Dwayne950's 2005 list (1 Viewer)

Granted - it's a bit late to be putting my 2005 list up on here with a view to write it up as I go, but I figure it's a good place to keep it, as well as show off what i've seen!!!!! :hippy:

My 2005 list up to know stands at 252 (uk400). Life birds for me are emboldened. I'm off to Spurn on Friday, and then Kent next Wednesday, so i'm hoping it goes up a bit, having overtaken my target of 250, i'm now optimistically aiming 275.......

Here goes:

1. RED THROATED DIVER
2. BLACK THROATED DIVER
3. GREAT NORTHERN DIVER
4. GREAT CRESTED GREBE
5. LITTLE GREBE
6. BLACK NECKED GREBE
7. RED NECKED GREBE
8. SLAVONIAN GREBE
9. LEACH’S STORM PETREL
10. FULMAR
11. MANX SHEARWATER
12. SOOTY SHEARWATER
13. BALEARIC SHEARWATER
14. GANNET
15. CORMORANT
16. SHAG
17. LITTLE EGRET
18. CATTLE EGRET
19. BITTERN
20. GREY HERON
21. PURPLE HERON
22. NIGHT HERON
23. WHOOPER SWAN
24. BEWICK’S SWAN
25. MUTE SWAN
26. TUNDRA BEAN GOOSE
27. PINK FOOTED GOOSE
28. WHITE FRONTED GOOSE
29. GREYLAG GOOSE
30. CANADA GOOSE
31. BARNACLE GOOSE
32. SHELDUCK
33. RUDDY SHELDUCK
34. EGYPTIAN GOOSE
35. WIGEON
36. GARGANEY
37. MALLARD
38. GADWALL
39. PINTAIL
40. SHOVELER
41. TEAL
42. MANDARIN DUCK
43. GREEN WINGED TEAL
44. RUDDY DUCK
45. POCHARD
46. RED CRESTED POCHARD
47. TUFTED DUCK
48. RING NECKED DUCK
49. SCAUP
50. LESSER SCAUP
51. FERRUGINOUS DUCK
52. EIDER DUCK
53. COMMON SCOTER
54. BLACK SCOTER
55. GOLDENEYE
56. BARROW’S GOLDENEYE
57. RED BREASTED MERGANSER
58. GOOSANDER
59. RED KITE
60. HEN HARRIER
61. MARSH HARRIER
62. MONTAGU’S HARRIER
63. SPARROWHAWK
64. BUZZARD
65. OSPREY
66. KESTREL
67. HOBBY
68. GOSHAWK
69. PEREGRINE
70. MERLIN
71. RED GROUSE
72. BLACK GROUSE
73. RED LEGGED PARTRIDGE
74. GREY PARTRIDGE
75. PHEASANT
76. SPOTTED CRAKE
77. LITTLE CRAKE
78. WATER RAIL
79. MOORHEN
80. COOT
81. OYSTERCATCHER
82. STONE CURLEW
83. AVOCET
84. LITTLE RINGED PLOVER
85. RINGED PLOVER
86. KENTISH PLOVER
87. GOLDEN PLOVER
88. GREY PLOVER
89. LAPWING
90. TURNSTONE
91. SANDERLING
92. KNOT
93. DUNLIN
94. BAIRD’S SANDPIPER
95. PECTORAL SANDPIPER
96. WOOD SANDPIPER
97. STILT SANDPIPER
98. CURLEW SANDPIPER
99. SPOTTED SANDPIPER
100. PURPLE SANDPIPER
101. LITTLE STINT
102. TEMMINCK’S STINT
103. RUFF
104. CURLEW
105. WHIMBREL
106. BLACK TAILED GODWIT
107. BAR TAILED GODWIT
108. REDSHANK
109. GREENSHANK
110. SPOTTED REDSHANK
111. COMMON SANDPIPER
112. GREEN SANDPIPER
113. LONG BILLED DOWITCHER
114. SNIPE
