[dantheman]

01/01/2012

Greenhithe, Kent

1) Blue Tit
2) Woodpigeon
3) Starling
4) House Sparrow
5) Collared Dove
6) Magpie
7) Mistle Thrush
8) Rook

Bluewater Shopping Centre, Kent

9) Pied Wagtail
10) Coot
11) Black-headed Gull
12) Grey Heron

I understand some nicer birds like Cetti's Warbler and the like can be found around and about. Should have made more effort, but then I guess they wouldn't have really been self-found ...

Falmouth, Cornwall

13) Tawny Owl (h)

[dantheman]

02/01/2012

Falmouth - from the bedroom window

14) Herring Gull
15) Mute Swan 12
16) Little Egret 2
17) Goldfinch
18) Redshank 1
19) Carrion Crow
20) Curlew 1

Mostly on a bend of the Penryn river, visible since they've pollarded some trees on the housing estate and about 1100 -1200 metres distant.

Falmouth - local park

21) Blackbird
22) Great Tit
23) Feral Pigeon
24) Chaffinch
25) Dunnock
26) Blackcap
27) Robin
28) Long-tailed Tit
29) Song Thrush
30) Redwing 2
31) Bullfinch
32) Rook

College Reservoir, Falmouth

33) Moorhen
34) Cormorant
... Bittern 2
35) Snipe 10+
36) Wigeon c.220
37) Tufted Duck 32+
... Chiffchaff 2 (probably abietinus?)
38) Gadwall 1m
39) Shoveler 7 (up from 3 reported previously)
40) Pochard 13
41) Mallard 1
42) Little Grebe 4
43) Lesser Black-backed Gull 2
44) Great Black-backed Gull 2
45) Common Gull 3
46) Wren (h)
47) Jay (h)

First controversy already. Two Bittern had been seen at College Reservoir back on the 29th November, some 34 or so days earlier. Only 1 (or 0) reported in the intervening period ... by punkbirder rules, if it had been a rarity, would have been able to have it ... but Bittern aren't rarities (nice though), and they can be elusive ... Six Goldeneye didn't count either (seen the previous day).

The Chiffchaff (very pale, fairly distant unfortunately) were a twosome, feeding on the floating vegetation around the island. Actually I probably can't really have them either, as I had 2, presumably the same, back on the 18th December ...

[dantheman]

03/01/2012

Falmouth - from the bedroom window

48) Greenshank 1

Falmouth - Pendennis - Swanpool

49) Shag
50) Gannet
51) Kittiwake
52) Dunlin 25 flew west
53) Meadow Pipit
54) Rock Pipit
55) Whimbrel 2 on the rocks
56) Chiffchaff 1 collybita
57) Oystercatcher
58) Turnstone 25+
59) Common Buzzard
60) Great Spotted Woodpecker (h)

Black Redstart, Stonechat and the Yellow-browed Warbler at Swanpool don't count as they'd all been reported in the previous days. Thought I'd found a Siberian Chiffchaff at Swanpool, only to discover it had been reported the previous day, and I must have overlooked the record on the local news services roundup . Drat! (I was even genuinely surprised at the time ...)

[dantheman]

04/01/2012

Falmouth - Pendennis - Castle Beach - Swanpool

61) Purple Sandpiper 7
62) Kestrel 1
63) Greenfinch
64) Med Gull 1 2nd w
65) Sparrowhawk
66) Goldcrest
67) Nuthatch

Great Crested Grebe, Water Rail (2) and Marsh Tit don't count unfortunately - seen and reported in the previous few days, and likely/reasonably likely to be the same birds. Another Whimbrel one and a half miles fron the earlier sighting could well be another bird.

[Stevie babe]

Hi Dan

Nice start to the year

[dantheman]

Originally Posted by Stevie babe

Hi Dan

Nice start to the year

Cheers, I'm happy with it Of course, it would be a lot better if there weren't any other birders out there finding things before I can get there ... !!

[dantheman]

Still on the 4th January, afternoon trip out in the other direction locally -

Argal Reservoir

68) Treecreeper 1
69) Grey Wagtail 1

College Reservoir

70) RING-NECKED DUCK - adult male!
71) Goldeneye 8 = 1 more than previous max site count!
72) Dipper - first I've seen in the Falmouth area

(Another Great Crested Grebe was almost certainly the same individual seen last month.)

The Ring-necked Duck was rather more unexpected. Presumably the Gwithian/Par bird relocating- I hadn't known it had left, but apparently it was last reported a few days back. The plot thickens as apparently someone else had 'found' it at College the day before, but the news wasn't out there.

This takes some of the pleasure out of the find, on the other hand, it seems perfectly countable by punkbirder rules on both distance and news ignorance aspects.

The Dipper was genuinely surprising too, and also very nice, even if the views were brief. On the drainage channel leading away from the reservoir, flight views only (didn't want to disturb it further).

