In 2018 I decided to get a bit more serious about my listing and for the first time I've started a 2018 Year List, a Greater Manchester List as well as a UK Life List. This has been spurred on by the fact that I've started using Bubo as my online listing tool. Much better and easier than using a spreadsheet in my opinion, although you can download your lists in spreadsheet format if required.
My current UK Life List and Greater Manchester Life List totals are now shown on the right of this page as well as at the foot of the page.
This is my UK life list of birds that I have positively identified since I began semi-serious birding in late 2009:
This is my UK life list of birds that I have positively identified since I began semi-serious birding in late 2009:
- Blackbird (Garden, Resident)
- House Sparrow (Garden, Resident)
- Robin (Garden, Resident)
- Starling (Garden, Resident)
- Collared Dove (Garden, Resident)
- Wood Pigeon (Garden, Resident)
- Magpie (Garden, Resident)
- Pied Wagtail (Tyldesley, Resident)
- Blue Tit (Garden, Resident)
- Great Tit (Garden, Resident)
- Coal Tit (Garden, Resident)
- Long-tailed Tit (Garden, Resident)
- Goldfinch (Garden, Resident)
- Song Thrush (Garden, May)
- Mistle Thrush (Astley Moss, May)
- Skylark (Cow Hill, Bolton, February)
- Grey Heron (Moses Gate, February)
- Black-headed Gull (Pennington Flash, February)
- Bullfinch (Pennington Flash, February)
- Chaffinch (Pennington Flash, February)
- Greenfinch (Pennington Flash, February)
- Willow Tit (Pennington Flash, February)
- Dunnock (Pennington Flash, February)
- Reed Bunting (Pennington Flash, February)
- Wren (Pennington Flash, February)
- Brambling (Pennington Flash, February)
- Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pennington Flash, Resident)
- Moorhen (Pennington Flash, Resident)
- Coot (Pennington Flash, Resident)
- Mallard (Pennington Flash, Resident)
- Canada Goose (Pennington Flash, Resident)
- Mute Swan (Pennington Flash, Resident)
- Wigeon (Pennington Flash, March)
- Teal (Pennington Flash, March)
- Shoveler (Pennington Flash, March)
- Tufted Duck (Pennington Flash, March)
- Gadwall (Pennington Flash, April)
- Lapwing (Pennington Flash, April)
- Little Ringed Plover (Pennington Flash, April)
- Redshank (Pennington Flash, April)
- Green Sandpiper (Pennington Flash, April)
- Cormorant (Pennington Flash, April)
- Goldeneye (Pennington Flash, April)
- Great Crested Grebe (Pennington Flash, April)
- Little Grebe (Pennington Flash, April)
- Shelduck (Pennington Flash, April)
- Greylag Goose (Pennington Flash, May)
- Kestrel (Pennington Flash, May)
- Buzzard (Astley Moss, May)
- Sandwich Tern (Anglesey, August)
- Little Egret (Anglesey, August)
- Curlew (Anglesey, August)
- Oystercatcher (Anglesey, August)
- Herring Gull (Anglesey, August)
- Common Pheasant (Astley Moss, May)
- Red-legged Partridge (Astley Moss, May)
- Swallow (Astley Moss, May)
- Jackdaw (Anglesey, May)
- Common Tern (Pennington Flash, May)
- Yellowhammer (Astley Moss, May)
- Wheatear (Astley Moss, May)
- Whimbrel (Astley Moss, May)
- Little Owl (Moss Lane, May)
- Cuckoo (Astley Moss, May)
- Stock Dove (Pennington Flash, May)
- Black-tailed Godwit (Lightshaw Flash, May)
- Meadow Pipit (Lightshaw Flash, May)
- Swift (Astley Moss, May)
- Carrion Crow (Astley Moss, Resident)
- Hobby (Astley Moss, May)
- Guillemot (Anglesey, June)
- Razorbill (Anglesey, June)
- Chough (Anglesey, June)
- Whitethroat (North Wales, June)
- Jay (Pennington Flash, June)
- Common Snipe (Horrocks Flash, August)
- Nuthatch (Pennington Flash, October)
- Black-necked Grebe (Juvenile, Pennington Flash, October)
- Common Scoter (Pennington Flash, October)
- Pochard (Pennington Flash, October)
- Ruddy Duck (Pennington Flash, October)
- Sparrowhawk (Astley Moss, October)
- Fieldfare (Astley Moss, October)
- Redwing (Pennington Flash, October)
- Grey Wagtail (Pennington Flash, October)
- Goosander (Pennington Flash, October)
- Tree Sparrow (Astley Moss, November)
- Pied-billed Grebe (Hollingworth Lake, November) - Mega!
