Kendons 2007 UK year list

[Darren Pearce]

After a week in Portugal UK list started yesterday at Bristol Airport and on the way home

1 Starling
2 House Sparrow
3 Rook
4 Blackbird
5 Magpie
6 Carrion Crow
7 Herring Gull
8 Buzzard
9 Black Headed Gull
10 Wood Pigeon

And locally this morning

11 Coot
12 Moorhen
13 Gadwall
14 Mallard
15 Collared Dove
16 Little Grebe
17 Pochard
18 Tufted Duck
19 Pied Wagtail
20 Mute Swan
21 Robin
22 Goldfinch
23 Greenfinch
24 Chaffinch
25 Bullfinch
26 Great Tit
27 Blue Tit
28 Long Tailed Tit
29 Jackdaw
30 Meadow Pipit
31 Lesser Black Backed Gull
32 Redwing
33 Dunnock
34 Jack Snipe
35 Mistle Thrush
36 Song Thrush
37 Wren
38 Grey Heron
39 Pheasant
40 Linnet
41 Feral Pigeon

[Darren Pearce]

A full day at Slimbridge boosted the year list and included 2 lifers

42 Bewicks Swan
43 Shelduck
44 Greylag Goose
45 Pintail
46 Wigeon
47 Canada Goose
48 Lapwing
49 Teal
50 Shoveler
51 Ruff
52 Dunlin
53 Redshank
54 Black Tailed Godwit
55 Curlew
56 Great Black Backed Gull
57 Barnacle Goose
58 Raven
59 Golden Plover
60 Peregrine Falcon
61 White Fronted Goose
62 Pink Footed Goose
63 Bittern
64 Cetti's Warbler
65 Oystercatcher
66 Tundra Bean Goose
67 Cormorant
68 Great Crested Grebe
69 Great Skua
70 Spotted Redshank
71 Little Stint
72 Knot

And on the way home

73 Jay
74 Goldcrest

And today added three more

75 Reed Bunting
76 Coal Tit
77 Green Woodpecker

[Darren Pearce]

A good days local birding taking in Chew Valley Lake and Severn Beach added the following

78 Goosander
79 Smew
80 Red Breasted Merganser
81 Ruddy Duck
82 Goldeneye
83 Skylark
84 Chiffchaff
85 Ring Necked Duck
86 Turnstone
87 Ringed Plover
88 Kingfisher
89 Kestrel

[Darren Pearce]

Spenty a couple of hours at Slimbridge this morning to see the Glaucous Gull which was a lifer for me. I spent the afternoon out in the countryside birding farmland

90 Glaucous Gull
91 Corn Bunting
92 Stock Dove
93 Yellowhammer
94 Red Legged Partridge
95 Fieldfare
96 Merlin

[Darren Pearce]

One more in my lunch hour today

97 Great Spotted Woodpecker

And another

98 Grey Wagtail

And another before work

99 Common Gull

[Darren Pearce]

Added a few more locally. Had cracking views of the Short Eared Owl at Aust Wharf on the Severn Estuary and at one time had both the owl and a male Merlin in the scope together.

100 Dipper
101 Rock Pipit
102 Short Eared Owl
103 Stonechat

[Darren Pearce]

One more before work at the local park

104 Treecreeper

And at lunchtime

105 Common Snipe
106 Sparrowhawk

[Darren Pearce]

A Saturday out in Yorkshire to contribute to the Harrogate Naturists Club tarmac appeal.

107 Pacific Diver

Then onto Bingley where both the American Robin and the Firecrest were very obliging

108 American Robin
109 Firecrest

Today I dragged the kids around the Forest of Dean and we all got filthy and my daughter left her trainers in the car park at New Fancy Viewpoint. Don't suppose anyone found them !!

