updated year list. 22.02.15

After trips to Amwell and Dungeness, just past the 100 mark for 2015

95: raven
96. scaup
97. black redstart
98. barnacle goose
99. cattle egret
100 great white egret
101 chiffchaff
102 gannet.

pied kingfisher. Negombo, Sri Lanka Jan 2015

Dungeness: Monday16th Feb

My first trip of the year down to Dungeness was well worth the visit. Arriving before 8.30 saw me in the sea watch hide. 41 red throated divers past in the hour and half I was there, along with 48 brents, + gannets, 2 pintails, several shelduck and oystercatchers and a more unusual species: 3 pink footed geese.Also, a black redstart showed on the power station wall.
Popped the key back to the bird obs and headed over to the ARC pit. Here, a red head smew and goldeneye, but too much water for waders. On the Reserve were 6 more smew and a great white egret near the entrance, a couple of marsh harriers and a kingfisher, but nothing else too noteworthy.
Off down Denge Marsh Lane where 2 cattle egrets were next to the cow shed. 1000's of starlings wheeling around along with lapwing, golden plover and Greylags. A quick check on Scotney gave views of barnacle geese, hundreds of wigeon and shoveler and a solitary scaup. Another check on the ARC pit before heading home added goldcrest and chiffchaff whilst the regular tree sparrows were at Boulder Wall Farm.
A great day out and timed well as the rain fell just as I was leaving about 3.00. Light not too good for photos, a few examples here.

female kestrel RSPB Dungeness

great white egret

gwe

In flight on a grey morning

great crested grebes

coot portrait

distant Denge Marsh cattle egrets

 gull, greater black baketufted duck

red head smew

Species list: year listers in bold.
red throated diver, little grebe, great crested grebe, gannet, cormorant, cattle egret, great white egret, little egret, grey heron, mute swan (10 sp) pink foot goose, greylag goose, brent goose, barnacle goose, canada goose, shelduck, mallard, gadwall, pintail, shoveler, (20 sp) wigeon, teal, pochard, scaup, tufted duck, goldeneye, smew, marsh harrier, common buzzard, kestrel (30 sp) red legged partridge, pheasant, moorhen, coot, oystercatcher, avocet, golden plover, lapwing, curlew, black headed gull (40 sp) common gull, herring gull, lesser black backed gull, greater black backed gull, kittiwake, wood pigeon, stock dove, collared dove, kingfisher, green woodpecker,(50 sp) pied wagtail, wren, dunnock, robin, skylark, black redstart, stonechat, song thrush, fieldfare, blackbird, (60 sp) chiffchaff, cettis warbler, goldcrest, great tit, blue tit, long tailed tit, magpie, jackdaw, rook, carrion crow, (70 sp) raven, starling, house sparrow, tree sparrow,chaffinch, goldfinch, greenfinch, linnet, reed bunting
79 species in total. Not too bad for a shortened, grey day in mid February.

Quick local wander. Year list up date.

Yesterday afternoon, a brief wander to Hadham Hall lagoon to collect some owl pellets for a school show. Very little about apart from a male kingfisher, too fast for the camera and this resplendent great tit. However, the evening was marked by a stunning sunset.
88. song thrush
89. Jay
90. sparrowhawk
91. kingfisher
92. Fieldfare
93 smew
94 mistle thrush

great tit

mallards

2015 Year list

Time to get a year list up and running. With 2 weeks away and only a single trip to Norfolk and another, today to Amwell Reserve, not too lengthy at present.

Stansted Abbots little owl

Amwell duck goldeneye

1. red throated diver
2. little grebe
3. great crested grebe
4. cormorant
5. little egret
6. grey heron
7. mute swan
8. pink footed goose
9. greylag goose
10. canada goose
11. brent goose
12. shelduck
13. egyptian goose
14. mallard
15. gadwall
16. shoveler
17. wigeon
18. teal
19. pochard
20. tufted duck
21. goldeneye
22. smew
23. goosander
24. red breasted merganser
25. red kite
26. marsh harrier
27. hen harrier
28. common buzzard
29. kestrel
30. red legged partridge
31. grey partridge
32. pheasant
33. moorhen
34. coot
35. oystercatcher
36. avocet
37. ringed plover
38. golden plover
39. lapwing
40. sanderling
41. turnstone
42. dunlin
43. redshank
44. black tailed godwit
45. curlew
46. snipe
47. ruff
48. black headed gull
49. common gull
50. herring gull
51. lesser black backed gull
52. greater black backed gull
53. wood pigeon
54. collared dove
55. tawny owl
56. little owl
57. great spotted woodpecker
58. skylark
59. meadow pipit
60. pied wagtail
61. wren
62. dunnock
63. robin
64. stonechat
65. redwing
66. mistle thrush
67. blackbird
68. great tit
69. blue tit
70. coal tit
71. long tailed tit
72. bearded reedling
73. magpie
74. jay
75. jackdaw
76. rook
77. carrion crow
78. starling
79. house sparrow
80. chaffinch
81. linnet
82. twite
83. goldfinch
84. bullfinch
85. greenfinch
86. reed bunting
87. yellowhammer