River Ebro Babble » Birding, Birding and Nature, Uncategorized » The 2011 Birding Challenge – Final Total

The 2011 Birding Challenge – Final Total

Jan
02

And the total for my 2011 Birding Challenge was ….. ..drum roll………….. 158 species!

So, I failed to meet the target but I don’t think I failed – if that makes sense!  I suppose I’m a little disappointed that I didn’t get a bit nearer but I achieved  more than ¾ of the target number and though I say so myself I think it’s a pretty good number for a learner birders first year list.

As I said at the start, the idea was was not to simply achieve a target of 200 ticks – the real aim was to push me on to recognise more birds. And I can say that I have done that! It hasn’t been without it’s frustrations though and I know there were a lot that got away before I could be sure of an ID ….I’d say at least 42! ;) There have also been some highlights. The number one highlight was seeing the hybrid Little Egret x Reef Egret and getting a mention and the photograph on Rare Birds in Spain website. That was pretty cool and my face ached for about a week I think with the permanent smile! The number two was seeing a flock of cranes at the end of September on virtually the same spot! But, actually each ID that I achieved myself was very satisfying.  However, I didn’t do it all alone. I went a few times alone to the Ebro Delta but I also went on a  bird trip with Cristian of Audouin Bird Tours. I also did another bird trip up in the Lleida drylands with Steve West of Birding in Spain. Their knowledge of birds and the area was invaluable and my list would certainly be a lot less without their help. I would recommend anyone coming here for the first time to consider a day or two out with them because both the Delta and the Lleida Steppes are large areas with a rabbit warren of unsigned lanes and it can be frustrating finding your way around never mind finding birds!

I wasn’t sure at first how much to define as my “local patch.”  In the end I decided that it would be  our local riverside and woods (from the doorstep!) or anywhere in the countryside/orchards around Mora to which I could drive within 10 minutes. I also kept a separate count of the birds I saw from the balcony of my lounge. The balcony count turned out to be 31 birds and the Local Patch – 40 – and as you’ll see it was a wide variety of birds too!

So here it is the Learner Birder’s first year list…. !

 