[dantheman]

Edited the above to include Grey Wagtail and Med Gull - it seems a bit silly to be extreme enough to exclude birds which are common and mobile enough in the area (and could very easily be different individuals), yet relaxed enough to include a dodgy rarity!

05/01/2012

Near Constantine

73) Skylark
74) Raven 2

[dantheman]

06/01/2012

Pendennis Point, Falmouth

75) Red-breasted Merganser 3 in the Carrick Roads
76) Razorbill
77) Black-throated Diver 1 in the bay

Probably missed out on a fourth species; I had 7 ducks loosely strung out distantly in the roads; 3 active birds obviously RB Mergs, the other 4 assumed to be ... but they could well have been Common Scoter, going on bird news on the day. Unless of course there were more than one flock in the roads (which isn't impossible) ... Oh well ... The diver was nice, although not quite the rarity it would be in other parts of the country.

[dantheman]

07/01/2012

Devoran, Cornwall

78) Shelduck 22
79) Teal 50+
80) Black-tailed Godwit 22+
... Bar-tailed Godwit 4
81) Spotted Redshank 1

The Barwits had been reported a week or so earlier (although I had forgotten about them) and would have been a good find, Blackwits were a high count (there may have been more hidden in amongst the roosting Curlew), but the Spotted Redshank was a good county bird - average of 8 reports per year over the last 10 years according to BGuides ...

[Ilya Maclean]

Originally Posted by dantheman

07/01/2012

Devoran, Cornwall

78) Shelduck 22
79) Teal 50+
80) Black-tailed Godwit 22+
... Bar-tailed Godwit 4
81) Spotted Redshank 1

The Barwits had been reported a week or so earlier (although I had forgotten about them) and would have been a good find, Blackwits were a high count (there may have been more hidden in amongst the roosting Curlew), but the Spotted Redshank was a good county bird - average of 8 reports per year over the last 10 years according to BGuides ...

Judging by BUBO, it looks like a few of us are up for doing this in quite a big way this year. Should be pretty competitive and good fun if we don't run out of steam. I'm on 79, the highlight being Yellow-browed Warbler. Totally trumped by your Ring-necked Duck of course - nice find!

[dantheman]

Originally Posted by Ilya Maclean

Judging by BUBO, it looks like a few of us are up for doing this in quite a big way this year. Should be pretty competitive and good fun if we don't run out of steam. I'm on 79, the highlight being Yellow-browed Warbler. Totally trumped by your Ring-necked Duck of course - nice find!

Nice, saw that episode at the sewage farm ... Yet to find YB in Cornwall of course (Shetland's a tad easier!) They've been quite scarce in the first winter period too ... Will check out Bubo again when back in blighty, steam running out temporarily a little as two and a half weeks in France probably not helping ... Got one more to add, but imagine it'll then be catch up time ...

[dantheman]

08/01/2012

Falmouth

82) Pheasant

Mega garden tick, nice male scoped from the bedroom window c. 1.5 miles away in fields beyond Penryn.

[Ilya Maclean]

Originally Posted by dantheman

Nice, saw that episode at the sewage farm ... Yet to find YB in Cornwall of course (Shetland's a tad easier!) They've been quite scarce in the first winter period too ... Will check out Bubo again when back in blighty, steam running out temporarily a little as two and a half weeks in France probably not helping ... Got one more to add, but imagine it'll then be catch up time ...

I've clocked up three in the last week or so...Easy peasy

[Ilya Maclean]

Originally Posted by dantheman

Still on the 4th January, afternoon trip out in the other direction locally -

Argal Reservoir

68) Treecreeper 1
69) Grey Wagtail 1

College Reservoir

70) RING-NECKED DUCK - adult male!
71) Goldeneye 8 = 1 more than previous max site count!
72) Dipper - first I've seen in the Falmouth area

(Another Great Crested Grebe was almost certainly the same individual seen last month.)

The Ring-necked Duck was rather more unexpected. Presumably the Gwithian/Par bird relocating- I hadn't known it had left, but apparently it was last reported a few days back. The plot thickens as apparently someone else had 'found' it at College the day before, but the news wasn't out there.

This takes some of the pleasure out of the find, on the other hand, it seems perfectly countable by punkbirder rules on both distance and news ignorance aspects.

The Dipper was genuinely surprising too, and also very nice, even if the views were brief. On the drainage channel leading away from the reservoir, flight views only (didn't want to disturb it further).

Managed to refind your Ring-necked Duck today. Although 18 days is long past the 6 day punkbirder benchmark, I probably won't count it as it doesn't quite seem right.

That said - I think you're well within your rights to. If I end up losing by one, it might creep on to my list;-)

[dantheman]

Originally Posted by Ilya Maclean

Managed to refind your Ring-necked Duck today. Although 18 days is long past the 6 day punkbirder benchmark, I probably won't count it as it doesn't quite seem right.