115. WOODCOCK
116. WILSON’S PHALAROPE
117. ARCTIC SKUA
118. POMARINE SKUA
119. GREAT SKUA
120. MEDITERRANEAN GULL
121. LITTLE GULL
122. BLACK HEADED GULL
123. LAUGHING GULL
124. SABINE’S GULL
125. COMMON GULL
126. KITTIWAKE
127. ICELAND GULL
128. HERRING GULL
129. CASPIAN GULL
130. YELLOW LEGGED GULL
131. GREAT BLACK BACKED GULL
132. LESSER BLACK BACKED GULL
133. SANDWICH TERN
134. COMMON TERN
135. ARCTIC TERN
136. ROSEATE TERN
137. BLACK TERN
138. WHITE WINGED BLACK TERN
139. LITTLE TERN
140. GUILLEMOT
141. BLACK GUILLEMOT
142. RAZORBILL
143. PUFFIN
144. WOOD PIGEON
145. STOCK DOVE
146. FERAL PIGEON
147. COLLARED DOVE
148. TURTLE DOVE
149. NIGHTJAR
150. CUCKOO
151. BARN OWL
152. LONG EARED OWL
153. TAWNY OWL
154. LITTLE OWL
155. SWIFT
156. KINGFISHER
157. GREEN WOODPECKER
158. GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER
159. WRYNECK
160. SKYLARK
161. WOODLARK
162. SAND MARTIN
163. SWALLOW
164. HOUSE MARTIN
165. ROCK PIPIT
166. RICHARD’S PIPIT
167. WATER PIPIT
168. TREE PIPIT
169. MEADOW PIPIT
170. PIED WAGTAIL
171. WHITE WAGTAIL
172. GREY WAGTAIL
173. YELLOW WAGTAIL
174. BLACK HEADED WAGTAIL
175. WAXWING
176. DIPPER
177. WREN
178. DUNNOCK
179. ROBIN
180. NIGHTINGALE
181. REDSTART
182. BLACK REDSTART
183. STONECHAT
184. WHINCHAT
185. NORTHERN WHEATEAR
186. RING OUZEL
187. BLACKBIRD
188. FIELDFARE
189. REDWING
190. SONG THRUSH
191. MISTLE THRUSH
192. CETTI’S WARBLER
193. GRASSHOPPER WARBLER
194. SEDGE WARLBER
195. REED WARBLER
196. GREAT REED WARBLER
197. GARDEN WARBLER
198. WHITETHROAT
199. LESSER WHITETHROAT
200. BARRED WARBLER
201. BLACKCAP
202. DARTFORD WARBLER
203. WOOD WARBLER
204. WILLOW WARBLER
205. CHIFFCHAFF
206. RADDE’S WARBLER
207. PALLAS’S WARBLER
208. GOLDCREST
209. PIED FLYCATCHER
210. SPOTTED FLYCATCHER
211. WILLOW TIT
212. BLUE TIT
213. MARSH TIT
214. GREAT TIT
215. CRESTED TIT
216. COAL TIT
217. LONG TAILED TIT
218. NUTHATCH
219. TREECREEPER
220. GREAT GREY SHRIKE
221. RED BACKED SHRIKE
222. STARLING
223. GOLDEN ORIOLE
224. JAY
225. MAGPIE
226. CHOUGH
227. JACKDAW
228. RAVEN
229. CROW
230. HOODED CROW
231. ROOK
232. TREE SPARROW
233. HOUSE SPARROW
234. CHAFFINCH
235. BRAMBLING
236. SISKIN
237. GREENFINCH
238. GOLDFINCH
239. TRUMPETER FINCH
240. HAWFINCH
241. BULLFINCH
242. REDPOLL
243. LINNET
244. TWITE
245. CROSSBILL
246. SCOTTISH CROSSBILL
247. CORN BUNTING
248. YELLOWHAMMER
249. RUSTIC BUNTING
250. REED BUNTING
251. CIRL BUNTING
252. SNOW BUNTING

