Original PaulE
Well-known member
This year has been a most enjoyable year with some great birding moments, much of it spent in the enjoyable company of my lovely other half Margie a dab hand with our new camera!!
A record breaking (for me) year with 228 species seen with 17 lifers! All seen in England and Scotland!
Had many great days this year and seen some memorable things from 2 Peregrines hunting down a swallow over the sea at Dungeness the same day saw several Skuas hunting down various Terns and even a Great Skua taking on a Gannet a memorable Seawatch!
Great trips to Lakenheath, Hemstead forest,Minsmere,Rye Harbour several trips to Dungeness,a great day in Hampshire,good multiple trips to Old Lodges and Pulborough Brooks.
The Lifers were
Bonaparte’s Gull
Kentish Plover
Glaucous Gull
Black Grouse
Red Grouse
Golden Eagle
Ptarmigan
Crested Tit
Scottish Crossbill
Capercaille
White–billed Diver
Savi’s Warbler
Red-footed Falcon
Two-bar Crossbill
Spotted Crake
Ring-billed Gull
Parrot Crossbill
As you can probably tell this years’ list benefited greatly from our highly enjoyable trip to Scotland which apart from the lifers produced some memorable highlights full story here http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=256959 !
Have also had memorable trips to Norfolk http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=269481, Suffolk and Kent as well as great days locally in Sussex
Other notable species seen on my travels include
4 Species of Diver
5 Species of Grebe (superb Summer plumage Red-necked at Titchwell)
4 species of Crossbill,
Peregrine ,Hen Harrier ,Merlin loads of Osprey ,Red Kites ,Buzzards, Hobbies and Marsh Harriers
Bittern, Great White Egret, Glossy Ibis, Common Crane,Spoonbill
3 kinds of Shrike (Red-backed, Great Grey and Lesser Grey),
4 types of Owl (missed out on the Long-Earred)
Wryneck,Waxwing,
King Eider, Eider, Smew, Goosander, Red-breasted Merganser ,Mandarin ,Goldeneye, Bewick Swan, Bean Geese, Scaup, Pink-footed Goose, Common and Velvet Scoter, Ruddy Shelduck ,Gargenay,Long-tailed Duck
Corn Bunting, Nightingale, Grey Partridge, Tree Sparrow,Yellowhammer
Great and Arctic Skua
6 Types of Tern(Including Black and Roseate)
Black Guillimot,Razorbil,Guillimot
Gannet
Little Gull, Med Gull, Yellow-legged Gull
Snow Bunting,Ring Ouzel,
GoldenOriole,TurtleDove, ,Nightjar, Grasshopper Warbler ,Cetti’s Warbler,Bearded Tit,Water Rail,Kingfisher,Reed Bunting
Shorelark, Woodlark ,Skylark Stone Curlew
Common and Black Redstart, Whinchat, Wheatear ,Dartford Warbler,Firecrest
Tree,Meadow and Rock Pipit
29 Types of Wader (Including Wood,Purple &Curlew Sandpiper,Little Stint,Woodcock and Spotted Redshank)
Very difficult to pick a Bird of the Year but top 3 would probably be
1)Red footed Falcon seen at Lakenheath Fen at one point had great views of it zooming about the Reedbeds while a Savi’s Warbler and a Golden Oriole were singing in the background!!
2) Capercaille seen in the road on the way back from the visitor center at Loch Garten,it was so close it started displaying to it’s reflection in the car door we didn’t stay long just time enough to get a few photos!
3)Glaucous Gull at Dungeness I’d dipped this brute a couple of times but it was 3rd time lucky as it gave great views being chased about by a Great Black-backed Gull by the fishing boats!
All great days!
Dip of the year has got to be the fact that I have completely failed to see a Lesser Whitethroat this year despite more and more desperate trips to likely habitat! Also the blooming American Golden Plover at Cuckmere which i stupidly waited til Saturday to go and see doh! also no trip to Wales this year meant no Chough, Pied Fly or Wood Warbler
and don't get me started on Hoopoes and Red-breasted Flycatcher! still enough of all this negativity i will get em all next year!!
