Setting Off From Sandwell valley

Monday 10 January 2011

Biking Birder 2010 Year List

A great day's work party at Upton Warren Worcs Nature reserve yesterday. 17 people working on shrub removal and coppicing. A pink-footed goose was our reward.

Thanks for the donations from:-
Dave, Gordon, John and Ray.

Well here it is - the complete list of birds seen by me last year :-

1. Red-throated Diver Gavia stellata


2. Black-throated Diver Gavia arctica

3. Great Northern Diver Gavia immer

4. Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis

5. Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus

6. Red-necked Grebe Podiceps grisegena

7. Slavonian Grebe Podiceps auritus

8. Black-necked Grebe Podiceps nigricollis

9. Northern Fulmar Fulmarus glacialis

10. Sooty Shearwater Puffinus griseus

11. Manx Shearwater Puffinus puffinus

12. Northern Gannet Morus bassanus

13. Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo

14. European Shag Phalacrocorax aristotelis

15. Great Bittern Botaurus stellaris

16. Little Egret Egretta garzetta

17. Great Egret* Ardea alba

18. Cattle egret

19. Grey Heron Ardea cinerea

20. Glossy Ibis* Plegadis falcinellus

21. Eurasian Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia

22. Mute Swan Cygnus olor

23. Tundra Swan Cygnus columbianus

24. Whooper Swan Cygnus cygnus

25. Bean Goose Anser fabalis

26. Pink-footed Goose Anser brachyrhynchus

27. Greater White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons

28. Red-breasted goose

29. Greylag Goose Anser anser

30. Canada Goose Branta canadensis

31. Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis

32. Brent Goose Branta bernicla

33. Egyptian Goose Alopochen aegyptiacus

34. Common Shelduck Tadorna tadorna

35. Mandarin Duck Aix galericulata

36. Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelope

37. American Wigeon* Anas americana

38. Gadwall Anas strepera

39. Eurasian Teal Anas crecca

40. Green-winged Teal Anas carolinensis

41. Mallard Anas platyrhynchos

42. Northern Pintail Anas acuta

43. Garganey Anas querquedula

44. Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata

45. Red-crested Pochard Netta rufina

46. Common Pochard Aythya ferina

47. Ring-necked Duck Aythya collaris

48. Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula

49. Greater Scaup Aythya marila

50. Lesser Scaup* Aythya affinis

51. Common Eider Somateria mollissima

52. Long-tailed Duck Clangula hyemalis

53. Common Scoter Melanitta nigra

54. Velvet Scoter Melanitta fusca

55. Common Goldeneye Bucephala clangula

56. Smew Mergellus albellus

57. Red-breasted Merganser Mergus serrator

58. Goosander Mergus merganser

59. Ruddy Duck Oxyura jamaicensis

60. Red Kite Milvus milvus

61. White-tailed Eagle* Haliaeetus albicilla

62. Eurasian Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus

63. Hen Harrier Circus cyaneus

64. Northern Goshawk Accipiter gentilis

65. Eurasian Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus

66. Common Buzzard Buteo buteo

67. Rough-legged Buzzard Buteo lagopus

68. Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos

69. Osprey Pandion haliaetus

70. Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus

71. Merlin Falco columbarius

72. Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus

73. Willow Ptarmigan (Red Grouse) Lagopus lagopus

74. Black Grouse Tetrao tetrix

75. Red-legged Partridge Alectoris rufa

76. Grey Partridge Perdix perdix

77. Common Pheasant Phasianus colchicus

78. Golden Pheasant Chrysolophus pictus

79. Water Rail Rallus aquaticus

80. Corn Crake Crex crex

81. Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus

82. Common Coot Fulica atra

83. Common Crane Grus grus

84. Eurasian Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus

85. Pied Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta

86. Little Plover Charadrius dubius

87. Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula

88. Eurasian Dotterel Charadrius morinellus

89. European Golden Plover Pluvialis apricaria

90. Grey Plover Pluvialis squatarola

91. Northern Lapwing Vanellus vanellus

92. Red Knot Calidris canutus

93. Sanderling Calidris alba

94. Little Stint Calidris minuta

95. Pectoral Sandpiper Calidris melanotos

96. Curlew Sandpiper Calidris ferruginea

97. Purple Sandpiper Calidris maritima

98. Dunlin Calidris alpina

99. Ruff Philomachus pugnax

100. Jack Snipe Lymnocryptes minimus

101. Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago

102. Eurasian Woodcock Scolopax rusticola

103. Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa

104. Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica

105. Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus

106. Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata

