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Green Listing 2023 - Joint Thread (1 Viewer)

04-05 Feb: I went S for a change, towards Bouillon where an Alpine Accentor is wintering. Started in the afternoon of the 4th, slept en route, reached Bouillon around 8 on the 5th. Got Tawny Owl along the road, the Accentor was there, and Raven was also new in Bouillon. Unfortunately, on the way back, I quite soon started having problems with my crankset... This forced me to go very slowly and, finally, to do the last climbs on foot -- at this point, each time I pushed too hard on the left pedal, both pedals went down. The bike has been at the dealer's shop since, with a new crankset in command. Cycled: 310 km (120 + 190).

09 Feb: Short trip to a nearby forest place in the morning, using my wife's old bike (which I wouldn't like to use for any long distances), then walking. Added two woodpeckers (Middle Spotted and Black) and Bullfinch. Cycled this day: 10 km; this year: 1730 km. 129 bird species seen.

We (me + my wife) had planned to go to the coast from 09 Feb to the end of the weekend -- in such cases, I usually cycle while she drives. Without a functional bike, however, I ended up in the car as well, hence my weekend was not "green" either. (I took the opportunity to bring a bicycle back from the coast, which had been for the last three years in the (humid...) basement of the apartment. Had to do a bit of work on it before it became usable, but I hope it could be used as a replacement in the future. Hopefully I'll I get the other one back soon, though.)

Song Thrushes never really stopped singing here this year, and one in my neighbour's garden in Brussels is the first thing I've been hearing from bed in most mornings since early Jan... This is not quite usual, though; in most years, although finding the species in early Jan is not really hard, they are mostly silent at this time of the year.
 
I thought they would be resident with you, up here at 1000m they are absent all winter, the last one I saw was on October 2(I saw none in September either!).
 
Not a lot of new species during the last week for me. Greater White Fronted Geese being the highlight. Even though they ubiquitous in winter just north of Düsseldorf you need a bit of luck to find them here.
Monday I had ~500 Common Crane fly over my apartment. This happens a couple of times every spring and autumn but it still gets me rushing to my balcony to watch them.
I also had my first singing Song Thrush yesterday.
 
Also I have some problems with the brakes on my bike. Hopefully I can fix it during the weekend. Otherwise my birding will be limited
 
David_ said:
Not a lot of new species during the last week for me. Greater White Fronted Geese being the highlight. Even though they ubiquitous in winter just north of Düsseldorf you need a bit of luck to find them here.
Monday I had ~500 Common Crane fly over my apartment. This happens a couple of times every spring and autumn but it still gets me rushing to my balcony to watch them.
I also had my first singing Song Thrush yesterday.
Click to expand...
I had my first Cranes on Wednesday evening. I should have paid more attention, as I might have had success on Monday had I gone to my local patch (where I can watch south for about 10 km).
Today I waited until it stopped raining (mid-afternoon...) and twitched a Ferruginous Pochard which took a while to find.
 
Finally got my green birding year off to a start today ... well, I did already have a few garden birds (maybe 20 or so from early Jan and occasionally since), highlights being Meadow Pipit on the wires, Firecrest, Blackcap and then Redwings today (30+ in the back hedge).

Today was WeBS count at Stithians Reservoir, and managed to walk there and back, in addition to doing the actual count. Googlemaps says it's 3.6 miles (5.8km) each way, plus c5 miles around the reservoir itself, so allowing for a little detouring 12 -13 miles in all (c20km). Felt like it should have been more! Left at 9am, back by 2:30pm. Took an hour to get there (if I had a bike would have been a lot less), generally along fairly busy roads with no footpaths but verges mostly ... it should be possible to take a much longer cross country route on public footpaths, but another time perhaps ...

Highlights were the (returning?) female Pintail, a pair of Gadwall, 2 pairs of Great Crested Grebe (one pair displaying), 4+ Reed Bunting at the feeders, singing (or subsinging) Redwings in the trees (unusual in the UK?) 5 Fieldfare and 3 Mistle Thrush, with no waders apart from 16+ (could have been twice or three times as many) Snipe in an adjoining field. Ravens en route. Didn't see any raptors at all until about half a mile from home with a Buzzard, and only mammal a Red Fox scoped from one of the hides.

Water levels were up (been low all winter otherwise), and seemed one of the poorest WeBS counts for a while (eg only 4 Little Grebes), but ok in the end.

Thought I could add a few things to the World List on the spreadsheet, until I realised they were already on there with pesky 'Northerns' and 'Commons' in front lol ... ;-)
 
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dantheman said:
Finally got my green birding year off to a start today ... well, I did already have a few garden birds (maybe 20 or so from early Jan and occasionally since), highlights being Meadow Pipit on the wires, Firecrest, Blackcap and then Redwings today (30+ in the back hedge).