- Waxwing (Horwich, November)
- Smew (Clifton Marina, January)
- Kingfisher (Pennington Flash, January)
- Siskin (Pennington Flash, January)
- Dipper (Middlebrook Trail, Deane, February)
- Avocet (Marshside, Southport, March)
- Pintail (Marshside, Southport, March)
- Golden Plover (Marshside, March)
- Marsh Harrier (Chat Moss, March)
- Whooper Swan (Chat Moss, March)
- Treecreeper (Rindle Wood, March)
- Sand Martin (Pennington Flash, March)
- Chiffchaff (Lilford Park, March)
- Blackcap (Pennington Flash, April)
- White Wagtail (Pennington Flash, April)
- Lesser Black-backed Gull (Pennington Flash, April)
- Ring Ouzel (Astley Moss)
- Willow Warbler (Astley Moss)
- Common Sandpiper (Pennington Flash, April)
- Common Gull (Pennington Flash, November)
- Bittern (Leighton Moss RSPB, Lancashire, November)
- Spotted Redshank (Leighton Moss RSPB, Lancashire, November)
- Great Black-backed Gull (Kinmel Bay, North Wales, November)
- Snow Bunting (Kinmel Bay, North Wales, November)
- Turnstone (Menai Straits, Anglesey, November)
- Ringed Plover (Menai Straits, Anglesey, November)
- Rock Pipit (Menai Straits, Anglesey, November)
- Brent Goose (Penrhos Nature Reserve, Anglesey, November)
- Pink-footed Goose (Marshside, November)
- Long-eared Owl (Marton Mere, January)
- Great White Egret (Parkgate, Wirral, January)
- Hen Harrier (Parkgate, Wirral, January)
- Eider Duck (Fleetwood, January)
- Short-eared Owl (Highfield Moss, Lowton, January)
- Linnet (Highfield Moss, Lowton, January)
- Mandarin Duck (Worthington Lakes, January)
- Rook (Worthington Lakes, January)
- Glossy Ibis (Leighton Moss RSPB, February)
- Marsh Tit (Leighton Moss RSPB, February)
- Peregrine Falcon (Moss Bank Park, Bolton, Lancashire, February)
- Tawny Owl (Moore Nature Reserve, Warrington, February)
- Red-breasted Merganser (Spinnies Nature Reserve, Bangor, February)
- Tundra Bean Goose (Spinnies Nature Reserve, Bangor, February)
- Stonechat (Point Lynas, Anglesey, February)
- Shag (Point Lynas, Anglesey, February)
- Barn Owl (Sefton Meadows, Liverpool, February)
- Muscovy Duck (Feral, Pennington Flash, March)
- Spoonbill (Parkgate, Wirral, March)
- Mediterranean Gull (Pennington Flash, March)
- Raven (Warton Quarry, March)
- Green Woodpecker (Dunham Massey, April)
- Reed Warbler (Pennington Flash, April)
- Little Gull (Woolston Eyes, April)
- House Martin (Marshside RSPB, Southport, May)
- Ringed-neck Parakeet (Kew Gardens, London, May)
- Yellow Wagtail (Rindle Road, May)
- Puffin (Bempton Cliffs, May)
- Gannet (Bempton Cliffs, May)
- Kittiwake (Bempton Cliffs, May)
- Fulmar (Bempton Cliffs, May)
- Red Kite (Long Mynd, Shropshire, May)
- Knot (Pennington Flash, September)
- Greenshank (Pennington Flash, September)
- Dunlin (Marshside RSPB, September)
- Cetti's Warbler (Leighton Moss RSPB, October)
- Bearded Tit (Leighton Moss, RSPB, October)
- Merlin (Hesketh Out Marsh RSPB, October)
- Sanderling (Ainsdale Beach, October)
- Red-throated Diver (Bempton Cliffs, October)
- Bar-tailed Godwit (Ainsdale Beach, October)
- Goldcrest (Garden, November)
- Harris Hawk (escapee, Heaton Park, November)
- Water Rail (Mere Sands Wood, November)
- Woodcock (Risley Moss, December)
- Hawfinch (Llanbedr-y-Cynnan, January) - distant
- Redpoll (Conwy RSPB, January)
- Black Guillemot (Holyhead Harbour, February)
- Great Northern Diver (Holyhead Inland Sea, February)
- Slavonian Grebe (Beddmanarch Bay, February)
- Barnacle Goose (Caerlaverock, February)
- Scaup (Loch Ryan, February)
- Ruff (Martin Mere, March)
- Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (Moore, March)
- Black Swan (Marbury Country Park, March)
- Grey Partridge (Rindle Road Cottages April)
- Grey Plover (Ainsdale Beach, April)
- Sedge Warbler (Doffcocker Lodge, May)
- Red-crested Pochard - possible escapee (Lyme Park, May)
- Pied Flycatcher (Lyme Park, May)
