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Gill Osborne's 2011 List (1 Viewer)

Gill Osborne

Well-known member
Oh I love New Years Day :t: So exciting to start off a new Year List and also have a whole 365 days ahead of you with who knows what in the natural world ahead of you o:)

Unfortunately I drew the short straw this year as I had to work today - only 6am until 12.30 - and it started off well until three of those bone idle paperboys decided they couldn't be bothered to come in!!! It meant one lad had to do six rounds and by 9am the phone never stopped ringing with folk wanting to know where their papers were :smoke: By the time I finished I was so stressed out that I just grabbed two apples, my bins and notebook and jumped in the car to spend a few hours at the coast. Had a fabulous time and got frozen to death and battered by hailstones at one point but it was FANTASTIC!!!! Who needs prozac when there's nature? :king:

But on with my list....

1: Feral Pigeon
2: Herring Gull
3: Jackdaw
4: Rook
5: Pied Wagtail
6: Long-tailed Tit
7: Wood Pigeon
8: Blackbird
9: Starling
10: Black-headed Gull
11: House Sparrow
12: Sanderling
13: Carrion Crow
14: Eider
15: Redshank
16: Oystercatcher
17: Brent Goose
18: Common Gull
19: Bar-tailed Godwit
20: Ringed Plover
21: Grey plover
22: Dunlin
23: Turnstone
24: Cormorant
25: Red-breasted Merganser
26: Great Black-backed Gull
27: Mallard
28: Red-necked Grebe

Nice selection there and as I'm on the same shift tomorrow and Monday I'll add a few more as I squeeze in a few hours here and there. Aiming to reach 100 by the end of January as in previous years I have just dawdled along and then, come the end of the year, realised I have mised some VERY easy birds by not putting in the effort and planning! :smoke:
 
Sunday, 2nd January
Alnwick

A few from the feeders in my neghbour's garden.

29: Collared Dove
30: Blue Tit
31: Nuthatch
32: Chaffinch
33: Great Tit
34: Robin
35: Great Spotted Woodpecker
36: Coal Tit
37: Dunnock
38: Goldfinch

Druridge Pools & Cresswell Pond

39: Grey Heron
40: Curlew
41: Magpie
42: Greylag Goose
43: Teal
44: Wigeon
45: Shoveler
46: Moorhen
47: Pheasant
48: Lapwing
49: Canada Goose
 
Monday, 3rd January
Ratten Row, Alnwick

Nipped up onto the moors to look for red grouse and pipits but nothing to be seen apart from a pretty spectacular sunset which I am kicking myself about because yet again I forgot my camera!!!

50: Mistle Thrush

Day off tomorrow so a full day of birding to look forward to :t:
 
Had a quick look at previous year's lists and the dates for when I reached 50 and 100 species have consistently been in January and April.....so definitely out to smash that record this year! :-O

2007: 50 = 15th January; 100 = 6th April
2008: 50 = 22nd January; 100 = 27th April
2009: 50 = 4th January; 100 = 9th April
2010: 50 = 17th January; 100 = 10th April
2011: 50 = 3rd January

Also determined to not miss out on such easy species as cuckoo, treecreeper (did I REALLY miss this species last year???), wood warbler, little & roseate terns etc.
 
Tuesday, 4th January
Stag Rocks, Bamburgh

51: Common Scoter
52: Shag
53: Purple Sandpiper
54: Goldeneye
55: Knot

Budle Bay

56: Mute Swan
57: Hen Harrier *Lifer No. 207* :loveme:

