Trystan's 2014 list (1 Viewer)

01/01/14

Another year, another list. Planning to put a bit more detail of events and locations into this years effort. As previously, lifers will be in capital letters.

Some truly miserable weather today took it's toll on the new year list which started from the garden before I set out to wintersett and pugneys CP as I have in the previous two years.

So:

From the garden

1. Magpie
2. Carrion crow
3. Robin
4. Coal tit
5. Dunnock
6. Fieldfare (quite a large flock of these with redwings at the end of the road over the last few week but only 2 fieldfare this morning)
7. Jackdaw
8. Blue tit
9. Nuthatch (regular in the garden since last winter)
10. Feral pigeon
11. Great tit
12. Wren
13. Mistle thrush (first time on the garden list, just one in the trees behind the garden)

On route to Wintersett/Anglers CP

14. Woodpigeon
15. Rook

Just after a village called Haigh I spotted a large number of fieldfare in a field so stopped to look for redwing. A nice little stop which added:

16. Buzzard (on a fence post)
17. Redwing
18. Blackbird
19. Starling
20. Brambling (just overhead quite high in a tree)
21. Kestrel
22. Collared dove (after setting of again on a house just a little further along)
23. Goldeneye (the most obvious duck on the water as I approached the site)
24. Pheasant

Anglers CP/Wintersett

(At the feeders)

25. Chaffinch
26. Greenfinch
27. Tree sparrow
28. Goldfinch

(Headed to the hide at Anglers first, light rain had set in)

29. Mute swan
30. Coot
31. Canada goose
32. Mallard
33. Little grebe
34. Cormorant
35. Black headed gull
36. Moorhen
37. Lapwing
38. Pochard
39. Tufted duck
40. Great crested grebe
41. Wigeon
42. Lesser black backed gull
43. Shoveler
44. Teal
45. Song thrush

(Nothing spectacular happening so I headed over the road to the ever boggy path around the boat house on wintersett)

46. Grey heron
47. Goosander

(Retreat to the car in worsening rain and had another look at the feeders)

48. Reed bunting
49. House sparrow (Just one amongst the tree sparrows, I can't recall seeing them together anywhere before)

A check on birdguides showed smew at pugneys and great northern diver at mirfield so I decided to aim for these two birds before the day was out. By the time I reached pugneys the rain was pretty heavy and I didn't know which side of the road the smew had been seen on. With no birders around to ask, I did a lap of the main lake and got soaked to the skin. For my effort I added:

50. Long tailed tit
51. Redshank

I forced myself to go scan the nearest lakes of calder wetland before giving up and returning via mirfield.

Sand Lane

52. Great northern diver (by far the most obvious bird on the water and a nice finish to a poor day)

Back in the garden

53. Great spotted woodpecker (Has been quite regular recently having been absent for a long time)

Trystan said:

01/01/14

Another year, another list. Planning to put a bit more detail of events and locations into this years effort. As previously, lifers will be in capital letters.

Some truly miserable weather today took it's toll on the new year list which started from the garden before I set out to wintersett and pugneys CP as I have in the previous two years.

So:

From the garden

1. Magpie
2. Carrion crow
3. Robin
4. Coal tit
5. Dunnock
6. Fieldfare (quite a large flock of these with redwings at the end of the road over the last few week but only 2 fieldfare this morning)
7. Jackdaw
8. Blue tit
9. Nuthatch (regular in the garden since last winter)
10. Feral pigeon
11. Great tit
12. Wren
13. Mistle thrush (first time on the garden list, just one in the trees behind the garden)

On route to Wintersett/Anglers CP

14. Woodpigeon
15. Rook

Just after a village called Haigh I spotted a large number of fieldfare in a field so stopped to look for redwing. A nice little stop which added:

16. Buzzard (on a fence post)
17. Redwing
18. Blackbird
18. Brambling (just overhead quite high in a tree)
19. Kestrel
20. Collared dove (after setting of again on a house just a little further along)
21. Goldeneye (the most obvious duck on the water as I approached the site)

Anglers CP/Wintersett

(At the feeders)
23. Chaffinch
24. Greenfinch
25. Tree sparrow
26. Goldfinch

(Headed to the hide at Anglers first, light rain had set in)

27. Mute swan
28. Coot
29. Canada goose
30. Mallard
31. Little grebe
32. Cormorant
33. Black headed gull
34. Moorhen
35. Lapwing
36. Pochard
37. Tufted duck
38. Great crested grebe
39. Wigeon
40. Lesser black backed gull
41. Shoveler
42. Teal

(Nothing spectacular happening so I headed over the road to the ever boggy path around the boat house on wintersett)

43. Grey heron
44. Goosander

(Retreat to the car in worsening rain and had another look at the feeders)

45. Reed bunting
46. House sparrow (Just one amongst the tree sparrows, I can't recall seeing them together anywhere before)

A check on birdguides showed smew at pugneys and great northern diver at mirfield so I decided to aim for these two birds before the day was out. By the time I reached pugneys the rain was pretty heavy and I didn't know which side of the road the smew had been seenon. With no birders around to ask, I did a lap of the main lake and got soaked to the skin. For my effort I added:

47. Long tailed tit
48. Redshank

I forced myself to go scan the nearest lakes of calder wetland before giving up and returning via mirfield.

