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Gregor's between school and university list (1 Viewer)

timsg80

Gregor Tims
I have decided to set myself the challenge of seeing as many species as I can between my last exam at school (today!) and my first lecture at university (in March 2016). In between I shall be visiting Italy, the USA, Kenya, Australia (where I will be attending university), New Zealand as well as a few weeks in the UK. I'm hoping to see at least 600 species!

June 17th, Sherborne, Dorset

1. Carrion Crow
2. Common Swift
3. Eurasian Sparrowhawk
4. Common House Martin
5. Common Woodpigeon
6. Common Starling
7. Feral Pigeon
8. Western Jackdaw
9. Barn Swallow
10. Common Blackbird
11. Eurasian Collared Dove
12. House Sparrow
13. Common Buzzard

Hilfield, Dorset

14. European Robin
15. Red Kite- nice record for the garden!
16. Coal Tit
17. Great Spotted Woodpecker
18. Common Chiffchaff
19. European Greenfinch
20. European Blue Tit
21. Great Tit
22. Common Chaffinch
23. Eurasian Bullfinch

Travelling to Ringwood, Hampshire (and back)

24. Eurasian Magpie
25. Black-headed Gull
26. Song Thrush
27. European Goldfinch
28. Northern Lapwing
29. Common Pheasant
30. Rook
31. European Herring Gull
32. White (Pied) Wagtail
33. Dunnock
 
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June 18th, Hilfield, Dorset
34. Northern Raven
35. Spotted Flycatcher

Up Cerne, Dorset
36. Mallard
37. Tufted Duck
38. Canada Goose
39. Little Grebe
40. Common Linnet
41. Red-legged Partridge
42. Eurasian Coot
43. Mute Swan
 
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Hope that the A Levels went well for you, Gregor?
I notice that your target has gone up from 500 to 600.
You seem to have made a quick start out of the blocks. :t:
Every best wish with this and your other forthcoming ventures/ travels.
Best wishes, Carol
 
Gregor

Sounds like a great trip. I think my best bird immediately after my A levels was the Greater Yellowlegs at Minmere....in 1985!

Good luck, cheers, alan
 
Thank you very much guys! The A levels went alright thanks Carol- I am dreading results day though! Yes, my target has increased to 600- I've now got a while longer in Australia which should help with this. I might have to travel down to Titchfield to get a Greater Yellowlegs for myself if it hangs around for a while longer!

I had two more additions this evening at Hilfield:
44. Goldcrest
45. Eurasian Jay

Edit: make that three
46. Stock Dove

I'm off to Portland and Weymouth tomorrow, so this list should be much longer in 24 hours' time!
 
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June 19th, Maiden Castle, Dorset
47. Corn Bunting
48. Common Whitethroat
49. Eurasian Wren
50. Eurasian Skylark

Weymouth, Dorset
51. Common Kestrel

Radipole Lake RSPB, Dorset
52. Great Cormorant
53. Lesser Black-backed Gull
54. Little Egret
55. Grey Heron
56. Common Shelduck
57. Great Black-backed Gull
58. Great Crested Grebe
59. Eurasian Reed Warbler
60. Sedge Warbler
61. Common Pochard
62. Common Tern
63. Common Moorhen
64. European Stonechat
65. Cetti's Warbler

Portland Bill, Dorset. Sadly the Little Owls weren't showing...
66. Eurasian Rock Pipit
67. Northern Gannet
68. Razorbill
69. Common Guillemot
70. European Shag
71. Northern Fulmar
72. Black-legged Kittiwake
73. Meadow Pipit

Portland Harbour, Dorset
74. Little Tern
75. Sandwich Tern

Lodmoor RSPB, Dorset
76. Western Marsh Harrier
77. Northern Shoveler
78. Eurasian Oystercatcher
79. Black-tailed Godwit
80. Common Reed Bunting

A very nice morning overall. I still have some very easy ones to get, particularly Long-tailed Tit, Blackcap and Willow Warbler, before I leave the UK in just under a month's time, so a target of 110 before then may be viable?
 
