2016 Year List

2016 Year List (UK:137) (Total:165):
Key: Bold = Lifer. Red = Overseas Bold Red (Work it out!)

Starling, House Sparrow, Mallard, Eider, Pheasant, Red-throated Diver, Northern Fulmar, Raven, Carrion Crow, Hooded Crow, Rook, Jackdaw, Blackbird, Robin, Rock Pipit, Rock Dove, Black Guillemot, Kittiwake, Great Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Curlew, Redshank, Lapwing, Oystercatcher, Gannet, Shag, Tufted Duck, Common Goldeneye, Eurasian Teal, Eurasian Widgeon, Mute Swan, Whooper Swan, Greylag Goose, Little Grebe, Cormorant, Grey Heron, Greenland White-fronted Goose, Great Northern Diver, Common Buzzard, Common Kestrel, Purple Sandpiper, Collard Dove, Redwing, Fieldfare, Chaffinch, Linnet, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Red Kite, Wood Pigeon, Pied Wagtail, Dunnock, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Coal Tit, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Magpie, Lesser Redpoll, Bullfinch, Egyptian Goose, Northern Shovelar, Great Crested Grebe, Bittern, Moorhen, Coot, Ring-necked Parakeet, Stonechat, Cetti's Warbler, Wren, Canada Goose, Pintail, Pochard, Green Woodpecker, Chiffchaff, Goldcrest, Jay, Siskin, Gadwall, Peregrine Falcon, Long-tailed Tit, Meadow Pipit, Red-legged Partridge, Treecreeper, Shelduck, Grey Wagtail, Song Thrush, Kingfisher, Penduline Tit, Marsh Tit, Nuthatch, Cattle Egret, Little Egret, Common Sandpiper, Sandwich Tern, Sardinian Warbler, Audouin's Gull, Osprey, White Wagtail, Black Redstart, Yellow-legged Gull, Blackcap, Great Egret, Marsh Harrier, Water Rail, Stone Curlew, Green Sandpiper, Serin, Common Crossbill, Reed Bunting, Blue Rock Thrush, Crag Martin, Booted Eagle, Kentish Plover, Greater Flamingo, Moustached Warbler, Purple Swamphen, Pied Avocet, Greenshank, Pink-footed Goose, Long-eared Owl, Tawny Owl, Barn Owl, Grey Partridge, Ringed Plover, Dunlin, Black-tailed Godwit, Ruff, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Skylark, Mistle Thrush, Lapland Bunting, Dark-bellied Brent Goose, Golden Pheasant, Common Snipe, Black Grouse, Red Grouse, Wheatear, Dipper, Yellowhammer, Sand Martin, Swallow, House Martin, Goosander, Velvet Scoter, Common Scoter, Common Guillemot, Razorbill, King Eider, Whimbrel, Snow Bunting, Capercaillie, Red-breasted Merganser, Slavonian Grebe, Rock Ptarmigan, Crested Tit, Scottish Crossbill, Black-throated Diver, White-tailed Eagle, Golden Eagle, Bar-tailed Godwit, Great Skua, Puffin, Red-crested Pochard










Sunday 9 March 2014

New Blog Title + First Trip

I didn't think it would be so difficult to come up with a new name for the blog, all the blogs I read seem to have fitting titles. I was going to go for 'Bidford Birding' and maybe I will in a few years when I get to live at home full time but it didn't seem appropriate as I never bird in Bidford - except the for the garden that is. So, since all my birding is squeezed in when I have a chance and is at location of opportunity it seems I bird rather ad-hoc, so there it is, ad-hoc birding...!

So my first post:

The misses had a friend visiting and they planned to go to a wedding fayre and then drinking for the rest of the day so I took the opportunity to go birding. I thought I'd try for my nemesis bird, the Long-eared Owl which had been reported on and off at Martin Mere. It was a long journey, 3.5 hours in the car. I arrived on site to find it was a Wildlife and Wetland Trust site which is popular with families, they have a captive bird section which butts up to the wildlife lakes.

I've only ever seen Whooper Swan a few times before, the last time was in January when I saw a group of about 20, the first time I only saw 1... Today there were over 300! An unbelievable sight, here is one of my favourite shots.

Whooper Swan
 
Also present were a good number of Pintail, some Widgeon, Teal, Shelduck, Lapwing, Oystercatcher, Black-tailed Godwit, about 40 Avocet, 20 Pink-footed Goose and a number of Ruff, one of which was a male in full breeding plumage.
 
Black-tailed Godwit

Pintail

Shelduck

Widgeon
 

Star of the show though was a Ross's Goose, it spent ages asleep but finally got up for a walk about just as I was about to leave.

Ross's Goose

Ross's Goose

Ross's Goose

Ross's Goose

Whilst in the hide watching the Goose I was chatting to a local and asking about the LEO to which he seemed totally bemused, it transpires that about an hour further north is a site called Marton Mere situated in the middle of Blackpool, a bit of research on the internet confirmed this to be the site where LEO's like to roost.

As I was about to leave about 200 Pink-footed Geese arrived on the Mere.

Before leaving I couldn't resist getting a shot of the Eider in the captive pens as the males were all doing their Frankie Howard impressions for the female Eider - handsome buggers..

Eider (Captive)

A quick trip to Blackpool and a fruitless hour searching around provided nothing, I always knew it was a chance so late in the year but would have been worth it. So LEO remains my nemesis bird!
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Location: WWT Martin Mere, Lancashire, UK

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