Sand Lane

49. Great northern diver (by far the most obvious bird on the water and a nice finish to a poor day)

Click to expand...

Good luck with your list this year Trystan. GND was the highlight of my pretty abysmal (weather!) day.

Rich

ClarkWGriswold said:

Good luck with your list this year Trystan. GND was the highlight of my pretty abysmal (weather!) day.

Rich

Click to expand...

Thanks, a couple of edits have taken me the right side of fifty species.

03/1/14

Work (Bradford)

54. (Lesser) redpoll

Heard yesterday, managed to see one today. There are usually more around but I didn't see any here in December

04/1/14

Broomhead reservoir

55. Stock dove (en route)
56. Goldcrest
57. Treecreeper
58. Two-barred crossbill
59. Crossbill

Only a couple of crossbills in the group of two barred this morning which gave great views when the flock moved into a bare tree.

Old moor

60. Bullfinch
61. Yellowhammer
62. Gadwall
63. Common gull
64. Greylag goose
65. Willow tit

The whole area was generally quiet birdwise and even adding common species to the year list felt like a bit of a grind. Edderthorpe and Broomhill were disappointing with:

66. Jay
67. Pied wagtail

No smew reported today but I stopped of for a quick look at Pugney's on the way home.

Pugney's CP

68. Herring gull
69. Great black backed gull

05/1/14

Mixed luck today with no shrike at budby, a dip on hawfinch at clumber and no sign of the rufford birds later in the day either. Still some good species overall.

Clumber park

70. Mandarin duck
71. Marsh tit

Budby heath

72. Parrot crossbill
73. Meadow pipit
74. Green woodpecker
75. Red legged partridge

Tried for hawfinch at rufford park after this to no avail but was directed to a firecrest in retford so:

Hallcroft fisheries, nr Retford

76. Chiffchaff
77. Lesser whitethroat
78. Firecrest

My earliest chiffchaff sighting and an even more surprising lesser whitethroat all associating with a mixed flock comprising long tailed tit, blue tit, coal tit, great tit, goldcrest, wren, dunnock.

I had intended to get some time at blacktoft finishing with the harrier roost but it was after 3 when I arrived and a high tide had made a mess of the paths so I went straight to singleton hide.

Blacktoft

79. Marsh harrier
80. Hen harrier (At least on male and one female taking turns to hunt over the reeds amongst upto 10 marsh harriers at once

81. Golden plover

11/1/14

Milnsbridge

A short walk on the canal near home this morning
82. Grey wagtail

Pugney's CP

83. Smew - finally after another failed attempt midweek
84. Sparrowhawk

From here I headed to Swillington in the hope of some owls in the evening which wasn't to be. Still some nice birds and a pleasant evening.

Swillington ings

85. Shelduck
86. Kingfisher
87. Linnet
88. Grey partridge
89. Little egret
90. Curlew
91. Bittern

12/1/14

Planned a run down the east coast today to boost the year list. Hard work in an increasingly biting cold wind.

Scarborough
(Scalby mills)

92. Oystercatcher
93. Bar tailed godwit
94. Long tailed duck

(Marine drive)

95. Rock pipit
96. Fulmar
97. Guillemot
98. Turnstone
99. Shag
100. Red throated diver

(Holbeck car park)

101. Mediterranean gull

Really struggled after this eeking out a few more species with some glaring ommisions and the abscence of the Kumlien's gull at Barmston today.

Filey brigg

102. Ringed plover

Never seen the brigg this quiet. Quite alot of auks offshore but no other waders than turnstone and oystercatcher and no ducks.

Bridlington

Last chance for purple sandpiper failed here as did dunlin! 0/3

103. Sanderling

Hornsea mere

104. Scaup
105. Whooper swan (6 in flight)

No sign of the great white egrets.

18/1/14

Wasn't able to get out to do any birding this morning so had another failed attempt at some owls in the evening.

Swillington ings

106. Snipe
107. Pink footed goose

19/1/14

Early start today to meet up with some of the bird forum yorkshire regulars in the lower derwent valley. Lots of rain early on but drying out later. As with the rest of this year, having to work very hard for the year ticks.

North Duffield Carrs

108. Pintail

Southfield reservoir

109. Slavonian grebe

Aughton

110. Ruff
111. Dunlin

Long Marston

112. Corn bunting

Red House

113. Woodcock

25/1/14

Planned to head out to the wirral today with a detour to Blackburn for waxwings.

