Jon Turner
Well-known member
It's a modest total, but will require some travel!! I'm going to try much harder this year as 2013 was hardly an epic year (159 in the UK, nothing new).
Looking back at my spreadsheet I see that I first kept a list of birds seen in 1965! So this year will be my 50th year keeping a list - all these years (except 2 when I lived for most of the time in the Netherlands) are birds seen in the UK. 1965 was a modest start: 66 species recorded. SO I set myself a target of beating my best in the UK, which isn't enormous! And trying to get my world list near 2000, (or over).
We had to deliver our daughter to Heathrow on January 1st, so I was looking forward to the drive up from Devon (Red Kite over the A303) and on to Wraysbury before heading to Hampshire for a few days. Well the drive turned into a nightmare of heavy rain, puddles and wind. By close of play on Wednesday I had recorded a magnificent 22 species. Glad I looked in at Wraysbury, coz that's here I saw most of them, although all the Parakeets were off somewhere else.
So starting at home January 1st:
1) Herring Gull
2) Rook
3) Jackdaw
And on the way:
4) Magpie
5) Carrion Crow
6) Starling
7) Wood Pigeon
8) Black-headed Gull
9) Blue Tit
10) Pheasant
Wraysbury:
11) Cormorant
12) Blackbird
13) Gadwall
14) Wigeon
15) Tufted Duck
16) Coot
17) Great-crested Grebe
18) Mute Swan
19) Canada Goose
20) Robin
21) Common Gull
Petersfield Heath:
22) Moorhen
23) Mallard
A truly spectacular day's birding with NO birds of prey.:C
January 2nd:
In the garden:
24) Song Thrush
25) House Sparrow
26) Greenfinch
Farlington Marsh HWT - always visit here when I'm in Hampshire! a lovely day for a walk around. Now I have recovered from my hip replacement I'm able to walk much more easily.
27) Brent Goose
28) Teal
29) Pintail
30) Redshank
31) Shelduck
32) Curlew
33) Grey Heron
34) Oystercatcher
35) Grey Plover
36) Dunlin
37) Kestrel
38) Red-breasted Merganser
39) Shoveler
40) Little Grebe
41) Lapwing
42)Little Egret
43) Avocet
44) Marsh Harrier
45) Dunnock
46) Peregrine
47) Meadow Pipit
48) Sandwich Tern - nice to see my first summer migrant!
49) Turnstone
50) Great Black-backed Gull
51) Skylark
52) Reed Bunting
53) Stonechat
54) Snipe
55) Rock Pipit
56) Pied Wagtail
57) Buzzard
Petersfield again later on:
58) Redwing
59) Goldfinch
60) Egyptian Goose (3 on the Heath - never seen them before in 45 years!)
61) Collared Dove
And today January 3rd, a return to wet and windy.
62) Sparrowhawk
63) Great Tit
64) Nuthatch
So, nearly beaten my 1965 list already!
Back to Devon tomorrow.
Looking back at my spreadsheet I see that I first kept a list of birds seen in 1965! So this year will be my 50th year keeping a list - all these years (except 2 when I lived for most of the time in the Netherlands) are birds seen in the UK. 1965 was a modest start: 66 species recorded. SO I set myself a target of beating my best in the UK, which isn't enormous! And trying to get my world list near 2000, (or over).
We had to deliver our daughter to Heathrow on January 1st, so I was looking forward to the drive up from Devon (Red Kite over the A303) and on to Wraysbury before heading to Hampshire for a few days. Well the drive turned into a nightmare of heavy rain, puddles and wind. By close of play on Wednesday I had recorded a magnificent 22 species. Glad I looked in at Wraysbury, coz that's here I saw most of them, although all the Parakeets were off somewhere else.
So starting at home January 1st:
1) Herring Gull
2) Rook
3) Jackdaw
And on the way:
4) Magpie
5) Carrion Crow
6) Starling
7) Wood Pigeon
8) Black-headed Gull
9) Blue Tit
10) Pheasant
Wraysbury:
11) Cormorant
12) Blackbird
13) Gadwall
14) Wigeon
15) Tufted Duck
16) Coot
17) Great-crested Grebe
18) Mute Swan
19) Canada Goose
20) Robin
21) Common Gull
Petersfield Heath:
22) Moorhen
23) Mallard
A truly spectacular day's birding with NO birds of prey.:C
January 2nd:
In the garden:
24) Song Thrush
25) House Sparrow
26) Greenfinch
Farlington Marsh HWT - always visit here when I'm in Hampshire! a lovely day for a walk around. Now I have recovered from my hip replacement I'm able to walk much more easily.
27) Brent Goose
28) Teal
29) Pintail
30) Redshank
31) Shelduck
32) Curlew
33) Grey Heron
34) Oystercatcher
35) Grey Plover
36) Dunlin
37) Kestrel
38) Red-breasted Merganser
39) Shoveler
40) Little Grebe
41) Lapwing
42)Little Egret
43) Avocet
44) Marsh Harrier
45) Dunnock
46) Peregrine
47) Meadow Pipit
48) Sandwich Tern - nice to see my first summer migrant!
49) Turnstone
50) Great Black-backed Gull
51) Skylark
52) Reed Bunting
53) Stonechat
54) Snipe
55) Rock Pipit
56) Pied Wagtail
57) Buzzard
Petersfield again later on:
58) Redwing
59) Goldfinch
60) Egyptian Goose (3 on the Heath - never seen them before in 45 years!)
61) Collared Dove
And today January 3rd, a return to wet and windy.
62) Sparrowhawk
63) Great Tit
64) Nuthatch
So, nearly beaten my 1965 list already!
Back to Devon tomorrow.