Absolutely FABULOUS day :t: Decided to pop along to one of my favourite spots - Stag Rocks - and look for winter ducks, divers and grebes. I've found this spot to be either HEAVING with birds so you don't know where to look first or, like today, rather quiet apart from dozens of Cuddy Ducks :-O Spent a couple of hours there and walked along the cliffs and down onto the beach past the golf course and had some nice birds - including two shags fishing. I absolutely adore shags - simply stunning, elegant birds :t:
Also had a diver of some sort, probably red-throated, flying towards Guile Point but as it was so far out I couldn't get a positive id. Was very white below & on neck and head and tops of wings very dark.
Then decided to go just up the road to Budle Bay. The tide was well in so no mud exposed and very few birds TBH. A few mallard, teal and wigeon floating about. Had four Long-tailed Tits in trees beside the parking area and that was about it! So turned the car around and decided to head towards Craster or Low Newton and just as I was pulling away I glimpsed a raptor of some sort with a distinctive white rump flying lazily over the bay. My first thought was ''hen harrier!!!'' :eek!: and I slammed the brakes on, pulled over, grabbed my bins and jumped into the passenger seat - all in virtually one movement!!! :-O Took a couple of nerve-wracking seconds before I found her again but there she was......beeeeoooootiful :king: Watched her for a couple of minutes as she crossed the bay, sending a few teal & wigeon up, and disappeared into some trees on the opposite bank. WOW!!! o:)

Decided to head back home after that as my stomach thought my throat had been cut :-O note to self: pack more than a banana when you go out for the day!!! ;)
 
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Tuesday, 25th January
Burton House pub carpark, Cramlington

62: Waxwing

Borough Woods, Morpeth

63: Bullfinch
64: Jay
65: Greenfinch
66: Dipper
 
Monday, 14th February
River Coquet, Warkworth

68: Goosander

Druridge Bay Country Park

69: Siskin
70: Brambling

Druridge Pools

71: Whooper Swan
72: Pintail
73: Little Grebe
74: Yellowhammer

Amble Harbour

75: Mediterranean Gull
 
Friday, 18th March
Cresswell Pond

76: Twite ~ flock of 9 amongst cattle.
77: Gadwall
78: Pink-footed Goose ~ hundreds!
79: Grey Partridge ~ 2 in field.
 
Tuesday, 29th March
Cresswell Pond

82: Meadow Pipit
83: Tree Sparrow
84: American Wigeon *Lifer No. 208* :loveme:
85: Sparrowhawk ~ male flashing past front of hide in pursuit of a snipe! Did not catch it.
86: Wheatear :t: ~ first summer migrant back for me! o:)
87: Song Thrush

Alnwick

88: Wren ~ one hunting amongst Contorted Willow branches outside living room window. Where have they been hiding? :smoke:
 
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Saturday, 2nd April
Alnwick

89: Chiffchaff ~ one heard singing as I pegged the washing out :t:


Quite a few swallows reported along the coast today o:)
 
Friday, 8th April
Alnwick

90: Swallow ~ 4 flying north overhead at 7.30am and then a further single one at 6pm over the Tenantry Tower :t:

Also glimpsed three 'mystery' white butterflies from the bus and masses of Garlic Mustard in bloom at Gosforth and Morpeth. o:)

Finally got my binoculars repaired after Neil dropped them last week so I can get out properly over the next few days :t:
 
Sunday, 10th April
Cresswell Pond & Druridge Pools

91: Yellow Wagtail ~ 3 stunning males :t:
92: Shelduck
93: Avocet *Lifer No: 209* :loveme:
94: Skylark
95: Tufted Duck
96: Linnet
97: Coot
98: Sand Martin
99: Great Crested Grebe
100: Stonechat
 
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Tuesday, 12th April
Rothbury

101: Fieldfare ~ flock of c20+ flying north over Alnwick Moor
102: Willow Warbler ~ at least 5 males singing along river bank
103: Redpoll ~ male singing :t:

Also my first Small White and male Orange Tip Butterflies of the year o:)
 
Saturday, 16th April
Stag Rocks, Bamburgh

105: Sandwich Tern
106: Black Scoter *Lifer No. 210* :loveme:
107: Long-tailed Duck
108: Fulmar
 

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