birdman
Sunday 28th December 2003, 22:34
Okey dokey...
As my final posting from my 2003 Outback Sightings, I have summarised the lists below.
This year was the first time I began Local Patch birding, or in fact any birding with anything more than a casual seriousness (if that's not an oxymoron!).
As such, it sort of "just happened" and there was no ultimate aim, other than to the record the species identified.
Anyone who has followed any of my reports will know there have been numerous "unided thises" and "unided thats" along the way, down almost entirely to my lack of birding ability.
I have not included these below. However, with the usual caveats for competence, I have presented this summary as simply that, and taken each sighting on its own merit at the time of reporting, even though it is clear there are one or two unusual anomalies.
For example, I have only 1 record of a Swallow, in spite of the fact that I know I have seen Swallows on numerous occasions throughout the year.
That one contradiction alone deserves some explanation, which will also serve as an indication of my report "ground-rules", which may well be modified in 2004!
That is to say, records on my Outback reports are of those birds which have been positively identified (to my own satisfaction) whilst actually on the walk, from setting foot outside the door, to returning to the door (a journey which includes a short traverse of the housing estate that I live on). A map of my Outback patch is elsewhere in this forum, and whilst the boundaries on the ground are fairly well defined, any positive identifications made from there are eligible regardles of the actual location of the bird.
As I am fortunate enough to overlook my Outback from the room in which I am presently typing, I will have ample opportunity to make more regular records of those birds which make themselves obvious from the window - the Swallows being an excellent example. How I reconcile these sightings with those from my walks is something I have yet to decide upon (= figure out!).
Some "positive identifications" have been made, on any given report, by sound only, and in the list below I have indicated where this was the case. Of course, it is extremely likely that birds seen have also been heard, so the heard ids are such occasions when the bird was only heard and not seen. So, in the case of Woodpigeon, of the 20 positive identifications made, 19 were by at least sight, whilst 1 was by sound alone. The "20" in this example, of course, refers to the number of appearances by the species on a trip report, and not the number of individuals seen. (The evidently mammoth task of counting individuals will begin with my first patch report of 2004!).
My first Calendar Year (although actually only about 9 months) brought forth 21 "official" Outback walks, and a Patch List comprising 60 species. Early in my reports I was encouraged to "go for 100", which I consummately failed to achieve! However, 60 gives me a target to aim for, and as my birding skills improve I will, I hope, be able to provide more fruitful and knowledgeable reports in the months (and years???) to come.
Species List as follows...
Woodpigeon : 20 (19,1)
Blackbird : 20 (18,2)
Magpie : 20 (18,2)
Mallard : 19 (19,0)
Carrion Crow : 17 (17,0)
Moorhen : 16 (16,0)
Blue Tit : 14 (14,0)
Chaffinch : 14 (14,0)
Coot : 14 (14,0)
Grey Heron : 14 (14,0)
Great Tit : 13 (13,0)
Green Woodpecker : 13 (6,7)
Kestrel : 12 (12,0)
Starling : 12 (12,0)
Skylark : 12 (11,1)
Pheasant : 12 (5,7)
House Martin : 11 (11,0)
Robin : 10 (9,1)
Yellowhammer : 10 (6,4)
Feral Pigeon : 9 (9,0)
Mistle Thrush : 9 (9,0)
Long-tailed Tit : 8 (8,0)
Swift : 8 (8,0)
Jackdaw : 8 (7,1)
Coal Tit : 7 (7,0)
Lapwing : 7 (7,0)
Chiffchaff : 7 (1,6)
Black-headed Gull : 6 (6,0)
Nuthatch : 6 (6,0)
Pied Wagtail : 6 (6,0)
Whitethroat : 6 (5,1)
Jay : 6 (4,2)
Goldcrest : 5 (5,0)
Treecreeper : 5 (5,0)
Dunnock : 4 (4,0)
Fieldfare : 4 (4,0)
Goldfinch : 4 (4,0)
Greenfinch : 4 (4,0)
Reed Bunting : 4 (4,0)
Wren : 4 (2,2)
Little Owl : 3 (3,0)
Long-eared Owl : 3 (3,0)
Tree Pipit : 3 (3,0)
Collared Dove : 3 (1,2)
Turtle Dove : 3 (0,3)
Buzzard : 2 (2,0)
Greater Spotted Woodpecker : 2 (2,0)
House Sparrow : 2 (2,0)
Linnet : 2 (2,0)
Redwing : 2 (2,0)
Cuckoo : 2 (0,2)
Blackcap : 1 (1,0)
Great Black-backed Gull : 1 (1,0)
Grey Wagtail : 1 (1,0)
Greylag Goose : 1 (1,0)
Kingfisher : 1 (1,0)
Mute Swan : 1 (1,0)
Red-legged Partridge : 1 (1,0)
Song Thrush : 1 (1,0)
Swallow : 1 (1,0)
As my final posting from my 2003 Outback Sightings, I have summarised the lists below.