Overall it's been an awesome year greatly enhanced by my new bins and scope(though the wallets severely lighter)!!
cheers
A record breaking (for me) year with 228 species seen with 17 lifers! All seen in England and Scotland!
Had many great days this year and seen some memorable things from 2 Peregrines hunting down a swallow over the sea at Dungeness the same day saw several Skuas hunting down various Terns and even a Great Skua taking on a Gannet a memorable Seawatch!
Great trips to Lakenheath, Hemstead forest,Minsmere,Rye Harbour several trips to Dungeness,a great day in Hampshire,good multiple trips to Old Lodges and Pulborough Brooks.
The Lifers were
Bonaparte’s Gull
Kentish Plover
Glaucous Gull
Black Grouse
Red Grouse
Golden Eagle
Ptarmigan
Crested Tit
Scottish Crossbill
Capercaille
White–billed Diver
Savi’s Warbler
Red-footed Falcon
Two-bar Crossbill
Spotted Crake
Ring-billed Gull
Parrot Crossbill
As you can probably tell this years’ list benefited greatly from our highly enjoyable trip to Scotland which apart from the lifers produced some memorable highlights full story here http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=256959 !
Have also had memorable trips to Norfolk http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=269481, Suffolk and Kent as well as great days locally in Sussex
Other notable species seen on my travels include
4 Species of Diver
5 Species of Grebe (superb Summer plumage Red-necked at Titchwell)
4 species of Crossbill,
Peregrine ,Hen Harrier ,Merlin loads of Osprey ,Red Kites ,Buzzards, Hobbies and Marsh Harriers
Bittern, Great White Egret, Glossy Ibis, Common Crane,Spoonbill
3 kinds of Shrike (Red-backed, Great Grey and Lesser Grey),
4 types of Owl (missed out on the Long-Earred)
Wryneck,Waxwing,
King Eider, Eider, Smew, Goosander, Red-breasted Merganser ,Mandarin ,Goldeneye, Bewick Swan, Bean Geese, Scaup, Pink-footed Goose, Common and Velvet Scoter, Ruddy Shelduck ,Gargenay,Long-tailed Duck
Corn Bunting, Nightingale, Grey Partridge, Tree Sparrow,Yellowhammer
Great and Arctic Skua
6 Types of Tern(Including Black and Roseate)
Black Guillimot,Razorbil,Guillimot
Gannet
Little Gull, Med Gull, Yellow-legged Gull
Snow Bunting,Ring Ouzel,
GoldenOriole,TurtleDove, ,Nightjar, Grasshopper Warbler ,Cetti’s Warbler,Bearded Tit,Water Rail,Kingfisher,Reed Bunting
Shorelark, Woodlark ,Skylark Stone Curlew
Common and Black Redstart, Whinchat, Wheatear ,Dartford Warbler,Firecrest
Tree,Meadow and Rock Pipit
29 Types of Wader (Including Wood,Purple &Curlew Sandpiper,Little Stint,Woodcock and Spotted Redshank)
Very difficult to pick a Bird of the Year but top 3 would probably be
1)Red footed Falcon seen at Lakenheath Fen at one point had great views of it zooming about the Reedbeds while a Savi’s Warbler and a Golden Oriole were singing in the background!!
2) Capercaille seen in the road on the way back from the visitor center at Loch Garten,it was so close it started displaying to it’s reflection in the car door we didn’t stay long just time enough to get a few photos!
3)Glaucous Gull at Dungeness I’d dipped this brute a couple of times but it was 3rd time lucky as it gave great views being chased about by a Great Black-backed Gull by the fishing boats!
All great days!
Dip of the year has got to be the fact that I have completely failed to see a Lesser Whitethroat this year despite more and more desperate trips to likely habitat! Also the blooming American Golden Plover at Cuckmere which i stupidly waited til Saturday to go and see doh! also no trip to Wales this year meant no Chough, Pied Fly or Wood Warbler
and don't get me started on Hoopoes and Red-breasted Flycatcher! still enough of all this negativity i will get em all next year!!
Overall it's been an awesome year greatly enhanced by my new bins and scope(though the wallets severely lighter)!!
cheers