110 Goshawk
111 Common Crossbill
112 Brambling
113 Hawfinch

[Darren Pearce]

A visit to Cheddar reservoir was even more productive than expected. I went looking for Great Northern Diver and there were two. Also a flock of 4 Scaup (3F 1M) and a Black Necked Grebe. The kids were happy to trudge around the reservoir as I had taken them to Wookey Hole Caves before

114 Great Northern Diver
115 Black Necked Grebe
116 Greater Scaup

[Darren Pearce]

3 more yesterday from Cotswold Water Park

117 Lesser Scaup
118 Red Crested Pochard
119 Blackcap

[Darren Pearce]

Spent a weekend away in Weymouth with the family. The following were added from Portland Harbour/Ferrybridge and Portland Bill.

120 Little Egret
121 Brent Goose
122 Gannet
123 Purple Sandpiper
124 Guillemot
125 Fulmar
126 Razorbill
127 Shag
128 Mediterranean Gull
129 Velvet Scoter

[Darren Pearce]

Another day in the Forest of Dean, this time for the Great Grey Shrike. Awful weather forecasted and the kids in tow, I suppose it had "dip" written all over it.

Got there at around 9:30 raining slightly so decided to go and have a look. When we'd walked the 1/4 of a mile or so the heavens opened. After 20 minutes the kids looked like drowned rats so we had to retreat back to the car.

Walking back we met a chap who was on his way to look for it so we had a quick chat and wished him luck.

We sat at the car for around 45 mins (Nintendo DS makes this possible) and we saw the same bloke who said he had seen the bird and it was showing well. The rain had eased so I thought another go was in order. We walked the1/4mile again to where the bird was last seen and there was a group of birders looking for it but yet again no sign. Then it hammered down again and once again the kids who had only just got dry were soaked through. So back to the car for lunch. After about twenty minutes the group of birders passed claiming cracking views of the bird. The rain didn't let up again so there was no way I could drag the kids there again.

:storm:

However I did get three year ticks from the car

130 Mandarin
131 Nuthatch
132 Marsh Tit

[Darren Pearce]

No Kids, No Rain, No Problem

133 Great Grey Shrike

And then all the way back to near enough the opposite side of the Severn to Slimbridge

134 Temminck's Stint

[Darren Pearce]

Only a few hours this afternoon but the return was good.First I went to the lakes at Frampton on Severn

135 Sand Martin
136 Little Gull

Thanks to Merlin the dog for keeping the children entertained. I suspect Merlin and his owner got soaked as it tipped down with rain,hail and snow

I moved on to Sharpness docks just a few miles down the road and finally saw the Black Redstart that I have dipped on three seperate occassions.

137 Black Redstart

[Darren Pearce]

Took the kids down to Bridgewater in Somerset today to see the Hoopoe.We got there at around 10.30 and I saw the bird at about 3pm, luckily there were other kids to keep my kids entertained or they would have never waited that long.

138 Hoopoe

[Darren Pearce]

Three more from over the Bank Holiday Weekend

139 Swallow
140 Little Ringed Plover
141 Wheatear

[Darren Pearce]

142 Willow Warbler

On Saturday we went to Saul Warth to see the Marbled Duck which after a short time showed well.
Then we went to Slimbridge which was very quiet but I did pick up a Green Sandpiper for the year list

--- Marbled Duck
143 Green Sandpiper

Yesterday we made our annual trudge up Cleeve Hill near Cheltenham in pursuit of Ring Ouzel. We arrived at around 9am but that was too late as the hill was already alive will golfers,horse riders,joggers and dog walkers. We hung around for a couple of hours searching remote areas but with no luck.

We decided to move onto Slimbridge where a drake Garganey had been reported. When we got there everybody seemed to be coming back the other way as the Garganey had not been seen for a long time.We stayed at the viewpoint for around an hour but we could not locate it.

Then we had a report of a female Ring Ouzel in a sheep field at Aust Warth only 20 mins from home. We arrived there with little optimism but we quickly found the bird which made up for the rest of the day.

