My 2006 list

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* = lifer

1-6 Jan 2006 South Co. Down (N. Irleand) -[ mostly from sick bed]

1. Cormorant
2. Mute Swan
3. Mallard
4. Black-headed Gull
5. Woodpigeon
6. Feral Pigeon
7. Collared Dove
8. Pied Wagtail
9. Wren
10. Robin
11. Dunnock
12.Fieldfare
13. Song Thrush
14. Mistle Thrush
15. Blackbird
16. Coal Tit
17. Blue Tit
18. Great Tit
19. Common Starling
20. Magpie
21. Jackdaw
22. Hooded Crow
23. Rook
24. House Sparrow
25. Chaffinch
26. Greenfinch
27. Goldfinch


7 Jan Warrenpoint, Co. Down

28. Scaup
29. Goldeneye
30. Red-breasted Merganser
31. Oystercatcher
32. Turnstone
33. Redshank
34.Common Gull
35. Herring Gull
36. Rock Pipit


9 Jan Castlewellan Forest, Co Down

37. Little Grebe
38. Tufted Duck
39. Chiffchaff
40. Goldcrest
41. Jay
42. Raven

12 Jan Carlingford Lough, Cooley Peninsula, Dundalk Bay

43. Great Northern Diver
44. Red-throated Diver
45. Great Crested Grebe
46. Grey Heron
47. Shag
48. Pale-bellied Brent Goose
49. Shelduck
50. Wigeon
51. Teal
52. Common Scoter
53. Grey Plover
54. Golden Plover
55. Lapwing
56. Greenshank
57. Curlew
58. Great Black-backed Gull
59. Black Guillemot
60. Common Guillemot
61. Stonechat
62. Linnet


14 Jan South Co. Down (Carlingford Lough; Dundrum Bay, Quoile Pondage)

63. Whooper Swan
64. Greylag Goose
65. Pintail
66. Pochard
67. Long-tailed Duck
68. Barrow's Goldeneye*
69. Sparrowhawk
70. Moorhen
71. Coot
72. Ringed Plover
73. Dunlin
74. Sanderling
75. Bar-tailed Godwit
76. Black-tailed Godwit
77. Collared Dove
78. Meadow Pipit
79. Redwing
80. Bullfinch


28 Jan Moore Nature Reserve, Cheshire

81. Common Buzzard
82. Common Kestrel
83. Pheasant
84. Great Spotted Woodpecker
85. Green Woodpecker
86. Barn Owl
87. Treecreeper
88. Nuthatch
89. Willow Tit
90. Long-tailed Tit
91. Carrion Crow
92. Siskin
93. Reed Bunting


4 Feb Chorlton Water Park, Manchester

94. Canada Goose
95. Goosander
96. Smew
97. Grey Wagtail
98. Lesser Redpoll



5 Feb Pennington Flash, Astley Moss, Gtr Manchester

99. Gadwall
100. Shoveler
101. Grey Partridge
102. Red-legged Partridge
103. Water Rail
104. Lesser Black-backed Gull
105. Stock Dove
106. Tree Sparrow
107. Brambling
108. Yellowhammer


09 Feb Central Manchester (from my office window!)

109. Waxwing (17 of them)
[23 of them on 10th]


10 Feb Lancashire Mosslands (incl. Martin Mere WWT; Marshside RSPB)

110. Pink-footed Goose
111. Barnacle Goose
112. Merlin
113. Ruff
114. Common Snipe
115. Skylark
116. Corn Bunting


12 Feb Foulridge Reservoir, East Lancashire

117. Red-necked Grebe


14 Feb 2006 Moore Nature Reserve; Dee Marshes (Cheshire)

118. Little Egret
119. Ruddy Duck
120. Hen Harrier
121. Peregrine
122. Knot
123. Short-eared Owl
124. Marsh Tit

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18/ 19 Feb 2006 Mersyside; Wirral, N. Wales - great weekend with lots of new birds for the year

125. Black-throated Diver
126. Fulmar
127. Common Eider
128. Purple Sandpiper
129. Ring-billed Gull
130. Mediterranean Gull
131. Razorbill
132. Water Pipit
133. Black Redstart
134. Twite
135. Snow Bunting

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23 Feb 2006 Gtr Manchester (Stockport area)

136. Mandarin
Egyptian Goose (not really counting this one!)
137. Lesser Spotted Woodpecker
138. Dipper



25 Feb 2006 High Peak, Derbyshire

139. Goshawk
140. Red Grouse

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28 Feb 2006 Dundalk Bay, Co. Louth

141. Slavonian Grebe
142. Greenland White-fronted Goose

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1st March 2006 Craigavon Lakes, Co. Armagh

