Green Listing 2024 - Joint Thread (3 Viewers)

[dantheman]

Same as in 2021, 2022 and 2023: a joint thread for birds seen from home by foot or using non-motorised transportation only (e.g. bicycle -- no motorised public transport). See :

Green Listing 2021 - Joint thread

Following on the theme of the previous 'lockdown listing threads' ( https://www.birdforum.net/threads/joint-bf-lockdown-listing-autumn-2020.396184/ and https://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=388090 ), a joint green listing thread, whether you are in lockdown or not, and makes it easier for...

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Green Listing 2022 - Joint Thread

Similar to last year, birds seen from home by foot or human-powered mechanical (eg bicycle), local patch or however far you can get from home by the same means - https://www.birdforum.net/threads/green-listing-2021-joint-thread.403402/ A joint/collaborative thread - feel free to add your...

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Green Listing 2023 - Joint Thread

Same as in 2021 and 2022: a joint thread for birds seen from home by foot or using non-motorised transportation only (e.g. bicycle -- no motorised public transport). See : https://www.birdforum.net/threads/green-listing-2021-joint-thread.403402/...

www.birdforum.net

Feel free to report sightings, bird lists, anecdotes, or anything else related to this theme, in this thread throughout the year.

A shared Google spreadsheet is available at :

Joint BF Green List 2024

World Total,Joint Green List - World Species,Date,Country,Observer ,Comments 132,Alpine Accentor,6 Jan,F,Richard, F 133,Alpine Chough,13 Jan,F,Richard,F 106,Bar-tailed Godwit - Limosa lapponica,4 Jan,B,laurent (l_raty) (B) 107,Barnacle Goose - Branta leucopsis,4 Jan,B,laurent (l_raty) (B) 1,Blac...

docs.google.com

You can put your name (or alias) at the top of a column in the tab of your geographical region, and start filling it with the species you've seen; you can then also complete the joint list for your region, and for the world, if you have seen species that had not been seen by someone else before. The file can in principle be edited by anyone, but please don't alter the general formatting, and leave the edition of other people's records to their authors.

 

[Xenospiza]

Thanks Dan! A dismal start compared to last year... I was reluctant to get out as it looked like it was going to rain for most of the day. I should have been a bit more courageous: most rain fell (consistently) 10 km north of me.
Peculiar misses were Starling, Great Crested Grebe and Mute Swan, the latter two probably chased off by fireworks? The town was virtually free of birds anyway. The only uncommon bird I found was a Peregrine Falcon.
Working this week so no additions expected: an excellent choice as more rain and wind are forecast. Hopefully some of the waterfowl discovered today will stick as there are two scoters in striking distance and the weekend looks calm and possibly even frosty.

 

[Richard Prior]

Merci Dan, I had a great start on New Year's Day but today zilch, rien, nada in the cloud and rain, unusually missing !great Spotted and Middle Spotted Woodpeckers, both of which I usually see or hear daily. Onward and upward green listers!

 

[l_raty]

Thanks, Dan.
Both yesterday and today were very windy here (and today was also quite wet), so basically just a bit of seawatch and the beach, so far.
I'll see if more can be done tomorrow.

 

[dantheman]

My January 1st was a bit of a bust too - I'd been trying to psyche myself up for weeks that I was going to do a big walk down to the coast and back, but the weather was forecast heavy rain/showers in the afternoon. In the end I didn't go out at all, and only recorded 8 species by looking out the house windows. (I'd also only had a few hours sleep and been unwell the week before).

January 2nd - went out for a run/walk/bird to local College Reservoir late afternoon. Still pretty windy, and the most muddy/wet/squelchy underfoot I recall encountering. 26 species on the run - but 5 of those heard only - Robin and Song Thrush singing, Wren, Moorhen and Jay. 31 species for the day with 5 other 'garden list' additions earlier in the day from the attic window. Highlights: Siberian Chiffchaff* flycatching on the side of the island, LBB Gull, 6 Great Crested Grebe, a couple of Meadow Pipits flushed and Redwings towards dusk. Very quiet really - windy, running not that conducive to seeing much etc. But a nice one at the end, less that quarter of a mile from home as I was walking up the hill from Asda - a large beigey white bird quartering one of the fields above the reservoir - Barn Owl. Not seen one in that area before at all (or even by the reservoirs), so that was pretty nice.

