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Rylirk's 2018 List (1 Viewer)

rylirk

Well-known member
United Kingdom
As a novice birder who only picked up the hobby last year, I'm going to have a go at making an annotated year list! * for 'not seen previous year', bold for lifer, italics for birds which others may not count as wild (i.e. Salisbury plain bustards). All names IOC compliant.

January 1: Crawley & Hedgecourt Lake, UK

Trip up to Hedgecourt Lake to get my first ever Jan 1 count! But first of all, a few from the family garden before I left...

1. Eurasian Magpie
2. Common Blackbird
3. Carrion Crow
4. Common Wood Pigeon
5. European Robin
6. Common Chaffinch
7. Eurasian Blue Tit
8. Great Tit
9. European Starling

Then on to Hedgecourt:

10. Black-Headed Gull
11. Greylag Goose
12. Common Pochard
13. Eurasian Coot
14. Great Crested Grebe
15. Mute Swan
16. Great Cormorant
17. Grey Heron
18. Northern Shoveler
19. Common Moorhen
20. European Herring Gull

January 4: Southampton, UK

Back to Southampton to pick up a few around my house there:

21. Long-Tailed Tit
22. Goldcrest

January 5: Southampton, UK

23. White Wagtail (Pied)

January 6: Lymington, UK

First trip of the year to my favourite birding site: Pennington Marshes in Lymington! Got a lot of birds on this day, and I've misplaced my field list, so these aren't in sighting order...

EDIT: Found the list, reordered!

24. Dunnock (Beaulieu Road Station enroute to Lymington)
25. House Sparrow
26. Rock Dove
27. Eurasian Collared Dove
28. Great Spotted Woodpecker
29. European Goldfinch
30. Brant Goose
31. Dunlin
32. Eurasian Wigeon
33. Sanderling
34. Common Redshank
35. Grey Plover
36. Little Egret
37. Common Shelduck
38. Northern Lapwing
39. Eurasian Teal
40. Common Kingfisher
41. Pied Avocet
42. Little Grebe
43. * Common Goldeneye
44. Northern Pintail
45. Eurasian Skylark
46. Spotted Redshank
47. Eurasian Bullfinch
48. Mallard
49. Common Greenshank
50. Tufted Duck
51. Common Kestrel
52. Eurasian Jay
53. European Stonechat
54. Common Linnet
55. Black-Tailed Godwit
56. Sandwich Tern
57. Common Pheasant
58. Common Buzzard
59. Eurasian Wren
60. Eurasian Curlew
61. Peregrine Falcon
62. Red-Breasted Merganser
63. Ruddy Turnstone
64. Canada Goose
65. Eurasian Rock Pipit
66. Meadow Pipit
67. Eurasian Oystercatcher
68. Western Marsh Harrier
69. Common Reed Bunting
70. Mew Gull

January 7: Romsey, UK

Off to Romsey to see the obliging hawfinches! Popped into Fishlake while I was there.

71. Red Kite
72. Western Jackdaw
73. Redwing
74. Hawfinch
75. Lesser Black-Backed Gull

January 8: Southampton, UK

A surprise appearance by the University campus grey wagtail, which I had not seen for several months prior.

76. Grey Wagtail

January 13: Dungeness, UK

First major birding excursion of the year; a weeked in Rye to go visit Rye Harbour and Dungeness. Dungeness was first up, with the aim to get four lifers: Smew, Bittern, Glaucous Gull and Iceland Gull... 1/4's not bad, right? Smew becomes first lifer of the year.

77. Rook (From the car enroute, near Lydd Airport)
78. Great Black-Backed Gull
79. Common Merganser
80. Gadwall
81. Great Egret
82. * Smew
83. Common Firecrest
84. Stock Dove

January 14: Rye Harbour, UK

Target for the second day was the Black-Necked grebe, which we found.

85. European Golden Plover
86. Common Ringed Plover
87. Common Snipe
88. * Black-Necked Grebe
89. Eurasian Sparrowhawk
90. Song Thrush

January 20: Titchfield, UK

Another of my favourite sites: Titchfield Haven and the canal path! Picked up the owls and the Dartford on the canal path and the rest on the reserve proper.

