Reflecting on a Year of Birding and Looking Ahead

As the year draws to a close, I find it’s the perfect moment to reflect on what I’ve experienced and set my sights on new goals for the coming year. This year, I made greater use of BirdTrack to log my sightings and took a deeper dive into analysing my data and what it reveals.

The local birding group, which I’d join more often if I weren’t such a solo soul, follows the “Warwick 100”—an annual quest to spot 100 species. Bird Watching magazine sets the bar even higher with their “#My200Bird” challenge. My own efforts, focused solely on Warwick and its surroundings, reached a respectable 72 species as of December 12th—just one shy of last year’s total.

A highlight of the year was spotting a ‘lifer’: my first-ever Yellow Wagtail, which appeared in July in a cornfield. Other memorable sightings included Bar-tailed Godwit and Gadwall. I also noticed an increase in sightings of Stonechat, Little Egret, Peregrine, and Red Kite.

Yellow Wagtail

Looking ahead to 2026, I have a few targets in mind. I hope to capture good photographs of a Yellowhammer, Water Rail, and Peregrine, and to finally spot a Cetti’s Warbler at Kingfisher Pools, where they’re known to frequent in summer. On my own land, I’d love to see the return of Willow Tit, Bullfinch, and Lesser Spotted Woodpecker.

My “holy grail” challenge is to photograph a Snipe. Thanks to conservation work at Warwick Racecourse, wintering Snipe numbers are improving—five individuals were seen this year, up from previous years. It would be incredible if they could be encouraged to stay into spring and summer, with the long-term hope of successful breeding.

Writing and publishing my book took up much of my time this year, so in 2026, I want to refocus on the patch of land I manage, especially my goal to create a series of scrapes beside the river. After meeting with Warwickshire Wildlife Trust for advice, I’m eager to put their ideas into action and move the project forward.

Of course, I can’t neglect my beloved camera traps. By the end of this month, I’ll have collected five years of data from Otter Cam. I plan to spend time analyzing this data, comparing the diversity along the river to that in the hedgerow.

Challenges and goals keep life interesting and give us direction, but it’s essential not to be beholden to them. Set some fun targets to help you get the most out of the next 12 months, decide how many species you want to see or perhaps focus on that one bird that has eluded you.

Here’s to another year of discovery and growth, both for the wildlife and for myself.