4 Grey Squirrels too. About 4.5 miles.




*(Kind of getting to the point where a Chiffchaff that fits the bill as Sibe gets ticked as such. Tan uppers and white underparts. No nominate types seen)

 

[Xenospiza]

Still pretty windy, and the most muddy/wet/squelchy underfoot I recall encountering.

"Wet" is definitely the status here as well. My highlight yesterday was that the riverside road that had been flooded was dry. I have the (rather bad) idea of cycling to the office tomorrow and that would be my shortest route (luckily it is not much of a detour if it's flooded again).

 

[Moo]

This is my first time at green listing. I’d done some trial runs on the bike before new year, including twitching the Top Hill Low Black-throated Thrush, just to see what range I could get on a day trip.

January 1st in York was okay weather wise, so took the dog on a slightly longer walk than normal in order to take in some new flood defences that Yorkshire Water have been working on. Managed 48 species by the end (10k), so annoyed at not breaking the 50 and still missing a couple of of species that should have been easy I went for a cycle around the area late afternoon. Ended up with 54 for the day, with the highlights being a Merlin hunting at near point blank range and a Barn Owl ghosting over the fields.

2nd of January was a wash out with heavy rain all day, but the rest of the week looks better…

Cheers,

Mark

 

[Paul Chapman]

This is not a priority for me. I do not record observations separately from locations dependent on whether I have used motorised transport. Occasionally, there will be very local sightings when I have used the car. But I will try and keep a note this year..... If I am not twitching or travelling, the majority of my birding is on foot from home.

1​	European Robin	01-Jan-24​
2​	Common Woodpigeon	01-Jan-24​
3​	Eurasian Blackbird	01-Jan-24​
4​	Feral Pigeon	02-Jan-24​
5​	Black-headed Gull	02-Jan-24​
6​	Herring Gull	02-Jan-24​
7​	Little Egret	02-Jan-24​
8​	Great White Egret	02-Jan-24​
9​	Common Magpie	02-Jan-24​
10​	Eurasian Jackdaw	02-Jan-24​
11​	Coal Tit	02-Jan-24​
12​	Eurasian Blue Tit	02-Jan-24​
13​	Great Tit	02-Jan-24​
14​	Eurasian Blackcap	02-Jan-24​
15​	Common Starling	02-Jan-24​
16​	Dunnock	02-Jan-24​
17​	House Sparrow	02-Jan-24​
18​	Mallard	02-Jan-24​
19​	Little Grebe	02-Jan-24​
20​	Mute Swan	03-Jan-24​
21​	Common Shelduck	03-Jan-24​
22​	Northern Shoveler	03-Jan-24​
23​	Eurasian Teal	03-Jan-24​
24​	Goosander	03-Jan-24​
25​	Collared Dove	03-Jan-24​
26​	Common Moorhen	03-Jan-24​
27​	Eurasian Oystercatcher	03-Jan-24​
28​	Eurasian Curlew	03-Jan-24​
29​	Common Redshank	03-Jan-24​
30​	Eurasian Skylark	03-Jan-24​
31​	Goldcrest	03-Jan-24​
32​	Carrion Crow	03-Jan-24​
33​	Fieldfare	03-Jan-24​
34​	Grey Wagtail	03-Jan-24​
35​	Pied Wagtail	03-Jan-24​
36​	Meadow Pipit	03-Jan-24​
37​	Rock Pipit	03-Jan-24​
38​	European Goldfinch	03-Jan-24​
39​	Long-tailed Tit	03-Jan-24​
40​	Lesser Black-backed Gull	03-Jan-24​
41​	Common Gull	03-Jan-24​
42​	Great Cormorant	03-Jan-24​

All the best

Paul

 

[Xenospiza]

Horrid weather yesterday morning so no cycling (not keen on branches falling on my head and it would have been mostly dark anyway), but a quick break today saw me add Firecrest, Great Crested Grebe and Short-toed Treecreeper.

