500 in a year? (1 Viewer)

[timsg80]

I'm hoping to see 500 species of bird this year. It certainly won't be easy, but I reckon that it's a reasonable target during what should be a great year. Between January and July I won't see many birds due to being at school most of the time, though I am visiting Scotland in April for a weekend and I shall try and get as much local birding around Dorset in as possible. In mid July I'm planning on doing a non-birding coast-to-coast trip across the USA, followed by two months in Kenya, then some time in Australia and New Zealand towards the end of the year. I can't wait!

 

[timsg80]

January 1st, travelling from Norfolk to Dorset.
1. Common Woodpigeon
2. Rook
3. Carrion Crow
4. Common Blackbird
5. Eurasian Magpie
6. Stock Dove
7. Common Kestrel
8. Little Egret
9. Western Jackdaw
10. Feral Pigeon
11. Eurasian Collared Dove
12. House Sparrow
13. European Blue Tit
14. Long-tailed Tit
15. European Goldfinch
16. Common Starling
17. Common Buzzard
18. Dunnock
19. European Robin
20. Mallard
21. Black-headed Gull
22. Lesser Black-backed Gull
23. European Herring Gull

 

[timsg80]

January 2nd, Hilfield, Dorset
24. Great Tit
25. Coal Tit
26. Marsh Tit
27. Common Chaffinch
28. Redwing
29. Northern Raven
30. Eurasian Treecreeper
31. Goldcrest
32. Eurasian Bullfinch
33. Pied Wagtail
34. Song Thrush
35. Mistle Thrush
36. Eurasian Jay
37. Eurasian Wren
38. Great Spotted Woodpecker
39. Eurasian Sparrowhawk

Winterbourne Abbas, Dorset- no sign of Green Sandpiper or the two Snipe species present four days earlier, just:
40. Common Moorhen

Portland Harbour, Dorset:
41. Great Cormorant
42. Great Crested Grebe
43. Slavonian Grebe
44. Red-necked Grebe
45. European Shag
46. Great Northern Diver
47. Great Black-backed Gull
48. Red-breasted Merganser
49. Common Eider
50. Brent Goose

 

[timsg80]

January 4th, Hilfield, Dorset
52. European Greenfinch
53. Common Pheasant

 

[timsg80]

January 5th, Maiden Castle, Dorset
54. Corn Bunting
55. European Stonechat
56. Meadow Pipit
57. Northern Lapwing
58. European Golden Plover

Radipole Lake RSPB, Dorset
59. Mute Swan
60. Canada Goose
61. Tufted Duck
62. Common Shelduck
63. Common Gull
64. Hooded Merganser
65. Grey Heron
66. Eurasian Coot
67. Common Snipe
68. Cetti's Warbler
69. Eurasian Teal
70. Little Grebe

Portland Harbour, Dorset
71. Black-necked Grebe
72. Eurasian Oystercatcher
73. Mediterranean Gull
74. Black Guillemot

Ferry bridge, Dorset- bizarrely no waders at all...
75. Eurasian Skylark
76. Eurasian Rock Pipit

Portland Bill, Dorset
77. Common Guillemot
78. Razorbill
79. Northern Gannet
80. Ruddy Turnstone
81. Black-legged Kittiwake
82. Purple Sandpiper
83. Little Owl

Nothe Fort, Weymouth, Dorset
84. Common Chiffchaff

 

[timsg80]

January 6th, Hilfield, Dorset
84. Eurasian Nuthatch

 

[timsg80]

10th January, Sherborne, Dorset
85. Grey Wagtail
I should add that Common Chiffchaff and Eurasian Nuthatch are both number 84 because I seem to have missed out a number somewhere above!

 

[timsg80]

12th January, Hilfield, Dorset
86. Western Barn Owl
Great views of one this evening. It's been a slow start to the year so far, but hopefully I'll be able to get out and do some birding next weekend!

 

[timsg80]

14th January, Hilfield, Dorset
87. Fieldfare- a great flock of c.400
88. Yellowhammer

 

[timsg80]

17th January, Lodmoor RSPB, Dorset
89. Western Marsh Harrier
90. Gadwall
91. Northern Shoveler
92. Common Pochard

Up Cerne, Dorset
93. Eurasian Wigeon
94. Red-legged Partridge

 

[timsg80]

24th January, Portland Castle
95. Black Redstart

Ferrybridge, Dorset, still virtually no waders! Just three
96. Dunlin

Radipole Lake RSPB, Dorset
97. Bearded Reedling
98. (Greenland) Greater White-fronted Goose (first ever record for Radipole)
99. Common Reed Bunting

I'm off to Poole Harbour tomorrow, hopefully I will be able to add to my really rather poor tally of waders...