91. Dartford Warbler
92. Western Barn Owl
93. Common Chiffchaff
94. European Greenfinch

January 27: Staines, UK

Another big weekend: about 15 hours on trains to get to Staines and Eastbourne for two somewhat famous birds!

95. * Horned Lark
96. Fieldfare
97. Rose-Ringed Parakeet

January 28: Eastbourne, UK

98. * Black Guillemot


Total additions in January: 98
Total lifers in January: 4
 
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February 3: Christchurch, UK

A trip to Stanpit Marshes just over the border in Dorset to attempt to pick up the long-staying stilt sandpiper... no such luck!

99. Eurasian Spoonbill

February 9: Portsmouth, UK

Headed down to see the obliging Black Redstart family that had taken up residence in the old town.

100. Purple Sandpiper
101. Black Redstart

February 10: Slaugham & Warnham, UK

A trip to Slaugham in Surrey to pick up some more hawfinch, then down to my near-Crawley regular reserve of Warnham. Nuthatch was in Slaugham, rest in Warnham

102. Eurasian Nuthatch
103. Eurasian Siskin
104. Coal Tit

February 11: London, UK

London WWT for another attempt at Bitterns. Still no luck, but the Jack Snipe was an unexpected bonus!

105. Egyptian Goose
106. * Jack Snipe

February 24: Blashford, UK

A dash down to Blashford Lakes to find the Thayer's Gull. I know Thayer's is no longer on the IOC list, but the gull was still a lifer for me because I dipped the Iceland at Dungeness!

107. Mediterranean Gull
108. Brambling
109. * Iceland Gull
110. Yellow-Legged Gull

February 25: Titchfield, UK

A fairly productive day back at Titchfield to round off February. Ravens on the canal path, rest on the reserve.

111. Northern Raven
112. Barnacle Goose
113. Water Rail
114. Common Eider


Total additions in February: 16
Total lifers in February: 2
 
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March 2: Southampton, UK

I was snowbound due to the 'Beast from the East', but made it down to the cemetary on Southampton common. Gold- and Firecrests everywhere! And Jays and Green Woodpeckers in central Portswood; never seen either of those around here before.

115. European Green Woodpecker

March 11: Arundel, UK

Arundel WWT to try and find a Lesser Redpoll which had regularly been seen with a goldfinch flock. I know they are common but, despite many attempts, I had still never seen one. Still hadn't seen one by the time I left...

116: Mandarin Duck

19 March: Beijing, China

First foreign trip of the year: a week long meeting in Beijing followed by a few days free in Korea. Got a few birds on the drive from the airport to the hotel, but this really isn't a great city for birds... still, a singing light-vented bulbul mere metres from the hotel was a nice early lifer.

117. * Oriental Magpie
118. * Light-Vented Bulbul
119. Eurasian Tree Sparrow
120. * Azure-Winged Magpie

20 March: Beijing, China

I found a little park near the hotel which I went to at 5am every morning when I woke up. It yielded the first year tick on my second day in the country.

121. Spotted Dove

21 March: Shahe, China

Had the afternoon free on the Wednesday, so took the metro up to Shahe Lakes near Changping to see what was about. Pretty quiet bird-wise, but of course everything I did see was exotic!

122. * Naumann's Thrush
123. * Grey-Capped Pygmy Woodpecker
124. Eurasian Hoopoe
125. * Water Pipit
126. * Vega Gull

23 March: Beijing, China

The little park finally yielded a lifer today, in the form of the Grey-Headed Greenfinch! Attempted to go to the Forbidden City but it was closed (picked up an Eastern Buzzard over Tiananmen square though), then went to the Olympic Park where I picked up the first Marsh Tit of the year.

