1 Jan 2008

Happy New Year and a Mention in the " Birdwatcher's Yearbook "2008

1. Jackdaw
2. Rook
3. Goldfinch
4. Bluetit
5. Coal Tit
6. Brent Goose
7. Blackbird
8. Magpie
9. Curlew
10. Oystercatcher
11. Starling
12. Shelduck
13. Wood Pigeon
14. Chaffinch
15. Greenfinch
16. Great Tit
17. Redshank
18. Robin
19. Common Gull
20. Turnstone
21. Black Tailed Godwit
22. Dunlin
23. Golden Plover
24. Mallard
25. Lapwing
26. Wigeon
27. Hooded Crow

all the above seen from my living room window.

28. Pheasant
29. Grey Heron
30. Black Headed Gull
31. Pied Wagtail
32. Fieldfare
33. Bar Tailed Godwit
34. Herring Gull
35. Meadow Pipit
36. Snipe
37. Stonechat
38. Cormorant
39. Rock Pipit
40. Teal
41. Purple Sandpiper
42. Shag
43. Carrion Crow
44. Sandwich tern
45. Grey Plover
46. Reed Bunting
47. Yellowhammer
48. Goldcrest
49. Song Thrush
50. Collared Dove
51. Great Black Backed Gull
52. Mistle Thrush

28-52 All seen out at Killard, Co. Down

53. Ringed Plover
54. Greenshank
55. Knot
56. Greylag
57. Coot
58. Moorhen
59. Shoveler
60. Goldeneye
61. Mute Swan

53-61 Seen around Castle Island Hide Quoile Co. Down

Peregrine's Bird Facts There are 113 species of Starling in Europe , Africa and Asia.


A Brent Goose flying a few hundred yards from my house.

I got up this morning with soreish head and decided that to start with I would start my new list from the house. I sat in the living room nursing a cup of tea and a bowl of porridge and was able to see 27 species. It was an absolutely miserable grey day and foggy to boot. So camera was left in bag.

I have been looking forward to restarting my list in the hope now of exceeding last years total of 201. ( Which incidentally I reckon I will do by the end of March) This will be due to the fact that my father is very kindly giving Penny and I a trip to Kenya at the end of February. I just hope their present troubles are sorted by then so that we can actually go!! I have been studying "Birds of Kenya & Northern Tanzania" by Zimmerman, Turner & Pearson so that I have some idea before I go of the birds I am likely to see.

Well I headed out to one of my favourite spots Killard Co. Down with Pickle my working cocker spaniel. No real surprises birds wise apart from the wintering Sandwich Tern and the Yellowhammers which I have not seen out there before. Two years ago it took me until September to see a Yellowhammer so pleased to catch up with it so early in the year.

One of the presents I received for Christmas was "The Birdwatchers's Yearbook 2008" It is in my mind an invaluable book if you like to Bird watch in the British Isles. Its a Diary, it has the British Ornithologists Union (BOU) List as well as Lists of Dragonflies and Butterflies in the UK.It has a good trade directory whether it be Bird Garden supplies, Optics dealers, Clothing or Birding Holiday Companies. It lists all the Bird Reserves and Observatories in the UK. Then it has a county directory listing Bird Recorders, BTO regional representatives, RSPB Local groups. Finally it has a National and International Directory of Bird related Organisations. It also has an Annual Website Survey of which this is one!!!!! For which I have to thank Gordon Hamlett for my inclusion. (If you go HERE and scroll down to June 4th you can see my day out in Norfolk with Gordon.)

Below is a photo I haven't posted before. I took it in November and I think is one of my best images of 2007.



Happy New Year and I hope all your Birding wishes come true.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Craig,

Happy New Year

I hope you have another great years birding.......

Anonymous said...

Hello my name is Merle Dean Shamblin and I would like to be your new friend. I sure could use somebody to chat with. I am a 47 year old long haul truck driver who currently lives in Duncan Oklahoma. Dec 8th 1960 I was born in Fairview Oklahoma. Moved to Caddo and Washita counties where I attended school at Colony Hydro and Weatherford. My parents Malvin and Wanda Shamblin were cotton and peanut farmers. Dad died in 99 from lung cancer. Graduated from SWOSU with a business degree. My two sisters are LaDonna Hubert and Malva Burrahm. Dennis is my brother. I have been a truck driver for 14 years and have driven 2 million paid miles. I have received many safe driving awards over the years. I am single and have never been married. I have a wide range of interests and am pretty much an open book. Currently I drive a 2006 Freightliner for a major carrier. I dont go to Canada very often. I dont have a dedicated route so I run the entire lower 48. I enjoy reading cinema music sports travel etc. I am gay and versatile.