- Garganey (Pennington Flash, May)
- Black Tern (Pennington Flash, May)
- Spotted Flycatcher (Bagnoles de L'Orne, July) - Non UK - now seen in Scotland
- Redstart (Bagnoles de L'Orne, July) - Non UK - now seen at Bolton Abbey
- Lesser Scaup (Pennington Flash, September)
- Pectoral Sandpiper (Rumworth Lodge, September)
- Great Grey Shrike (Astley Moss, October)
- Long-tailed Duck (Leighton Moss RSPB, November)
- Purple Sandpiper (New Brighton, November)
- Red Grouse (Winter Hill, November)
- Ross's Goose - possible escapee (Marshside, January)
- Black Grouse (World's End, March)
- Two-barred Crossbill (Binn Green, April)
- Corn Bunting (Glazebury, April)
- Dotterel (Pendle Hill, May)
- Little Bittern (Elton Reservoir, May)
- Rock Dove (Bempton Cliffs RSPB, May)
- Red-necked Grebe (Frodsham, June)
- Little Tern (Gronant, June)
- Arctic Tern (Cemlyn Bay, April)
- Bar-headed Goose - escapee (Conwy RSPB, June)
- Osprey (Norton Marsh, Warrington, July)
- Cattle Egret (Burton Mere Wetlands, September)
- Red-necked Phalarope (Burton Mere Wetlands - Inner Marsh Farm, September)
- Little Stint (Burton Mere Wetlands - Inner Marsh Farm, September) - no photo
- Curlew Sandpiper (Burton Mere Wetlands - Inner Marsh Farm, September)
- Whinchat (Burton Mere Wetlands - Inner Marsh Farm, September)
- Shore Lark (Rossall Point, Fleetwood, December)
- Twite (Knott End, January)
- Bewick's Swan (Marsh Lane near Hesketh Out Marsh, January)
- Laughing Gull (New Brighton Marina, February)
- Iceland Gull (Oban, April)
- Hooded Crow (Oban, April)
- Corncrake (Carr Lane, Hale, June)
- Red-footed Falcon (Chatterley Whitfield, Staffs, July)
- Montagu's Harrier (Blacktoft Sands RSPB, Goole) - very distant, not a great view
- Sabine's Gull (Pennington Flash, Leigh, August)
- Ring-billed Gull (Preston Marina, August)
- Yellow-legged Gull juvenile (Preston Marina, August)
- Wood Sandpiper (Little Woolden Moss, September)
- Crested Tit (Loch Garten, March)
- Golden Eagle (Findhorn Valley, March) - distant
- Ptarmigan (Cairngorms, March)
- Crossbill (Birkdale LNR, April)
- Kentish Plover (Audenshaw Reservoirs, April)
- Wood Warbler (White Coppice, May)
- Arctic Skua (Chanonry Point, Scotland, July)
- Great Skua (Bempton Cliffs, July)
- White-winged Black Tern (High Rid Reservoir, Bolton, September)
- Black Redstart (Great Orme, October)
- Booted Warbler (Great Orme, October)
- Siberian Accentor (Easington near Spurn, October) - Mega!
- Isabelline Wheatear (Easington near Spurn, October)
- Firecrest (Kilnsea, Spurn, October) - poor photo
- American Wigeon (Leighton Moss, October)
- Black-throated Thrush (St. Asaph, December)
- Dusky Thrush (Beeley, Derbyshire, January)
- Eastern Black Redstart (Skinningrove, North Yorkshire, February) - Subspecies or race
- 'Black Brant' Brent Goose (Kilnseas, Spurn, February) - Subspecies or race
- Pallid Harrier (Welwick Marsh, near Spurn, February)
- Bluethroat (Willow Tree Fen, Lincolnshire, February)
- Glaucous Gull (Winterton-on-Sea, February)
- Crane (Hickling Broad, February)
- Egyptian Goose (Hickling Broad, February)
- Pine Bunting (Dunnington, near York, March) - poor photo
- Goshawk (Wykeham Raptor Viewpoint, March) - poor photo
- Blue Rock Thrush (Stow-on-the-Wold, March)
- Eurasian White-fronted Goose (Slimbridge WWT, March)
- White-tailed Eagle (Mull, March)
- Black-crowned Night Heron (Shrewsbury, May)
- Grasshopper Warbler (Bickershaw, May)
- Bee-eater (East Leake, Notts, May)
- Nightjar, (Budby, Notts, May)
- Caspian Tern (St. Aidan's RSPB, July)
- Purple Heron (Leighton Moss RSPB, August)
- Leach's Petrel (New Brighton,Wirral, September) - distant
- Red-breasted Flycatcher (Kilnsea, Spurn, October)
- Red-backed Shrike (Easington, Spurn, October) - brief, better at Sutton Park NNR
- Long-billed Dowitcher (Banks Marsh, October) - distant
- Desert Wheatear (Whitby, January)