 

[timsg80]

25th January
A pretty disappointing visit to Poole Harbour to be honest, missing almost all the specialities (Hen Harrier, Spoonbill, Dartford Warbler, etc.) and loads of waders (still no Knot, Sanderling, Ringed Plover, Bar-tailed Godwit etc.), but I did add these to the year list:

Arne RSPB, Dorset
100. European Green Woodpecker
101. Eurasian Curlew
102. Common Redshank
103. Pied Avocet
104. Black-tailed Godwit
105. Peregrine Falcon
106. Merlin

Brand's Bay, Dorset
107. Northern Pintail

Middle Beach, Studland, Dorset
108. Common Scoter

 

[timsg80]

30th January, Winterbourne Abbas, Dorset
109. Jack Snipe
At least three flushed by a Buzzard here today, but sadly no Green Sandpiper or Kingfisher this time... I should be able to get both later this year though!

 

[timsg80]

31 January, Ninesprings Country Park, Yeovil, Somerset
110. Mandarin Duck
About 30 here today. I have been assured that they are 'truly feral' individuals here and I did see them flying!

 

[timsg80]

16th February, Lodmoor RSPB, Dorset
111. Eurasian Spoonbill
All going a bit slowly right now with my A level mock exams coming up, but hopefully I'll be able to do some more birding afterwards!

 

[timsg80]

17th February, near Peterborough, Cambridgeshire
112. Greylag Goose

Deeping Lakes NR, Lincolnshire
113. Long-eared Owl first lifer of the year and what a way to start!!!!
114. Common Goldeneye
115. Common Merganser
116. Common Kingfisher
117. Pink-footed Goose
Having decided to travel up to London to see some family yesterday afternoon, I felt that a further 45-minute train ride to Peterborough, followed by a short taxi journey was worth it for the chance to see my biggest bogey-bird, the Long-eared Owl, before I emigrate. It definitely was worth it, with the bird showing fantastically well at its roost this morning.

 

[timsg80]

4th March, Hilfield, Dorset
118. Tawny Owl
Flushed by a Blackbird from its roost in my garden this afternoon. School is ensuring that these first six months of the year are very slow birding-wise, but with the first Spring migrants being reported from Portland in recent days, there should be a few more additions for the year soon!

 

[timsg80]

6th March, Abbotsbury Swannery
After what has been a very frustrating week (besides the Tawny Owl), missing both Hen Harrier and Short-eared Owl at Wyke Down and still failing in my quest to find a Ringed Plover this year at Ferrybridge, I decided to visit the Fleet after school today. My frustration continued as I failed to locate both Greater Scaup and Long-tailed Duck at Abbotsbury, then missed Barnacle Goose and several waders at Rodden Hive before once more blanking on Ringed Plovers at Ferrybridge. I then headed back to Abbotsbury on hearing news of a new life bird for me showing there:
119. Green-winged Teal
It was very distant, but really pleasing to pick it out in a large flock of Teal. I then tried my luck at West Bexington, in search of Cirl Buntings, but sadly it wasn't to be.

 

[timsg80]

8th March, Darts Farm RSPB, Devon
I arrived at Darts Farm early, in search of the Penduline Tits that have spent the winter. Despite a two hour wait, there was no sign of the birds. A few Linnets didn't really make up for it!
120. Common Linnet

Bowling Green Marsh RSPB, Devon
121. Bar-tailed Godwit
122. Spotted Redshank
123. Water Rail

Darts Farm RSPB
124. Egyptian Goose
I headed back to Darts Farm, but there was still no sign of the Penduline Tits. Later in the afternoon, I returned, and this time two of this fantastic species were showing amazingly well in front of the hide.
125. Eurasian Penduline Tit

A great day!

 

[timsg80]

14th March, Hyde Park, London
126. Ring-necked Parakeet
127. Greater Scaup
As I was passing Hyde Park, I decided to pay it a visit to try and find the Scaup that has spent the winter there. It showed quite remarkably well- even being hand-fed by someone while I was there!