Wednesday 1 May 2019

Year list update as we go into May

So I've made no secret that this year I'd like to beat my year list record which sits at a modest 286
Trust me that's not as easy as it sounds and I take my hat off to the guys that get those 300 plus totals each year....that's some real dedication, financial outlay and probably a little more compulsive than even my own commitment allows and borders on obsessive at times.

So I sit here at the end of April on 235 better than any previous April total by some 18 birds and you'd think in a good place for the challenge but my best ever May total was 248 so I still need 13 to achieve that.
I have a few givens in as much as I plan a trip to Wales in May which will help with a few of the below list.

SWIFT
HOBBY
GARDEN WARBLER
PUFFIN
MANX SHEARWATER
PIED FLYCATCHER
WHINCHAT
BLACK TERN
WOOD WARBLER
LITTLE TERN
TURTLE DOVE

So 11 plus 235 leaves me still 2 short of my best May total so there's going to need to be a couple of vagrants or rarer ticks added in....

Targets might include........
Cirl Bunting if I fancy the four hour drive down to Devon
Montagues Harrier if I'm lucky
Bluethroat, Hoopoe, Greater Spotted Cuckoo, Baikal Teal or Glossy Ibis
and of course there's always the chance of  a lifer as I've added two in April with Ortolan Bunting and White winged Scoter.

Anyway let the fun begin and here's hoping for a decent May for the UK birding scene.

 One of my best encounters with a Hobby 


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