January 1st joint Birdforum list (2020 edition) (1 Viewer)

[Farnboro John]

Interestingly (or perhaps not!) I have a rule of thumb that on a day list you can see about two-thirds of what is available: so for UK 153/220 looks about right. Or at least my rule of thumb looks about right....

Factors that affect this include the size of area, how well known the locations of each bird in each location are, how consistently available those birds are, how good the weather is, how many hours of daylight.... obviously a list of what comes on your feeders each winter is likely to beat the rule of thumb while going blindly into an unknown area thrashing about hopefully will likely fall short. Across the UK, birders with a good idea of what they are doing, mostly working areas they know well, seem to have achieved to prediction despite pretty awful weather: I'd call that a good result!

John

 

[Jos Stratford]

Europe on 183, with UK on 157 and the rest of Europe on 129. Team USA 132 unless I've included any duplicates. I'll have a look at a combined North America list later.

And 50 for New Zealand

 

[Nutcracker]

... despite pretty awful weather: ...

Dunno about where you were, but in Northumbs it was pretty much unbroken sun all day, and almost no wind - very nice, apart from a frosty start :t:

 

[Farnboro John]

Dunno about where you were, but in Northumbs it was pretty much unbroken sun all day, and almost no wind - very nice, apart from a frosty start :t:

I'd have killed for that...

Very dull overcast got lower all day and eventually began to drizzle more and more heavily. Passerines particularly seemed to just not bother coming out.

Birding was an uphill struggle all day.

Lucky you!

John

 

[Peter C.]

Well, if you want to expand "Team U.S." to "Team NA", I have the following to add from Jan. 01 near my home:

Rough-legged Hawk
Snowy Owl
Merlin
Horned Lark
Snow Bunting

 

[Larry Sweetland]

I make that 22 lifers for me from everyone on Jan 1 so far reported 😊. Mostly from the east side of North America, but a couple from each of Falklands and Barbados.

No reports from Africa, Asia or South America yet!

 

[Chris.S]

I had Puffin at Redcar on 1st, my only addition for UK list.

 

[earthdragon64]

Dunno about where you were, but in Northumbs it was pretty much unbroken sun all day, and almost no wind - very nice, apart from a frosty start :t:

Up here in the Spey Valley it was about 5C but felt a lot colder in the strong, gusty wind. There seemed to be a lot fewer birds about than normal, for example the only raptors I saw all day were Buzzards. Last year I managed Golden Eagle on the 1st and have had White-tailed Eagle and Hen Harrier on the 1st in previous years.

 

[Nutcracker]

Up here in the Spey Valley it was about 5C but felt a lot colder in the strong, gusty wind. There seemed to be a lot fewer birds about than normal, for example the only raptors I saw all day were Buzzards. Last year I managed Golden Eagle on the 1st and have had White-tailed Eagle and Hen Harrier on the 1st in previous years.

I didn't even get Buzzard on 1st, the air was too calm, cold and 'heavy' - they'd have been sitting quietly in trees or walking around looking for insects, conserving their energy. Sprawk and Kes were my only raptors.

 

[Jonny721]

So Swindon Addick's UK list from post #99 has 157 species included. The following species are currently missing from the list that are likely/possible to have been seen in the UK on NYD. I would imagine several of these will already have been mentioned upthread and simply missed off the list:

Barnacle Goose
Snow Goose
Taiga Bean Goose
American Wigeon
Green-winged Teal
Ferruginous Duck
Ring-necked Duck
Lesser Scaup
Surf Scoter
Black Scoter
Ruddy Duck
Capercaillie
Black Grouse
Ptarmigan
Red-necked Grebe
Bittern
Golden Eagle
Goshawk
White-tailed Eagle
Crane
Little Stint
Kittiwake
Little Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Caspian Gull
Iceland Gull
Glaucous Gull
Sandwich Tern
Little Auk
Razorbill
Puffin
Chough
Hooded Crow
Waxwing
Willow Tit
Bearded Tit
Woodlark
Shorelark
Swallow
Yellow-browed Warbler
Dartford Warbler
Siberian Stonechat
Richard's Pipit
Hawfinch
Mealy Redpoll
Scottish Crossbill
Lapland Bunting
Snow Bunting