Today was WeBS count at Stithians Reservoir, and managed to walk there and back, in addition to doing the actual count. Googlemaps says it's 3.6 miles (5.8km) each way, plus c5 miles around the reservoir itself, so allowing for a little detouring 12 -13 miles in all (c20km). Felt like it should have been more! Left at 9am, back by 2:30pm. Took an hour to get there (if I had a bike would have been a lot less), generally along fairly busy roads with no footpaths but verges mostly ... it should be possible to take a much longer cross country route on public footpaths, but another time perhaps ...

Highlights were the (returning?) female Pintail, a pair of Gadwall, 2 pairs of Great Crested Grebe (one pair displaying), 4+ Reed Bunting at the feeders, singing (or subsinging) Redwings in the trees (unusual in the UK?) 5 Fieldfare and 3 Mistle Thrush, with no waders apart from 16+ (could have been twice or three times as many) Snipe in an adjoining field. Ravens en route. Didn't see any raptors at all until about half a mile from home with a Buzzard, and only mammal a Red Fox scoped from one of the hides.

Water levels were up (been low all winter otherwise), and seemed one of the poorest WeBS counts for a while (eg only 4 Little Grebes), but ok in the end.

Thought I could add a few things to the World List on the spreadsheet, until I realised they were already on there with pesky 'Northerns' and 'Commons' in front lol ... ;-)
Click to expand...
It turns out that you've got ten first/shared first sightings on the world list.

EDIT: @Xenospiza Five of your records from February have January dates on your personal list.
 
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I've added three to the World List since Friday, a Black Grouse in a tree on the mountain across the valley from our house, an earlier than usual European Serin around the garden and a Lammergeier cruising below the more distant crags to the east of our place.
 
After rain and pretty impressive hail in the morning on Saturday, the rest of the weekend was very clear, but with an annoying northeasterly breeze.
As they were reported from other breeding sites, I checked if any Curlew had returned to their local haunt, but found a Red Kite instead.
Today, I decided to try and twitch a Red-breasted Goose which had been reasonably gettable at the Bislicher Insel on the Rhine all week. Amazingly I even managed to find it as it was feeding quite close among the many Barnacle Geese. Then the whole flock went up and I couldn't find it back. There was not that much going on otherwise (but I still quite a few year ticks as I had not been near the Rhine this year).
 
I'd love to join in if it isn't too late. I've been green listing for the last 10 years or so, mainly on foot (walking/snowshoeing), occasionally kayaking (we live by a large lake), very very occasionally cycling. Not going for big totals, but enjoying seeing what changes from year to year locally.
Slow start here (SW Quebec, Canada) in winter, but things pick up in April.

I've added my current list to the America tab on the spreadsheet (Northern America?), do I just add to the bottom of the joint one too?
 
Just today, I was hoping that someone from outside the Western Palearctic would join and make things more interesting. Glad I'm--for now--not the only one with a less than lopsided list.

Question for others: What happens if a non-native species listed in red is later seen in its natural habitat?
 
01101001 said:
Just today, I was hoping that someone from outside the Western Palearctic would join and make things more interesting. Glad I'm--for now--not the only one with a less than lopsided list.

Question for others: What happens if a non-native species listed in red is later seen in its natural habitat?
Click to expand...
Wondered why some were in red!

To be honest, why are they even in red? If they are counted on a national list (naturalized etc), then they are 'on the list' surely?
 
I suspect it was meant for escapees and then also included naturalised species. I was wondering what happens to the world list if a Canada Goose is seen in America at some point after January 1: do we keep the earlier feral record, the later native record, or both (with the red list only serving as a sort of supplement to the main list)?

EDIT: From a more practical standpoint, should I bother cycling to Warsaw city centre only to tick the escapee Wood Duck (it's been here for almost fifteen years, apparently)?
 
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01101001 said:
I suspect it was meant for escapees and then also included naturalised species. I was wondering what happens to the world list if a Canada Goose is seen in America at some point after January 1: do we keep the earlier feral record, the later native record, or both (with the red list only serving as a sort of supplement to the main list)?
Click to expand...
Ah, wondered which species you were thinking of ;-)

Canada Goose is part of the avifauna in W Europe, so the earlier naturalised (not 'feral' imo) record would be the only one.

Personally think there shouldn't be a red list - but is it on there because of eg an IOC world list?? (And escapees shouldn't be on the spreadsheet at all ... ;-) )

???
 
jasperpatch said:
I'd love to join in if it isn't too late. I've been green listing for the last 10 years or so, mainly on foot (walking/snowshoeing), occasionally kayaking (we live by a large lake), very very occasionally cycling. Not going for big totals, but enjoying seeing what changes from year to year locally.
Slow start here (SW Quebec, Canada) in winter, but things pick up in April.

I've added my current list to the America tab on the spreadsheet (Northern America?), do I just add to the bottom of the joint one too?
Click to expand...
Welcome along ... already can see you have some good birds in there ... ;-)

Yes, you should be able to copy and paste the whole list (think Mallard and Raven should already be on?)
 

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