What's the commonest UK bird you've not seen (2 Viewers)

[Brian Stone]

Were you never a young birder (in Poland - possibly nowhere near any wader habitat) John? I can remember struggling like mad to see Knot despite doing much of my birding on the Norfolk coast at the time. Seems bizarre now.

FWIW I ran through Collins and found four species not classed as vagrants that I've not seen in the UK but as I've seen heaps of each elsewhere in Yurp I'm unlikely to go chasing after them now. Most common is probably Cory's Shear (UK total unknown but somewhere between 350 and 400).

 

[Wiktoria]

Were you never a young birder (in Poland - possibly nowhere near any wader habitat) John? I can remember struggling like mad to see Knot despite doing much of my birding on the Norfolk coast at the time. Seems bizarre now.

Brian, thank you In my neighbourhood there aren't a lot of place good for waders (near Lublin there is pretty reservoir for ducks, divers and grebes, but waders with the exception of Common Sandpiper aren't often visitors there).

 

[ColinD]

...FWIW I ran through Collins and found four species not classed as vagrants that I've not seen in the UK but as I've seen heaps of each elsewhere in Yurp I'm unlikely to go chasing after them now. Most common is probably Cory's Shear (UK total unknown but somewhere between 350 and 400).

I'm in a similar situation. I guess Cory's Shearwater is probably the commonest bird I've never seen in the UK, but since I've seen many abroad, I'm not chasing them, I'm just waiting for one to appear. There are one or two other species which fall into the same category.

I suppose there might also be the odd recent split which I'm not aware of or have forgotten about.

For years my UK bogey birds were Hoopoe and Sabines Gull. Then, about 10 years ago, I saw three Sabine's in a week, and the following year got a Hoopoe two miles from home in St Helens, Merseyside, despite years of chasing them on the east coast. I then went on to record Hoopoe in the North West for about the next 4 consectutive years. I've still never seen one in the UK outside Lancashire or Merseyside!

 

[Alcina]

Apart from those species (Scottish Crossbill, Caper, Ptarmigan, Crested Tit, Cirl Bunting) which I've never seen because I've never visited the sites where they're found, my embarrassing list omissions are some of the seabirds (the storm petrels, little auk, balearic and Cory's shearwaters) and, the pesky Dartford warbler, which I've never succeeded in seeing in spite of several attempts.

 

[greater]

Nuthatches in Northampton

Sorry was about birds you have NEVER seen my mistake ignore my song thrush post pleaseB
Nuthatch jay Linnet where are these in northants !!:eek!:

You can see Nuthatches at a farmers gate near Althorp, where nuts are left regularly. If you bring your own they will come if you are lucky, viewed from a car.

Leave Northampton on the Nobottle Road and turn right after Nobottle, the gate is the second on the left after a left and right bend, the first in the woods.

 

[Dave Kennedy]

I had to laugh reading this lot. I live in South Africa, and come to UK maybe once every 2 years. Looking at some of those posts I haven't done too badly. Here are a few which appear in the previous pages which I did manage to see.....
Purple Sandpiper - Greyhope Bay, on the south side of Aberdeen harbour entrance
Jay - west of Scotland oak woods - several times
Twite - almost always at the Seabird Observatory, Machrihanish, Mull of Kintyre (see "Birds of Kintyre" thread, My local Patch)
Manx Shearwater - same location, same thread
Chough - Lizard Peninsula - they were nesting on the cliffs near the Polpeor Cafe - on the right as you look out to sea
Jack Snipe - N.Uist (relatively easy), Kinlochmoidart
Whooper Swan - Eaglesham, near Glasgow
Black Guillemot - All over the place. The little buggers just love, piers, jetties etc in the west of Scotland. They sit among the blocks of the jetty at Ardrossan RIGHT BESIDE the Arran ferry, and they nest in the structure of the NATO jetty at Campbeltown.
GN Diver - On the sea fairly frequently between Kinlochmoidart and Mallaig
RT Diver - Loch Garten (you can see crested tits there too)
Green Woodpecker - trip over them all the time in the Cotswolds. Have seen them in the Scottish borders (Berwickshire).
Red Grouse - on the Lammermuirs between Cranshaws and Gifford, on the B974, at Cairn o' Mount, between Fettercairn and Banchory.

I hope you get lucky soon!

Best wishes
Dave Kennedy
PS
I'm still looking for Black Grouse!

 

[mcapper]

British List is now around 330 and the biggest gap for me now is Corncrake. I've never been to the right place at the right time (although have dipped on one just two miles from my house in Derbyshire).

Then its the shearwaters - cory's, great and balearic.

Matthew

 

[Johnny Allan]

On my local patch (Beddington SF), Treecreeper.
In my county (Surrey), Raven.
In Britain, Little Shearwater (if all of the annual? claims are accepted).

 

[J Moss]

Common/scarce birds that have eluded me so far are:

Shag
Long Tailed Duck
Wood Sandpiper
Leach's Storm Petrel (and the others...)
Richards Pipit
Garganay
Twite
Great Northern Diver
Raven
Grasshopper Warbler
Black Redstart
Nightingale

Look forward to bumping into them at some point.

