KB57s 2022 year list (1 Viewer)

[kb57]

As in previous years, I'm putting an asterisk next to species not seen in the past year, with any lifers in bold. I'm hoping for a lot of asterisks, as my 2021 total of 153 (129 I think in Britain) was my lowest for a long time. Not likely to get many lifers though, as I don't have any big trips planned, although I do have some big plans for the year which may impact both negatively and positively on birding time....we'll see how it all pans out...
Again as before, I'm using IOC English names in the list, and common British English names in the text.

Jan 01: North Newcastle on Tyne
Didn't go far today, slow start to the year at my partner's place, with a walk to Big Waters to dust off the cobwebs.

01. European Goldfinch
02. Great Tit
03. Carrion Crow
04. Common Blackbird
05. European Greenfinch
06. Common Wood Pigeon
07. Blue Tit
08. European Robin
09. Coal Tit
10. Eurasian Bullfinch
11. Eurasian Magpie
12. Long-tailed Tit
13. Black-headed Gull
14. Western Jackdaw
15. House Sparrow
16. Herring Gull
17. Common Gull
18. Common Goldeneye
19. Mute Swan
20. Eurasian Coot
21. Great Cormorant
22. Tufted Duck
23. Mallard
24. Canada Goose
25. Eurasian Teal
26. Northern Pintail *
27. Greylag Goose
28. Gadwall
29. Common Buzzard

The single drake pintail associating with a small group of mallards was the highlight of the day, a species which I'd avoided seeing in 2021.

 

[kb57]

Jan 02: north Newcastle on Tyne
A few extra species from the garden and local area

30. Common Pheasant
31. Rock Dove (f. domestica)
32. Common Chaffinch
33. Common Kestrel
34. Common Starling

 

[kb57]

Jan 04: NW Durham
Back home working for the day, not much time to look out of the window but managed to add a few more species in my garden or at my neighbours feeders. The previous day, on my way back south I saw the end-on profile of a soaring red kite whilst driving, but decided it was an uncountable view for year listing purposes.

35. Eurasian Wren
36. Great Spotted Woodpecker
37. Eurasian Collared Dove
38. Eurasian Tree Sparrow

 

[kb57]

Jan 05: NW Durham
Meeting at the office. Woodland outside the window seemed devoid of birds, although I had my binoculars by me in case a flock of redpolls or siskin turned up.

39. Common Moorhen

 

[Owene]

That feeling of sitting in a meeting hoping a year tick goes past the window has been a big part of this week. 😊

 

[kb57]

Jan 06: north Newcastle on Tyne
Just missed seeing a reed bunting in the garden, spotted by my partner, before a belated (normally Jan 01) addition to the list popped up on the fence.

40. Dunnock

 

[kb57]

Jan 08: NW Durham
Got the mammal list off to a bad start near my home.

01. Grey squirrel

On a diverted train, somewhere in Cambridgeshire, another introduced species...

02. Fallow deer

 

[kb57]

Jan 09: Kensington Gardens, London
Had to be in London the following day so made a weekend of it. Had an unsuccessful little owl search in Kensington Gardens, and an equally unsuccessful scan of the skies and tall buildings for peregrines - two species we often net in the capital. The only raptor we saw was a sparrowhawk high over the park being mobbed by a carrion crow as it had presumably attempted a display flight. Best and possibly least anticipated addition to the list were three redwings in the park - not quite up there with pied flycatcher as my least expected tick from a trip to London, but still pretty good.

41. Rose-ringed Parakeet
42. Egyptian Goose
43. Lesser Black-backed Gull
44. Common Pochard
45. Great Crested Grebe
46. Grey Heron
47. Eurasian Sparrowhawk
48. Redwing

 

[kb57]

Jan 23: Seaton Burn area, North Tyneside

Been too busy to even look out of the window for most of the past two weeks, but my partner and I got out into her local countryside on dog-walking duties with her son's affectionate but unpredictable lurcher - actually not that unpredictable - small fluffy dogs, and cats send him crazy. Our search to find a walking route devoid of other dogs took us through a farmyard where a grey and pied wagtail were feeding around a manure pile, then around the edge of a linseed crop holding a small flock of fieldfares - finally getting over the 50 mark for the year. My partner is a few ahead of me at the moment, with willow tit her best so far.

49. Grey Wagtail
50. White Wagtail (ssp. yarrellii)
51. Fieldfare

 

[kb57]

Jan 25: Seaton Burn area, North Tyneside

Took a couple of hours off work in the morning as we needed to do some more dog-walking with the lurcher, repeating our relatively dog-free route. Although potentially lethal to cats and small dogs, he's not an impatient type of hound which starts whining the minute you stop - so we were able to search through a mixed feeding flock and find goldcrest (and treecreeper, which I missed); we also spotted a few yellowhammers feeding in the same field as the fieldfare flock. Around 35 fieldfares visible today, but my partner had estimated about 200 present yesterday - not sure what they are finding to eat amongst the young linseed plants?