Common Name Latin Name Where seen
1 Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis Ebro Delta
2 Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus Ebro Delta
3 Water Rail Rallus aquaticus Ebro Delta
4 Purple Swamp Hen Porphyrio porphyrio Ebro Delta
5 Red-knobbed coot Fulica cristata Ebro Delta
6 Common Coot Fulica atra Balcony
7 Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus Balcony
8 Balearic Shearwater Puffinus Mauretanicus Sea-Trip from Tarragona Harbour
9 Northern Gannet Morus bassanus Sea-trip from Tarragona
10 Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo Balcony
11 Little Bittern Ixobrychus minutus Balcony
12 Night Heron Nycticorax Nycticorax Balcony
13 Squacco Heron Ardeola ralloides Balcony
14 Grey Heron Ardea cinerea Balcony
15 Little Egret Egretta garzetta Balcony
16 Great Egret Ardea Alba Balcony
17 Purple Heron Ardea purpurea Balcony
18 Western reef x L Egret Hybrid Egretta gularis x garzetta Balcony
19 White Stork Ciconia ciconia Sebes Nature Reserve
20 Black Stork Ciconia nigra Ebro Delta
21 Common Crane Grus grus Balcony
22 Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus Ebro Delta
23 Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus ruber Ebro Delta
24 Mute Swan Cygnus olor UK
25 Canada Goose Branta canadensis UK
26 Common Pochard Aythya ferina UK
27 Red crested Pochard Netta rufina Ebro Delta
28 Mallard Anas platyrhynchus Balcony
29 Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelope Ebro Delta
30 Shoveler Anas clypeata Ebro Delta
31 Pintail Anus acuta Ebro Delta
32 Common Teal Anas crecca Ebro Delta
33 Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni Lleida
34 Common Kestrel Falco tinnumculus Local patch
35 Eurasian Hobby Falco subbuteo Local patch
36 Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus Local patch
37 Hobby Falco subbuteo Local patch
38 Osprey Pandion haliaetus Balcony
39 Black Kite Elanus caeruleus Balcony
40 Red kite Milvus milvus Local patch
41 Short-toed Eagle Circaetus gallicus Balcony
42 Western Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus Sebes Nature Reserve
43 Montagu’s Harrier Circus pygargus Lleida
44 Eurasian Buzzard Buteo buteo Local patch
45 Bonelli’s Eagle Hieraaetus fasciatus Priorat
46 Booted Eagle Hieraaetus pennatus Ebro Delta
47 Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus Ports de Beceite
48 Griffon Vulture Gyps vulvus Ports de Beceite
49 Stone Curlew Burhinus oedicnemus Lleida
50 Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus Local patch
51 Northern Lapwing Vanellus vanellus Ebro Delta
52 Ringed Plover Charadrius dubious Ebro Delta
53 Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponicus Ebro Delta
54 Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus Ebro Delta
55 Curlew Numenius arquata Ebro Delta
56 Spotted Redshank Tringa Erythropus Ebro Delta
57 Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia Ebro Delta
58 Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucus Local patch
59 Turnstone Arenaria interpres Ebro Delta
60 Sanderling Calidris alba Ebro Delta
61 Little Stint Calidris minuta Ebro Delta
62 Audouin’s Gull Larus audouinii Ebro Delta
63 Yellow-legged Gull Larus cachinnans Ebro Delta
64 Lesser Black-backed Larus fuscus Ebro Delta
65 Black-headed Gull Larus ridibundus Ebro Delta
66 Slender-billed Gull Larus genei Ebro Delta
67 Mediterranean Gull Larus melanocephalus Sea Trip from Tarragona
68 Herring Gull Larus argentatus UK
69 Gull-billed Tern Sterna nilotica Balcony
70 Caspian Tern Sterna caspia Ebro Delta
71 Sandwich Tern Sterna sandvicensis Ebro Delta
72 Common Tern Sterna hirundo Ebro Delta
73 Whiskered Tern Chilidonius hybrida Ebro Delta
74 Great Skua Stercorarius skua Ebro Delta
75 Red legged Partridge Alectoris rufa Lleida
76 Pin-tailed Sandgrouse Pterocles alchata Lleida
77 Rock Dove Columbia livia Priorat
78 Stock Dove Columbia oenas Lleida
79 Woodpigeon Columba palumbas Priorat
80 Turtle Dove Streptpelia turtur Lleida
81 Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto Balcony
82 Monk Parakeet Myiopsitta monachus Balcony
83 Common Cuckoo Cuculus canorus Sebes Nature Reserve
84 Barn Owl Tyto alba Priorat
85 Eurasian Scops Owl Otus scops Local patch
86 Little Owl Athene noctua Balcony
87 Red-necked nightjar Caprimulgus ruficollis Balcony
88 Common Swift Apus apus Balcony
89 Pallid Swift Apus pallidus Tortosa
90 House martin Delichon urbicum Balcony
91 Red-rumped Swallow Cecropis daurica Balcony
92 Eurasian Crag Martin Ptyonoprogne rupestris Balcony
93 Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica Balcony
94 European Roller Coracias garrulus Lleida
95 Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis Balcony
96 European Bee-eater Merops apiaster Balcony
97 Hoopoe Upupa epops Local Patch
98 Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopus major Priorat
99 Green Woodpecker Picus viridis Local Patch
100 Southern Grey Shrike Lanius meridionalis Lleida
101 Woodchat Shrike Lanius senator Sebes Nature Reserve
102 Golden Oriole Oriolus Oriolus Local patch
103 Eurasian Jay Garrulus glandarius Local patch
104 Common Magpie Pica pica Balcony
105 Red-billed Chough Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorox Lleida
106 Jackdaw Corvus monedula Local patch
107 Rook Corvus frugilegus UK
108 Carrion Crow Corvus corone Local patch
109 Common Raven Corvus corax Ports de Beceit
110 Great Tit Parus major Local patch
111 Blue Tit Parus caeruleus Local patch
112 Coal Tit Parus ater Ports de Beceite
113 Long-tailed Tit Aegithalos caudatus Local patch
114 Thekla Lark Galerida theklae Lleida
115 Woodlark Lullula arborea Priorat
116 Skylark Alauda arvensis Priorat
117 Zitting cisticola Cisticola junidis Ebro Delta
118 Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros Local patch
119 Stonechat Saxicola torquatus Priorat
120 Black Wheatear Oenanthe leucura Lleida
121 Blue Rock Thrush Monticola solitarus Local patch
122 Pied Flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca Sebes Nature Reserve
123 House sparrow Passer domesticus Balcony
124 Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea Local patch
125 White Wagtail Motacilla alba Local patch
126 Tawny Pipit Anthus campestris Lleida
127 Water pipit Anthus spinoletta Sebes Nature Reserve
128 Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs Local patch
129 Serin Serinus serinus Local patch
130 European Greenfinch Carduelis chloris Local patch
131 Siskin Carduelis spinus Local patch
132 Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis Local patch
133 Linnet Carduelis cannabina Lleida
134 Cirl Bunting Emberiza cirlus Priorat
135 Reed bunting Emberiza schoeniclus Ebro Delta
136 Cetti’s Warbler Cettia cettia Local patch
137 Great Reed Warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus Sebes Nature Reserve
138 Sedge Warbler Acrocephalus schoenobaenus Sebes Nature Reserve
139 Reed Warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus Sebes Nature Reserve
140 Ciffchaff Phylloscopus collybita Local patch
141 Bonell’s Warbler Phylloscopus bonelli Lleida
142 Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla Local patch
143 Garden Warbler Sylvia borin Sebes Nature Reserve
144 Greater Whitethroat Sylvia communis Sebes Nature Reserve
145 Dartford Warbler Sylvia undata Lleida
146 Sardinian Warbler Sylvia melanocephala Priorat
147 Firecrest Regulus ignicapilla Local patch
148 Wren Troglodytes troglodytes Local patch
149 Short-toed Treecreeper Certhia brachydactyla Local patch
150 European Starling Sturnus vulgaris Local patch
151 Spotless Starling Sturnus unicolor Balcony
152 Blackbird Turdus merula Local patch
153 Fieldfare Turdis pilaris Local patch
154 Song Thrush Turdis philomelos Local patch
155 Mistle Thrush Turdis viscivorus Local patch
156 Robin Erithacus rubecula Local patch
157 Bluethroat Luscinia svecica Ebro Delta
158 Nightingale Luscinia megarhynchos Local patch