I can add the following 8 species that weren't on the original list, again I imagine most will have been mentioned upthread and simply missed:
Bewick's Swan
Purple Heron
Ruff
Barn Owl
Merlin
Ring-necked Parakeet
Skylark
Twite

So with my 8 additions that takes the UK list to 165. Can anybody else add anything from the list of missing species above?

 

[Jonny721]

And the current UK list of 165 species in taxonomic order rather than alphabaetical:
Brent Goose
Canada Goose
Greylag Goose
Pink-footed Goose
Tundra Bean Goose
White-fronted Goose
Mute Swan
Bewick’s Swan
Whooper Swan
Egyptian Goose
Shelduck
Mandarin Duck
Garganey
Shoveler
Gadwall
Wigeon
Mallard
Pintail
Teal
Red-crested Pochard
Pochard
Tufted Duck
Scaup
Eider
Velvet Scoter
Common Scoter
Long-tailed Duck
Goldeneye
Smew
Goosander
Red-breasted Merganser
Red Grouse
Red-legged Partridge
Grey Partridge
Pheasant
Red-throated Diver
Black-throated Diver
Great Northern Diver
Fulmar
Little Grebe
Great Crested Grebe
Slavonian Grebe
Black-necked Grebe
Glossy Ibis
Spoonbill
Cattle Egret
Grey Heron
Purple Heron
Great White Egret
Little Egret
Gannet
Shag
Cormorant
Sparrowhawk
Marsh Harrier
Hen Harrier
Red Kite
Rough-legged Buzzard
Buzzard
Water Rail
Moorhen
Coot
Oystercatcher
Avocet
Lapwing
Golden Plover
Grey Plover
Ringed Plover
Curlew
Bar-tailed Godwit
Black-tailed Godwit
Turnstone
Knot
Ruff
Sanderling
Dunlin
Purple Sandpiper
Long-billed Dowitcher
Woodcock
Jack Snipe
Snipe
Common Sandpiper
Green Sandpiper
Redshank
Spotted Redshank
Greenshank
Black-headed Gull
Mediterranean Gull
Common Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Herring Gull
Yellow-legged Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Common Guillemot
Rock Dove
Stock Dove
Woodpigeon
Collared Dove
Barn Owl
Tawny Owl
Little Owl
Long-eared Owl
Short-eared Owl
Kingfisher
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Green Woodpecker
Kestrel
Merlin
Peregrine
Ring-necked Parakeet
Great Grey Shrike
Jay
Magpie
Jackdaw
Rook
Carrion Crow
Raven
Coal Tit
Crested Tit
Marsh Tit
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Skylark
Cetti’s Warbler
Long-tailed Tit
Chiffchaff
Blackcap
Firecrest
Goldcrest
Wren
Nuthatch
Treecreeper
Starling
Blackbird
Fieldfare
Redwing
Song Thrush
Mistle Thrush
Robin
Black Redstart
Stonechat
Dipper
House Sparrow
Tree Sparrow
Dunnock
Eastern Yellow Wagtail
Grey Wagtail
Pied Wagtail
Meadow Pipit
Water Pipit
Rock Pipit
Chaffinch
Brambling
Bullfinch
Greenfinch
Twite
Linnet
Lesser Redpoll
Crossbill
Goldfinch
Siskin
Corn Bunting
Yellowhammer
Cirl Bunting
Reed Bunting

 

[Selsey Birder]

Hi All,

From my 91 species seen on the Selsey Peninsula I can add three more species to the list:

Bittern (in flight over Drayton Pit, and seen again today)
Whimbrel (we have had an overwintering bird in Pagham Harbour for many years)
Razorbill (Selsey Bill)

We also have a flock of at least 7 Sandwich Terns overwintering around The Bill, but they disappeared for NY Eve and NY Day, needless to say they returned again yesterday !!