127. * Grey-Capped Greenfinch
128. * Eastern Buzzard
129. Marsh Tit

24 March: Beijing, UK

An entire free day! I had been to Beijing many years before, so I wanted to do something new; having heard there were good birds there, I went to the ruins of the old Summer Palace at Yuanmingyuan. Finally picked up my China target bird: the Red-Billed Blue Magpie!

130. * Chinese Blackbird
131. * Red-Billed Blue Magpie
132. * Pallas's Leaf Warbler
133. * Daurian Redstart
134. * Japanese Tit

March 25: Seoul, South Korea

Onwards to Korea; my first new country of the year. A lot more birds here than in Beijing, although a good 90% of those seemed to be Brown-Eared Bulbuls. My God are there a lot of Brown-Eared Bulbuls in this city...

135. * Brown-Eared Bulbul
136. * Large-Billed Crow
137. * Oriental Turtle Dove

March 26: Seoul, South Korea

138. * Vinous-Throated Parrotbill
139. * Grey-Headed Woodpecker

March 27: DMZ & JSA, South Korea

A trip up to the border with North Korea (although we weren't allowed to cross the border due to an unspecified 'incident'). I was hoping the more rural area of the country would yield some decent birds, but it was fairly slim pickings.

140. * Greater White-Fronted Goose
141. * Eastern Spot-Billed Duck

March 28: Incheon, South Korea

A couple more lifers from the train to the airport...

142. * Black-Faced Spoonbill
143. * Black-Tailed Gull

March 29: Zurich, Switzerland

Had 2 connections in my flight back to the UK, with 8 hour layovers in both Beijing and Zurich. Used the time in Switzerland to go look round the city.

144. * Red-Crested Pochard


Total additions in March: 30
Total lifers in March: 21
 
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April 1: Goring-by-Sea, UK

Attempted a seawatch at Goring Gap. Turns out I'm not good at seawatches...

145. Common Tern

April 3: Forest Row & Crawley, UK

Exciting day! After picking up a Mistle Thrush at Weirwood reservoir, I finally found my bogey bird: Lesser Redpoll! One singing male in a tree, only a few hundred metres from my family home in Crawley. These things are always in the last place you look...

146. Mistle Thrush
147. * Lesser Redpoll

April 4: Warnham, UK

And finally ticked off another common bird that had been eluding me this year!

148. Eurasian Treecreeper

April 7: Lymington, UK

Off to see the green-winged teal that had parked itself in one of the containment ponds at Pennington. I'm not 100% sure about the shag (I'm bad with cormorants...) but I'm putting it on the list anyway!

149. * Green-Winged Teal
150. European Shag

April 13: Totton, UK

An early morning dash to the Lower Test Marshes to find the ring ouzel which had been there for several days. I'm glad I made the effort, I think I'm one of the last to have seen it!

151. * Ring Ouzel
152. Eurasian Blackcap

April 14: Blashford, UK

First attempt at getting to Blashford Lakes by public transport: I had managed to get a lift for all my previous visits. This is not an easy place to get to, it turns out, but all the hassle was worth it for my first sighting of LRPs! They were my main bogey bird last summer, and what a cracking bird they are!

153. Sand Martin
154. * Little Ringed Plover

April 15: Romsey, UK

I'm sure I had big plans for today, but I was exhausted after the hassle of getting to Blashford. Fishlake's an easy place to get to, so that's where I ended up...

155. Common House Martin

April 21: Farlington, UK

The only one of my personal Big 3 reserves I hadn't been to yet this year (Pennington, Farlington & Titchfield), I finally had cause to go here to chase after the Savi's Warbler that had been reported. I guess Farlington had missed me, because it put on a very good showing! The summer warblers had certainly arrived in force.

156. Whimbrel
157. Common Whitethroat
158. Sedge Warbler
159. Red Knot
160. * Savi's Warbler
161. Bearded Reedling
162. Northern Wheatear
163. Eurasian Reed Warbler

April 26: Southampton, UK

Caught this one glancing out of a window during a seminar. Certainly one of the easier year ticks on the list!