 

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10 Comments

  1. Carole Robinson Oliver says:
    January 2, 2012 at 2:34 pm

    Most impressive! Especially for one (me) who doesn’t know a warbler from a wobbler. And I won’t even comment on the “great tits”. But, how on earth do you get them to hold still long enough to look up the name in your birding book?! Anyway, bravo!

  2. Cristian Jensen says:
    January 2, 2012 at 2:34 pm

    Dena!!! Happy New Year and Congratulations for your Big Year! Try to repeat it this year again and beat your record!! I will do a BIG YEAR as well inside Catalonia

  3. Dena says:
    January 2, 2012 at 3:08 pm

    Thanks Cristian! Yes my aim now is to beat last years total and just to get better in identification skills. I will no doubt be going out with you again sometime this year and you can give me some help. :) Look forward to seeing your total for Catalonia . What is the number of recorded species for Catalonia?
    Have a wonderful birding year – here in Catalonia and on your trips abroad!

  4. Dena says:
    January 2, 2012 at 3:16 pm

    Thank-you Carole! Yes, it’s been quite a learning curve for me too. I think birds that we call “tits” are known as chickadees in North America. I don’t know where our term comes from but I do know you have to be careful if googling for them – especially great ones!! :)
    And the truth is – birds don’t hold still – especially the little ones, which is why you have to hone your observation skills and patience!

  5. Craig Nash says:
    January 2, 2012 at 4:29 pm

    Hi Dena

    Nice list and as you say it doesn’t matter whether you see 200 or not it’s the learning curve that matters. I only got 133 and yet the total seen by one birder in Ireland was a record 288.
    Hopefully you will have started all over again :-)
    I came across a pipit this morning and I don’t know what it is so its off to the books to try and work it out.
    Really glad I set you a challenge I’m at 70 so far this year ;-)

  6. Kiersten says:
    January 2, 2012 at 6:24 pm

    Hey Dena

    Congratulations, thats a mighty fine list for a 1st year. I havnt seen some of the birds you have on your list. Great stuff. Look forward to seeing what 2012 brings. Happy twitching ;)

  7. Dena says:
    January 2, 2012 at 6:25 pm

    Thanks Craig. Yes it was all your fault – you are to blame! hahaha! I’m glad you did though. Thoroughly enjoyed it. And now a new year and a new list! See what you started! ;)

  8. Craig Nash says:
    January 3, 2012 at 10:56 am

    Good I’m glad you are starting again. My strange Pipit was a Richard’s Pipit only the fourth record for Northern Ireland so happy days.

  9. Stewart says:
    January 8, 2012 at 9:04 pm

    Congratulations Dena! and Happy New Year!

  10. Dena says:
    January 8, 2012 at 9:26 pm

    Thanks Stewart!! I’m starting all over again now.
    How was your year?

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