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Birding targets for 2016 (1 Viewer)

It's not really a target, more of a wish.... I travel a lot with my job, visiting several countries around Europe, so I manage to keep annual lists for each country I visit, giving me an annual Europe total around 210-220 species. However, in my old job, I used to visit the US and India a lot, but that was really very much before I was taking much interest in birds, so I have short, incidental, life lists for both countries. I haven't been to either country (or outside Europe at all) since I started year-listing, but due to some changes in my job and the company I work for, I suspect I might get out to the US this year, and quite possible also may get trips to China and India....! So, my 2016 birding wish/goal is to develop my US list beyond the current paltry list of 8 species(!) and to get a chance to start a China list :)

At the same time, I am hoping to improve on my pan-species list of 1007 species by a good 200 species, and to improve drastically my identification skills for flowers, fungi, insects, etc. (rather than having to post half of what I see on here and on other forums asking for help!)
 
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I want a 'local' White backed Woody - self found - not changed for 10 years as a targat although feel have got close (seen in other valleys) and possible call contacts...

However, main target is Pallid Harrier - it will happen sometime...

Good luck to others above!
 
:-O I saw my first Green Woodpecker in Kent in July 1992 and am STILL waiting to catch up with my first Northumberland one! :smoke: I've heard them yaffling a few times in nearby Hulne Park but the wee blighters are proving very elusive to see! So three species I would love to catch up with this year are....

1: Green Woodpecker
2: Wood Warbler (saw my first in Jesmond Dene in May 1986 and none since!)
3: Ring Ouzel *lifer*

Also aiming to see my first Bee Orchids and also start keeping a pan list of species on my organic allotment :king: 2015 was my first year on the plot and I had nine species of Butterfly alone which was fantastic! :t: Aiming to get to grips with the various spiders and hoverflies this year.
 
another target down...Pink-footed Goose. It's nice when a rare bird decides to drop in 13 minutes from your home, especially since the one last fall was a good hour and a half and ranged over a large area.
 
After spring of 2014 i realized that i was having a decent year, for me. (I dont chase rarities that are too distant, i just dont think that it is very green, but that is just me). So, i tried for a personal best that year, in Ontario, and beat my previous record by 11 species. Before 2015 i decided to again try for a personal best year, within certain geographic limitations. My wife asked me what would i rather have, a life bird in the year (difficult, as i have travelled in the past) or a personal best. I opted for the life bird. As it turned out, i saw both Kirtlands Warbler and Parasitic Jaeger. Life birds. Long, long time nemesis birds. And by years end, i set a new personal best, beating my previous record by a 13 species. Sometimes you get more than you wish for.
Anyhow. What are my birding hopes for 2016 ? Great looks at birds. (ie. Louisiana Waterthrush in 2014) More self found rarities. (ie. Mountain Bluebird in 2015). Birds i haven't seen for a while (ie. Dickcisssel), Plenty of ambiance. Trying out new areas. More Zen birding. More birds than birders....
 
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I would like to see Barrow's Goldeneye, White-rumped Swift, Corsican Nuthatch and Tengmalm's Owl but I doubt if I can afford the time and expense to get all four in one year. Any help with the latter would be most appreciated!
 
I make a list of five targets for the year. Last year, after many excruciating near misses, I finally got my Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, and I also got Golden Eagle from my list as well. The other three, Jack Snipe, Twite and Grasshopper Warbler will carry over onto this year's list:

1) Jack Snipe
2) Twite
3) Grasshopper Warbler
4) Little Auk
5) Corncrake
 
Gill Osborne said:
:-O I saw my first Green Woodpecker in Kent in July 1992 and am STILL waiting to catch up with my first Northumberland one!
Click to expand...

Ditto! I've tried several places that they get reported in Northumberland, but still not seen one in the UK anywhere outside south east England and East Anglia.

Having said that, any of the 17 species on my seen-in-the-UK-but-not-in-Northumberland list would be nice :-O

Gill Osborne said:
Aiming to get to grips with the various spiders and hoverflies this year
Click to expand...

Good luck with that!
 
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Further to my earlier post I have put one target to bed - the Pallid Harrier.
Its a long story but I misidentified this bird about a month ago. I questioned my id that evening, rightly so, and then spent the month trying to relocate it. It was refound (unbeknownst to me 3 days after my sighting and then on Sunday) about 25 miles away from original site properly identified as Pallid and I got it today!!

I can't think of a replacement target though...
 

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Since March (when I saw my last new bird) my life list has been decreasing as a proportion of the number of bird species in the world due to splits. My hopes for this year are to see more new birds than the number of unseen splits that will happen, so I don't end up with a smaller (as a percentage of the world's birds) life list than at the beginning of the year. As I only have one short trip planned it's going to be a close call.

As far as UK birding goes, I barely make it to the local urban park more than 2 or 3 hours a week, and that's with a toddler that isn't enjoying it, so my goal there is to find something 'better' than a Med Gull or a Firecrest, which have been the highlights there over the last year..
 
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Mysticete said:
Pink-footed Goose. It's nice when a rare bird decides to drop in 13 minutes from your home
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I'm guessing you're not in WY anymore?;)

My goals are to pick up some of the more local birds that I don't have. I've lived in CO for almost 25 years and still don't have all of the chickens.
 
If anybody's target is Shorelark, there's a very showy one on the Isle of Sheppey at Minster Beach that I would recommend. Sadly not a new album shot for me but a huge improvement on the old Shorelark pic.

John
 

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rosbifs said:
Further to my earlier post I have put one target to bed - the Pallid Harrier.

I can't think of a replacement target though...
Click to expand...

Got my new target. I want a local Tengmalms Owl. Just been thinking about the Eagle Owl prospecting, which is going well, and thought yeah why not a Tengmalms - this is going to mean some late nights and maybe a sleep over....
 
ptickner said:
I'm guessing you're not in WY anymore?;)

My goals are to pick up some of the more local birds that I don't have. I've lived in CO for almost 25 years and still don't have all of the chickens.
Click to expand...

moved out to Long Island in August, where Barnacle and Pink-footed are practically annual now. PROBABLY should update the profile :)

I lived in Laramie seven years and never did get down to see the White-tailed Ptarmigan, and still kicking myself over that. I did at least get both Sage Grouse, Dusky Grouse, and Greater Prairie Chicken, so got some of the "local" chickens.
 
dandsblair said:
We have two trips planned for next year

Japan (jan /feb) main targets are Stellers Sea Eagle, Blakison's Fish Owl and Japanese Crane

Columbia (Nov) - White-tipped Quetzal, Santa Marta Endemics and some new Antpittas.
Click to expand...

Great destinations, David/Sarah! Wish I had the resources (both time and money are lacking) for either of those this year!

Careful with the spelling, though - really, the Colombians are a bit sensitive about it...

PC
 
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