144 Ring Ouzel

[Darren Pearce]

An early morning start before work with a trip to Frampton on Severn and WWT 100 Acre to see the Spoonbill. I picked up on it straight away but had to wait 20 mins before it lifted it's head. Also there was the drake Garganey that I failed to see on Sunday. When I was walking back across the fields a Cuckoo started calling and I was able to locate it at the top of a tall tree on the canal.

145 Spoonbill
146 Garganey
147 Cuckoo

[Darren Pearce]

Lunchtime in mid week

148 Lesser Whitethroat

Yesterday back at Slimbridge, Not 1 but 17

149 Glossy Ibis

Today a productive days birding at Severn Beach and Cotswold Water park catching up with some migrants

150 House Martin
151 Whimbrel
152 Common Sandpiper
153 Common Whitethroat
154 Garden Warbler
155 Hobby
156 Sedge Warbler

[Darren Pearce]

4 more from the weekend. Nightingale at Cotswold Water Park and the rest from Severn Beach this morning

157 Nightingale
158 Bar Tailed Godwit
159 Common Swift
160 Grey Plover

[Darren Pearce]

4 days away in the Highlands allowed me to rack up a good list. We were unable to catch up with any eagles as the weather was poor on Sunday when we went eagle hunting, but that just means we will have to go back

161 Slavonian Grebe
162 Long Tailed Duck
163 Osprey
164 Eider
165 Kittiwake
166 Black Guillemot
167 Siskin
168 Capercaillie
169 Black Throated Diver
170 Red Grouse
171 Grey Partridge
172 Black Grouse
173 Common Tern
174 Arctic Skua
175 Redstart
176 Hooded Crow

[Darren Pearce]

Another day in the Forest of Dean produced the following

177 Pied Flycatcher
178 Wood Warbler
179 Tree Pipit

[Darren Pearce]

2 more from the wet bank holiday

180 Reed Warbler

and from Slimbridge this afternoon a very mobile

181 Great White Egret

[Darren Pearce]

Yesterday I took a trip to Suffolk/Norfolk to Lakenheath and Weeting Heath.I arrived at Lakenheath at around 05:30am A four hour wait was rewarded with a cracking prolonged through the scope of a male Golden Oriole. Then I moved onto Weeting Heath where the Stone Curlews didn't let me down

182 Bearded Tit
183 Marsh Harrier
184 Golden Oriole
185 Spotted Flycatcher
186 Stone Curlew
187 Little Owl

I took a slight detour of off the M4 on the way home looking for Red Kite's. I headed towards Henley-On-Thames and after only a mile there were 7 soaring over a field that was being mown.

188 Red Kite

[Darren Pearce]

Local birding over the weekend produced 2 more

From Chew Valley Lake yesterday

189 Ferruginous Duck

And from Slimbridge today

190 Yellow Legged Gull

[Darren Pearce]

Another family weekend at Weymouth/Portland and an early morning visit to the Bill added

191 Balearic Shearwater
192 Manx Shearwater
193 European Storm Petrel

Quick stops at Ferrybridge and Lodmoor gave me 2 tern species

194 Little Tern
195 Sandwich Tern

[Darren Pearce]

One more today from Newport Wetlands/Goldcliff

196 Avocet

[Darren Pearce]

Spent another weekend away with the family in Dorset. I went out early on Saturday morning and picked up my target bird

197 Dartford Warbler

On Saturday evening I went to Arne in search of Nightjar which was a lifer. I arrived at around 9:30pm and waited. After 15mins of being eaten alive by insects I heard my first bird churring in the distance. I started to panic at around 10pm when I could hear a few birds but had not seen any. Eventually with the light almost gone a bird flew right over my head churring away and landed in a tree. I saw it a few times after that.

198 Nightjar

[Darren Pearce]

Well it's been a quiet fortnight and I am stuck on 199. It's not that I haven't tried for number 200. I went for a Curlew Sandpiper at Slimbridge but it was flushed by a Sea King helicopter 5 mins before I got there. Traffic on the M5 prevented me ticking Black Terns at Chew Valley Lake. I stood waiting for the Quail to call at a local hotspot. My all time bogey bird Yellow Wagtail still evades me.

