Re: What's your top wildlife watching spot of 2011

Well, its nearly over...what a year! Well I think I can speak for all of us mods in thanking you all for all your reserve and wildlife watching reports, they have been fabulous and truly inspiring. So why not have a think and let us know what your top visit was this year!
If you have a photo that sums up your visit, please do post it.

Take care,

Claire

I think my best single one was a July afternoon sitting on the cliff edge at RSPB Troup Head in NE Scotland, in warm sunshine, thousands of noisy seabirds all around and an endless parade of eye-level Fulmars and Gannets to photograph :)

Qurm natural park for me :-)

Great pics there aiki by the way

Both Leighton Moss and Saltholme have done well for us this year but our local reserve of Nosterfield in N.Yorks has probably given us the best birding.We had great views of Yellow Wagtails with young,good wader passage,raptors showing on most occasions and, in the last couple of weeks,a good showing of geese.All this 10 minutes drive from home can't be that bad.

Thanks for the posts guys. I've yet to visit Troup Head, but looks like its well worth it for the fulmars and gannets.  Thanks to all of you for your wonderful suggestions for places to go in Dorset this year for my summer holds, this has been mine and MrT's top place to visit for wildlife!

Being up here in Scotland, The one place I think is very special The Isle of Mull. From Sea Eagles to Otters it has so much to see in  some superb Locations. Possibly Loch-na-Keal the highlight, with red deer. Fallow Deer, Seals. Otters, the sea eagle and the golden Eagle. if you get bored with that, you can always go Whale spotting. (seen Killer whale in the sound) amazing place if you haven't been yet,,why not

Hi-  I vote  Faneromani ford on Lesvos as always- til I find a new Spring mig location

:)

S

Talking of Scotland it had to be Islay, where I got my very first choughs.

The only RSPB site I visited last year was Newport Wetlands, But even if it was one of many it would still take a lot of beating for the diversity of Habitats and their birds.

The reserve is now about 12 years old, ( counting from the time the site was bought for the Countryside Council for Wales, by the Cardiff Bay Development Corporation, in mitigation for the damage done in Cardiff Bay by the Barrage), and the site is now maturing nicely.

The RSPB Visitor Centre is a relative newcomer, (about four years old), but is already attracting over 80,000 visitors a year. The staff are, as is to be expected, amazing and always helpful

My personal bird list for the site now stands at 136 species, so this gives some idea of the diversity, on the Fresh & saline lagoons, wet meadows, woodlands, grasslands and estuary.

Sorry for the blatant advert for the site but I feel that this is a jewel in the RSPB crown, in some ways jewel in the rough, but really starting to shine.

Anyone thinking of visiting are welcome to give me a shout and I'll try and show you the highlights.

I would suggest weekdays for pure birding trips as the weekends can be rather busy, with a lot of family's enjoying the facilities, which although nice to see can effect the bird in some parts.  

I think for me it was our first visit to rye nature reserve, a really great place, well managed, a freindly bunch of people, and loads of birds including breeding med gulls. Alan