Hopefully a few more to add to this soon.......

Cya

Dan

Haven't been able to update for a while - just got back off a sort of double holiday, 4 days in Spurn Obs, 4 in Kent, had a great time, and collected 12 year ticks, along with 4 lifers!!!! Cleared a lot of tarts, and also saw the caudatus Long Tailed Tits a total of 4 times - they followed me round Easington!!!!!

253: Lesser Yellowlegs - Killingholme Haven, Lincs
254: Little Auk - 200+ past Spurn
255: Lapland Bunting
256: Short Eared Owl
257: Jack Snipe
258: Firecrest
259: Brent Goose
260: Little Bunting
261: Ring Billed Gull - followd by a nice ice-cream from Rossi's!!!
262: Bearded Tit
263: Spoonbill
264: Ring Necked Parakeet

And on for Grey Phal and Mealy Poll in Staffs this week - fingers crossed!!!

Dan

265: Grey Phalarope at Blithfield Reservoir

Connected with this bird 5 minutes before it disappeared off in to the sunset, the 2nd for Blith in as many days, due to the fact that yesterdays bird was an adult, and this appeared to be a juvenille.

Well, managed to wangle a day off school to twitch the Chimney Swift on Holy Isle with the lovely Sylvia. We'd had it on decent authority that the bird had roosted in the church bell tower at 4pm, so at 2.45am when i got up, my hopes were high.

However these were soon flattened when by 10am there had been no sign of either the Chimney Swift, or the Pallid Swift at South Gare - typical.

Despite this, some good birds were still seen:

266: Desert Wheatear - and what a stunner it was!
267: Pale Bellied Brent Goose

Also :- Red Necked Grebe, Slav, R B Merg, Peregrine, R T Diver and some other decent birds, but sadly no Chimney Swift, who knows what became of it....

Still, it was better than school!!

268: Long Tailed Duck

Cleared up yet another tart by taking the short jaunt out to Long Eaton GPs for an ad drake Long Tailed Duck, and what a stonker it was!!!! Full long tail and superb plumage, recommend going to see it for any local birders.

A morning dash across to Anglesey on Saturday morning with GV (thanks for't lift!) was worth Green Heron - stunning bird!!! And may i point out that nothing but immaculate behaviour was displayed from all present.....

That was then followed by my second views this year - and for once it was absolutely super (if you can call 500yds + that) of the Black Scrote, showing exceptionally close for that little blighter!!!

Sunday: Spent the day at Inner Marsh Farm, and was great to locate a Mealy Redpoll (my biggest tart by miles - everyone has 'em) feeding with 3 other Lessers, making for a superb chance to compare the plumage differences - of which there are loads! It showed down to 15m in good light (just didnt think to get the camera out!). Also connected with the G W Teal, SE Owls, Hen Harriers, Peregrine etc.

Now on 270 - 5 to go.......next targets G W Egret in Leics and Lesser Spot in Notts.

Crap pics of Green Heron and GWT......and now I find out there was an Arc Poll at IMF today!! Typical.....

'Nipped' down to Herts of the Grey Cheeked Thrush (thanks mum et Reader!), and the bird was fairly obliging at times, posing on the path near which we were all gathered at one point.....there really was too many birders there however, and only by virtually crawling through the mud at the front could I get to anywhere that even resembled a decent vantage point!!! Superb bird nevertheless, shame it was too difficult to get pics......

Followed this up with the White Headed Duck at Broadwater GPs, (we found it alright!) Unforutunately not BOU, but can have it as UK400, now seen 3 in the UK!

To summarise:
271: Grey Cheeked Thrush
272: White Headed Duck

Another particularly rubbish pic.......

Hi all,

Have neglected this thread for quite a while now, so it's about due a rather copious update!! Hopefully not too boring though....

Mainly haven't been updating 'cuz i've been in the Caribbean on a cricket tour, so haven't jammed much UK birding in of late, but have managed to do some, so here's a round up of where i've been and what i've seen etc.

Spent two weeks non-birding on the isle of Barbados, not exactly renowned for its birding prowess, but nevertheless I think I came up trumps on a number of occasions - this is my list for the holiday, including 28 life birds for me, all emboldened:

1) Snowy Egret
2) Belted Kingfisher - at last!
3) Magnificent Frigatebird
4) Cattle Egret
5) Green Heron
6) Spotted Sandpiper
7) Scaly Naped Pigeon
8) Wood Dove
9) Common Ground Dove
10) Green Throated Carib
11) Antillean Crested Hummingbird
12) Gray Kingbird
13) Bananaquit
14) Lesser Antillean Bullfinch
15) Carib Grackle
16) Black Faced Grassquit
17) Eared Dove
18) Carribean Elaenia
19) Barn Swallow
20) Royal Tern
21) Laughing Gull
22) Sanderling
23) Turnstone
24) Semipalmated Sandpiper
25) Semipalmated Plover
26) Carribean Martin
27) Greater Yellowlegs
28) Solitary Sandpiper
29) Golden Warbler
30) Shiny Cowbird
31) Northern Waterthrush
32) Western Sandpiper
33) Blue Winged Teal
34) Great Blue Heron
35) Least Sandpiper
36) Lesser Yellowlegs
37) Moorhen
38) Little Egret
39) Great White Egret
40) Osprey
41) Peregrine
42) American Wigeon
43) American Purple Gallinule
44) Sora

Returned to England early Saturday morning to a cold crisp morning, only to hear there was a Sociable Plover in London, a bird that's going to be incredibly hard to see in the future due to the population crashing. However this was not to be, though on Sunday afternoon I did manange to get out to Chasewater in Staffs. I arrived at 2:45pm, with not much light left, and luckily saw the drake Smew pretty soon after. These birds are amongst my favourtie species, especially the drakes as the plumage is so stunning.
After this has a wander around, noting Kingfisher and the other usuals, before going and looking at the Fudge Duck and the drake Scaup on two pools near the lake. I saw both of these ducks in fading light, making for a superb end to the weekend, and a nice trio of ducks to get back in to the swing of things with.

