So, how did the year go?
Well, on one hand, a very disappointing UK total, just 147 species versus 161 in the last 2 years. But the overall "global" total was my second best since I started keeping a list, at 221 species, just three below last year's 224.
The big success stories were Spain (110 species, 14 more than any other year, including 5 lifers, and contributing 54 unique species to the global list) and my work trip to Sweden and Finland in June bagging 69 species, including 34 species added to the country lists combined, and four lifers, while contributing another 11 unique species to the year list.
All-in-all, 12 lifers in the year:
Spain (5): Moustached warbler, Marbled duck (at last), Great spotted cuckoo, Black-eared Wheatear, Western Orphean Warbler
Finland (3): Black guillemot , Citrine wagtail, Corncrake
UK (3): Black-winged pratincole, Long-eared owl, Shore Lark
Sweden (1): White-tailed eagle
And a final word for the garden list, which reached an almighty 50 species for the year, 6 more than any previous year, and included 7 new species for the full garden list (Little egret, Redwing, Nuthatch, Treecreeper, Golden plover, Red kite, Whooper swan)