 

[Paul Chapman]

It stopped raining for the morning so I walked from home for 4 hours - 7.25 kms - and recorded 51 species - https://ebird.org/checklist/S158020160... My first 50+ checklist of the year. As a result, my on foot list increased:-

43​	Eurasian Wren	04-Jan-24​
44​	European Greenfinch	04-Jan-24​
45​	Great Black-backed Gull	04-Jan-24​
46​	Grey Heron	04-Jan-24​
47​	Redwing	04-Jan-24​
48​	Rook	04-Jan-24​
49​	Raven	04-Jan-24​
50​	Canada Goose	04-Jan-24​
51​	Lapwing	04-Jan-24​
52​	Snipe	04-Jan-24​
53​	Common Sandpiper	04-Jan-24​
54​	Dunlin	04-Jan-24​
55​	Kingfisher	04-Jan-24​
56​	Great Spotted Woodpecker	04-Jan-24​
57​	Chiffchaff	04-Jan-24​
58​	Stonechat	04-Jan-24​
59​	Chaffinch	04-Jan-24​
60​	Lesser Redpoll	04-Jan-24​

All the best

Paul

 

[l_raty]

Cycled around the western half of the Belgian coast yesterday, with the two Ross's Geese and two Great Northern Divers as best species.
Still on the coast now, with the weather back to 'terrible' here (60 km/h wind + constant rain), so I'm not very likely to cycle long distances eastwards towards this bird before tomorrow, I'm afraid.

 

[ClarkWGriswold]

GSW drumming this morning on dog walk. Stock Dove singing and Jays visiting the garden today. Will be interesting to see if the local Dippers are around this year.

 

[Paul Chapman]

A nice day but I was off patch dealing with the car. Lucky to get a couple of additions on a short walk this evening:-

61​	Peregrine Falcon	05-Jan-24​
62​	Sparrowhawk	05-Jan-24​

All the best

Paul

 

[Xenospiza]

On Saturday the weather was dismal: finally no wind, so it was rather foggy with constant drizzle. I could still have gone for a Ferruginous Pochard which wasn't too far away, but I sabotaged my attempt by failing to cross a flooded road (just one wet foot, nothing more spectacular).
Today it was dry and with a strong easterly wind I thought I'd have another go at Common Scoter, which had been present all week with a bonus Velvet Scoter. It hadn't been reported on Saturday, but I put this down to the bad visibility. Arriving at the site (a large gravel pit), the main path circling the pit was off-limits because of a run. 3-0 for the Common Scoter?
I didn't look forward to cycling back against the wind without any of the target birds... Luckily one path close to the shore wasn't used by runners, so after disregarding the signs and barriers at least I could have a look at some parts of the lake. The cold wind was blowing in my face and the birds had always been reported at the opposite end, so I was still not optimistic. I decided to head towards a big diving duck flock: as soon as I arrived at a spot where I could watch these, both scoters flew by and then landed "close" to where I was standing. I decided to report them on the state WhatsApp group, mentioning the access difficulties. And indeed: someone had been unable to find access and turned away!
I also twitched four Red-crested Pochards and enjoyed the many Goldeneyes on the submerged floodplain before heading back. Still no fun against the wind!

 

[ClarkWGriswold]

Just came back from a walk over the field with Bud. Tawny Owl heard and a Woodcock put up.

 

[l_raty]

Still on the coast now, with the weather back to 'terrible' here (60 km/h wind + constant rain), so I'm not very likely to cycle long distances eastwards towards this bird before tomorrow, I'm afraid.

I saw a young Little Gull flying NW over the shore that day. Besides this, nothing, really.

Then that Blue Rock Thrush...

On Saturday the weather was expected to be better, so I set up early and cycled back to Brussels, following an inland route which is (a tad) shorter than what I usually do. (It was not one of my luckiest days with cycling : I had two independent flat tires and, on the first time -- before 7, in the dark, somewhere in the middle of nowhere between Veurne and Diksmuide -- my pump refused to reinflate the tire... I had no other choice than to walk back, while pushing the bike, with most of my birding gear on my shoulder to limit the weight on the deflated tire, to a large supermarket where I could buy a new pump. Almost 10 km...) I finally reached Brussels around 8 pm. Had a shower and a meal, then slept a few hours, woke up again at 3 and left around 4 am. I was in Durbuy around 11:30.





The rock thrush was quite mobile (more so than on the previous days, it seems), being usually seen rather shortly, then either becoming concealed, or flying away. I did what I could to get some record shots, but the day was strongly overcast and the distance clearly too large for the 300 mm lens I carry on the bike (see Blauwe Rotslijster - Monticola solitarius). Views were reasonably good, though. I then retraced my way to Brussels, which I reached around 10:30 pm -- by which time the sky had cleared (Jupiter stood prominently among the stars) and it was freezing. Other noticeable birds seen along the way to Durbuy included a Barn Owl, a singing Dipper, and a Raven.