Ian

 

[Swindon Addick]

Puffin, bittern, whimbrel and razorbill take the UK to 169. Europe moves to 196, including Jonny721's additions. Europe other than the UK is on 129. Team USA 116, Team Canada 14, plus 8 from Barbados, gives a combined North America figure of 130 once we allow for the overlap of the USA and Canada lists. Also 49 for New Zealand and 23 for the Falklands.

 

[Farnboro John]

Puffin, bittern, whimbrel and razorbill take the UK to 159. Europe moves to 196, including Jonny721's additions. Europe other than the UK is on 129. Team USA 116, Team Canada 14, plus 8 from Barbados, gives a combined North America figure of 130 once we allow for the overlap of the USA and Canada lists. Also 49 for New Zealand and 23 for the Falklands.

I'm confused now. Where does 159 come from? I thought Jonny721 upped the UK list to 165 prior to Selsey Birder's intervention?

John

 

[Swindon Addick]

I'm confused now. Where does 159 come from? I thought Jonny721 upped the UK list to 165 prior to Selsey Birder's intervention?

John

That would be fat-finger syndrome on my part. 169.

 

[MKinHK]

74 species from my San Tin Fishponds patch in Hong Kong.

The additions to your 1 Jan list are:

Black-faced Spoonbill
White-breasted Waterhen
Osprey
Wood Sandpiper
Black-winged Stilt
Little Ringed Plover
White-throated Kingfisher
Pied Kingfisher
Oriental Turtle Dove
Spotted Dove
Crested Bulbul
Chinese Bulbul
Olive-backed Pipit
Richard's Pipit
Red-throated Pipit
Masked Laughingthrush
Long-tailed Shrike
Black Drongo
Red-rumped Swallow
Barn Swallow
House Swift
Magpie Robin
Stejneger's Stonechat
Oriental Magpie Robin
Daurian Redstart
Himalayan Rubythroat
Common Tailorbird
Plian Prinia
Yellow-bellied Prinia
Zitting Cisticola
Dusky Warbler
Yellow-browed Warbler
Pallas's Leaf Warbler
Fork-tailed Sunbird
Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker
Cinereous Tit
Swinhoe's White-eye
Large-billed Crow
Oriental Magpie
Collared Crow
Common Myna
Crested Myna
Black-collared Starling
Silky Starling
White-cheeked Starling
White-shouldered Starling
Scaly-breasted Munia

I'll post this first and then review the rest of the thread to see what needs deleting.

Cheers
Mike

 

[MKinHK]

I spent most of the day traveling. Flew from Philly to Vegas, then drove to northern Arizona. There was only one bird I saw that wasn't already spotted by others on team North America: California Condor!

A lifer to start the new year.

Nice Jeff!

One man's who's definitely had a happy new year!

Cheers
Mike

 

[Farnboro John]

That would be fat-finger syndrome on my part. 169.

A familiar issue for me too! :t:

John

 

[Britseye]

Dunno about where you were, but in Northumbs it was pretty much unbroken sun all day, and almost no wind - very nice, apart from a frosty start :t:

I had three separate Great Tits singing in the clement conditions during the day. Also Coal Tit in full song. Don't recall hearing either them at this time of year before? could be wrong. Unfortunately I couldn't find the Willow Tits I was looking for to add to the list. The part of Tyne and Wear I'm currently in, is a bit of a stronghold for them. Saw them the day before and the day after, but not on the first.

 

[Nutcracker]

Unfortunately I couldn't find the Willow Tits I was looking for to add to the list. The part of Tyne and Wear I'm currently in, is a bit of a stronghold for them. Saw them the day before and the day after, but not on the first.

No surprise you couldn't find any Willow Tits, there's no such thing as "tyne and wear" . Try Northumberland, or County Durham, much better chances :t: