[Sedgley]

I intend to ask this question every month this year, so it will be a thread where you can recap on the month's birding, the highlights, the lows and so on.

So, how did you get on?

[level seven]

Too many windy days and not enough of those wonderful crisp winter days for my liking, but I managed to see quite a few good birds for me, including Brambling, Snow Buntings, a Shorelark, Velvet Scoters and Waxwings.

I'll be pleased if February is as good.

[Sedgley]

I started the year off intending to go birding every day, and with January complete, that is 1/12th of the desire accomplished. The furthest I ventured from home was 15 miles, and that was just a couple of times. Most sesions were within 5/10 minutes drive.

Saw 71 species, highlights were snow bunting and great northern diver at Chasewater, water rail at Baggeridge and chiffchaff in Tipton.

Disappointments? Well actually none, as I enjoy every trip. I suppose a couple of distant probable grey partridge sightings when I couldn't get a proper id were about the closest I came to anything negative. So still waiting for a grey partridge, but hopefully will remedy that in February.

Enjoyed the month very much, here's to the next 11!

[teamsaint]

Whilst only having seen 97 species this month I have got Black-throated Diver, Hawfinch, Bearded Tit, Bewick's Swan, Goosander, Slavonian Grebe, Scaup, Hen Harrier & best of all Red-breasted Goose so I'm not disappointed. BTD, Scaup & RBG (particularly) could be very difficult in Hampshire later in the year.
Biggest dips so far: Turnstone, Black-tailed Godwit, Reed Bunting, Golden Plover and um.... Skylark

[JRE]

Finished the month with 109, which I'm fairly pleased with. Only one lifer (a bogey bird, Black-throated Diver), and I've dipped Green-winged Teal and Ring-necked Duck already. Hope to make 100 again in Feb, in fact that is my target for every month of the year.
PS. Not been out of Devon yet.

[Keith Dickinson]

Good start to the year for me, Shorelark at last and in Yorkshire too. Yank robin in Yorkshire at last and Firecrest in Yorkshire. Tomorrow hopefully the Pacific Loon as well.
Best January for several years, up to 80 species so far, and not been out of the county.

[J Jones]

The month started slowly for me (I think one of the main reasons being the lack of time and generally disappointing, windy weather). Highlights for me were:

American Wigeon (Hoveringham, Notts, 6th)
Iceland Gull (found one in Peterborough, 13th)
2 Red-breasted Geese (North Lincs, 21st)
Ring-necked Duck (Gib Point, Lincs, 21st)
Lesser Yellowlegs (Thornham, Norfolk, 28th)
Black Kite (Snettisham, Norfolk, 28th)
Pacific Diver (Farnham, N Yorks, 30th)
American Robin (Bingley, W Yorks 30th).

[redeyedvideo]

Originally Posted by wrexile1

Black Kite (Snettisham, Norfolk, 28th)
Pacific Diver (Farnham, N Yorks, 30th)
American Robin (Bingley, W Yorks 30th).

Two dodgy subspecies to start the year for me; Black-eared Kite & Pacific Diver.

Josh, if you were wearing camouflage trousers and a blue jacket I passed you on the way in.


Good birding all,

Dave J

[Mabel]

How did my January go? In a word, great!
I got tonnes of birding done, but have only seen about 64 species.
Highlights:
Seeing the biggest flock of Lapwings I have ever seen in my life.
Wigeon, which are always fun to see.
The visible increase of Herring Gulls this year.
LONG TAILED TIT LIFER YAY!
Other lifers included Yellowhammer and Little Grebe.
Reasonable number of white-winged Gulls.
Local Little Egret numbers appear to be visibly increasing.

Lowlights:
Only ONE House Sparrow, and it is absent from it's former strongholds.
Guys with guns scaring off my wonderful waders.

[prairiemerlin]

It was fairly slow for me... 72 species.

Highlights:

-Purple Sandpiper
-Long-eared Owl
-Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
-Ruby-crowned Kinglet
-Field Sparrow

Disappointments:

-Strange weather. The first half on the month was very warm (temps up in the 40s), the very cold the second half. This made waterfowl a challenge to find, and I simply dipped on some species (Northern Flicker!!!)
-Dipping on Harlequin Ducks

Oh well all birding days are great. Hope everyone has a good February.

--Neil G.

[Vectis Birder]

How did my January go? Slowly. I'm only on 61 species.

