How many people have seen over 200 different species of bird in the UK? (1 Viewer)

[Stand on Zanzibar]

Having just reached 200 (201 with the Short-toed Lark on the Great Orme yesterday) on my UK life list, I was just wondering, at a rough estimate, how many people have actually seen over 100/200/300/400 and 500 different species of bird in the UK?

I know that in the birding community 200 is not really that many, but in terms of the average man on the street, I doubt if 95% of people even know there are that many species.

Any ideas?

Tim

 

[Gill Osborne]

Congrats on reaching your 201st :clap: B

I'm currently on 182 ( 183 if the Great White Pelican at Cresswell last month gets the nod LOL ) and was hoping to break through the 200 barrier this year but what with one thing and another *like moving house THREE times this year alone!* it looks like I'll have to carry that ambition over to next year.

I would imagine there are quite a few folk who are serious about their birding WILL have passed 200 easily, a few past 300 but 400, i think, is for the serious birder/twitcher. :smoke:

Couldn't agree more with your comment about a lot of non-birders not realising just how many birds we do have - most of my workmates ( actually, on second thoughts, make that ALL! ) haven't a clue about the natural world and would probably struggle to name more than 25 species!

 

[rezMole]

My partner and I are now on 185 (thanks to getting 4 last week on a trip to Norfolk via Gibraltar Point - Long-billed Dowitcher, Red-throated Diver, Arctic Skua, Pallid Harrier). We've only been birding for slightly less than 2 years and can't do weekends - only holidays and a couple of days a month. The 200 will probably not come for us until next summer - and another week in Norfolk.

I suspect there are thousands on here who are well ahead of 200!

Someone at work this morning was telling me she'd seen a big brown bird eating a small bird. Told her it was probably a sparrowhawk, and she says she's never seen one before, so yes, most people wouldn't know very many.

 

[PWG]

I reached 205 in June on a trip to Pembroke this year. Seven in one day which is normally how I end up increasing my list, very few during the year then a big jump when I go to new areas.

 

[Gill Osborne]

My partner and I are now on 185...We've only been birding for slightly less than 2 years and can't do weekends - only holidays and a couple of days a month.

You are both doing really well in such a short space of time! I've been birding since 1984 so to NOT have hit the 200 yet is embarrassingly bad!!! :'D Especially as I've yet to catch up with 'common' species like Red Grouse, Raven, Divers, various warblers etc.
But....it's October so I'm sure a visit or three to the wonderful Northumberland coastline will soon fill a few gaps! :t:

 

[marek_walford]

I would imagine there are quite a few folk who are serious about their birding WILL have passed 200 easily, a few past 300 but 400, i think, is for the serious birder/twitcher.

400 is not that difficult to achieve these days (given time and money). There's probably at least 900+ birders on that total in the UK. 500 is the big one these days with maybe less than 200 birders over that figure.

 

[Gill Osborne]

400 is not that difficult to achieve these days...There's probably at least 900+ birders on that total in the UK.

Gosh!!! As many as that! That's quite impressive :t: And there was me thinking 400 was THE big figure to aim for! You live and learn eh? :brains:

I'll just aim for that 200 and work on it from there LOL

 

[Helenelizabeth2]

Having just reached 200 (201 with the Short-toed Lark on the Great Orme yesterday) on my UK life list, I was just wondering, at a rough estimate, how many people have actually seen over 100/200/300/400 and 500 different species of bird in the UK?

Congratulations, Tim (on the 200 and on the STL). I wasn't ever planning to make a thing of counting but ended up doing it anyway and was delighted to reach 200 a couple of weeks ago with the Pec Sand at Cley. I have only been birding for a year but have been lucky enough to have some good trips and some great expert company from time to time which has really helped. I don't count anything that I don't think I could have id-ed on my own tho so sadly can't count the Yellow-Browed Warbler we saw at Holkham on Sunday as it was a fly-by and I only knew what it was because my guru Will told me.

Helen

 

[tomjenner]

Gosh!!! As many as that! That's quite impressive :t: And there was me thinking 400 was THE big figure to aim for! You live and learn eh? :brains:

I'll just aim for that 200 and work on it from there LOL

Of course it depends a lot on how you reach that figure. If you are finding your own birds and not travelling much around the country, it will take you a long time to reach 200. A twitcher, with a fast car, a pager, no job and plenty of money to pay for flights to islands, could see around 350 species in a single year (ie just about every rarity that turns up and all the resident birds). It also depends on what you count (ie dodgy escapes, subspecies etc). There are plenty of birders that have seen over 300 species who know very little about birds, so the length of your list is by no means a level of your ability. Relatively recently, the first birders notched up lists of over 500 species. This takes many years of dedicated, not to say obsessive, twitching and it costs lots of time and effort. I think that its fair to say that anyone with a list that big has got to be a pretty good birder (at least, all the top listers that I've met were very good birders).

