My new lifer list - advice please and musings! (2 Viewers)

[dantheman]

So I have mused for a few months! I have gone for June 2017 as my start date, as that is when I first started writing down birds with confirmed ID. Annoyingly this misses a short-eared owl seen at the Roaches before I started birding seriously and somewhat less so the golden eagles I used to see on family holidays to Arran, amongst others! Also annoyingly for the first couple of years I did not write down the exact date sighted, I added them to a place list - all that changed on 15th August 2019 when I saw spoonbills, Buff-breasted sandpiper, long-billed dowitcher and black-necked grebe - what a day! I have collated all my sightings which, having discounted the black swan and pheasant, gives me a list of 137. I think I am going for the format pictured, but again am having another muse!

Well, I'd vote for you counting birds you definitely saw in your life (it's your life list) as long as there is no doubt over the id. You don't necessarily magically 'become' a birder at some arbitrary point in time ... So if you have a clear memory of something iconic and memorable it would count, imo, for something less memorable and common which you have since seen (like Robins and Blue Tits?) it doesn't matter so much.

(Others may differ in opinion )

 

[Mysticete]

I count my "pre-birder" birders, but I list them in excel with light italic text, with my hope to eventually see all of them again. At his point, for birds, it's almost entirely consisting of birds I saw on my study abroad in Kenya. No way am I cleansing birds like Secretarybird or Martial Eagle from my life list!

 

[Julie50]

Oh - could do the same and put “ pre June 2017” on - just recalling seeing a flock of waxwings in Solihull

 

[Julie50]

Interestingly - to me anyway - this only adds 10 birds; yellowhammer, golden eagle, short eared owl, tawny owl, little owl, skylark, dipper, waxwing, cough and Siskin

 

[Mike Crawley]

Julie50, I too would record the earlier birds seen before your arbitrary start date. There’s nothing there that you won’t bump into during your birding "journey"
Your list = your rules

good luck and good birding

 

[ClarkWGriswold]

I haven’t had a “cough” this year Julie. Must be all the porridge and blueberries I’m eating for breakfast 😉

 

[Julie50]

Damn that corrective text!

 

[Julie50]

Hi all,

I have got to stonechat, Saxicola rubicona, on my pre- list I am making before I put them in alphabetical order by Latin name. Its status is “—“, which the key identifies as “No record in Great Britain or Ireland”. This is in the Collins Bird Guide 3rd Edition. Can you enlighten me as why this is please?

Thanks

 

[dantheman]

Hi all,

I have got to stonechat, Saxicola rubicona, on my pre- list I am making before I put them in alphabetical order by Latin name. Its status is “—“, which the key identifies as “No record in Great Britain or Ireland”. This is in the Collins Bird Guide 3rd Edition. Can you enlighten me as why this is please?

Thanks

What does it say about Saxicola rubicola??

 

[Mike Crawley]

Hi all,

I have got to stonechat, Saxicola rubicona, on my pre- list I am making before I put them in alphabetical order by Latin name. Its status is “—“, which the key identifies as “No record in Great Britain or Ireland”. This is in the Collins Bird Guide 3rd Edition. Can you enlighten me as why this is please?

Thanks

An understandable spellong mistake

 

[Julie50]

Sorry! Saxicola rubicola is indeed what I have written down! Any ideas? For Saxicola rubetra it has mB3/P3.

 

[Sangahyando]

Sorry! Saxicola rubicola is indeed what I have written down! Any ideas? For Saxicola rubetra it has mB3/P3.

Maybe there is a confusion issue because the species was recently split into African and European Stonechat, with the African form retaining the original species epithet (torquatus).

 

[Mike Crawley]

Sorry! Saxicola rubicola is indeed what I have written down! Any ideas? For Saxicola rubetra it has mB3/P3.

don’t know what mB3/P3 means
is it a reference to Whinchat being a migrant and not resident ?

 

[Julie50]

Hi, according to the book it is; mB - breeding migrant, P - passage visitor, 3 fairly abundant.

 

[Mike Crawley]

Hi, according to the book it is; mB - breeding migrant, P - passage visitor, 3 fairly abundant.

Ah, I see.
That feels about right, easy to see in the right habitat

 

[Julie50]

So I have them all listed in common name alphabetical order, now to put them in Latin name alphabetical and add then extra information. Then I’ll put them on the cards

 

[Prestdj]

seems very complicated to me but if it works then thats good.......i used to write my list out years ago but now just use bubo which works best for myself

good birding

 

[Julie50]

I really like writing lists, no idea why! I write a weekly meal plan with shopping list in small books and change it every few months too

 

[jogresh]

Love the enthusiasm, reminds me of a younger me. Keep enjoying our hobby 😀👍🐦🦢🦆🦩

 

[Julie50]

Decided on a format for the cards - going to do one list alphabetical Latin and one common names