Switzerland
Going to keep the numbering separate as I'm trying to keep track of my uk list this year, a personal best seems likely. 9 days now in Switzerland, not a birding trip but trying to take opportunities and focus on a handful of potential lifers too. I will keep editing this post rather than adding new ones for the duration of the trip.
Day 1 - Arrive Zurich and drive to our apartment in Flims. Birds seen along the way including a couple of rest stops:
1. Buzzard
2. Red kite
3. Carrion crow
4. Grey heron
5. Starling
6. House sparrow
7. Swallow
8. Goldfinch
9. Mallard
10. White wagtail
11. Grey wagtail
12. Marsh tit
13. Blackbird
Late afternoon around Flims
14. Swift
15. Black redstart
16. House martin
17. Coal tit
18. Nutcracker - year tick - single bird flew over the road and perched annoyingly in silhouette.
19. Fieldfare
Day 2
Flims, then chair lift to Nahaus and some beautiful alpine scenery. A very heavy going walk did not produce the target bird Snowfinch but added:
20. Great tit
21. Alpine chough - year tick
22. Wheatear
23. Water pipit
24. Raven
25. Kestrel
26. Ring ouzel
27. Citril finch - year tick
28. Bullfinch
Late addition back round the town this evening:
29. Jay
Day 3
Driving to Vaduz, Liechtenstein today for a country tick. Did surprisingly well at finding birds around the town and surrounding area.
Liechtenstein - new country new list!
1. House sparrow
2. Black redstart
3. Swift
4. Woodpigeon
5. Carrion crow
6. Kestrel
7. Magpie
8. Blackbird
9. Crag martin - year tick
10. Great spotted woodpecker
11. Fieldfare
12. Black kite - also made it into the Switzerland list as I later watched the bird fly over the river Rhine
13. Long tailed tit
14. Goldfinch
15. Starling
16. House martin
17. Tree sparrow
18. White wagtail
19. Grey heron
20. Mallard
21. Feral pigeon
22. Collared dove
Back into Switzerland and stopped at walk to a castle ruin Ruchenberg which turned out to be much further than my map suggested with about twice as many switchbacks. Was amazed that even out here, there was a parking charge. I had no change and the machine spat my debit card out three times before I gave up and was therefore disgusted to find a fine ticket on the car when I got back.
Anyway, the birds:
30. Black kite - see above
31. Chaffinch - finally off the heard only list
32. Wren
33. Song thrush
34. Crested tit - year tick
35. Bonelli's warbler - right up by what was a truly uninspiring ruin, not worth the walk or the fine but a nice bird at least
36. Chiffchaff
Day 4
Early morning attempt for Rock partridge in the Vals area was fruitless. A handful of birds for the trip added:
37. Black grouse - female flew into a tree and eyeballed me for a minute then moved on.
38. Linnet
39. Whinchat
40. Dunnock
Day 5
Would like to take this opportunity to thank Andre (Wintibird) for advice on my target species in this area. All difficult so not very high expectations but having dipped Snowfinch a couple of days ago he suggested Oberalppass and 3 mountain walks later, I finally found a bird that wasn't yet another Water pipit!
41. Crag martin
42. SNOWFINCH
Day 6 Exploring the forested area south of town this morning.
43. Treecreeper
44. Great spotted woodpecker
45. Honey buzzard - year tick, a pair circling over the forest
46. Blackcap
47. Nuthatch
48. Firecrest - year tick
Day 7
A second and final attempt for Rock partridge this morning around Vals only turned up a couple of trip ticks and was more notable for mammals and also Alpine salamander.
49. Tree pipit
50. Yellowhammer
An afternoon walk around the forest and lake south of Flims was better producing a year tick.
51. Redstart
52. Serin - year tick
53. Robin
54. Little grebe
55. Magpie
Day 8
Made an attempt for hazel grouse today near Voralp, apparently little chance due to the time of year and so it turned out to be so only one of my main five targets accomplished which was rather expected. Some nice birds made it onto the list today though.
56. Woodpigeon
57. Mistle thrush
58. Golden eagle - adult as far as I could tell being harassed by two ravens.
59. Goldcrest
60. Three toed woodpecker - year tick, ok so not a lifer but maybe bird of the trip. Incredibly close views right at the base of a tree pecking at the bark and seemingly oblivious to my presence. Have some video footage from iPhone but looks distant even though I was behind the next tree.
61. Spotted flycatcher
Day 9
Drive back to Zurich, time for a few hours in town before our flight.
62. White stork - year tick, 2 in fields on route.
63. Feral pigeon
64. Alpine swift - year tick
65. Mute swan
66. Yellow legged gull - year tick
67. Red crested pochard - year tick
68. Coot
69. Great crested grebe
Additional heard only birds for the trip:
Cuckoo
Greenfinch
Non-birds noted
Fox
Red squirrel
Red deer
Alpine marmot
European hare
Common frog
Alpine salamander
Sand lizard
Current year total 235