My 2006 list (1 Viewer)

* = lifer

1-6 Jan 2006 South Co. Down (N. Irleand) -[ mostly from sick bed]

1. Cormorant
2. Mute Swan
3. Mallard
4. Black-headed Gull
5. Woodpigeon
6. Feral Pigeon
7. Collared Dove
8. Pied Wagtail
9. Wren
10. Robin
11. Dunnock
12.Fieldfare
13. Song Thrush
14. Mistle Thrush
15. Blackbird
16. Coal Tit
17. Blue Tit
18. Great Tit
19. Common Starling
20. Magpie
21. Jackdaw
22. Hooded Crow
23. Rook
24. House Sparrow
25. Chaffinch
26. Greenfinch
27. Goldfinch


7 Jan Warrenpoint, Co. Down

28. Scaup
29. Goldeneye
30. Red-breasted Merganser
31. Oystercatcher
32. Turnstone
33. Redshank
34.Common Gull
35. Herring Gull
36. Rock Pipit


9 Jan Castlewellan Forest, Co Down

37. Little Grebe
38. Tufted Duck
39. Chiffchaff
40. Goldcrest
41. Jay
42. Raven

12 Jan Carlingford Lough, Cooley Peninsula, Dundalk Bay

43. Great Northern Diver
44. Red-throated Diver
45. Great Crested Grebe
46. Grey Heron
47. Shag
48. Pale-bellied Brent Goose
49. Shelduck
50. Wigeon
51. Teal
52. Common Scoter
53. Grey Plover
54. Golden Plover
55. Lapwing
56. Greenshank
57. Curlew
58. Great Black-backed Gull
59. Black Guillemot
60. Common Guillemot
61. Stonechat
62. Linnet


14 Jan South Co. Down (Carlingford Lough; Dundrum Bay, Quoile Pondage)

63. Whooper Swan
64. Greylag Goose
65. Pintail
66. Pochard
67. Long-tailed Duck
68. Barrow's Goldeneye*
69. Sparrowhawk
70. Moorhen
71. Coot
72. Ringed Plover
73. Dunlin
74. Sanderling
75. Bar-tailed Godwit
76. Black-tailed Godwit
77. Collared Dove
78. Meadow Pipit
79. Redwing
80. Bullfinch


28 Jan Moore Nature Reserve, Cheshire

81. Common Buzzard
82. Common Kestrel
83. Pheasant
84. Great Spotted Woodpecker
85. Green Woodpecker
86. Barn Owl
87. Treecreeper
88. Nuthatch
89. Willow Tit
90. Long-tailed Tit
91. Carrion Crow
92. Siskin
93. Reed Bunting


4 Feb Chorlton Water Park, Manchester

94. Canada Goose
95. Goosander
96. Smew
97. Grey Wagtail
98. Lesser Redpoll



5 Feb Pennington Flash, Astley Moss, Gtr Manchester

99. Gadwall
100. Shoveler
101. Grey Partridge
102. Red-legged Partridge
103. Water Rail
104. Lesser Black-backed Gull
105. Stock Dove
106. Tree Sparrow
107. Brambling
108. Yellowhammer


09 Feb Central Manchester (from my office window!)

109. Waxwing (17 of them)
[23 of them on 10th]


10 Feb Lancashire Mosslands (incl. Martin Mere WWT; Marshside RSPB)

110. Pink-footed Goose
111. Barnacle Goose
112. Merlin
113. Ruff
114. Common Snipe
115. Skylark
116. Corn Bunting


12 Feb Foulridge Reservoir, East Lancashire

117. Red-necked Grebe


14 Feb 2006 Moore Nature Reserve; Dee Marshes (Cheshire)

118. Little Egret
119. Ruddy Duck
120. Hen Harrier
121. Peregrine
122. Knot
123. Short-eared Owl
124. Marsh Tit

18/ 19 Feb 2006 Mersyside; Wirral, N. Wales - great weekend with lots of new birds for the year

125. Black-throated Diver
126. Fulmar
127. Common Eider
128. Purple Sandpiper
129. Ring-billed Gull
130. Mediterranean Gull
131. Razorbill
132. Water Pipit
133. Black Redstart
134. Twite
135. Snow Bunting