107. Spotted Redshank Tringa erythropus

108. Common Redshank Tringa totanus

109. Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia

110. Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus

111. Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola

112. Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos

113. Buff-breasted sandpiper

114. Pacific golden plover

115. Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres

116. Grey Phalarope Phalaropus fulicarius

117. Arctic Skua Stercorarius parasiticus

118. Great Skua Catharacta skua

119. Mediterranean Gull Larus melanocephalus

120. Little Gull Larus minutus

121. Black-headed Gull Larus ridibundus

122. Bonaparte’s gull

123. Ring-billed Gull Larus delawarensis

124. Mew Gull Larus canus

125. Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus

126. Herring Gull Larus argentatus

127. Yellow-legged gull

128. Caspian gull

129. Glaucous Gull Larus hyperboreus

130. Great Black-backed Gull Larus marinus

131. Black-legged Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla

132. Sandwich Tern Sterna sandvicensis

133. Common Tern Sterna hirundo

134. Arctic Tern Sterna paradisaea

135. Little Tern Sterna albifrons

136. Black Tern Chlidonias niger

137. Common Guillemot Uria aalge

138. Razorbill Alca torda

139. Black Guillemot Cepphus grylle

140. Little Auk Alle alle

141. Atlantic Puffin Fratercula arctica

142. Rock Pigeon Columba livia

143. Stock Pigeon Columba oenas

144. Common Wood Pigeon Columba palumbus

145. Eurasian Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto

146. Rose-ringed Parakeet Psittacula krameri

147. Common Cuckoo Cuculus canorus

148. Barn Owl Tyto alba

149. Little Owl Athene noctua

150. Tawny Owl Strix aluco

151. Long-eared Owl Asio otus

152. Short-eared Owl Asio flammeus

153. Common Swift Apus apus

154. Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis

155. Green Woodpecker Picus viridis

156. Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major

157. Wood Lark Lullula arborea

158. Sky Lark Alauda arvensis

159. Horned Lark Eremophila alpestris

160. Sand Martin Riparia riparia

161. Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica

162. House Martin Delichon urbica

163. Tree Pipit Anthus trivialis

164. Meadow Pipit Anthus pratensis

165. Rock Pipit Anthus petrosus

166. Water Pipit Anthus spinoletta

167. Buff-bellied pipit

168. Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava

169. Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea

170. White / Pied Wagtail Motacilla alba

171. Bohemian Waxwing Bombycilla garrulus

172. White-throated Dipper Cinclus cinclus

173. Winter Wren Troglodytes troglodytes

174. Hedge Accentor Prunella modularis

175. European Robin Erithacus rubecula

176. Bluethroat Luscinia svecica

177. Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros

178. Common Redstart Phoenicurus phoenicurus

179. Whinchat Saxicola rubetra

180. Stonechat Saxicola torquata

181. Northern Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe

182. Ring Ouzel Turdus torquatus

183. Common Blackbird Turdus merula

184. Fieldfare Turdus pilaris

185. Song Thrush Turdus philomelos

186. Redwing Turdus iliacus

187. Mistle Thrush Turdus viscivorus

188. Cetti’s Warbler Cettia cetti

189. Common Grasshopper Warbler Locustella naevia

190. Pallas’ grasshopper warbler

191. Sedge Warbler Acrocephalus schoenobaenus

192. Eurasian Reed Warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus

193. Dartford Warbler Sylvia undata

194. Barred Warbler Sylvia nisoria

195. Lesser Whitethroat Sylvia curruca

196. Common Whitethroat Sylvia communis

197. Garden Warbler Sylvia borin

198. Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla

199. Syke’s warbler

200. Arctic warbler

201. Subalpine warbler

202. Yellow-browed Warbler Phylloscopus inornatus

203. Wood Warbler Phylloscopus sibilatrix

204. Common Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita

205. Willow Warbler Phylloscopus trochilus

206. Goldcrest Regulus regulus

207. Firecrest Regulus ignicapilla

208. Spotted Flycatcher Muscicapa striata

209. Red-breasted Flycatcher Ficedula parva

210. Pied Flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca

211. Bearded Tit Panurus biarmicus

212. Long-tailed Tit Aegithalos caudatus

213. Marsh Tit Parus palustris

214. Willow Tit Parus montanus

215. Crested Tit Parus cristatus

216. Coal Tit Parus ater

217. Blue Tit Parus caeruleus

218. Great Tit Parus major

219. Wood Nuthatch Sitta europaea

220. Eurasian Treecreeper Certhia familiaris

221. Great Grey Shrike Lanius excubitor

222. Eurasian Jay Garrulus glandarius

223. Black-billed Magpie Pica pica

224. Red-billed Chough Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax

