What a week of birds!

Golden Pheasant - Wolferton, Norfolk, Saturday 14th January 2012

Last week, from Saturday 14th to Sunday 22nd January, I spent nine days birding every moment of daylight, and for even some time after dark too. I was on a trip with Lee Evans, Chris Baines, and Mike Warner (thanks for all the driving Mike). It was great fun: I saw 10 birds new to me, and saw plenty of others better than I’d ever seen before; I learnt loads, and had a good laugh.

Our plan was to see every bird species on mainland Britain during the week, wherever they were. There were so many great birds in the south west we didn’t get to Wales, Yorkshire, or Scotland as planned; but that didn’t stop us seeing loads and loads of great birds. We started in Norfolk, and travelled through Suffolk, Essex (a beautiful place away from the towns), Surrey, Berkshire, Hampshire, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, and ended in Buckinghamshire.

I saw a total 186 species (using the BOU taxonomy). Lee managed 193, using the taxonomy of his UK400 Club, and counting heard-only birds (which I didn't on this trip).

We saw too much for me to attempt to describe it all here, but the highlights were: the striking Dark-eyed Junco showing so well in the dramatic setting of a New Forest clearing, our exciting cross-country dash to see a Little Auk in Buckinghamshire before it got too dark, and me finding probably the first Swallow in the UK in 2012.

Lowlights: the painfully brief views of the Spanish Sparrow at Calshot in Hampshire, and the sad demise of the aforementioned Little Auk the morning after we saw it.

Here are some photos I took during the trip, followed by the full list of birds seen (including splits). The ten marked * at the top of the list were all British lifers for me.

Rough-legged Buzzard - Holkham, Norfolk, Sunday 15th January 2012

 

Egyptian Goose - Broads Information Centre, Ranworth Broad, Norfolk, Monday 16th January 2012

Mediterranean Gull - Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, Monday 16th January 2012

 

Abberton at dawn, Essex, Tuesday 17th January 2012

 

Glossy Ibis - Chapel Amble, Cornwall, Thursday 19th January 2012

Red-breated Goose with Dark-bellied Brent Geese
Exminster Marshes RSPB, Friday 20th January 2012

Long-eared Owl - Exminster Marshes RSPB, Devon, Saturday 21st January 2012

Hooded Merganser - Radipole RSPB, Dorset, Sunday 22nd January 2012

Little Auk - College Lake, Tring, Buckinghamshire, Sunday 22nd January 2012

Red-breasted Goose*

Bufflehead*

Balearic Shearwater*

Western Sandpiper*

Spotted Sandpiper*

Little Auk*

Richard’s Pipit*

Spanish Sparrow*

Arctic Redpoll*

Dark-eyed Junco*

Mute Swan

Bewick’s Swan

Whooper Swan

Taiga Bean Goose

Tundra Bean Goose

Pink-footed Goose

White-fronted Goose

Lesser White-fronted Goose

Ross's Goose* (not on the British List at the time)

Greylag Goose

Canada Goose

Dark-bellied Brent Goose

Pale-bellied Brent Goose

Black Brant

Egyptian Goose

Shelduck

Mandarin Duck

Wigeon

American Wigeon

Gadwall

Teal

Mallard

Pintail

Shoveler

Red-crested Pochard

Pochard

Ring-necked Duck

Ferruginous Duck

Tufted Duck
Lesser Scaup

Eider

Long-tailed Duck

Common Scoter

Surf Scoter

Goldeneye

Smew

Red-breasted Merganser

Goosander

Ruddy Duck

Red-legged Partridge

Grey Partridge

Pheasant

Golden Pheasant

Red-throated Diver

Black-throated Diver

Great Northern Diver

Little Grebe

Great Crested Grebe

Slavonian Grebe

Black-necked Grebe

Fulmar

Gannet

Cormorant

Shag

Bittern

Cattle Egret

Little Egret

Grey Heron

Glossy Ibis

Spoonbill

Red Kite

Marsh Harrier

Hen Harrier

Sparrowhawk

Buzzard

Rough-legged Buzzard

Kestrel

Merlin

Peregrine

Water Rail

Moorhen

Coot

Crane

Oystercatcher

Avocet

Ringed Plover

Golden Plover

Grey Plover

Lapwing

Knot

Sanderling

Purple Sandpiper

Dunlin

Ruff

Snipe

Woodcock

Black-tailed Godwit

Bar-tailed Godwit

Curlew

Common Sandpiper

Green Sandpiper

Spotted Redshank

Greenshank

Redshank

Turnstone

Kittiwake

Black-headed Gull

Little Gull

Mediterranean Gull

Common Gull

Ring-billed Gull

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Herring Gull

Yellow-legged Gull

Caspian Gull

Iceland Gull

Guillemot

Razorbill

Black Guillemot

Puffin

Rock Dove / Feral Pigeon

Stock Dove

Woodpigeon

Collared Dove

Ring-necked Parakeet

Barn Owl

Long-eared Owl

Short-eared Owl

Kingfisher

Green Woodpecker

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Skylark

Shore Lark

Swallow

Meadow Pipit

Rock Pipit

Water Pipit

Grey Wagtail

Pied Wagtail

Waxwing

Dipper

Wren

Dunnock

Robin

Black Redstart

Stonechat

Blackbird

Fieldfare

Song Thrush

Redwing

Mistle Thrush

Blackcap

Yellow-browed Warbler

Common Chiffchaff

Siberian Chiffchaff

Goldcrest

Firecrest

Long-tailed Tit

Blue Tit

Great Tit

Coal Tit

Marsh Tit

Nuthatch

Treecreeper

Great Grey Shrike

Jay

Magpie

Jackdaw

Rook

Carrion Crow

Raven

Starling

House Sparrow

Chaffinch

Brambling

Greenfinch

Goldfinch

Siskin

Linnet

Twite

Lesser Redpoll

Common Crossbill

Bullfinch

Hawfinch

Lapland Bunting

Snow Bunting

Yellowhammer

Cirl Bunting

Reed Bunting

Corn Bunting