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June 21st, Hilfield, Dorset
81. Mistle Thrush
82. Marsh Tit

Burnbake Farm, Dorset
83. Long-tailed Tit

I've got three days camping to celebrate leaving school so I probably won't be adding to this list over the next few days!
 
have fun camping Gregor- well worth celebrating finishing those!- looking forward to your next instalments .. :)

Thanks Carol!! The camping was great. I'm off to Italy tomorrow, so there should be plenty more additions over the next few days and hopefully I'll get to see some fantastic birds while I'm there!
 
Hey Gregor,

600 should be doable with such a good selection of countries. Where in Oz are you studying? Let me know if you need any info for Sydney and NSW.

Cheers,

Rob
 
Hey Gregor,

600 should be doable with such a good selection of countries. Where in Oz are you studying? Let me know if you need any info for Sydney and NSW.

Cheers,

Rob

Hi Rob, I will be studying in Brisbane, but I may well be in Syndey at some point. It would be really great to have some info for the area around there- maybe I could message you closer to the time??
 
June 30th, Naples, Italy
84. Alpine Swift
85. Pallid Swift

Herculaneum, Italy
86. Italian Sparrow- my first lifer of the trip. Definitely not the most exciting way to start!
87. Yellow-legged Gull
88. European Serin
89. Eurasian Blackcap
90. Hooded Crow
 
1st July, Pompeii, Italy
91. Eurasian Hoopoe
92. Sardinian Warbler
Not many birds, but what an awesome place! Hopefully I'll visit Capri Island tomorrow, so maybe I'll see a few more birds there!
 
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Hi Rob, I will be studying in Brisbane, but I may well be in Syndey at some point. It would be really great to have some info for the area around there- maybe I could message you closer to the time??

Brisbane is a great city for birds:

http://birdsqueensland.org.au/downloads/birdplaces2014.pdf

Places that I have looked successfully for birds have included the City Botanic Gardens (1 in the bird places website), Roma Street Gardens (2), Mt Coot-tha and Wynnum Boardwalk area (46). There are lots of places nearby, too. While you are there and if time and studies permit, it might be worth taking trips out of the city to O'Reilly's in Lamington National Park (great for mountain forest birds - think paradise riflebird, satin and regent bowerbirds, noisy pitta, Albert's lyrebird, and lots more) and Fraser Island.
 
Brisbane is a great city for birds:

http://birdsqueensland.org.au/downloads/birdplaces2014.pdf

Places that I have looked successfully for birds have included the City Botanic Gardens (1 in the bird places website), Roma Street Gardens (2), Mt Coot-tha and Wynnum Boardwalk area (46). There are lots of places nearby, too. While you are there and if time and studies permit, it might be worth taking trips out of the city to O'Reilly's in Lamington National Park (great for mountain forest birds - think paradise riflebird, satin and regent bowerbirds, noisy pitta, Albert's lyrebird, and lots more) and Fraser Island.

Thanks Allen for the info. I'll be in Brisbane permanently, so I'll definitely have the opportunity to check out these places. It sounds like there will be some incredible birding to enjoy over there! I'll definitely visit O'Reilly's as soon as possible!
 
Sadly Capri Island didn't bring me any new birds, though I did notice that I had neglected to add a species seen at Herculaneum on the 30th June:
93. Eurasian Tree Sparrow

I'm back in the UK for two weeks now, so I'll be trying to do as much birding as I can!
 
Thanks Allen for the info. I'll be in Brisbane permanently, so I'll definitely have the opportunity to check out these places. It sounds like there will be some incredible birding to enjoy over there! I'll definitely visit O'Reilly's as soon as possible!

I am glad that this information has been useful. I have stayed at O'Reilly's twice, the most expensive accommodation that I have ever stayed in, although great memories of the views, the rainforest and the birds and other wildlife. I also had 2 days trips there, the most recent with a company which used a desk in Roma Street Transit Centre (bus and train station) in the middle of Brisbane. My tactic then was to have something to eat at an earlier stop (Tamborine Mountain village) so I could spend all my time at O'Reilly's (just over 3 hours) checking the bird life. I even saw a noisy pitta and 2 russet-tailed thrushes on that occasion. Of course, it helped that I was familiar with the birds and paths with having stayed.

Actually, camping is an option, as there is also a camping site at O'Reilly's. You will have to get advice from others about the risk of venemous snakes, painfully stinging leaves, etc!

As others have posted in answer to my queries in BF, God, I miss Australia!
 
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