143. Ferruginous Duck
144. Ring-necked Duck

also saw cracking male Smew there

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Thurs 9 March 2006 Belfast Harbour RSPB Reserve

145. Green-winged Teal
146. Wood Duck* (dodgy I know, but apparently it could be the real thing!)

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Saturday 11 March 2006 Ballysaggart Lough, Co Tyrone

147. Lesser Scaup* (another new duck!)

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Sunday 12 March 2006 Strangford Lough, Co. Down

148. Kittiwake

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Tuesday 14 March 2006 Dundalk Bay/ Co Louth coastline

149. Gannet
150. Little Gull

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Wed 15 March 2006 Dundrum Bay, Co. Down

151. Spotted Redshank

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Friday 17 March 2006 Belfast Lough, Co. Antrim

152. Iceland Gull
153. Glaucous Gull

Happy St Patricks Day! B (:

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Sunday 19 March 2006 Wirral/ Dee Marshes, Cheshire

154. Bewick's Swan
155. Little Owl

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Wed 22 March 2006 Marbury CP, Cheshire

156. Tawny Owl

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Saturday 24 March 2006

Pennington Flash, Greater Manchester

157. Little Ringed Plover
158. Kingfisher


Marshside RSPB, Lancashire

159. Avocet


Chorlton, Manchester

160. Blackcap (singing in my garden)



Sunday 25 March 2006 - South and East Yorkshire

161. Woodcock (Spurn)
162. Sand Martin (Old Moor RSPB)
163. Northern Wheatear (Spurn)
164. Common [Mealy] Redpoll* (Spurn)
165. Hawfinch (Firbeck)
[also, Dark-bellied Brent Goose at Spurn, but have already ticked pale-bellied]

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Monday 27 March 2006 Pennington Flash, Gtr Manchester

166. Black-necked Grebe


Tuesday 28 March Leighton Moss/ Morecambe Bay, Lancashire

167. Marsh Harrier
168. Great Skua


Wednesday 29 March 2006 Marbury Country Park, Cheshire

169. Swallow

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Thursday 30 March 2006 Marbury Country Park, Cheshire

170. House Martin

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Friday 31st March 2006

Denbighshire, N. Wales

171. Black Grouse


Parkgate Marsh, Cheshire

172. Jack Snipe



Saturday 1st April

Marbury Country Park, Cheshire

173. Willow Warbler



Sunday 2nd April

Great Orme, Conwy

174. Chough


Porthmadog area, Gwynned

175. Laughing Gull*
176. Sandwich Tern

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Sunday 9th April 2006

Leighton Moss, Lancashire

177. Bittern (at last)


Lake District, Cumbria (Haweswater & Bassenthwaite)

178. Golden Eagle :D
179. Osprey

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Nice extended Easter break, and a few days away in Wales, meant I could catch up with a few spring migrants, and one or two unexpected surprises:

Friday 14 April 2006

Barnston (Wirral), Cheshire

180. Alpine Swift*


Froodsham Marsh, Cheshire

181. Yellow Wagtail

also first White Wagtails of the year



Saturday 15 April 2006

Angelsey

182. Manx Shearwater (South Stack RSPB)

183. Puffin (South Stack)

184. Cetti's Warbler (RSPB Valli Lakes)


Conwy RSPB reserve

185. Common Sandpiper

186. Grasshopper Warbler


Tuesday 18 April 2006, Angelsey

187. Spotted Crake (Maltraeth Marsh - heard only)

188. American Golden Plover* (Cemlyn Lagoon)


Thursday 20 April 2006 Ynys Hir RSPB Reserve, Ceredigion

189. Red Kite

190. Common Redstart

191. Garden Warbler

192. Sedge Warbler

193. Wood Warbler

194. Pied Flycatcher


I'm off to Spain at the end of next week so hope to add significantly to this list!

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A few more nice migrants picked up over the weekend:

Friday 21 April 2006

Neumanns Flash, Cheshire

195. Wood Sandpiper


Pennington Flash, Greater Manchester

196. Common Tern



Sunday 23 April 2006

Neumanns Flash/ Marbury Country Park, Cheshire

197. Whimbrel
198. Cuckoo
199. Common Whitethroat


Frodsham Marsh, Cheshire

200. Whinchat
201. Reed Warbler

Can't believe I've passed the 200 mark and its still only April! :D I know one or two of the above are dodgy fence-jumpers but I'm still pretty pleased. All these early morning starts are paying off. |=o|

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Just back from a fantastic 10 days in Catalonia (7 days with local bird tour company). Lots of new birds for the year (193 species altogether) and a few lifers thrown in!


