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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Pete Mella" data-source="post: 1355153" data-attributes="member: 47236">2008 will go down as a good year for me, when I've learnt a hell of a lot and I've picked up a load of lifers based on my own ID skills improving (picking out tree pipits and lesser whitethroats on song, for instance), and learning where to go to find some birds in my local area (redstart, wood warbler, SEO, LSW). There's also been a dollop of luck, with birds such as mandarin (in my local park), spoonbill, yellow-browed warbler, great grey shrike, red-backed shrike and (ahem) Amur falcon.I think the highlight overall for me has been pre-work and lunchtime seeking of waxwings around Sheffield in last few weeks, with four really good sightings under my belt.With a couple of weeks left in the year, my lifers for 08 stand at -Mandarin, Smew, Bittern, Waxwing, Little Gull, Goshawk, Crossbill, Tree Pipit, Lesser Whitethroat, Spotted Flycatcher (UK), Sedge Warbler, Little Tern, Wood Warbler (UK), Redstart, Grasshopper Warbler, Ring Ouzel, Spoonbill, Woodcock, Spotted Redshank, Bearded Tit, Arctic Skua, Great Skua, Amur Falcon, Black-necked Grebe, Great Grey Shrike, Red-backed Shrike (UK), Yellow-browed Warbler, Whinchat, Short-eared Owl and Pintail.(with plenty of bogeys left over for 09 <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite2" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=";)" /> )</blockquote>

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