My UK Year List - 2014

  • 117-118) GREAT WHITE EGRET and LONG-TAILED DUCKS at Mary's Lake, Earls Barton GP, 9 January
  • 116) Barnacle Goose, Emberton Park, 9 January
  • 114-115) SMEW and Cetti's Warbler at Great Hardmead Lake, Amwell, 7 January
  • 113) Reed Bunting, Tyttenhanger, 7 January
  • 112) Tree Sparrow (32 birds), Tyttenhanger, 7 January
  • 111) Sparrowhawk, West Hyde, 7 January
  • 110) Mandarin Duck, Burnham Beeches NNR, 7 January
  • 100-109) Curlew, Knot, Bar-tailed Godwit, Dunlin, Oystercatcher, Grey Plover, Sanderling, Common Shelduck, Kittiwake and Mediterranean Gull at Church Norton, 6 January
  • 99) RUDDY SHELDUCK, Sidlesham Ferry, 6 January
  • 96-98) Purple Sandpiper, Turnstone and Rock Pipit in Shoreham Harbour
  • 95) Red-breasted Merganser, Widewater, 6 January
  • 94) GREY PHALAROPE, Hove Lagoon, 6 January
  • 93) Grey Partridge, Broom, 5 January
  • 92) Goosander, Woburn Lakes, 5 January
  • 91) Skylark, Totternhoe, 5 January
  • 90) Yellowhammer, Totternhoe, 5 January
  • 89) Corn Bunting, Totternhoe, 5 January
  • 88) Water Pipit, Wilstone, 5 January
  • 87) SABINE'S GULL, Weston Turville, 5 January
  • 86) Common Scoter, Brogborough, 4 January
  • 85) GREAT NORTHERN DIVER, Stewartby Lake, 4 January
  • 84) Red-legged Partridge, Hatch, 4 January
  • 83) Common Kestrel, Langford, 4 January
  • 82) GLOSSY IBIS, Frensham, 4 January
  • 81) Goldcrest, Frensham, 4 January
  • 80) Green Sandpiper, Lynsters, 3 January
  • 79) Stock Dove, Lynster's, 3 January
  • 78) Egyptian Goose, Lynsters Farm, 3 January
  • 77) Common Chiffchaff, Stockers Lake
  • 76) SIBERIAN CHIFFCHAFF, Stockers Lake
  • 75) Siskin, Stockers Lake
  • 74) Dunnock, Stockers Lake
  • 73) Ring-necked Parakeet, Stockers Lake
  • 72) Lesser Redpoll, Stockers Lake
  • 71) Coal Tit, Chaffinch House
  • 40-70: Nuthatch, Greylag Goose, Pied Wagtail, Lapwing, Golden Plover, Great Crested Grebe, Cormorant, Common Redshank, Common Snipe, Teal, Wigeon, Shoveler, LITTLE STINT, Black-tailed Godwit, Grey Wagtail, Goldeneye, Meadow Pipit, Greenfinch, Marsh Tit, Dunnock, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Long-tailed Tit, Bullfinch, Jay, Red-crested Pochard, Wren, Collared Dove (all at Tring Reservoirs), Brambling (Ivinghoe), Herring & Great Black-backed Gull, CATTLE EGRET (Briarhill Farm, Calvert) & Green Woodpecker
  • 1-39 all local, Chess River Valley & Shardeloes Estate: 1 January 2014: Chaffinch, Common Starling, Woodpigeon, Little Egret, Grey Heron, Common Magpie, Mute Swan, Mallard, Moorhen, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, Rook, Common Buzzard, Canada Goose, Coot, Black-headed Gull, Tufted Duck, Pochard, House Sparrow, Common Blackbird, Woodpigeon, Pheasant, Gadwall, Kingfisher, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Robin, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Little Grebe, Common Gull, Red Kite, Redwing, Fieldfare, Song Thrush, Goldfinch, Mistle Thrush, WOODCOCK, Treecreeper, Greenfinch and Water Rail

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Year Listing in the UK

Lee Evans has been Year-listing in the UK since 1977 and has achieved annual totals of over 300 species ever since. Although he has recorded in excess of 360 species on some nine occasions, his record stands at 386 species - achieved in 1996. Adrian Webb in Year 2000 recorded at least 378 species, making him by far the highest-listing individual to compare with Lee. In terms of Life Listing, Lee has recorded 577 species in Britain and Ireland and 853 species in the wider Western Palearctic region.

Monday, 8 March 2010

DARK-BELLIED BRENT GOOSE at Taplow



TUESDAY 2 MARCH

Another glorious, spring-like day, with clear blue skies, endless sunshine and temperature highs of 10.5 degrees C. More migrants were trickling into the country, including two Little Ringed Plovers and a pair of Garganey, and Northern Goshawks were in full display at many locations, including in my village.

AMERDEN SCRAPES, TAPLOW (SOUTH BUCKS)

Thanks to Kevin Duncan and Simon Nichols, I was able to quickly get over to Taplow and catch up with the DARK-BELLIED BRENT GOOSE that KD had discovered early afternoon. Adam Bassett was just departing as I began walking west from the Marsh Lane car park (situated at SU 915 806) and had connected. The bird - an apparent adult- was feeding with 29 Greylag Geese (including a leucistic individual) and 16 Atlantic Canada Geese at very close range in the grass field just west of the public footpath and Amerden Lane at TL 907 806 - and was still present when I left it at 1635 hours.

A further 4 Greylag Geese were seen on the Jubilee River in flight, whilst Amerden Scrapes proper and neighbouring fields yielded 9 Mute Swans (an adult on the river and a family party of 8 birds in the fields), 1 Great Crested Grebe, 10 Tufted Duck, 4 Northern Pochard, 6 Coot, several noisy Ring-necked Parakeets and a male Reed Bunting in full song.

JUBILEE RIVER NR, DORNEY WETLANDS (BERKS/BUCKS BORDER)

Within a mile of the Taplow site, and to the east, and literally just 25 yards outside of Buckinghamshire, the south bank of the Jubilee River harboured an exceptionally confiding EURASIAN BITTERN. Parking just north of the pub on the Dorney and Eton Wick road, a walk of just 150 yards to the east brings you to an area of scant reedbed bordering the south bank, where the Bittern has been present since at least 1 January. From 1745 to at least 1807 hours, the bird was showing unbelievably well, filling my entire 'scope view and clumsily crashing its way through the reed-edge. In fact, the best way of locating this rare, is by listening for it rustling through the reeds, it is just so noisy and clumsy. It clambered up the reeds, thrust its long beak pointing towards the sky and occasionally grabbed reed stems and snapped them in half. It was a very ungainly sight and on several occasions as it climbed up, the reeds gave way and it fell back down again.

A singing CETTI'S WARBLER was also on territory in the same belt, along with 5 WATER RAILS and 3 Reed Buntings (including two more singing males). Northern Pochards numbered 18.
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