- Parrot Crossbill (Howden Reservoir, Derbyshire, January)
- Caspian Gull (Pennington Flash, January) - poor photo
- Spotted Sandpiper (Holme Pierrepont, Nottinghamshire, February)
- Turtle Dove (Knott End-on-Sea, February)
- American Horned Lark (Staines Reservoirs, February) - currently a subspecies or race
- Water Pipit (Oare Marshes, Kent, February)
- Yellow-browed Warbler (Wombwell Ings, March)
- Green-winged Teal (North Cave Wetlands, March)
- Nightingale (May, Cliffe Pools RSPB, Kent, May)
- Dartford Warbler (Thursley Common, Sussex, May)
- Temminck's Stint (Pennington Flash, Leigh, May) - poor photo
- Honey Buzzard (Wykeham Raptor Viewpoint, Yorkshire, June)
- Tree Pipit (Wykeham Raptor Viewpoint, Yorkshire, June)
- Manx Shearwater (Liverpool Bay, July)
- Bonaparte's Gull (Wirral, August) - mainly just a head view, asleep most of the time
- Pomarine Skua (South Gare, Cleveland, September)
- Spotted Crake (Burton Mere Wetlands RSPB, September)
- Rose-coloured Starling (Timperley, October)
- Pallas's Warbler (Easington, near Spurn, October)
- Pied Wheatear (Meols, Wirral, November)
- Velvet Scoter (High Rid, Bolton, November)
- Blyth's Reed Warbler (Hope Carr NR, Leigh, February)
- Cape Shelduck (RSPB Snettisham, Norfolk, February) - escapee
- Ring-necked Duck (Llyn Bran, North Wales, March)
- Stilt Sandpiper (Lunt Meadows, Sefton, May) - poor photo
- Savi's Warbler (Cors Ddyga, Anglesey, July) - heard, may be a fleeting glimpse
- Roseate Tern (Coquet Island, Northumberland, July)
- Little Bustard (Methley, West Yorkshire, August) - distant, hazy view but clear enough
- Eastern Black-eared Wheatear (Fluke Hall, Pilling, September)
- American Golden Plover (Lunt Meadows LWT, September) - poor photo
- Red-eyed Vireo (Easington, near Spurn, October) - my photo was featured in BBC Springwatch
- Lapland Bunting (Great Orme, North Wales, November)
- Hume's Leaf Warbler (Bempton Cliffs RSPB, November) - my photo was featured in British Birds
- Lammergeier (Crowden, Derbyshire, August) - not yet tickable
- Wryneck (Horwich, Bolton, August)
- Hoopoe (Collingham, West Yorkshire, October)
- Black-browed Albatross (Bempton Cliffs RSPB, July)
- Elegant Tern (Cemlyn Bay, Anglesey, July)
- White-tailed Lapwing (Blacktoft Sands RSPB, September) - enamel badge made
- Long-toed Stint (St. Aidan's RSPB, October)
- Belted Kingfisher (Roach Bridge, Lancashire, December)
- Baikal Teal (Swine Moor, East Yorkshire, March)
- Black-winged Stilt (Marshside RSPB, April)
- Turkestan or Red-tailed Shrike (Bempton Cliffs RSPB, August)
- Lesser Yellowlegs (Marshside RSPB, October)
- Alpine Swift (Elton Reservoir, April)
- Garden Warbler (Pennington Flash, May)
- Brown Booby (South Gare, September)
- Richardson's Cackling Goose (Lunt Meadows, January)
- Black-winged Pratincole (Finningley, July)
- Bridled Tern (Coquet Island, June)
- American Black Tern (Long Nanny, June)
- Greater Sand Plover (Newbiggin-by-the-Sea, July)
My UK life total as of July2024 - 307 species
(including subspecies but excluding escapees)
Target Species for 2022/23: (Red means seen but not good view)
- Goshawk - need better view
- Tree Pipit - need better view
- Water Pipit - need better view
- Storm Petrel
- Leach's Petrel - need better view
- Nightingale - need better view
- Surf Scoter
- Firecrest - need better view
- Rose-coloured Starling - need an adult in plumage
- King Eider
- Red Backed Shrike
Plossible places to visit in 2019/20:
- RSPB Lakenheath - done very quickly
- RSPB Strumshaw Fen
- RSPB Ouse Washes
- Horn Mill Farm Trout Farm Osprey Hide, Rutland - done once, rather unsuccessfully
- Bassenthwaite / Esthwaite Lakes - Osprey
- Arne WWT
- Welney Marshes WWT
- Skomer
- The Outer Hebrides - the Uists - done
- Skye
- The Shetland Isles
- Orkney
- Scilly
- Islay - a quick visit in September 2020 but not much birding done