52. Goldcrest
53. Yellowhammer

 

[kb57]

Jan 30: north Newcastle on Tyne

Glued to TV most of the morning watching the Australian Open men's tennis final, with one eye on the feeders outside my partner's front garden. She managed to add the first tree sparrows to her year list, while a brief appearance of a small flock of linnets in the hedgerow made it one each.

54. Common Linnet

Jan 31: Rowland's Gill, Gateshead

After a number of commutes on this road, finally connected with a couple of unequivocal red kites - a distant view whilst driving of two birds soaring quite high up, but a good enough view this time to confirm ID.

55. Red Kite

 

[kb57]

Feb 08: Bletchley, Buckinghamshire

Site meeting for work, with no opportunities to take in any incidental birding - driving down after work in the dark, then back the next day in the afternoon. Hardly leaving the house otherwise, with a lot of work to catch up on. Saw LOTS more red kites together with a few buzzards, the introduced populations in this area has been way more successful than the NE. Otherwise only one more addition to the year list.

56. Eurasian Skylark

 

[kb57]

Feb 14: NW Durham

Small flock of goosanders on a fishing club lake near my office, oblivious to the various obstacles anglers have placed across the pond to discourage them!

57. Common Merganser

 

[kb57]

Just been looking at my mid-February totals for previous years' lists on BF; from 2017 when I started they go 95 - 84 - 77 - 84 - 75 - 57. Clearly this year has had the fewest opportunities to get out birding, or even just get out - I did better last year despite lockdown! At least I'm saving such scarcities as rook and wigeon, not to mention ANY species of wader, until later...and hoping for some big changes later in the year if everything works out...

 

[Owene]

I took until the autumn to get Wigeon last year so there's still time

 

[kb57]

I took until the autumn to get Wigeon last year so there's still time

Inexplicably absent from my New Years Day list! ...but illustrates my slow start...

 

[kb57]

Feb 15: NW Durham
After bemoaning the fact I never get out, I took a lunchtime walk from the office to the local park, where a pair of mistle thrushes were foraging on a football field. Still haven't seen a song thrush yet, although I haven't been recording 'heard only'...where it would be joined by nuthatch and willow tit from near my home.

58. Mistle Thrush

Driving back from work quite late, a diversion to the local shop got me my first owl of the year, flying high over the road in a nearby village, well illuminated by streetlights. Incredibly I missed tawny owl completely last year, although I had a good year for barn owl sightings. My mid-February pessimism was proving a little premature.

59. Tawny Owl*

 

[kb57]

Feb 18: NW Durham
Dismal day with wet snow, but quite a few birds attracted to my next-door neighbour's feeder - work prevented me from checking the garden too frequently, but I did finally add an unobtrusive song thrush in the base of the hedge.

60. Song Thrush

 

[kb57]

Feb 27: Amble / Warkworth, Northumberland
Well I finally made time for my first look at the sea in 2022 with an afternoon trip up the coast, and moved my year list along a bit in the process.
We started at Amble harbour Sunday market, soon adding the semi-tame eiders and turnstones - the latter running around our feet near the quay, eyeing up our Dinky Donuts. Moving on to Warkworth beach, we did a circuit down past the salt marsh to the northern breakwater, then back up the beach on a receding tide. Waders on the salt marsh and estuary, then a few divers and auks on the sea too far out for positive ID (probable red-throated / guillemots), and a close flypast of 3 red-breasted mergansers. Highlight of the day was my partner spotting a commotion amongst the gulls as a raptor flew amongst them, well out over the breaking waves - my instant reaction was peregrine, then I realised the scale was all wrong with the mobbing black-headed gulls. Partner thought it had something white in its grasp, probably a sanderling...it flew fast across the beach and dunes and out of site, by this point looking more typically merlin-like. A quick stop on the lay-by by the estuary added oystercatcher, plus more turnstones foraging on the shoreline, presumably trying to break their junk-food addiction.

61. Common Eider
62. Ruddy Turnstone
63. Rook
64. Eurasian Curlew
65. Common Redshank
66. Eurasian Wigeon
67. Dunlin
(Diver sp.)
(Auk sp.)
68. Great black-backed Gull
69. Red-breasted Merganser
70. Merlin *
71. Eurasian Oystercatcher

 

[kb57]

Mar 02: NW Durham
Dank and drizzly lunchtime walk to the supermarket from the office today, but quite a lot of avian activity in the gloom, including a flock of ca. 20 siskin feeding on alders and young willows, and giving close views (although they had to be close today or I wouldn't have seen them..).

72. Eurasian Siskin