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.

Thursday, 9 December 2010

A Day on the Uists








SATURDAY 15 MAY

The day dawned very cold (just 5 degrees C), with a fresh NW wind blowing. We had all had a very good night sleep at Malaclete (North Uist) and breakfast was arranged for about 0900 hours.

Scanning the bay in front of the B & B chalets yielded a pair of Red-breasted Mergansers, whilst the Committee Road produced a nice roadside SHORT-EARED OWL hunting.

BALRANALD RSPB, NORTH UIST

A return visit was made to the RSPB reserve at Balranald where around the Information Centre, pure ROCK DOVES were a welcome sight and a couple of TWITE. The star attraction of course is CORNCRAKE and after hearing 5 or more birds calling, we eventually intercepted one showing out in the open by a neighbouring croft. The bird crept out from the safety of some wood piles and began ‘’crex-crex –ing’’ right in front of our two vehicles. Incredible – and such a difficult bird to see ! We were treated to about five minutes of view before he crept back into the undergrowth and disappeared. Chris Morgan obtained the image below.

We then took the sandy track out to the seawatching site at Aird an Runair. The sand-blasted fields were very attractive to a number of bird species including the localised CORN BUNTING but were particularly attractive to ROCK DOVE – at least 70 being recorded. I also discovered a trip of 3 DOTTERELS – two males and a female – this trio affording exceptional views as they fed alongside the track.

AIRD AN RUNAIR, BALRANALD RSPB, NORTH UIST

The bay held 5 or 6 transitional-plumaged GREAT NORTHERN DIVERS offshore (see image below), whilst the expansive sandy bay held a flock of Dunlin and up to 35 Sanderlings, many of which were in full breeding plumage. There were also 3 Common Shelduck and a single PALE-BELLIED BRENT GOOSE offshore, as well as numerous Fulmars and Kittiwakes. Several Atlantic Grey Seals were also offshore.

We did a seawatch for about an hour and a half and were highly rewarded – a total of 4 full-spooned adult POMARINE SKUAS flew north (a single bird then three together), 2 ARCTIC SKUAS, a GREAT SKUA, 6 Manx Shearwaters, a WHIMBREL and a Red-throated Diver.

NORTH UIST (OUTER HEBRIDES)

Returning back to the B & B at Sollas for breakfast along the Committee Road we saw a few COMMON RAVENS and 25 European Golden Plovers and many Greenland Wheatears at Balemartin.

Following breakfast, we returned once more to the seawatching, but before that feasting ourselves on more crippling views of CORNCRAKES in the Balranald RSPB car park area.

Back at Aird an Runair, the undoubted highlight was when a single flock of 14 adult LONG-TAILED SKUAS came through at 1112 hours – a fantastic spectacle. The two hours also produced a further ARCTIC SKUA, 3 Great Skuas, a BLACK GUILLEMOT and a fine male White Wagtail on the beach.

Returning to the Committee Road later, a cracking adult male HEN HARRIER was observed, along with a pair of Common Stonechats and a pale morph ARCTIC SKUA. We also enjoyed some great views of TWITE as we drove around, Chris obtaining the beautiful image below.

Mike Robinson was mad keen on seeing the ‘Northern Eider’ at Stinky Bay on Benbecula, so after eventually giving in, we spent an hour or so trying to locate it. At least 27 Common Eiders were in the vicinity of the pier but nothing could be found of the ‘sailed’ individual. A mass of at least 60 Sanderling were in the bay and on the neighbouring landfill site, a minimum of 9 COMMON RAVENS could be seen.

Returning in good time back to Lochmaddy Harbour for the ferry, we were able to observe the resident GOLDEN EAGLES from the quayside and a beautiful pair of TWITE. More COMMON RAVENS too.

The return trip to Skye was fairly uneventful, with the usual seabirds encountered including good numbers of ATLANTIC PUFFINS, and once back on the island, Collared Doves in Uig were followed by a visit to Toravaig, where we overlooked Portree Bay and the island of Burray for an hour or more. We did not see the pair of White-tailed Sea Eagles in that time but did note COMMON RAVEN, HOODED CROW, 5+ ROCK DOVES, Goldcrest and REDPOLL-TYPES.
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