164. Barn Swallow

April 28: Titchfield, UK

Didn't have a particular target in mind for this trip, but the summer plumage ruff was a very pleasant surprise! Was also amusing to see all of the turnstones that live in the marina all sat on a single boat.

165. Cetti's Warbler
166. Ruff
167. Common Nightingale

April 29: Longham, UK

Over to Longham Lakes to meet up with the Bonaparte's Gull. A couple there also told me to look out for a greater scaup in the area. I didn't find it... until I looked in the background of a bad photo of a swift!
I have never seen so many swifts and hirundines! The sky was absolutely alive with them, flying mere inches away from me. One of the birding highlights of the year for sure.

168. Common Swift
169. * Greater Scaup
170. * Bonaparte's Gull


Total additions in April: 26
Total lifers in April: 7
 
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May 5: Elstead, UK

My first attempt this year to catch up with the infamous 'Colin' Cuckoo on Thursley common. Only got very distant views of the bird, nothing like the close encounters I had last year. Star of the day was very much a Wood Warbler which we picked up in woodland just to the East of the main part of the reserve! A brief visit to Tice's Meadow on the way home yielded nothing of note.

171. Common Cuckoo
172. Common Redstart
173. Garden Warbler
174. * Wood Warbler

May 6: Pulborough & Amberley, UK

First to Pulborough Brooks to see the tawny owl family that had taken up residence over one of the main footpaths, then to the Burgh for a close encounter with a yellowhammer. Excellent views of both species!

175. Tawny Owl
176. Yellowhammer

May 7: Hartifield, UK

Rounding off a busy long weekend of birding with a trip to Old Lodge, in search of a Tree Pipit for the year list.

177. Tree Pipit
178. Willow Warbler

May 12: Salisbury Plain, UK

What a day! Whether you count the bustards on Salisbury Plain or not, it sure is an experience to go see them! Not to mention all the other unfamiliar birds I ran into up there! Another day that will go down as one of the best in the year.

179. Red-Legged Partridge
180. Corn Bunting
181. * Great Bustard
182. * Eurasian Stone-Curlew
183. Eurasian Hobby
184. Western Yellow Wagtail

May 19: Southeastern Luxembourg

My second foreign trip of the year was to Luxembourg... not exactly famed for its birding scene, but I did manage to squeeze in a trip to the Remerschen nature reserve in the Southeast of the country. Also picked up a serin, just across a bridge and over the border into Germany.

185. * European Serin
186. Black Kite
187. * Marsh Warbler

May 27: Wych Cross, UK

First night-time birding trip of the year. Picked up both target birds, but a surfeit of midges and a large nearby thunderstorm put somewhat of a dampener on proceedings.

188. * Eurasian Woodcock
189. European Nightjar

May 28: Hartfield, UK

An attempt at finding crossbills which had been reported the day before, but no luck on that front.

190. Woodlark


Total additions in May: 20
Total lifers in May: 5
 
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June 2: Isle of Portland, UK

Decided to experiment with how far I can reasonably get on public transport in a day: I think Portland was a new record for me (or at least on par with Eastbourne). No particular target in mind although, while preparing for the trip, I saw a rosy starling had been reported; naturally, this was my first port of call. Stopped at Chesil beach on the way back to find another one of my bogey birds: a bar-tailed godwit at last!

191. * Razorbill
192. * Common Murre
193. Rosy Starling
194. Little Tern
195. * Bar-Tailed Godwit

June 10: Seaford & Brighton, UK

A morning at Cuckmere Haven (which produced a fabulous group of oystercatcher fledgelings but nothing new for the year list), spent the afternoon visiting nesting seabirds on the East Sussex coast. A lot more Kittiwakes than when I visited last year and, after considerable effort, I did manage to find a fulmar nest near Brighton.

196. Black-Legged Kittiwake
197. * Northern Fulmar

June 16: Lyme Regis, UK

Having discovered 2 weeks previous that I could get to western Dorset for a day trip, the natural next step was to finally go and seek out the dippers on the River Lim in Lyme Regis.

