Darren Pearce's 2008 UK Year List

[Darren Pearce]

Right, I wasn't going to make a list this year. The plan was to trundle around seeing good birds locally without the panic of chasing birds that I had seen many times but just not in 2008. The trouble was that good birds started appearing and kept appearing so the urge has just got the better of me. So here goes. Lifers in bold


1 Mute Swan
2 Bewick's Swan
3 Whooper Swan
4 Tundra Bean Goose
5 Greater White-fronted Goose
6 Greylag Goose
7 Greater Canada Goose
8 Barnacle Goose
9 Common Shelduck
10 Mandarin Duck
11 Eurasian Wigeon
12 American Wigeon
13 Gadwall
14 Eurasian Teal
14 Mallard
16 Northern Pintail
17 Northern Shoveler
18 Red-crested Pochard
19 Common Pochard
20 Tufted Duck
21 Greater Scaup
22 Common Scoter
23 Common Goldeneye
24 Smew
25 Red-breasted Merganser
26 Goosander
27 Ruddy Duck
28 Red-legged Partridge
29 Common Pheasant
30 Great Northern Diver
31 Little Grebe
32 Great Crested Grebe
33 Black-necked Grebe
34 Great Cormorant
35 European Shag
36 Cattle Egret
37 Little Egret
38 Great White Egret
39 Northern Goshawk
40 Eurasian Sparrowhawk
41 Common Buzzard
42 Common Kestrel
43 Peregrine Falcon
44 Common Moorhen
45 Common Coot
46 Eurasian Oystercatcher
47 Ringed Plover
48 European Golden Plover
49 Northern Lapwing
50 Little Stint
51 Purple Sandpiper
52 Dunlin
53 Ruff
54 Common Snipe
55 Eurasian Curlew
56 Spotted Sandpiper
57 Spotted Redshank
58 Common Redshank
59 Ruddy Turnstone
60 Black-headed Gull
61 Little Gull
62 Mediterranean Gull
63 Common Gull
64 Lesser Black-backed Gull
65 Herring Gull
66 Great Black-backed Gull
67 Feral Pigeon
68 Common Wood Pigeon
69 Eurasian Collared Dove
70 Little Owl
71 Short-eared Owl
72 Common Kingfisher
73 Green Woodpecker
74 Great Spotted Woodpecker
75 Sky Lark
76 Meadow Pipit
77 Rock Pipit
78 Grey Wagtail
79 Pied Wagtail
80 Winter Wren
81 Dunnock
82 European Robin
83 Black Redstart
84 Stonechat
85 Common Blackbird
86 Fieldfare
87 Song Thrush
88 Redwing
89 Mistle Thrush
90 Yellow-browed Warbler
91 Common Chiffchaff
92 Goldcrest
93 Long-tailed Tit
94 Blue Tit
95 Great Tit
96 Coal Tit
97 (Wood) Nuthatch
98 Eurasian Treecreeper
99 Great Grey Shrike
100 Eurasian Jay
101 Black-billed Magpie
102 Red-billed Chough
103 Eurasian Jackdaw
104 Rook
105 Carrion Crow
106 Common Raven
107 Common Starling
108 House Sparrow
109 Eurasian Tree Sparrow
110 Chaffinch
111 Brambling
112 European Greenfinch
113 European Goldfinch
114 Eurasian Siskin
115 Common Linnet
116 Lesser Redpoll
117 Common Crossbill
118 Common Bullfinch
119 Hawfinch
120 Yellowhammer
121 Reed Bunting
122 Corn Bunting

[Darren Pearce]

A trip around Somerset this morning to Portbury Wharf,Cheddar Reservoir and Butlins at Minehead. Whilst watching the Iceland Gull a car load of larger ladies passed wearing cowboy hats and one shouted out "Ere you gave my mate crabs". I can't say I recall it.

123 Ring Necked Duck
124 Red Necked Grebe
125 Iceland Gull

Oh and one I forgot

126 Grey Heron

[Darren Pearce]

We decided to go to Devon for the afternoon and twitch the King Eider. By the time we got there the bird had moved from Instow to Northam Burrows CP. I had no idea where to start looking and there was no other birders in sight. So I just had to work my way along the edge of the estuary. Then it started hammering down. I was about to give up when strange bird emerged amongst a flock of Wigeon. It was the King Eider. I had good but distant views until I left and I was able to save a group of birders the same trouble by putting them straight onto the bird.

