Happy New Year and 60 Birds for the first day of the year

Peregrines Birding Fact: Grebes have upto 20,000 feathers to keep their bodies warm and dry as they dive for food.


1. Greenfinch
2. Brent Goose
3. Goldfinch
4. Bluetit
5. Shelduck
6. Curlew
7. Rook
8. Herring Gull
9. Oystercatcher
10. Starling
11. Blackbird
12. Hooded Crow
13. Lapwing
14. Redshank
15. Black Headed Gull
16. Magpie
17. Coal Tit
18. Robin
19. Great Tit
20. Heron
21. Cormorant
22. Goldeneye
23. Great Crested Grebe
24. Lesser Black Backed Gull
25. Chaffinch
26. Grey Wagtail
27. Bullfinch
28. Fieldfare
29. Jackdaw
30. Mistle Thrush
31. Wigeon
32. Little Grebe
33. Teal
34. Dunlin
35. Coot
36. Pintail
37. Pochard
38. Shoveler
39. Black Tailed Godwit
40. Gadwall
41. Greylag
42. Mute Swan
43. Moorhen
44. Golden Plover
45. Greenshank
46. Snipe
47. Raven
48. Buzzard
49. Common Gull
50. Twite
51. Pied Wagtail
52. Kittiwake
53. Ringed Plover
54. Turnstone
55. Great Northern Diver
56. Sandwich Tern
57. Song Thrush
58. Razorbill
59. Collared Dove
60. Goldcrest

I have been really looking forward to this morning to start the list afresh. I got up made myself some tea and toast and sat in my living room window and counted twenty seven species of bird before I had finished my tea. I then went out for about three hours in my locality and saw another thirty three so pretty pleased with day one. This is of a Kittiwake in Ardglass Harbour. This year I am also doing a photographic year list on Birdforum which I think will be quite a challenge. I am aiming for about 130 species.

Oh I almost forgot I am hosting the 40th edition of "I and the Bird" blog carnival. I and the Bird is a carnival celebrating the interaction of human and avian, an ongoing exploration of the endless fascination with birdlife all around the world. It is also a biweekly showcase of the best bird writing on the web published on alternating Thursdays. So if you write a blog about birds send your submission to me via the contact box top right of this page.