2019 Calendar

Front cover

Front cover		 Female Marsh Harrier at Cley and Bittern at Natural Surroundings, Bayfield

Back cover

Back cover		 January – Black Redstart
February – Brambling
March – Snowy Owl
April – Yellowhammer
May – Black-tailed Godwits
June – Skylark
July – Little Owls
August – Glossy Ibis
September – Kingfisher
October – Black Brant
November – Woodcock
December – Parrot Crossbill

The period from June 17 – June 18 was largely one of consolidation, following a difficult time dealing with my late mother’s probate and all the financial uncertainties this entailed. I must admit it was a bit of a shock to find out that I’m probably spending more in a month on feeding my garden birds than myself (especially as the main beneficiaries of late appear to be rats, squirrels and a huge feeding frenzy of Jackdaws and Woodpigeons every morning!). As a result I now have to empty the feeders and fat-ball containers overnight and reinforce all my storage bins. As if this wasn’t bad enough, moles are now completely wrecking the lawn by burrowing just underneath it! Yes, getting the right balance in nature can prove tough; though the rewards can be great if you get it right! – as with my large wintering Brambling flock (sometimes joined by smaller numbers of Siskin and Redpolls) around my feeders up to mid-April and the usual winter thrushes on my windfalls at the height of the ‘Beast from the East’ arctic conditions in February and March. Fortunately my Barn Owls are still thriving (with four near fledged young in my loft space as I write) – though the resident male, at eleven years old is now showing signs of his advanced age (unlike Mick Jagger who put on a superb performance at The Stones’ Twickenham gig we recently attended!). But I digress – my Tawny has thankfully returned and can usually be relied on to put on a good nightly show when he joins (and usually pre-empts) the Barn Owls at my nightly food offerings. A number of photography sessions for interested (and responsible) punters have helped offset the feeding costs.

Otherwise, aside from my regular Norfolk photo forays, (of which the Snettisham Snowy Owl in March came out tops) the main highlight of 2018 was a twelve day trip to Bulgaria in mid-May (largely organized by my regular travelling companion Bill Baston – few others could put up with me, and even he draws the line at more than two weeks!). The lack of a drinkable cup of tea after day one (cursing myself for omitting to pack the vital teabags!) was more than offset by the incredibly cheap prices, friendly people and largely unspoilt habitat, which produced daily singing Nightingale, Cuckoo, Golden Oriole and purring Turtle Dove almost wherever we stopped and a truly spectacular passage of Rose-coloured Starlings along the Black Sea coast. The only real downside was the need to drive for three to four hours between sites some days to experience all the varied montane, forest, coastal and wetland habitats. It’s always a wrench to return to our vastly more impoverished countryside – though thankfully Norfolk still has a lot to offer (including a good pint and a decent cup of tea – ideally with scones, jam and cream!) and also of course my birding and photography services, which now may extend to accommodation (contact details below). I’m also pressing on with my owl box programme - now largely maintenance but with new additions if sites (and more importantly tea chests) become available. Sadly I can only claim credit for the pictured erection in an advisory capacity. Anyway, here’s to another year of the same!

Sales of this calendar directly benefit my conservation work and feeding programme
If you want to view an image of both the front and back covers in more detail then click on the links above the images. Better still, of course, you could purchase one (or more!) calendars from me at the prices shown below. Postage and packing rates relate purely to the UK.


 Price UK P&P Total
A4 calendar £9.95 £3.55 £13.50
A3 calendar £13.50 £5.25 £18.75


The 2018 Calendar page is available as an example of Richard's other photos.

To order please contact Richard Brooks.

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