Blackburn

114. Waxwing - Promising start with 4 birds arriving at the carpark shortly after me.

Hilbre island

With the weather still pleasant but for a gusty wind and the tide way out I decided to walk out to the island as I've never done it before. Most of the activity was at the north end of the island.

115. Brent goose (pale bellied)
116. Knot
117. Purple sandpiper - after some persistance

Nr Burton mere

Bizarre trip back here, first I was reversed into at some traffic lights, fortunately no damage, then on the way down station road, I got behind two cyclists who obstinately rode 2 abreast the whole way preventing me getting by. The kind of cyclinsts who give the rest a bad name. No sign of the buff-bellied pipit to start with then some heavy rain swept in and I retreated to the car for a bit. On my return the pipit was in close with about 20 meadow pipits.

118. Buff bellied pipit

26/1/14

Shocking weather all day today so stayed near home with a quick walk on the moors at Meltham.

Meltham

119. Red grouse

01/02/14

Waiting for news on the leaf warbler this morning so took a detour to the site. Unfortunately resulting in very disappointing views (showed better early doors) and only tickable based on sound.

Tittesworth reservoir, Staffs

120. Lesser scaup (Also a pair of scaup, nice willow tit at the feeders and lots of snipe)

Brownhills, West midlands

121. Glossy ibis

Ham hall, Warwickshire

122. Green sandpiper
123. HUME'S LEAF WARBLER

08/02/14

Rufford CP

124. Hawfinch

Previous 3 years I've seen this species badly at Clumber park. It was nice to have one perched up for scope views today.

15/02/14

Dropped my wife of in Cheltenham for her cousin's hen party giving me the opportunity to have Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning birding in the viscinity.

Marshfield, Gloucestershire

125. Raven
126. RED FLANKED BLUETAIL - went awol for about an hour before showing wonderfully

16/02/14

Camped outside Slimbridge but due to the late opening of the reserve drove to another point overlooking the estuary in the morning before returning.

Sharpness

127. Water pipit - also a green sandpiper here, not much else other than gulls and a few wigeon

Slimbridge WWT

128. White fronted goose
129. Barnacle goose
130. Little stint
131. Bean goose
132. Bewick's swan
133. Black tailed godwit
134. Peregrine
135. Avocet
136. Cetti's warbler

Great morning seeing pretty much everything except the elusive glaucous gull as white winged gulls continue to give me the slip this year. Finally picked up my first owl of the year back at home though with the tawny owl showing brilliantly outside the house.

Milnsbridge

137. Tawny owl

22/2/14

I've been trying to decide where I should go all week and decided with BT diver and Lapland bunting potentially available I'd have another run at the east coast. No lapland bunting in the end, a couple of circuits of a boggy stubble field with the wind trying to take me over the cliff ceased to be fun but otherwise a very productive day.

En route (Leeds)

138. Red Kite

Wykeham

(Watch point)

139. Goshawk

(Lakes)

140. Black throated diver

Probably my best views ever of both these birds made for a great start to the day.

Burniston

141. Skylark

Filey

142. Eider
143. Gannet
144. Snow bunting - surprise bird of the day, came up from the ground in front of me and the wind took it straight by me. I had a wander back down the brigg to try and relocate it with no joy.
145. Common scoter
146. Velvet scoter
147. Little gull

Both the gulls and scoters were in the south of the bay and I drove down to humanby gap for better views. There were some common scoter, great crested grebe, guillemot and a red throated diver close in and I managed another or the same velvet scoter further out. Also sanderling on the beach and at least 5 little gulls amongst a sizeable group of black headed gulls.

23/2/14

Dovestones reservoir

148. Siskin - finally

02/2/14

Attempts at long eared owl in the morning and barn owl in the evening both failed today with the weather generally miserable but still got the main prize of the day.

Lea park, Lincolnshire

149. Little bunting - almost as good as a lifer as my only other bird was a split second view way back in 2002. Very pleased to have great views of this individual after a bit of patience.

08/3/14

A bit of walking today on the East coast with the wife taking the opportunity to have another go at the Lapland buntings dipped a couple of weekends ago. Also popped into Wykeham lakes again where there have been Egyptian geese reported all week up until yesterday and indeed I found no sign of them when I checked.

Burniston

The wind was also up around the same as my last visit and when I arrived at long nab I found that the stubble field had been ploughed. Another birder said people had been looking for about 2 hours with no joy so I decided that I'd do one lap of the field and give up.

Surprisingly then, the very first bird I found was a Lapland bunting, followed by 2 others in the middle of the ploughed field! After some nice scope views we headed off to Ravenscar, couldn't get the phone working so it was a relief getting home that I hadn't missed anything else too exciting in the area.

150. Lapland bunting