There are no news from this site so far today -- but of course it's now 5 days since the bird was found, it's quite remote, and it's a week day.
EDIT - It's still present today, but was hard to relocate, it seems. (The temperature has dropped significantly since yesterday, and will remain low for the days to come.)

 

[Swindon Addick]

I've had a go at a list for Europe to date. 130 cat A species, 4 Cs and 3 either E or uncertain. I've put species in alphabetical order on given days and in date order, except that like last year the cat C and E birds are in red at the end. If anyone sees a Cat A version of one of these, or upgrades an E to a C, we'll drop the existing record and substitute the later one. That's already happened with Canada Goose which was seen on 2 Jan but then recorded as a definite Cat C on the 4th.

My usual disclaimer than I'm not 100% accurate with IOC names so not all species names will be right. Hopefully all are at least clear what the bird was, though.

A further disclaimer - I edited this list from the records that were on the spreadsheet when I started. I see Laurent added a lot more records after that, which are currently missing. I'll add them in once I get clear of some work I need to do (which I'm getting paid for and therefore my employer thinks I should prioritise).

 

[l_raty]

I've had a go at a list for Europe to date. 130 cat A species, 4 Cs and 3 either E or uncertain. I've put species in alphabetical order on given days and in date order, except that like last year the cat C and E birds are in red at the end. If anyone sees a Cat A version of one of these, or upgrades an E to a C, we'll drop the existing record and substitute the later one. That's already happened with Canada Goose which was seen on 2 Jan but then recorded as a definite Cat C on the 4th.

My usual disclaimer than I'm not 100% accurate with IOC names so not all species names will be right. Hopefully all are at least clear what the bird was, though.

A further disclaimer - I edited this list from the records that were on the spreadsheet when I started. I see Laurent added a lot more records after that, which are currently missing. I'll add them in once I get clear of some work I need to do (which I'm getting paid for and therefore my employer thinks I should prioritise).

Thanks .

I added what I saw yesterday and the day before to the joint European list myself (135 now).
Also, Egyptian Goose is unquestionably cat. C in Belgium, so I updated its status to this -- making it 5 Cs. I think it's C in Germany too, however, so I let Xenospiza's 1 Jan record stand in the joint list.

(FWIW, in case of hesitation, the names in my own list are usually copy-pasted from our national database, and should in principle be 100% accurate IOC names.)

(NB -- There was a bunch of records from last year, which remained rather far down in the spreadsheet, and which I also deleted.)

 

[Xenospiza]

On Saturday the weather was expected to be better, so I set up early and cycled back to Brussels, following an inland route which is (a tad) shorter than what I usually do. (It was not one of my luckiest days with cycling : I had two independent flat tires and, on the first time -- before 7, in the dark, somewhere in the middle of nowhere between Veurne and Diksmuide -- my pump refused to reinflate the tire... I had no other choice than to walk back, while pushing the bike, with most of my birding gear on my shoulder to limit the weight on the deflated tire, to a large supermarket where I could buy a new pump. Almost 10 km...) I finally reached Brussels around 8 pm. Had a shower and a meal, then slept a few hours, woke up again at 3 and left around 4 am. I was in Durbuy around 11:30.

Quite a feat. My 75 km on very flat terrain yesterday already have my knees aching. My limit really seems to be 90 km (I am not seeing any improvement).
Cycling 145 km (and back) to the Drachenfels for Wallcreeper in a day I would not survive!

 

[l_raty]

Quite a feat. My 75 km on very flat terrain yesterday already have my knees aching. My limit really seems to be 90 km (I am not seeing any improvement).
Cycling 145 km (and back) to the Drachenfels for Wallcreeper in a day I would not survive!

I won't pretend my body isn't aching now . It's more muscular (thighs and shoulders) than articular (knees), though. My knees look like they can endure some real ill-treatments -- I guess I'm lucky about this.

A poor record shot, from a long time ago now : Rotskruiper - Tichodroma muraria
(This was about 90 km from home, on reasonably flat terrain -- gently hilly to Namur, then wholly flat along the Meuse. Much flatter than yesterday's ride, in any case.)