We moved around to Isley Marshes at Yelland and picked up a Spoonbill for the year list.

Unfortunately both birds were too distant to digiscope.

127 King Eider
128 Spoonbill

[Darren Pearce]

A few more yesterday in a brief visit to Slimbridge

129 Dark Bellied Brent Goose
130 Water Rail
131 Black Tailed Godwit

[Darren Pearce]

A few more from over the weekend with the first of the migrants being seen.

I was surprised on Saturday when 3 Swallows flew low past me on the local common. Seemed a bit early but it corresponded with some other local sightings

132 Swallow

We went over to Blagdon Lake yesterday to see the Lesser Scaup that had been reported. After a bit of a hike I found it pretending to be a Tufted Duck. There were also plenty on Sand Martins skimming over the water

133 Lesser Scaup
134 Sand Martin

We moved onto to Portishead hoping to see the Franklin's Gull that had been reported on Saturday. No luck with that although the bird was later found in a roost with no public access, but I did see my first and second Wheatear for the year

135 Wheatear

[Darren Pearce]

A quick dash out of work and a made up doctors appointment saw me travelling 20 mins to the Cadbury Factory in Keynsham. There had been a report of a Franklin's Gull half an hour earlier on some flooded fields. On arrival there seemed to be thousands of gulls here, but a meticulous study of every one finally resulted in a lifer

136 Franklin's Gull

[Darren Pearce]

One more from yesterday

137 Stock Dove

This morning we popped up to the Coate Water Country Park in Swindon to look for the summer plumaged Red Throated Diver that has been there most of the week. It was easy enough to find but annoyingly kept itself out of digiscoping range until it felt that I had been snowed on for long enough

138 Red Throated Diver

[Darren Pearce]

A 6am start on Saturday saw me heading for Cheddar Reservoir hoping that the 1st winter Bonaparte's Gull had stayed overnight. Luckily it had but it was flightier than the previous day and it wouldn't stay down long enough for me to get a photo. I couldn't stay around for long as I promised that I would be home for 10am

139 Bonaparte's Gull

I planned to go to Slimbridge this afternoon for the Green Winged Teal but a Lapland Bunting at nearby Marshfield meant a slight detour.

When I got to Marshfield I was the only one there and had the daunting job of scouring the large ploughed field where it apparently was seen. Luckily some more people turned up and somebody found it.
There were also 2 White Wagtails amongst the Pied's

140 Lapland Bunting
--- White Wagtail

Then onto the 100 acre at Slimbridge as planned. The Teal didn't try to hide from me and I found it immediately from the viewing gate.

141 Green Winged Teal

[Darren Pearce]

One more from earlier in the week

142 Blackcap

Today we popped up to Saul Warth to try and see one of the Garganey that were reported yesterday.

We got onto one easily but it was the most inconsiderate of birds as it chose to stay asleep for the duration of our stay

143 Garganey

[Darren Pearce]

I suppose the next two were going to be obvious

144 Willow Warbler
145 House Martin

[Darren Pearce]

A daytrip with the family to Weymouth/Portland on Sunday gave me the opportunity to catch up with some much needed seabirds and some Brucie bonuses

From Ferrybridge

146 Sandwich Tern

From Portland Bill

147 Gannet
148 Kittiwake
149 Fulmar
150 Manx Shearwater
151 Guillemot
152 Razorbill

From Lodmoor

153 Hoopoe
154 Cetti's Warbler
155 Reed Warbler

And finally from Two Mile Coppice in Weymouth

156 Pallas's Warbler

[Darren Pearce]

Well they do say that fortune favours the brave and with this in mind I ventured onto the local common in the school holidays. I was pleasantly surprised to find that there were no children chucking rocks into the pond or setting fire to the gorse bushes. I was even more surprised when this stonking male Redstart appeared in front of me whilst watching a pair of Wheatear.

157 Redstart

[Darren Pearce]

I popped to Severn Beach after work to see what the early evening tide would bring, and it was quite productive

There were a party of 5 Whimbrel and 3 Bar Tailed Godwit feeding on the tide line

158 Whimbrel
159 Bar Tailed Godwit

Then I got news of a male Ring Ouzel only 5 minutes walk away. Luckily it was still there when I got there.but not for long as it was flushed by a combination of a dog and a train

160 Ring Ouzel

I was quite surprised that the next year tick was

161 Common Swift

[Darren Pearce]

Popped up to Slimbridge today to see what I could add. Nothing was the answer as it was very quiet.