23 Feb 2006 Gtr Manchester (Stockport area)

136. Mandarin
Egyptian Goose (not really counting this one!)
137. Lesser Spotted Woodpecker
138. Dipper



25 Feb 2006 High Peak, Derbyshire

139. Goshawk
140. Red Grouse

28 Feb 2006 Dundalk Bay, Co. Louth

141. Slavonian Grebe
142. Greenland White-fronted Goose

1st March 2006 Craigavon Lakes, Co. Armagh

143. Ferruginous Duck
144. Ring-necked Duck

also saw cracking male Smew there

Thurs 9 March 2006 Belfast Harbour RSPB Reserve

145. Green-winged Teal
146. Wood Duck* (dodgy I know, but apparently it could be the real thing!)

Saturday 11 March 2006 Ballysaggart Lough, Co Tyrone

147. Lesser Scaup* (another new duck!)

Sunday 12 March 2006 Strangford Lough, Co. Down

148. Kittiwake

Tuesday 14 March 2006 Dundalk Bay/ Co Louth coastline

149. Gannet
150. Little Gull

Wed 15 March 2006 Dundrum Bay, Co. Down

151. Spotted Redshank

Friday 17 March 2006 Belfast Lough, Co. Antrim

152. Iceland Gull
153. Glaucous Gull

Happy St Patricks Day! B

Sunday 19 March 2006 Wirral/ Dee Marshes, Cheshire

154. Bewick's Swan
155. Little Owl

Wed 22 March 2006 Marbury CP, Cheshire

156. Tawny Owl

Saturday 24 March 2006

Pennington Flash, Greater Manchester

157. Little Ringed Plover
158. Kingfisher


Marshside RSPB, Lancashire

159. Avocet


Chorlton, Manchester

160. Blackcap (singing in my garden)



Sunday 25 March 2006 - South and East Yorkshire

161. Woodcock (Spurn)
162. Sand Martin (Old Moor RSPB)
163. Northern Wheatear (Spurn)
164. Common [Mealy] Redpoll* (Spurn)
165. Hawfinch (Firbeck)
[also, Dark-bellied Brent Goose at Spurn, but have already ticked pale-bellied]

Monday 27 March 2006 Pennington Flash, Gtr Manchester

166. Black-necked Grebe


Tuesday 28 March Leighton Moss/ Morecambe Bay, Lancashire

167. Marsh Harrier
168. Great Skua


Wednesday 29 March 2006 Marbury Country Park, Cheshire

169. Swallow

Thursday 30 March 2006 Marbury Country Park, Cheshire

170. House Martin

Friday 31st March 2006

Denbighshire, N. Wales

171. Black Grouse


Parkgate Marsh, Cheshire

172. Jack Snipe



Saturday 1st April

Marbury Country Park, Cheshire

173. Willow Warbler



Sunday 2nd April

Great Orme, Conwy

174. Chough


Porthmadog area, Gwynned

175. Laughing Gull*
176. Sandwich Tern

Sunday 9th April 2006

Leighton Moss, Lancashire

177. Bittern (at last)


Lake District, Cumbria (Haweswater & Bassenthwaite)

178. Golden Eagle
179. Osprey

Nice extended Easter break, and a few days away in Wales, meant I could catch up with a few spring migrants, and one or two unexpected surprises:

Friday 14 April 2006

Barnston (Wirral), Cheshire

180. Alpine Swift*


Froodsham Marsh, Cheshire

181. Yellow Wagtail

also first White Wagtails of the year



Saturday 15 April 2006

Angelsey

182. Manx Shearwater (South Stack RSPB)

183. Puffin (South Stack)

184. Cetti's Warbler (RSPB Valli Lakes)


Conwy RSPB reserve

185. Common Sandpiper

186. Grasshopper Warbler


Tuesday 18 April 2006, Angelsey

187. Spotted Crake (Maltraeth Marsh - heard only)

188. American Golden Plover* (Cemlyn Lagoon)


Thursday 20 April 2006 Ynys Hir RSPB Reserve, Ceredigion

189. Red Kite

190. Common Redstart

191. Garden Warbler

192. Sedge Warbler

193. Wood Warbler

194. Pied Flycatcher


I'm off to Spain at the end of next week so hope to add significantly to this list!

A few more nice migrants picked up over the weekend:

Friday 21 April 2006

Neumanns Flash, Cheshire

195. Wood Sandpiper


Pennington Flash, Greater Manchester

196. Common Tern



Sunday 23 April 2006

Neumanns Flash/ Marbury Country Park, Cheshire

197. Whimbrel
198. Cuckoo
199. Common Whitethroat


Frodsham Marsh, Cheshire

200. Whinchat
201. Reed Warbler

Can't believe I've passed the 200 mark and its still only April! I know one or two of the above are dodgy fence-jumpers but I'm still pretty pleased. All these early morning starts are paying off. |=o|