[Tri-Counties Birder]

Mine went very well indeed. I was aiming to get 100 species, as last year I got 99!

Made that target fairly easy in the end with 117 altogether. That includes lifers of Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, White-fronted Goose, and the 4 from one trip to Slimbridge of Scaup, Great Skua, Pink-footed Goose, and, best of all, Bean Goose.

Along with that I have seen a few other excellent birds such as Hen Harrier, Bewick's Swan, Smew, Great Northern Diver, as well as a few more from Slimbridge of Little Stint, Spotted Redshank, Bittern, and Raven.

I am also enjoying taking part in a PatchList challenge here in Surrey (5x5km square), I am currently joint top out of 19 on 74 species (which includes scarce local birds of Egyptian Goose, Peregrine, and Goosander).

Bring on February!

Sean

P.S. My 500th post!

[MurometsVLD]

Was not that good. Had exams last week and had to prepare for them for a while so have not had much time to go out and observe but February should be better.

Ilya

[Hanno]

Slow, it is high season for me (work in a hotel), and I had virtually no time for birding. Exception was a short trip to the very tip of Vietnam, where highlights were Caspian Tern, Mangrove Whistler (my first in Vietnam), Brahminy Kite (also my first for Vietnam), and a Grey-faced Buzzard (lifer).

[J Jones]

Originally Posted by redeyedvideo

Two dodgy subspecies to start the year for me; Black-eared Kite & Pacific Diver.

Josh, if you were wearing camouflage trousers and a blue jacket I passed you on the way in.

Nah, only one - nothing wrong with Black Kite.

Can't say I own a pair of camo trousers..... and where do you mean?

cheers
Josh

[PaulK]

Not a bad start at all this year. 106 species, all in Kent with some really nice highlights but no lifers as yet. Best off all was the long staying LBD at Oare Marshes which I saw on the 16th. A nice end to the month was the 4 Shorelarks at Reculver that showed really well. Its just a shame I didn't spend as much time revising for my A Levels as I did birding.

[redeyedvideo]

Originally Posted by wrexile1

Nah, only one - nothing wrong with Black Kite.

Can't say I own a pair of camo trousers..... and where do you mean?

cheers
Josh

Around yer legs

Sorry must have been a case of misidentification. Saw you at the Murrelet with a phone stuck to your ear so didn't speak!


Dave J

[Edward woodwood]

Stonking start to the year...

waking up to pinkfeet flying over the bedroom skylight is too good...

Frequent Cranes on the way to work and on most birding excursions

The sight of thousands of pinks in the immediate area, on the way to work and as a backdrop to all my local birding is great.

30 seconds to reach the sea on my bike (even with the dog running in tow)

Living in a spot where you know there's been Roller, Pallas's Sandgrouse, rare thrushes, Lark Sparrow and a huge amount of other megas is very inspiring.

Finds in the first six weeks include Pale-bellied Brent, Tundra Beans and RN Parakeet.

The sunsets and sunrises are beautiful.

Tim

[Vectis Birder]

Originally Posted by Tim Allwood

Stonking start to the year...

waking up to pinkfeet flying over the bedroom skylight is too good...

Frequent Cranes on the way to work and on most birding excursions

The sight of thousands of pinks in the immediate area, on the way to work and as a backdrop to all my local birding is great.

30 seconds to reach the sea on my bike (even with the dog running in tow)

Living in a spot where you know there's been Roller, Pallas's Sandgrouse, rare thrushes, Lark Sparrow and a huge amount of other megas is very inspiring.

Finds in the first six weeks include Pale-bellied Brent, Tundra Beans and RN Parakeet.

The sunsets and sunrises are beautiful.

Tim

*Envy*

[robert burgess]

upto 108 from january,my best ever start,although i have only really started listing seriously the last four years.
Have had Lesser SW,Firecrest,Nuthatch,treecreeper(lifer!)
Water rail,Red Crest Pochard,mandarin,penduline tit(lifer!)
Caspian Gull(lifer!) and marsh tit among others.Well happy with the start of the year and heres to a good february as well.

[Adam C]

Had a fantanstic trip to our local shorebird lake (ellesmere) and got my first waders for the season. Red Knot, Sharp Tailed Sandpiper, Pectoral sandpiper,Curlew sandpiper , Wrybill, Banded Dotteral, Bar tailed Godwit, Pied Stilt, Cheastnut Breasted Shellduck and Red Necked Stint!

Which is about all you can hope for out here!!..Really stoked!