That said - I think you're well within your rights to. If I end up losing by one, it might creep on to my list;-)

Yes, it's a bit awkward. There's also that large difference between being the first to actually first set eyes on a new rarity, and merely refinding one in a slightly different place or time ... Although at the time I was really rather surprised ... (were you? ... )

(I hadn't realised it was going to be a real competition year. Got another 2 and a half weeks in France coming up. Not going to help! )



The Ring-necked goes missing from Par Beach Pool at times for a day or so - and I think that it would be hard to miss it at College Res if it was there all the time. Assume it must be the same bird until proven otherwise ...

[dantheman]

26/01/2012

Swanpool beach

83) Fulmar

Regular birds (11). Two and a half weeks in France has slowed things up a bit, but plenty of birds still out there ...

[dantheman]

27/01/2012

College Reservoir

84) Kingfisher 1 in flight

[dantheman]

28/01/2012

Mabe, Falmouth

85) Lapwing, 16 west as viewed from bedroom window in Falmouth.

Devoran

86) Coal Tit 2

Loe Beach, Feock nr Truro

87) Great Crested Grebe 1

Carnon Downs Sewage Farm

88) Reed Bunting 2


At last a GCG I can count! The 3 Great Northern Divers I couldn't though (?) - 3 had been reported back on the 20th January. 27 Red-breasted Mergansers were nice ... and probably means I didn't actually spanner my seaduck id's back on the 6th after all ...

[Ilya Maclean]

Originally Posted by dantheman

Yes, it's a bit awkward. There's also that large difference between being the first to actually first set eyes on a new rarity, and merely refinding one in a slightly different place or time ... Although at the time I was really rather surprised ... (were you? ... )

(I hadn't realised it was going to be a real competition year. Got another 2 and a half weeks in France coming up. Not going to help! )



The Ring-necked goes missing from Par Beach Pool at times for a day or so - and I think that it would be hard to miss it at College Res if it was there all the time. Assume it must be the same bird until proven otherwise ...

Almost certainly a different bird from the one at Par. I saw it the same time as it was at Par. Not many people have been checking College I guess because of the access. That said, I was still actually pretty surprised to see it given that the site must be checked pretty regularly.

[MSA]

Originally Posted by Ilya Maclean

Judging by BUBO, it looks like a few of us are up for doing this in quite a big way this year.

Being quite thick at times (I'm sure Dan will vouch for this if need be!) I can't find this on BUBO, all I seem to be able to do is "drill down" through country to county to sites and end up with 0 lists available. I'm clearly doing something wrong, could someone set an old man on the right path please?

[dantheman]

Originally Posted by MSA

Being quite thick at times (I'm sure Dan will vouch for this if need be!) I can't find this on BUBO, all I seem to be able to do is "drill down" through country to county to sites and end up with 0 lists available. I'm clearly doing something wrong, could someone set an old man on the right path please?

Old maybe, thick?? ... can't be given your business acumen, top birding skills etc etc

Looks like you have to be signed on to bubo, View all Lists, select Britain from 'popular locations' then it's a case of filling in the parameters - Year List, Self-found on the right, then 'show list'.

Unless I'm being a bit slow too. Good luck!

[dantheman]

Originally Posted by Ilya Maclean

Almost certainly a different bird from the one at Par. I saw it the same time as it was at Par. Not many people have been checking College I guess because of the access. That said, I was still actually pretty surprised to see it given that the site must be checked pretty regularly.

I'd like to know what times it's been seen at Par - not mentioned on the birding websites. Ring-necked Duck seen at both sites on the 5th Jan also, although hadn't been reported from Par on the 3rd or 4th (when the one was at College), usually reported daily. On other occasions has been reported as 'no sign' from Par. Not sure how much these ducks do 'tours', although I noted the Bufflehead went back to its 'pond' on the Lizard at least once ...

But you're probably right (and I'd actually prefer it that way.)

[dantheman]

03/02/2012

Falmouth area -

89) Linnet 4 - Pendennis
90) Green Woodpecker (h) -Swanvale
91) Black Redstart f type - Swanpool Beach
92) Bar-tailed Godwit 1 - Penryn River

List moving along slowly, not that surprising considering mostly birding Falmouth area only. The Black Redstart was quite possibly a local bird reorienting slightly, but still ... Bar-tailed Godwit suspected the day before, but only very brief obscured flight views from the bedroom window up in Falmouth, so nice to get it this morning properly in a brief visit. Some other nice birds on the day too, including a couple of Whimbrel again and Purple Sand. Yet to even see a Ringed or Golden Plover ...

[dantheman]

05/02/2012

Penryn River - Gorrangorras

93) Merlin

Female/1st winter flew overhead and over the river, before perching up in large tree, as viewed from near Lidl's. Not a bad record for town.