photo by Vince)

March

Bullfinch in the garden in an otherwise fairly quite March

Lead-coloured Drab at the Old Vic was the first moth lifer of the year

April

Reddish Whipsnake in Bulgaria (Late April/early May)

Blotched Snake, Bulgaria

Eastern Tree Frog, Bulgaria

Pied Wheatear, Bulgaria

White-tailed Lapwing- a Bulgarian mega 

Icterine Warbler, Bulgaria

Little Gulls (above) and White Pelicans (below) migrating, Bulgaria

This Schmidt's Quaker was an extremely good find in the project site moth trap (apparently, see here)

April at the mini-farm-planted up and ready to spring into life

A big success in 2022 was purchasing a buy to let property in Hackbridge, part of investment plan towards saving up for our private nature reserve hopefully by 2027 (when Jacob finishes primary school) 

May

Crops appearing at the mini-farm

Great Prominent was the highlight of the month's moth trapping

Twitched this Early Spider Orchid at Howell Hill in Surrey- an orchid lifer

Our biggest addition to the mini-zoo was this Paludarium which we planted up in May

Gone but not forgotten, via Thee Bryans project we produced a video to help get the right people in the local community at Beddington Farmlands elected into councillor positions which was a successful campaign See here, We are currently making large scale preparations to help out in the 2023 Beddington Farmlands campaign- the final showdown there.  

June

The Old Vic in June

Breeding Coal Tits (above) and Spotted Flycatchers was one of the breeding highlights

We moved up a gear in the mini-farm with out first home grown chickens (above and below) 

Small Black Arches was moth of the month at the Old Vic 

A few away days mothing (mainly at Steve's at Little Woodcote) produced a few lifers including Grey Arches 

First year trying the pheromone technique brought in most of the targeted species to the garden- the first one we recorded was Red-belted (above) 

July

Highlight of a trip to the project in Bulgaria was stumbling across a huge Rose-coloured Starling breeding colony (above and below) 

Juvenile Lesser Grey Shrike, Bulgaria

Did a bit of herping while in Bulgaria, Meadow Lizard (above) and Balkan Spadefoot (below)

Also did a bit of mothing. This moth The Adulatrix was a highlight. 

Dylan and Anton helped out with doing some conservation work at the project site

Back at the Old Vic, the mini-farm was peaking

The chicks grew so quick we had to extend the coop, and later extend it again 

We expanded some of the wildlife borders in the garden

Meanwhile back indoors in the mini-zoo the Paludarium planting was establishing well

Plenty of moths in July, this Raspberry Clearwing was only the 6th for the county 

A couple of visits to the troubled Beddington Farmlands produce a new butterfly site tick for me thanks to Zach Pannifer- a Brown Hairstreak

More away days in July in the campervan 

August 

The first big harvests at the mini-farm

It was time to introduce the fish into the Paludarium 

Some really good garden mothing in August produced Pearly Underwing (above), Cream-bordered Green Pea(below) and Bordered Straw (below that) 

A nights moth trapping at Lee and Rachel's new private woodland in August was a highlight of the moth trapping year- hope to do more visits there in future

September 

Twelve-wired Bird-of-Paradise (above) and Red Bird-of-Paradise (below)- seeing BOPs was not only a highlight for the year but a life time highlight too 

Mountain Owlet-Nightjar- got to be one of the 'best' birds in the world 

Black-billed Sicklebill, one of the less easy to score BOPs on the West Papua tour. 

Channel-billed Cuckoo- a contender for bird of the trip, watching this flying reptile like creature felt like being a time traveller

Blue Tiger, West Papua. Unfortunately didn't get a cracking shot of a Bird-wing Butterfly but arguably seeing Bird-wings (the ultimate butterflies) is just as impressive as BOPs

Over 90% of West Papua's forest are pristine (and largely inaccessible)

Back at the Old Vic, autumn moth migrant highlight included our first Convolvolus Hawkmoth (above) and Loxosteges Sticticalis (below)

The Beet moth invasion of 2022 reached the Old Vic too 

Pedro and the Portuguese Rarity Committee  knocked out this report by September HERE

October

Another October birding in the UK- a trip to Portland in late October produced a few specialities including Pallas's Warbler

A good October day in North Kent produced a nice hand of Poms (above) and Arctic Skuas and also a Sooty Shearwater (a Thames Estuary lifer)

This juvenile Red-footed Falcon at Elmley was a cool bird

Once again it was the moths that stole the show this autumn for me with Egyptian Bolloworm (above) and Crimson Speckled (below) at Portland 

Back at the Old Vic- this Cliftden Nonpariel appeared in October (only one or two this year)

One of the most exciting news items of October was our first egg- they were only chicks in June and paying their own way at 5 months old 

The Paludarium was ready by October for this female Panther Chameleon 

November 

A trip to Bulgaria produced this Bulgarian mega- a Desert Wheatear, the 3rd for Bulgaria 

It was a big small mammal year in Bulgaria with hundreds of raptors, Marsh Harrier above with prey

Vagrant China-mark- a first for Bucks! Despite plenty of good moths and migrants through the autumn it was nice to finally score a county mega. 

This Oak Rustic was another highlight at the Old Vic. 

Laszlo our Light Sussex cockerel by November- shocking how fast these birds mature

December 

Spent most of December in a parade of markets and fairs and entering the year's data into various recording schemes and digitising past notebooks. Isaac had his first birthday.