198. * White-Throated Dipper

June 23: Selsey, UK

Great day at Selsey, including this year's second sightings of Red-Legged Partridge and Little Ringed Plover; also an unexpected cuckoo! One year tick.

199. Green Sandpiper

June 24: New Forest, UK

Spent a long time failing to locate a goshawk or honey buzzard...

200. Spotted Flycatcher

June 30: Elstead, UK

Another twitch, this time for 'Si' the shrike at Thursley NNR. Beautiful bird that showed very well!

201. * Red-Backed Shrike


Total additions in June: 11
Total lifers in June: 3
 
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July 15: Oare, UK

Broke a drought in adding to the list in some style at Oare! Went for the Stilt family, Turtle Doves, Curlew Sandpiper and Bonaparte's Gull: saw all the targets and some bonus birds too!

202. Black-Winged Stilt
203. European Turtle Dove
204. Curlew Sandpiper
205. * Little Owl

July 16: Venice & Santa Monica, CA, USA

Off to another conference... spent the day combing the beach in search of turnstones or oystercatchers... unsuccesfully. However, as I've never been to the West coast before, a quick look yielded a lot of lifers!

206. * Western Gull
207. * American Crow
208. * Mourning Dove
209. * Northern Mockingbird
210. * Hooded Oriole
211. * Double-Crested Cormorant
212. * California Gull
213. * Heermann's Gull
214. * Dark-Eyed Junco
215. * Black Phoebe
216. * Allen's Hummingbird
217. * House Finch

July 17: Playa Del Rey, CA, USA

A full day birding multiple sites in Playa del Rey in search of black turnstone. Didn't find any, but I did beat my record for most lifers in a day so it can't have been that bad ;)

218. * American Coot
219. * Fulvous Whistling Duck
220. * California Towhee
221. * American Bushtit
222. * Cinnamon Teal
223. * Blue-Winged Teal
224. * Ruddy Duck
225. * Pied-Billed Grebe
226. * Great-Tailed Grackle
227. * Western Kingbird
228. * Black-Crowned Night Heron
229. * Green Heron
230. * Cooper's Hawk
231. * Red-Tailed Hawk
232. * Snowy Egret
233. * Least Sandpiper
234. Western Osprey
235. * Brown Pelican
236. * Great Blue Heron
237. * Brandt's Cormorant
238. * Caspian Tern
239. * Anna's Hummingbird
240. * Lesser Goldfinch

July 18: Hollywood, CA, USA

Spent some time up at Griffiths Observatory and picked up a few more for the list :)

241. * California Scrub Jay
242. * Acorn Woodpecker
243. * Scaly-Breasted Munia
244. * American Robin

July 20: Pasadena, CA, USA

Picking up fewer birds while I'm at the COSPAR 2018 conference... just one year tick from the first two days!

245. * Band-Tailed Pigeon

July 21: Pasadena, CA, USA

Last day of the conference, and a large flock of parrots briefly flew over enroute to the restaurant in the evening.

246. * Red-Crowned Amazon

July 22: Playa del Rey, CA, USA

Another try for black turnstones at Playa del Rey enroute to the airport. Absolutely alive with waders! No idea where they all were last time I visited...

247. * Least Tern
248. * Black Turnstone
249. * Surfbird

July 23: Sellersville, PA, USA

Moving over to Pennsylvania now to visit family in Bucks County.

250. * Turkey Vulture
251. * Song Sparrow
252. * American Goldfinch

July 24: Doylestown, PA, USA

Off to the regular spot at Peace Valley in Doylestown: an important spot for me in my birdwatching history, as its the first place I ever birded from a hide. Good to be back after 2 years. Beat my previous best year count of 257.