Jason

From the above, I still haven't seen Wood Sand, Petrels, Garganay, Raven, Gropper, Black Redstart or Nightingale. I expected to connect with most of these in this summer gone. Didn't happen though. Didn't connect with Bean Goose this winter either. My UK list stands at 238, so I guess the bar has been raised with regards to what the next birds are on the 'wish' or 'needed' list. I suppose they are as follows:

Corys and Great Shearwater
Balearic Shearwater
Red-footed Falcon
Dotterel
White-rumped Sandpiper
Temmincks Stint
Long-tailed Skua
Sabines Gull
Hoopoe
Bee-eater
Bluethroat
Icterine/Melodious Warbler
Pallas' Warbler
Red Breasted Flycatcher
Serin
Little Bunting
Ortolan

Quite a wanted list, but although they are all vagrant in Norfolk, I'd like to think that they are all 'findable', and dont need to be twitched (maybe not Ortolan or Bluethroat anymore). Dont expect to see them all this year, but living 5 months on Blakeney Point this summer might tick some boxes! Fingers crossed.

Jason

 

[kittykat23uk]

But there again I have not seen:

Hawfinch
Jay
Treecreeper
Nuthatch ... too many to mention.

Regards
Kathy

Come visit me in Norwich. We'll get you Jay, Treecreeper and hopefully Nuthatch then stop off at Lynford Arboretum on your way back for Hawfinch :t:


From reading these posts it makes me realise how lucky I am having seen as many birds as I have. I don't really list any more (and lost my life list several years ago) except on holiday, but I'm pretty sure I haven't seen lesser spotted woodpecker, Golden eagle and white tailed eagle in the UK. Nor Capercaille and crested tit.

 

[deboo]

A trip up to Jockland later this year (hopefully) to visit my sister in Aberdeen might allow me to see Capercaillie, Black Grouse, Ptarmigan and Crested Tit. Which, seeing i'm a Fen bogster, i have never had much chance of finding before

dave...

not that i'll see any of them actually in Aberdeen...but who knows? v.underwatched area i believe

 

[Jacana]

bewick's swan
cetti's warbler
wood warbler
dartford warbler
golden eagle
capercaille
crested tit
ptarmigan
short eared owl
red necked grebe
all petrels/shearwaters apart from manxie and fulmar
pomarine skua
roseate tern
nightjar
firecrest
nightingale
water pipit
wood lark
shore lark
iceland gull
crane
cirl bunting
list goes on and on really, some are worse than others really (bewick's/cetti's SEO)

 

[Andrew Whitehouse]

A trip up to Jockland later this year (hopefully) to visit my sister in Aberdeen might allow me to see Capercaillie, Black Grouse, Ptarmigan and Crested Tit. Which, seeing i'm a Fen bogster, i have never had much chance of finding before

dave...

not that i'll see any of them actually in Aberdeen...but who knows? v.underwatched area i believe

After a few drams you'll probably be seeing all of those wandering down Union Street Dave .

 

[Jos Stratford]

After a few drams you'll probably be seeing all of those wandering down Union Street Dave .

If not from the window of the Prof's pad

 

[chowchilla]

Probably Long-eared Owl is the commonest I haven't seen. Not much chance to remedy that now...

 

[changer400]

Hi All

Commonest (regular AND recent- Lets not talk Tengmalms Owl and Pallas's Sandgrouse here !) UK bird that I have yet to see is Blyths Reed Warbler , I have dipped 5 of them now in the UK ! Next commonest after that is probably Lanceolated Warbler

Cheers

Simon

 

[Perry Grin]

tree creeper! (I know). Any tips?

 

[Ceeege]

tree creeper! (I know). Any tips?

Mixed woodland and now is a good time as the vegetation is quite light. Just look at the trunks of trees for a little mouse like movement continually heading upwards. If it goes down it's a Nuthatch!

My UK misses would probably be
Nightingale
Any Divers
Grasshopper Warbler
Larks other than Sky
Pipits other than Rock, Tree and Meadow
Buntings other than Reed & Cirl
Terns other than Common, Arctic & Sandwich
Long Eared Owl

Hmmm! Actually there's quite a bit. :-C

Guess I need more free time!

 

[Selsey Birder]

the most obvious gaps on my list are caper and ptarmigan... just need to make my way to the right place at the right time of year. I also need melodious warbler and Kentish plover too, loads more gaps in the scarcer species, but what can you expect from a low lister like me.

Well those are my two also - loads of trips to Highlands but no joy. However, this April going with 4 birding mates (so expecting both of them). All previous trips have been family holidays and thus dedicated searching were out of the question !!!

 

[James Blake]

I've seen about 250/260 birds in the UK but have never seen Roseate Tern, Leach's Petrel, Pomarine or Long-tailed Skua, Balearic Shearwater or Quail.