22/12 - Location: Filey
Target - Humes Yellow Browed Warbler

My first ever 'train transported twitch' got underway as I met up with Menziebirder at Manchester train station. Upon arriving on site we were told the bird was showing well at the top of the bank. After an anxious 15 minute wait the bird began to perform for us, no more than 5 metres away at times. It continued to feed on apples, and flycatch right near us completely unconcerend for a long period of time, allowing good views and examination of the bird. We left it at 1pm, to search the bay and Brigg area, which yielded a Great Northern Diver, Common Scoter, Red Throated Diver, Eider, and a few other of the usuals. We then headed back to the Humes for one last glimpse, and it was once again performing beautifully, giving crippling views.

Another successful day and yet another life bird, takes me within one of my 'crazy' target for 2005, 275 uk400.

To summarise:

273: Smew
274: Humes Yellow Browed Warbler

Some pictures of the gorgeous islands of Barbados, and a few 'non-optically-aided' shots of the birds, wildlife and landscapes on the island.

Hope this wasn't too boring!

Cheers

Continuing the 'train transported twitching' theme, I arrived in Dumfries at 1142am yesterday, my target being the Taverners Canada Goose at Caerlaverock WWT. Me and MenzieBirder caught the bus to the WWT centre, which dropped us off a full 3 miles from where we wanted to be!!! Upon arrival news was that the bird had just been seen, so off we went to the right place to view it from. 2 hours later, I was seeing Barnacle Geese everytime I shut my eyes, and also extremely cold, so we decided to call it a day, albeit an unsuccessful one.

Miraculously however, on a final scan of the flock from one of the 'bunker' hides, I found the what was probably the bird feeding at the edge of the flock, easy to separate due to its dark flanking and lack of contrast from black to white as in the Barnacles. The ID of the bird was clinched seconds later when it turned round and raised its head, revealing typical Canada Goose patterning. However the views the bird gave were all too short, and it dissapeared into the mele of the flock within 15 seconds of locating it. The day ended successful, and left me feeling rather pleased that perseverance really does pay off!!!

275: Lesser Canada Goose (taverni)

My target is now reached, and although it's something of a nothing number, it's definitely a personal milestone, considering I started the year with aspirations of 200 maximum!!!!

However the year isn't over yet, maybe I can add a couple more before it's time to start all over again.......

Well, no one can say i'm not cramming as much in to the end of December as possible - yet another year tick today, and in fact a UK tick, in the roost at Ogston Res, Derbyshire, which is producing hordes of white-winged gulls at present.

Upon arrival things were not looking too good, with thick fog only enabling viewing of about 1/10th of the roost. However after 15 mins, a stunning 1st winter Glaucous Gull drifted in, a real brute of a bird that really was breathtaking to look at. (MenzieBirder agrees). As time passed the fog lifted slightly to reveal yet another white-winged gull, immediately ID'd by gull experts present as Iceland, however shortly afterwards the general concensus became that this bird was yet another Glauc, albeit a small individual (see pic).

At c.4pm the fog came down shrouding the reservoir, and unfortunately totally spoiling what was probably a very good gull roost under all the mist. Also strange is the volume of other gulls reported this evening that no one mentioned when we were on site, the Kumliens and an Iceland Gull for example were not broadcast between people present.

Anyway:

276: Glaucous Gull

Here's the pic of the bird eventually ID'd as Glauc, that caused some trouble to some of the most experienced gull-watchers in the country, definitely an interesting individual (photo by Stephen Menzie):

Final post on this thread, and with no year listing in 2006 due to GCSE's, probably the last on a year list thread for a while!!!

Today finished with a flourish (which one year tick is nowadays!!). Spent the majority of the day with MenzieBirder and GV in Somerset watching the Black Throated Thrush, and although the weather was poor and the bird was slightly too distant, it was overall an excellent bird and also the company was top notch which always helps!!!

Eventually the rain got too much and we retired to the car, having obtained some rather poor pictures of a splendid bird. My best attempt is below....

Overall 2005 has been one heck of a good year, and somehow i've managed to amass a total of 277 birds, which is way over what I expected. Good luck to everyone in 2006, lets hope its a prosperous and bird filled year!

Cheers!