253. * Northern Cardinal
254. * Grey Catbird
255. * Field Sparrow
256. * Common Yellowthroat
257. * House Wren
258. * Carolina Wren
259. * Blue Jay
260. * Tufted Titmouse
261. * White-Breasted Nuthatch
262. * Carolina Chickadee
263. * American Yellow Warbler
264. * Common Grackle
265. * Rose-Breasted Grosbeak
266. * Red-Bellied Woodpecker
267. * Wood Duck
268. * Red-Winged Blackbird
269. * Downy Woodpecker
270. * Ruby-Throated Hummingbird
271. * Eastern Towhee

July 26: Smyrna, DE, USA

Swarms and swarms of mosquitoes and greenhead flies put a dampener on proceedings somewhat, but we still saw some nice stuff at Bombay Hook. Still, I have never been more bite-ridden than I am right now! The Eagle and the Crow came from smaller nature reserves on the drive back home, namely Woodland Beach and a beach in Port Penn. Fish Crow is a quasi-lifer for me, as my previous record was incredibly dubious...

272. * Purple Martin
273. * American Avocet
274. * Greater Yellowlegs
275. * Short-Billed Dowitcher
276. * Lesser Yellowlegs
277. * Forster's Tern
278. * Marsh Wren
279. * Semipalmated Sandpiper
280. * Spotted Sandpiper
281. * Eastern Kingbird
282. * Laughing Gull
283. * Brown Thrasher
284. * Stilt Sandpiper
285. * Bald Eagle
286. * Fish Crow

July 28: Green Lane, PA, USA

A few hours at Green Lane yielded almost nothing, counted a grand total of 4 bird species at the main area of the reservoir! Still, 2 of those get to go on this list...

287. * Chipping Sparrow
288. * Belted Kingfisher

July 29: Doylestown, PA, USA

A morning visit to Peace Valley before a party in the afternoon...

289. * Wood Thrush
290. * Louisiana Waterthrush

July 30: Middletown, NJ, USA

My last day in the US for this very productive trip included a visit to Sandy Hook, NJ on the way to Newark Airport...

291. * American Herring Gull
292. * Cedar Waxwing
293. * American Oystercatcher
294. * Ring-Billed Gull
295. * Tree Swallow
296. * Piping Plover


Total additions in July: 95
Total lifers in July: 50
 
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August 1: Oare, UK

Rather jetlagged still after flying back from New Jersey, but I wasn't going to let jetlag stop me from completing my phalarope set! A last-minute overnight trip to Kent means I have all 3 on my life list now!

297. * Red-Necked Phalarope

August 2: Oare, UK

A visit to Oare in the morning on the way back home from the B&B yielded a looong overdue year tick...

298. Common Sandpiper

August 4: Amberley, UK

Another bogey bird finally came off the list at the raptor viewpoint at "the Burgh"!

299. * Grey Partridge

August 5: Seaford, UK

Went to Seaford Head for the Pied Flycatcher migration, and ticked off my most annoying outstanding bogey bird! On a bit of a roll at the moment ;)

300. * European Pied Flycatcher
301. * Lesser Whitethroat

August 11: Titchfield, UK

The lifer streak continues!

302. * Wood Sandpiper

August 18: Isle of Portland, UK

My first ever lifer from a seawatch! Also got plenty of confirmed European Shag sightings to shore up the somewhat dubious record I'm claiming from April!
EDIT: Found a gannet in some old photos from Gibraltar, so not a lifer any more. Ah well, still a year and country tick!

303. Northern Gannet

August 19: Farlington, UK

First time in a while I've gone birding and not got a lifer! Also went to Fishlake, but nothing noteworthy there.

304. Whinchat


Total additions in August: 8
Total lifers in August: 5
 
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September 10: Lymington, UK

The luck streak somewhat petered out towards the end of August... however, I kicked off September with a somewhat dubious sighting of my first scoter on Sep 1. This was followed by a confirmed sighting of (presumably) the same bird on the 10th in the same spot. I also spent 5 hours staring at a reedbed in hopes of glimpsing the spotted crake, but no luck there...

305. * Common Scoter

September 14: Lymington, UK

One last trip to Lymington before moving out of Hampshire for the forseeable future. Spent another 5 hours sat waiting for the spotted crake, only this time it paid off (after 4:54 hours!!)