Anyway I have two weeks in Norfolk starting from Saturday so I have a feeling that number 200 might just come along.

199 Greenshank

[Darren Pearce]

Bogey bird despatched. I went looking for a Hobby that I saw yesterday lunchtime, it wasn't there but in it's place was a juvenile Yellow Wagtail. I couldn't of realistically asked for a better number 200. I even got a piccy

200 Yellow Wagtail

[Darren Pearce]

Two weeks in Norfolk can never harm the year list even in mid summer. I managed quite a lot of birding mostly early morning but as always the family put up with me "just popping in" here and there or "as we are passing anyway". From North Norfolk I saw

201 Egyptian Goose
202 Water Rail
203 Common Scoter
204 Curlew Sandpiper

From Stubb Mill

205 Common Crane
206 Barn Owl

And at Breydon Water

207 White Rumped Sandpiper

[Darren Pearce]

Last night I finally upgraded Tawny Owl from "heard only" to full tick. We were travelling home from Weston Super Mare and called in at a local spot which is good for owls. We heard some Tawny calls and then one drifted right over our heads.

208 Tawny Owl

[Darren Pearce]

Another year tick at lunchtime today. Whilst walking around my local patch a Whinchat flicked up onto the top of a bush and then across to a wire fence where it remained until I left to go back to work.

209 Whinchat

[Darren Pearce]

After sweating on it over the weekend I was finally able to go to Glos to see the Spotted Crake. One thing or another meant that I couldn't go at all over the weekend.

I went straight from work and about 5 mins after sitting down in the hide the Crake was seen working left and right along a gap in the reeds.

I was there for about 90 mins and it showed on and off for all the time I was there.

210 Spotted Crake

[Darren Pearce]

A cracking mornings birding in Somerset. Firstly we went to Oath to try and see the Purple Heron that has been there for a few days. We were lucky as there were some birders already there. I don't think we would have had a chance otherwise. We walked about a mile and got onto the bird for about 20 seconds before it flew up and landed at what seemed to be exactly the spot where we had started. So we walked back again and it was out of view in a ditch. While we were waiting we saw 4 Yellow Wagtails on top of some bushes. Eventually it flew up and landed on the bank giving good views to everyone there.

Afterwards we went onto Shapwick Heath NR to see the Osprey, which very kindly sat in a dead tree for all the time we were there. Also there was a Hobby.

We also saw an Otter which was a lifer for me.

211 Purple Heron

[Darren Pearce]

We got up this morning and made a spur of the moment decision to go to Weymouth for the day. I popped into Ferrybridge and caught up with Sanderling, which probably should have come earlier in the year, but it dosen't matter now

212 Sanderling

[Darren Pearce]

A dash after work on Friday with all of the other Friday afternoon traffic saw me at Uskmouth NR in Newport for the Aquatic Warbler. When I got there the bird was showing well on and off for seconds at at time. I eventually got a prolonged view, well 5 seconds anyway.

213 Aquatic Warbler

I was in London for the weekend and couldn't really miss the Ring Necked Parakeets around Kensington Gardens due to the racket they make

214 Ring Necked Parakeet

[Darren Pearce]

Another better late than never bird at Frampton Sailing Lake yesterday

215 Arctic Tern

Today me and the kids went up to Oxford for a few hours. We started at Farmoor Reservoir looking for the Grey Phalarope. It wasn't a problem and even my kids couldn't have managed to flush this one. It fed along the edge of the causeway ignoring everybody around giving views down to 5 metres.

Then we went to Port Meadow to look for the Pec Sands that had been reported. It took a little while but some other birders put me on to them. The best part of the day was when some idiots dog flushed all of the geese from the meadow towards the kids, I've never seen them run so fast.

