R and I like to have lunch out on 31st December, because this lets us pretend to celebrate an occasion that seems to be important to most of the rest of the world, while ensuring that we’re safely tucked up at home with wine, nibbles and TV, long before younger people with more active Instagram accounts are out and about making a huge palaver about it all. This year we decided to try a bit harder than usual, by stepping out of our normal groove and finishing the year with a first, so we went to Beleza Rodizio – aka the Stratford Brazilian meat restaurant – and had an excellent time. The food was very good, the staff were all friendly, and the whole thing was good fun. Next time though, I’ll probably skip the garlic bread.
This evening I’ve been looking back at my wildlife records for 2025 and comparing them with previous years – and I must say, I’m not unhappy with the results. Over the year I logged:
150 bird species – the most I’ve ever managed in a year, and including 3 species I’d never seen before.
42 bee species, which was about normal (though down from 2023’s high of 47), and included two firsts.
33 butterfly species, which isn’t bad, considering that these days I don’t really chase around after them; the best I’ve ever managed (in 2019 and 2023, when I did put in quite a bit of work) was 37.
33 Odonata species, which is my best-ever tally – demolishing my previous best, in 2023, of 30. I’m really quite pleased with this result – though niggled that a failure to get myself together and take a trip to Shropshire caused me to miss the Black Darter, which would have brought me to 34. The Scarlet Darter, Red-veined Darter and Keeled Skimmer were all new species for me this year.
41 hoverfly species – which is the only really disappointing result, because it’s the worst I’ve had since the lockdown summer of 2020, and way below the 56 I logged in 2022. In this region hoverflies seem to have been trending generally downwards over the past few years, which is obviously worrying, though on the plus side I did find two new-to-me species during the summer.
Tomorrow I’ll reset all my lists to zero, and set about trying to beat at least some of my 2025 totals. Ultimately, I’ll admit, it’s a pretty pointless exercise, but it’s a harmless form of motivation, and it keeps me – mostly – out of mischief.
Happy New Year to you all.
R: L2, C3, D13.