306. * Spotted Crake

September 18: Farlington, UK

My first birding trip from my new base in Sussex and I forgot my camera! I'm almost glad the bluethroat didn't show, that would've been very frustrating!

307. Pectoral Sandpiper

September 23: Hamburg, Germany

A few days in Germany to visit a friend... Hamburg central bus station yielded an unexpected lifer with my first honey buzzard!

308. * European Honey Buzzard
309. * Caspian Gull

September 25: Duvenstedt, Germany

So they cancelled my ferry to Heligoland... ah well, time for some birding closer to Hamburg!

310. * Black Woodpecker
311. * Common Crane
312. * European Crested Tit

September 26: Bough Beech, UK

Back from Germany now, and time to catch up on the phalarope irruption which seems to have happened while I was gone.

313. Red Phalarope

September 27: Dungeness, UK

A few days down at Dungeness yielded my UK 200 tick! And a tick for 2018 as well...

314. Western Cattle Egret

September 28: Dungeness, UK

Finally found another bird that had been eluding me; and it was a very very good sighting! Maybe ~10-20m away at most, in plain view. Not what I was expecting from my first bittern!

315. * Eurasian Bittern


Total additions in September: 11
Total lifers in September: 8
 
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October 7: Royston, UK

Birding a new county today: Hertfordshire to see the long-staying harrier.

316. * Pallid Harrier

October 8: East Horsley, UK

Trip to the amusingly-named Dick Focks Common to tick another bogey bird off the list.

317. * Red Crossbill

October 19: Wanstead, London, UK

A morning spent up in London to tick off another British rarity!

318. * Rustic Bunting

October 27: Hartfield, UK

Caught up with the wintering shrike at Gill's Lap in the Ashdown Forest.

319. * Great Grey Shrike


Total additions in October: 4
Total lifers in October: 3
 
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November 2: Hayling Island & Farlington, UK

Well, November's off to a good start! Grebes were at Sandy Point and the Oyster Beds, and the owl was at Farlington.

320. * Red-Necked Grebe
321. * Slavonian Grebe
322. * Short-Eared Owl

November 10: Barnes, UK

A probable new bird today, but probable enough for me to add it here. Would have been nice to have gotten a photograph, though...

323. * Merlin

November 17: Sandwich Bay, UK

A weekend up at the Sandwich Bay Bird Observatory lead to another year tick!

324. Snow Bunting

November 18: Herne Bay, UK

A stop off at Hampton pier on the way back home. Finally got a lifer from a seawatch: for real this time!

325. * Great Skua

November 23: Goring-by-Sea, UK

The gods of seawatching seem to finally be in my favour! Lovely close-in bird to break my diver drought.

326. * Red-Throated Loon


Total additions in November: 7
Total lifers in November: 6
 
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December 6: Frensham, UK

Dipped a black-throated diver at Shoeburyness on the 2nd, but caught up with the long-staying Great Northern today...

327. * Common Loon

December 9: Pulborough, UK

Pretty terrible sighting of today's lifer; rather reminiscent of last year's Temminck stint on the same reserve...

328. * White-Rumped Sandpiper

December 11: Amberley, UK

Been trying for one of these for a while, finally caught up with a nice ringtail on the Burgh.

329. * Hen Harrier

December 19 - Picket Post, UK

A nice, albeit distant, UK tick today, rounded off with an incredibly showy bittern at Blashford Lakes

330. White-Tailed Eagle

December 20 - Bedhampton & Burpham, UK

Another 2 lifer day (or 3, depending on which lists you use). Made 2 stop-offs on the way back from yesterday's eagle; Bedhampton for the duck, Burpham for the Bewick's swan and a non-IOC recognised Siberian chiffchaff.

331. * Ferruginous Duck
332. * Tundra Swan

December 26 - Chatham & New Hythe, UK

2 more new birds for the list in North Kent; the diver was in Chatham, and the duck in New Hythe.