This year was the first time I began Local Patch birding, or in fact any birding with anything more than a casual seriousness (if that's not an oxymoron!).
As such, it sort of "just happened" and there was no ultimate aim, other than to the record the species identified.
Anyone who has followed any of my reports will know there have been numerous "unided thises" and "unided thats" along the way, down almost entirely to my lack of birding ability.
I have not included these below. However, with the usual caveats for competence, I have presented this summary as simply that, and taken each sighting on its own merit at the time of reporting, even though it is clear there are one or two unusual anomalies.
For example, I have only 1 record of a Swallow, in spite of the fact that I know I have seen Swallows on numerous occasions throughout the year.
That one contradiction alone deserves some explanation, which will also serve as an indication of my report "ground-rules", which may well be modified in 2004!
That is to say, records on my Outback reports are of those birds which have been positively identified (to my own satisfaction) whilst actually on the walk, from setting foot outside the door, to returning to the door (a journey which includes a short traverse of the housing estate that I live on). A map of my Outback patch is elsewhere in this forum, and whilst the boundaries on the ground are fairly well defined, any positive identifications made from there are eligible regardles of the actual location of the bird.
As I am fortunate enough to overlook my Outback from the room in which I am presently typing, I will have ample opportunity to make more regular records of those birds which make themselves obvious from the window - the Swallows being an excellent example. How I reconcile these sightings with those from my walks is something I have yet to decide upon (= figure out!).
Some "positive identifications" have been made, on any given report, by sound only, and in the list below I have indicated where this was the case. Of course, it is extremely likely that birds seen have also been heard, so the heard ids are such occasions when the bird was only heard and not seen. So, in the case of Woodpigeon, of the 20 positive identifications made, 19 were by at least sight, whilst 1 was by sound alone. The "20" in this example, of course, refers to the number of appearances by the species on a trip report, and not the number of individuals seen. (The evidently mammoth task of counting individuals will begin with my first patch report of 2004!).
My first Calendar Year (although actually only about 9 months) brought forth 21 "official" Outback walks, and a Patch List comprising 60 species. Early in my reports I was encouraged to "go for 100", which I consummately failed to achieve! However, 60 gives me a target to aim for, and as my birding skills improve I will, I hope, be able to provide more fruitful and knowledgeable reports in the months (and years???) to come.
Species List as follows...
Woodpigeon : 20 (19,1)
Blackbird : 20 (18,2)
Magpie : 20 (18,2)
Mallard : 19 (19,0)
Carrion Crow : 17 (17,0)
Moorhen : 16 (16,0)
Blue Tit : 14 (14,0)
Chaffinch : 14 (14,0)
Coot : 14 (14,0)
Grey Heron : 14 (14,0)
Great Tit : 13 (13,0)
Green Woodpecker : 13 (6,7)
Kestrel : 12 (12,0)
Starling : 12 (12,0)
Skylark : 12 (11,1)
Pheasant : 12 (5,7)
House Martin : 11 (11,0)
Robin : 10 (9,1)
Yellowhammer : 10 (6,4)
Feral Pigeon : 9 (9,0)
Mistle Thrush : 9 (9,0)
Long-tailed Tit : 8 (8,0)
Swift : 8 (8,0)
Jackdaw : 8 (7,1)
Coal Tit : 7 (7,0)
Lapwing : 7 (7,0)
Chiffchaff : 7 (1,6)
Black-headed Gull : 6 (6,0)
Nuthatch : 6 (6,0)
Pied Wagtail : 6 (6,0)
Whitethroat : 6 (5,1)
Jay : 6 (4,2)
Goldcrest : 5 (5,0)
Treecreeper : 5 (5,0)
Dunnock : 4 (4,0)
Fieldfare : 4 (4,0)
Goldfinch : 4 (4,0)
Greenfinch : 4 (4,0)
Reed Bunting : 4 (4,0)
Wren : 4 (2,2)
Little Owl : 3 (3,0)
Long-eared Owl : 3 (3,0)
Tree Pipit : 3 (3,0)
Collared Dove : 3 (1,2)
Turtle Dove : 3 (0,3)
Buzzard : 2 (2,0)
Greater Spotted Woodpecker : 2 (2,0)
House Sparrow : 2 (2,0)
Linnet : 2 (2,0)
Redwing : 2 (2,0)
Cuckoo : 2 (0,2)
Blackcap : 1 (1,0)
Great Black-backed Gull : 1 (1,0)
Grey Wagtail : 1 (1,0)
Greylag Goose : 1 (1,0)
Kingfisher : 1 (1,0)
Mute Swan : 1 (1,0)
Red-legged Partridge : 1 (1,0)
Song Thrush : 1 (1,0)
Swallow : 1 (1,0)