216 Grey Phalarope
217 Pectoral Sandpiper

[Darren Pearce]

A doctors appointment before lunch o:) on Friday gave me 2 hours to go for the Cattle Egret at Chew Valley Lake. It takes around 40 minutes to get from work to Chew. Luckily someome was on hand to tell me exactly which field it had just landed in

218 Cattle Egret

Today the kids and I had a day in the Forest of Dean. My target was Lesser Redpoll. Their target was the playground. We went along to Worgreens Lake and quickly found a large flock of Siskins. They eventually came down on a tree right in front of us and I was able to pick out 2 Lesser Redpolls amongst them.

219 Lesser Redpoll

[Darren Pearce]

I went over the bridge again on Sunday. This time to the Lisvane Reservoir in Cardiff for the Spotted Sandpiper. It took a little while to get there with my Sat Nav wanting to take me in the opposite direction. When I eventually got there the bird was showing well on the banks of the reservoir.

220 Spotted Sandpiper

[Darren Pearce]

The kids and I popped up to Gloucester/Wiltshire for the day. The first stop was Ashleworth Ham in Glos hoping for the Water Pipits that had been there recently.
Unfortunately you couldn't see your hand in front of your face as it was so foggy. We waited for an hour but it got worse rather than better. We moved onto Stank Lane looking for one or both of the Great Grey Shrikes that are there. Some other birders had seen one earlier. We quickly gave up as even if there was a Great Bustard we would not have seen it.

Next stop was the Cotswold Water Park on the off chance that we may see the Ringtail Hen Harrier. Luckily there was no fog. I always get lost there even with my map.After about half an hour of driving aimlessly and turning the map sideways and upside down I stopped at a lake which might have been the right one. Unbelievably after about five minutes the Hen Harrier flew right across the lake and started quartering the bank.

221 Hen Harrier

We moved onto a place called Harnhill and in particularly the phone box at Harnhill as it is good for Tree Sparrow. Tree sparrows are rare where I come from and would be a lifer. I wondered into the field by the phone box and waited. Again after five minutes a male Tree Sparrow appeared on top of the hedge, quickly followed by another.

222 Tree Sparrow

[Darren Pearce]

Back to Ashleworth yesterday for the Water Pipits. Unlike last Sunday it was a clear day so eventually we found them. No sign of any Shrikes though

223 Water Pipit

[Darren Pearce]

Had a cracking birding weekend in Norfolk. We started at Salthouse on Saturday morning. We got there and it was bright and sunny,then within 5 mins fog came down and we couldn't see further than 5 metres. We were about to give up and move on when another birder found a small group of Snow Buntings

224 Snow Bunting

We then got a message to say that the Pom Skua was viewable from a track just up the road. We went along but again we couldn't see it due to the fog. We were about to give up when it flew over our head and landed right in front of us

225 Pomarine Skua

We moved onto Morston Quay looking for Twite but with no luck so we had Breakfast in a tea shop in Cley.

We went back to Salthouse hoping for better views of the Pom Skua. We got back round to Beach Road just as a group of Lapland Bunting flew in.

226 Lapland Bunting

Next we moved onto Welney to look for Whooper Swans, which were easily seen grazing in the fields around the area

227 Whooper Swan

On Sunday we went South, we saw a small party on Common Cranes at Horsey and then moved onto Cantley for Taiga Bean Geese. Again these were easily seen

--- Taiga Bean Goose

Finally we popped into Dingle Marshes in Suffolk where we had excellent views of a Penduline Tit

228 Penduline Tit

[Darren Pearce]

A Red day today, well both new year birds today started with red. Also it brings me up to the target that I set myself for the year.

Firstly we went down to Cheddar Reservoir and after moving around to get the light behind us we picked up the

229 Red Necked Grebe

We moved onto Chew for the Red Throated Diver, which gave us the runaround for an hour or so but we eventually nailed it at the spot where we originally started

230 Red Throated Diver

[Darren Pearce]

One more from a weekend in Cornwall that was hampered by appalling weather

231 Green Winged Teal

[Darren Pearce]

Finished an exam early at college. Do I go back to work or go to Slimbridge ???

232 American Golden Plover