Two life ticks… and I’m celebrating my highest day list ever (even without the “heard”) :- )

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We met up with Derek today and headed off to Walmsley (where we also met Pat and Les). It was a good start to the day and Walmsley is a favorite of mine. It is one of the most relaxing places to watch birds and enjoy a chat without spooking the birds in the process! We went for a short walk with Derek afterwards and then off on our own this afternoon, when I was lucky enough to get some shots of Kestrel & Wheatear and we met a very nice French family who were enjoying the English weather (which I can confirm was extremely windy at Trevose Head this afternoon and apart from the French visitors, us and a couple of young lovers, was desolate!).

With THANKS to Derek’s experienced ID’ing skills, we had two life ticks this morning.

1. Little Grebe
2. Fulmar
3. Cormorant
4. Shag
5. Gannet
6. Little Egret
7. Grey Heron
8. Mute Swan
9. Canada Goose
10. Mallard
11. Teal
12. Buzzard
13. Sparrowhawk
14. Kestrel
15. Red Legged Partridge (heard and ID’d by Derek)
16. Moorhen
17. Coot
18. Ringed Plover
19. Oystercatcher
20. Black Tailed Godwit
21. Bar Tailed Godwit
22. Sanderling
23. Dunlin
24. Knot
25. Green Sandpiper (life tick for Trevor & Myself)
26. Common Sandpiper
27. Curlew Sandpiper (life tick for Trevor & Myself)
28. Greenshank
29. Curlew
30. Whimbrel
31. Snipe
32. Black Headed Gull
33. Mediterranean Gull
34. Herring Gull
35. Lesser Black Backed Gull
36. Great Black Backed Gull
37. Sandwich Tern
38. Woodpigeon
39. Collared Dove
40. Stock Dove (I don’t think I will ever get the hang of ID’ing these in flight)
41. Sand Martin (or these!)
42. Swallow
43. House Martin
44. Rock Pipit
45. Pied Wagtail
46. Yellow Wagtail (heard and ID’d by Derek)
47. Wren (heard)
48. Dunnock
49. Robin
50. Wheatear (I was lucky on this one)
51. Blackbird
52. Sedge Warbler
53. Chiffchaff (heard and ID’d by Derek)
54. Great Tit
55. Blue Tit
56. Coal Tit
57. Magpie
58. Jackdaw
59. Rook
60. Carrion Crow
61. Starling
62. House Sparrow
63. Chaffinch
64. Goldfinch
65. Greenfinch

Bullfinch (heard by Derek only so I have not counted it in my day list)