225. Eurasian Jackdaw Corvus monedula

226. Rook Corvus frugilegus

227. Carrion Crow Corvus corone

228. Hooded Crow Corvus cornix

229. Common Raven Corvus corax

230. Common Starling Sturnus vulgaris

231. House Sparrow Passer domesticus

232. Eurasian Tree Sparrow Passer montanus

233. Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs

234. Brambling Fringilla montifringilla

235. European Greenfinch Carduelis chloris

236. European Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis

237. Eurasian Siskin Carduelis spinus

238. Common Linnet Carduelis cannabina

239. Twite Carduelis flavirostris

240. Lesser Redpoll Carduelis cabaret

241. Mealy Redpoll Carduelis flammea

242. Arctic redpoll [Hornemann’s] Carduelis

243. Common Crossbill Loxia curvirostra

244. Common Rosefinch Carpodacus erythrinus

245. Common Bullfinch Pyrrhula pyrrhula

246. Hawfinch Coccothraustes coccothraustes

247. Lapland Longspur Calcarius lapponicus

248. Snow Bunting Plectrophenax nivalis

249. Yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella

250. Cirl Bunting Emberiza cirlus

251. Reed Bunting Emberiza schoeniclus

252. Corn Bunting Miliaria calandra

Now all I need to do is write up all of my notebooks and check where I missed out a bird from the list I kept in the back of them.

Ooops! Also missed out the Great Reed Warbler that I saw at a country park, near Ilkeston.

So the Non-motorised Year List stands at 253.

Also seen but from boats so not counted was Storm petrel. [dozens of the little blighters but none from land!]

Sub-species – not counted

Black brant

Greenland whitefront

There you have it. Sorry the italics on the latin names didn't transfer over.

All the very best everyone,

Gary

7 comments:

  1. That's some list! how many ticks did you end up getting on Fair Isle? Cheers

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  2. Hello there Tommy! Great to hear from you. In answer to your question -

    1 lifer - Pallas' grasshopper warbler, and 8 year ticks. It was a real highlight of last year meeting all of you on Fair Isle, Tommy; especially your birthday party. Wonderful place with fabulous people. Please give my very best wishes to all.
    Happy New Year!

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  3. Congrats on the new record for a green big year in the UK! What was the old record? I think I might have just broken the record for North America for a green year - I had 318 species in 2010. I imagine that 252 in your country may be harder than 318 here! Do you have links to other green birders in other parts of the globe? Are you continuing in 2011 with another green year quest?

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  4. Well done Gary, delighted you took the record, what's next/ A book?

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  5. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  6. Hello Jim. Brilliant to hear from you. Where are you in the U.S of A? {Canada?} As for the previous British record; that was 251 held by Chris Mills who runs a birding tour business in Norfolk, England. [ http://www.norfolkbirding.com/ ] .That was back in 2005 when he and Simon Wooley of Hampshire, England had a contest over making a non-motorised year list record. Simon raised money for the Asian Tsunami disaster over his year and has written an e-book about his experiences. [ http://www.surfbirds.com/mb/Features/woolley-big-year.html ] . Have you had a look at the Bigby [Big Green Year] website? It lists green birders from all over the world. As for 2010, I'm doing a non-motorised year list for the county in which I work; Worcestershire. My main patch is a small reserve named Upton Warren. Last year a friend, a carbon twitcher, got 143 birds equalling the previous record for the reserve. I'm also going to have a couple of holidays over the year; maybe to the States! Thanks for putting a comment. All the very best and massive congratulations on getting 318. All the best, Gary

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  7. Hello Alastair.
    It's been great being back at the 'chalkface'. The book? Well, I've written half a page. There will be more. I've also been back to my patch, Upton Warren; joining in with a work party removing old scrub and pollarding willows. Had a new bird whilst there too; a pink-footed goose. Yes, just the one but very rare around here. All of this non-motorised too. Birds magazine are doing an article with a link to a short film about the year as well and everyone at school, children/students and stff have been amazing. A really good year so far. So, thanks to you all and Happy New Year. I wonder how that crystal is near Fair Isle?
    All the very best,
    Gary

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