[napamatt]

Montpellier, France for a work conference, no time to bird but...
513. Yellow-legged Gull (L)
514. Greater Flamingo (L)
515. Sardinian Warbler (L)

In London at the Barnes Wetlands, what a great spot, and very handy for long layovers at Heathrow.
516. Little Grebe
517. Eurasian Wigeon

And of interest
Hybrid Ring Necked x Tufted Duck

[napamatt]

Weekend in Carmel, with birding at Point Lobos, Carmel River State Beach, and along 17 mile drive.
518. Hutton's Vireo
519. Townsend's Warbler
520. Brandt's Cormorant
521. Spotted Sandpiper (L)
522. Surfbird (L)
523. Heermann's Gull

Also seen Mew Gull (Larus Canus)

[napamatt]

I read a report on Surfbirds of Lewis's Woodpeckers at the northern end of Lake Berryessa in Napa county, so I resolved to head up there before work. As promised there were lots of them flitting around a small stand of oak trees just along Eastside Road. A lifer and also #12 of 20 woodpeckers in Sibley. Lifer #143 for the year.

524. Lewis's Woodpecker (L)

[napamatt]

The day before Thanksgving, I take the day off work and after buying a new TV (LONG STORY) I head down to the Marin Headlands overlooking the Golden Gate and San Francisco to visit Hawk Hill, where the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory and its volunteers do such great work. An amazing morning produces a life Rough-legged Hawk and unbelievable visual of two Peregrine's, talons locked, plummeting towards the earth, only to disengage at the last moment - wow! From there I visited Bolinas, and the PRBO. A great day. Forgot to mention Bobcat near Olema!

525. Rough-legged Hawk (L)

[napamatt]

In reviewing my records I saw the following at Bodega Bay in April, but failed to note it at the time, here.

526. Semipalmated Plover (L)

[napamatt]

Further review produced records from my Disneyland trip earlier in the year.

527. Allen's Hummingbird (L)
528. Wood Duck

[napamatt]

And from our second Africa trip we also saw.

529. White-winged Widowbird

[napamatt]

Discovery Park, Seattle

530. Northwestern Crow (L)
531. Barrow's Goldeneye (L)

And my first US Winter Wren, seen in England in May.

This has been a really good year, I've had amazing help from some terrific birders and I am thrilled to have passed the 500 target I set, particularly because I saw many more birds than I expected in the States without help, always satisfying.
Particular thanks go to Jane Turner who spent a very long morning with me driving from one side of Cheshire to the other and back, showing me birds I would never have got alone. And in Botswana, Grant Atkinson of Wilderness Safari's who made sure we got a terrific list including some new lifers in an area I've visited a number of times previously.

Roll on 2008.

[napamatt]

One last bird, while walking at Sand Harbor, Lake Tahoe
532. Red-naped Sapsucker (L)

And what looked like a hybrid Glaucous*Western Gull.

[napamatt]

In reviewing my spreadsheet record, my final total was 540. So for the sake of completeness I have a series of edits.

Some birds were missed originally, and some have already been included twice.
But here's the list I missed originally.


Short-billed Dowitcher - Corte Madera
European Herring Gull - UK
Rock Dove - Bempton
Mourning-Collared Dove - Mala Mala
Red-eyed Bulbul - Mombo
White-breasted Nuthatch - Napa
American Goldfinch - Napa
Purple Finch - Napa
Spotted Towhee - Napa
Dark-eyed Junco - Napa (noted in Canada trip in April, assumed already recorded, Project Feederwatch confimed seen in January)

Birds counted twice - Barn Swallow, House Sparrow