News came out of a Pallas's Warbler only 10 minutes up the road. Now I had seen the Weymouth bird only last weekend but it was a tatty individual so I thought it would be rude not to go.

The Pallas's Warbler showed very well and as a bonus a Nightingale sang from the next bush along

162 Nightingale

[Darren Pearce]

We popped up to Coombe Hill Meadows this morning to try and add to the year list

We started walking along the track and immediately picked up

163 Common Whitethroat

All the way to the hide I was telling the kids "Be careful not to fall over as the mud is slippery"

So it served me right when I went a cropper and embedded a thorn bush into my hand

We got to the hide and found the following

164 Greenshank
165 Little Ringed Plover
166 Yellow Wagtail

Afterwards we popped into Hingham Woods RSPB to see if we could find a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, no luck but we did find

167 Marsh Tit

[Darren Pearce]

A couple more from the local area earlier in the week

168 Sedge Warbler
169 Lesser Whitethroat

I was going to go South today but a report of a roosting Long Eared Owl had me heading to Slimbridge.

I was surprised to find an Egyptian Goose feeding in the approach fields. Once I got to Slimbridge I nipped up the Holden Tower to quickly tick an Avocet that had been there all morning (Lucky that I did, it was gone when I got back).

I walked along the summer walkway to Mid Point and it wasn't long before I had a roosting LEO in the scope, a lifer.

170 Egyptian Goose
171 Avocet
172 Long Eared Owl

I popped down to Severn Beach afterwards to try and find a Whinchat, but no luck, but a Grasshopper Warbler started reeling from a bush

173 Grasshopper Warbler

[Darren Pearce]

One more locally last week

174 Garden Warbler

We had a weekend away camping in Oxfordshire. We spent saturday visiting Otmoor and Farmoor. As usual here I did reasonably well

From Otmoor

175 Turtle Dove
176 Hobby
177 Cuckoo
178 Red Kite

From Farmoor

179 Black Tern
180 Common Tern

Today I nipped across the bridge to try for the Black Winged Stilt at Goldcliff, but it was not there. A small consolation

181 Common Sandpiper

When I got home a Broad Billed Sandpiper had been reported so if it sticks around I will probably be handing over another £5.30 in bridge toll at the weekend

[Darren Pearce]

Even though the Stilt hadn't been reported I thought it was a good time to go to the Forest of Dean for the forest migrants. So I parted with another £5.30 and headed off to Nagshead. Well today was all too easy and I cleaned up the forest species in around an hour without venturing too far from the car.

182 Spotted Flycatcher
183 Pied Flycatcher
184 Wood Warbler
185 Tree Pipit

As I now had a bit of time on my hands I decided to shoot on over to Kenfig NNR and try for the Short Toed Lark. I had the kids with me and it was quite a trek and after an hour or so their patience was wearing thin. Luckily after a few false alarms somebody found it.

186 Short Toed Lark

I have attached a couple of poor photo's below. The Tree Pipit had the cheek to stay behind a branch and as for the ST Lark, well it barely passes as a "record shot"

[Darren Pearce]

Back to Slimbridge today fro the Whiskered Tern, which showed quite well after a while

187 Whiskered Tern

Also on the reserve for three well grown Tawny Owl chicks sat up a tree

188 Tawny Owl

[Darren Pearce]

One from Chew Valley Lake earlier in the week whilst dipping the Great Reed Warbler

189 Ferruginous Duck

Today we went to Shapwick Heath in Somerset to look for the female Red Footed Falcon that had been around all week. There had been no news all morning so I wasn't holding out much hope. However as soon as I got to the hide some people had just found it. Talk about a stroke of luck

190 Red Footed Falcon

On the way back we popped into Severn Beach hoping to fill some gaps in the wader list.

191 Sanderling
192 Knot

Below are some hazy shots,the falcon was shot at about a mile away using 60x zoom on the scope

[Darren Pearce]

One more this weekend from Ferrybridge,Portland, Dorset

193 Little Tern

[Darren Pearce]

Over the course of the year I have "dipped" Dippers at my usual site about 10 times. So it was time for a change of location. I used RBA's "Where to find guide" and it came up trumps with a site in Gloucestershire.