333. * Black-Throated Loon
334. * Ring-Necked Duck

December 29 - Southampton & Weymouth, UK

Last big trip of the year, and another overnighter! Target bird was the penduline tit at Radipole, but plenty of other rarities here as well at the moment. Stopped off at Weston shore enroute to finally see the long tailed duck (my 4th attempt at this apparently "regular" bird!). Warbler showed fairly well at East Fleet farm near Weymouth.

335. * Long-Tailed Duck
336. * Dusky Warbler

December 30 - Weymouth, UK

Still no penduline tit, but the Yellow-Browed warbler was calling frequently at Lodmoor.

337. * Yellow-Browed Warbler

Total additions in December: 11
Total lifers in December: 9
 
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So that's birding done for 2018! 337 birds and 123 lifers.

A few stats for to sum up the year:

Year ticks (lifers) per country:

UK: 210 (46)
USA: 91 (50)
China: 18 (12)
South Korea: 9 (9)
Germany: 6 (5)
Luxembourg: 2 (1)
Switzerland: 1 (0)
France: 0 (0)


Top sites for year ticks

1. Lymington, UK - 50
2. Playa del Rey, CA, USA - 26
3. Doylestown, PA, USA - 21
4. Beijing, China - 13
5. Bombay Hook, DE, USA - 13
6. Titchfield, UK - 12
7. Farlington, UK - 11
8. Felbridge, UK - 11
9. Crawley, UK - 10
10. Dungeness, UK - 9


Top sites for 2018 lifers

1. Playa del Rey, CA, USA - 18
2. Bombay Hook, DE, USA - 9
3. Beijing, China - 8
4. Doylestown, PA, USA - 7
5. Seoul, South Korea - 5


Birds seen in 2017 but not 2018

94:

Common Myna
House Crow
Brown-Headed Gull
Common Tailor Bird
Asian Koel
Indian Jungle Crow
Indian Pond Heron
Eastern Cattle Egret
Gull-Billed Tern
Western Reef Heron
Brahminy Kite
Lesser Flamingo
Common Iora
Pale-Billed Flowerpecker
Coppersmith Barbet
Laughing Dove
Purple Sunbird
Ashy Drongo
Black Drongo
Large Grey Babbler
Oriental Magpie-Robin
Red-Breasted Flycatcher
Red-Vented Bulbul
Indian Robin
Tickell's Blue Flycatcher
Small Minivet
Green Bee-Eater
Indian Silverbill
Malabar Starling
Ashy Prinia
Chestnut-Headed Bee-Eater
Red-Wattled Lapwing
White-Throated Kingfisher
Asian Openbill
Black-Headed Ibis
Indian Cormorant
Intermediate Egret
Spot-Billed Pelican
White-Bellied Sea Eagle
White-Breasted Waterhen
Alexandrine Parakeet
Little Cormorant
Black-Hooded Oriole
Crimson-Fronted Barbet
Greater Coucal
Purple-Rumped Sunbird
Sri Lanka Green Pigeon
Yellow-Billed Babbler
Asian Brown Flycatcher
Little Swift
Sri Lanka Grey Hornbill
Indian Peafowl
Blue-Tailed Bee-Eater
Brown Shrike
Brown-Headed Barbet
Green Imperial Pigeon
Indian Paradise Flycatcher
Indian Roller
Jacobin Cuckoo
Jungle Prinia
Lesser Whistling Duck
Malabar Pied Hornbill
Whiskered Tern
White-Browed Bulbul
Ashy Woodswallow
Egyptian Vulture
Greater Crested Tern
Kentish Plover
Lesser Crested Tern
Pallas's Gull
Slender-Billed Gull
Sooty Gull
White-Eared Bulbul
Bohemian Waxwing
Booted Eagle
Woodchat Shrike
Iberian Chiffchaff
Atlantic Puffin
African Blue Tit
Common Bulbul
House Bunting
Spotless Starling
Roseate Tern
Elegant Tern
Hooded Crow
Icterine Warbler
Little Stint
Long-Billed Dowitcher
Wilson's Phalarope
Pink-Footed Goose
Short-Toed Treecreeper
Barred Warbler
Temminck's Stint
 
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