Friday 28 April 2006 Barcelona city centre

202. Common Swift
203. Serin


Saturday 29 April 2006 Llobregat Delta (near Barcelona); Garraf Natural Park

204. Little Bittern
205. Squacco Heron
206. Great White Egret
207. White Stork
208. Glossy Ibis
209. Spoonbill
210. Flamingo
211. Red-crested Pochard
212. Purple Gallinule
213. Collared Pratincole
214. Black-winged Stilt
215. Yellow-legged Gull
216. Whiskered Tern
217. Hoopoe
218. Bee-eater
219. Monk Parakeet
220. Crested Lark
221. Tawny Pipit
222. Sardinian Warbler
223. Fan-tailed Warbler
224. Great Reed Warbler
225. Nightingale
226. Spotted Flycatcher


Sunday 30 April 2006 Eastern Pyrenees

227. Lammergeier*
228. Griffon Vulture
229. Short-toed Eagle
230. Black Woodpecker
231. Crag Martin
232. Rock Thrush
233. Ring Ouzel
234. Western Bonelli's Warbler
235. Firecrest
236. Crested Tit
237. Alpine Chough*
238. Common Crossbill
239. Cirl Bunting
240. Rock Bunting


Monday 1st May 2006 Lleida area, (steppes and farmland)

241. Cattle Egret
242. Black Kite
243. Montagu's Harrier
244. Lesser Kestrel
245. Hobby
246. Stone Curlew
247. Pin-tailed Sandgrouse
248. Turtle Dove
249. Great Spotted Cuckoo
250. Thekla Lark
251. Short-toed Lark
252. Calandra Lark
253. Red-rumped Swallow
254. Black-eared Wheatear
255. Black Wheatear
256. Melodious Warbler
257. Olivaceous Warbler
258. Southern Grey Shrike
259. Woodchat Shrike
260. Spotless Starling


Tuesday 2 May 2006 Aiguamolls d'Emporda

261. Night Heron
262. Purple Heron
263. Garganey
264. Kentish Plover
265. Curlew Sandpiper
266. Little Stint
267. Black Tern
268. Roller
269. Red-throated Pipit*
270. Ortolan Bunting*

also Spanish and Italian Yellow Wagtails.


Wednesday 3 May 2006 Garraf park and Llobregat Delta

271. Temminck's Stint
272. Audouin's Gull*
273. Caspian Tern*
274. White-winged Black Tern
275. Nightjar
276. Pallid Swift*
277. Blue Rock Thrush
278. Dartford Warbler


Thursday 4 May 2006 Ebro Delta

279. Slender-billed Gull*
280. Gull-billed Tern
281. Little Tern
282. Lesser Short-toed Lark*
283. Savi's Warbler
284. Spectacled Warbler


Friday 5 May 2006 Cap de Creus Park

285. Balearic Shearwater
286. Bonelli's Eagle
287. Woodlark
288. Orphean Warbler
289. Golden Oriole

Sunday 7 May 2006 Barcelona

290. Ring-necked Parakeet*

Phew!

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Back over in Ireland for a few days. New birds proving a bit harder to find as the year goes on but did manage to add...

Friday 19 May 2006 Giles Quay, Co. Louth

291. Arctic Skua

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Mon 22 May 2006 Carlingford Lough, Co. Down

292. Arctic Tern

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One more to add from last night...

Monday 22 may 2006 Cooley Peninsula, Co. Louth

293. Long-eared Owl

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24 May 2006 Neumanns Flash, Cheshire

294. Red-necked Phalarope - stunning bird!

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Sat 27 May 2006 Inner Marsh Farm RSPB, Cheshire

295. Pectoral Sandpiper* - been trying to catch up with this species for a long, long time, missed it many times. Success at last!

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by the way, British/Irish year list (i.e. excluding those seen only on spanish trip) is currently at 213.

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2 more added over the weekend

Saturday 3 June 2006 Blacktoft Sands RSPB Yorkshire

296. Bearded Tit



Sun 4 June 2006 Anderton Nature Park, Cheshire

297. Lesser Whitethroat

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Wednesday 14 June Anderton Nature Park/ Neumanns Flash, Cheshire

298. Green Sandpiper




British/Irish list: 218

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Sunday 18 June 2006 Cemlyn lagoon, Angelsey

299. Roseate Tern



British/ Irish list: 219

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2 more added over the weekend:

Friday 23 June 2006 New Brighton, Cheshire

300. :D Storm Petrel



Monday 26 June 2006 Carrington Moss, Gtr Manchester

301. Quail (heard only)