Tom

 

[Tranquility Base]

I stopped counting around 400: not for 'pseudo' reasons, but because I couldn't see me reaching 500! I've never been to the Scillies or the Shetlands / Orkneys / Fair Isle and the vast majority of my list were East Anglian birds! So: 400 MUST be dead easy these days, with pagers, mobiles etc. Not like the 'old days' sitting by the phone in Nancy's, watching RGM eat all the bread pudding and hoping for the call that would empty the place!
Just out of interest: my 'team' (The Cley Casuals) won the National 24 hour birdrace one year with 152 species in 20 hours! I wonder if 200 is possible!?

 

[Cudyll Bach]

Currently on 210 for Britain but I, like a few others, have yet to see a lot of the commoner birds. The trouble is they don't seem to turn up in South Wales. I am missing a few sps of geese, Hooper and Bewick swans and quite a few regular migrants.

 

[Gill Osborne]

Of course it depends a lot on how you reach that figure. If you are finding your own birds and not travelling much around the country, it will take you a long time to reach 200.

I think that's the reason LOL I've always had to rely on public transport to get to places and, to be honest, never really explored the northern parts of Northumberland until last year. Most of my birding was done on foot around the North Tyneside area with the occasional lift to Druridge Bay from the boyfriend at the time LOL
Nowadays I can drive - passed my test in January 2005 - so can visit further afield ( plus it helps living further north now ) and my only constraints are time! Full time job + hubby to feed and water = restricted birding
Luckily I'm just as happy watching the commoner species as chasing after rarities.......though it WOULD be fun to be able to have loadsa cash and no ties and just spend all and every day birding and see how many you could clock up in a year! Might even catch up with those blasted Red Grouse!!!!

 

[jtibbetts]

Currently on 306 in Britain but i prefer to travel abroad every year nowadays instead of twitch so i might not reach 400 in the Uk for a while!

 

[Stand on Zanzibar]

Currently on 210 for Britain but I, like a few others, have yet to see a lot of the commoner birds. The trouble is they don't seem to turn up in South Wales. I am missing a few sps of geese, Hooper and Bewick swans and quite a few regular migrants.

I have also not yet got common species like Manxies and Storm Petrel - mainly cos I'm not even going to attempt seawatching with three kids under 6 - still all good stuff that will boost the list no end when I finally get chance.

I was thinking maybe 20,000 or so over 200, 2500 over 300?

Tim

 

[Jos Stratford]

A twitcher, with a fast car, a pager, no job and plenty of money to pay for flights to islands, could see around 350 species in a single year

Once, way back in the predawn days when pagers were yet to be twinkles in someone's eye, I was a twitcher who did all on the thumb - no car, no pager and next to no money, still managed 310 or there abouts one year. Finally got to about 410 ish, then blew it by taking a holiday abroad ...from which I have never returned! Got a car now though, so some progess over the years

 

[J Jones]

I'm 16 and on something like 340... though in comparison to some birders my age thats not particularly impressive... I'm sure Dan will be on here boasting about his list soon

 

[Stand on Zanzibar]

I'm 16 and on something like 340...

:t: I knew I shouldn't have asked!. I'll be chuffed if I have made 340 16 years from now.

As for 400!

Still, Norfolk in three weeks time should add a few more.

Tim

 

[Edward woodwood]

as Jos and Mr B, managed to do alright when it was 'difficult'... stopped counting after 400 but still have the occasional jaunt (Black Lark, Trumpeter etc but very dull twitches these days.)

sleeping out, waiting for news...

great fun, met some brilliant folks, had plenty of adventures

but now... difficult? er.... no.

340 in a year is doable, 400 in a few years. I imagine a few yearlisting geeks manage 200 in just January/Feb

perhaps when the younger members stop gettin ticks they'll start travelling. But with the uni debts and stuff maybe not...

Only list i have now is self found...30 or so short of 300 still but I've been away a lot and i'll be working on that in my soon-to-be coastal location...!

Tim

 

[Jane Turner]

Through obesssive-compulsive local patch watching I've clocked up 241 at one small site in Merseyside. I'm hoping to get to 200 for the garden eventually. I'm trying for 300 in Cheshire and 300 self-found... both the latter have ground to a halt 10 short.

 

[Adey Baker]

I stopped counting a few years ago. Quite a few of my later ticks were via Birdline, etc., but with the earlier ones just getting the info and finding the location could be quite a challenge in itself!

Nowadays, Carl Baggott and I are concentrating on our own area of the county, trying to see how many we can get. I've always kept an eye on my local patch, anyway, so adding new species to the list is hard work! We do nudge the list up by the odd species from time to time, but this year we've found four new species (for our own-found list, not the area) which is a veritable flurry of activity!