194 Dipper

On Sunday evening it was back to the Forest of Dean for Nightjar. While we waiting a Woodcock flew over. This was a lifer for me as I have never managed to stumble over one before. By the time the Nightjar showed I had seen the Woodcock go over around 50 times.

The Nightjar appeared around 9:30pm and it was still relatively light so it was a very good view. Unfortunately it was the only view before the poor light got the better of us and the kids had to go to bed. Luckily it was an in-service day on Monday

195 Woodcock
196 Nightjar

I got one opportunity to photograph the Dipper and I blew it, see how I managed to get the pavement in focus but not the bird.

[Darren Pearce]

June, yawn, struggling as usual to get to 200. The week was brightened up a little by the possible or probable or putative American Herring Gull at Chew Valley Lake. Brightened up for us maybe but not the resident Lesser Black Backed Gull that he seem to take great delight in trying to drown. I am no gull expert so sorting this one out is in the hands of the experts.

Popped up to Slimbridge this morning to dip the Ring Billed Gull yet again. Everyone else seem to see it, but whenever I go it goes missing only to return the next day. However Green Sandpiper was a year tick

197 Green Sandpiper

[Darren Pearce]

After dipping the Slimbridge Ring Billed Gull no less than six times, I started to wonder where the next tick might come from. Thankfully Slimbridge came up with a Wood Sandpiper to help confine that Gull to history.

198 Wood Sandpiper

Thats it honest, the brown blob in the middle

[Darren Pearce]

One more today, I went to look for some Whinchat's that had been reported yesterday about 10 mins from home.

Luckily they were still there and looked to be a family party of 1 male. a female and a juv.

199 Whinchat

Customary rubbish shot below

[Darren Pearce]

One more this weekend from an unplanned visit to Poole

200 Dartford Warbler

Couldn't get a photo though, the little blighters wouldn't stay still

[Darren Pearce]

I went to Slimbridge yesterday for an evening of Gull identification with the wardens. I got two year ticks of which one was Grey Plover, which is well overdue. I still haven't got a Barn Owl though

201 Yellow Legged Gull
202 Grey Plover

[Darren Pearce]

Been away on holiday in France for a couple of weeks, luckily I haven't missed much locally.

Before I went I added Quail locally

203 Quail

When I got back there was a Red Necked Phalarope at Frampton-on-Severn, which I was able to duck out for in between unpacking holiday bags

204 Red Necked Phalarope

Annoyingly I dipped the Stilt Sandpiper on Thursday by 10 minutes. But I was able to see the Osprey that has been at Shapwick Heath for a couple of days

205 Osprey

[Darren Pearce]

At last things are starting to move, and there have been a few bits and pieces around locally.

I nipped to Slimbridge in my lunch hour on Tuesday for a walk out to see the juvenile Dotterel that has been around for a few days

206 Dotterel

On Saturday we went to Chew Valley Lake to see a flock of Arctic Terns that had dropped in. As we were driving home the pager bleeped as a Grey Phalarope had been found, so much to the kid's dismay we turned around and went back.

207 Arctic Tern
208 Grey Phalarope

Yesterday we popped to Devon to see some of the decent birds that HAD been around. No sign of any Wryneck's or the Semipalmated Sandpiper.
We decided to go to Berry Head to try for Cirl Bunting, which was a UK tick for me having seen them abroad.

Initially I was pessimistic, having missed everything else. But eventually one obliged.

209 Cirl Bunting

[Darren Pearce]

A couple more from the weekend, On Saturday we went for an afternoon out at Portland, where the Melodious Warbler showed well.

210 Melodious Warbler

Yesterday we popped out to Kingston Seymour near Clevedon as there were two Wryneck's there

211 Wryneck

[Darren Pearce]

Three more from the last week or so,

I went to Severn Beach last weekend and soon picked out my target bird

212 Curlew Sandpiper

I dipped Pectoral Sandpiper 3 times last week, but in an opportunistic visit to Barrow Gurney water tanks on the way to collecting the in-laws from the airport I struck lucky, also saw my second Ferruginous Duck of the year

213 Pectoral Sandpiper

Yesterday a Red Backed Shrike appeared for a few hours down in Mark in Somerset. It was only about three quarters of an hour away and a British tick for me. Thank goodness we made the descision to go when we did. When I got there the bird was showing well. After about 10 minutes it disapeared, never to be seen again

214 Red Backed Shrike

[Darren Pearce]

The weekend before last we popped out to Portland again and at last I saw Bearded Tit. I really thought that I was going to miss out on them this year as I have been a few times before this year with no success.

215 Bearded Tit

This weekend we spent a few days in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, maybe not as productive as I would have hoped, but it was definately quality over quantity


216 Red Eyed Vireo
217 Rose Coloured Starling
218 Sociable Plover
219 Grey Cheeked Thrush
220 Snow Bunting
221 Merlin
222 Great Skua
223 Red Breasted Flycatcher

[Darren Pearce]

A good couple of weeks

The weekend before last we popped to Chew Valley Lake for the Long Tailed Duck that has been around for a while. It took some searching for because of it's constant diving but eventually once I knew where it was I had some reasonable views.

224 Long Tailed Duck

Last weekend was spent in Norfolk and we saw some quality birds, including one of my favorites Waxwings. I spent much to long hanging out in some woods waiting for the Red Flanked Bluetail but in the end I saw it well. After this trip I have equalled last years "year list" and any more will improve on my record.

225 Marsh Harrier
226 Pink Footed Goose
227 Waxwing
228 Eider
229 Water Pipit
230 Red Flanked Bluetail
231 Barn Owl
232 Common Crane

[Darren Pearce]

Over the bridge today to Cardiff and two good birds to justify the toll.

First stop Lamby lake and the returning Ring Billed Gull, which showed really well despite lots of dogs barking at it. A nice claw back after dipping the Slimbridge one about 106 times

233 Ring Billed Gull

Then onto Cardiff Bay to see the Slavonian Grebe. This bird was so close that with it's constant diving it became almost impossible to digiscope. Eventually after about an hour of "find bird in scope,focus,apply camera,press button and B******s, it's gone again" I got a half decent shot

234 Slavonian Grebe

These two take me safely past my year list record

[Darren Pearce]

Pretty slow recently, however a couple of weekends ago I managed to see the Bittern at Slimbridge

235 Bittern

Today I went to Severn Beach in search of the Firecrest's reported yesterday, no luck unfortunately but I was able to see my first Jack Snipe of the year there

236 Jack Snipe

[Darren Pearce]

With Xmas out of the way, we decided to go down to Cornwall for the Snowy Owl. After a trek up the hillside it was showing well. An excellent bird and up there for bird of the year. I got a few record shots, the best of which is below. The distance coupled with the wind meant that digiscoping was a struggle

237 Snowy Owl

On the way back we popped into Feock and soon picked up the two Velvet Scoter's that had been reported also a Great Northern Diver

238 Velvet Scoter

[Darren Pearce]

Today I went to Hampshire/Wiltshire. My main target was the Red Breasted Goose at Keyhaven Marshes.

I got there at around 9am and soon found a flock of Brent Geese and a couple of other birders going through them. No sign of the Red Breast here but a Black Brant was a pleasant surprise.

We wondered around to the fields by the farm where the birds was seen yesterday and after a while the Brent's started piling in and amongst them was the Red Breasted Goose.

I stupidly forgot my camera so the image below is "phonescoped"

--- Black Brant
239 Red Breasted Goose

I moved onto Blashford Lakes as it was only about half an hour away.
My luck continued, as I got into one of the hides the Bittern was showing well. After a while I left the hide armed with info on where I might find Hen Harriers nearby and ran straight into a Firecrest. I have spent the last few weeks dipping local Firecrest and now one found me

240 Firecrest

Following the instructions I had been given I went out in search of Hen Harrier's. After a few miles I caught a glimpse of something in the corner of my eye which looked like a Harrier. Frustratingly it seemed ages before I found somewhere to park. I ran back from my car and looked over the edge of the hill and there was the unmistakeable sight of a male Hen Harrier hunting over the scrub.

241 Hen Harrier

I have to work tomorrow, so that looks like my lot for 2008. It has been an amazing year with some great birds and some horrible dips, Stilt Sandpiper in Glos and Dark Eyed Junco in Somerset spring to mind. Hopefully next year will be as good :t: