Best of the 400

So I have finally crossed the line and made the personal milestone of 400 birds seen in Britain and this has got me thinking back on a few of them and which ones I enjoyed most.

Now you’d think it would be easy just by picking the rarest but it’s not that simple. One may have been more challenging to see or ID. Maybe a particular bird took more trips and dips before I finally connected or perhaps one is chosen just because it looks great.

I might consider the particular twitch to be most memorable or it could be that the bird was the most camera friendly so bear with me while I select my favourites for all of the reasons above.

Ortolan%2B1 — Ortolan Bunting at Abberton my 400th UK tick

Black%2BDuck — Got to be included. After missing the bird on a couple of trips to Scotland I decided to book a cottage in Strontian for a week and eventually struck lucky finding it on a garden pond in April 2016

GSC6 — Great spotted Cuckoo at Portland is included as a genuine rarity and a nice twitch at a great birding site back in May 2016

Blyths%2Bpipit%2B7 — Blyths Pipit was a nice twitch down in Somerset at Blagdon Lakes back in December 2016

Added just for the rarity value is the Purple Swamphen didn’t exactly show well.

brt2 — The Blue Rock Thrush that took a while to get accepted was a bit of an urban twitch which are never my favourites but the bird was a cracker when we eventually found it.

Cliff%2BSwallow%2BMinsmere — The Cliff Swallow at Minsmere was a large twitch with a good crowd and the bird was eventually a little crowd pleaser.

Hoopoe….Included because it was a great bird and I dipped nine times before my first.

Siberian%2BAccentor%2B4 — Siberian Accentor had to be included as a great twitch and I think I’m right in saying this was a first for mainland Britain.

Night%2BHeron%2B11 — Night Heron just too confiding but great news for all holding a camera.

ROCK%2BTHRUSH%2BW — The Rock Thrush is a real contender for my best bird….It was rare, It was only two hours form home in a great scenic location and it was pretty kind to the camera as an all rounder it’s right up there.

American%2BBittern%2B2 — Another great bird from 2018. The American Bittern that spent some time in Suffolk was a good twitch. A small crowd and a long wait but eventually good views of this rarity allowing it to become one of my 400.

Snowy%2B1 — This was my second Snowy Owl with the first being at Felixstowe and viewed through a hole in a fence this second bird was a much nicer twitch although the long walk out to the far end of Snettisham tested us the reward was just fantastic.

Rustic%2BBunting%2Btwitch%2BWanstead — The Rustic Bunting twitch at Wanstead has to be included as the best local bird and when you can pop out at lunch to pick up a lifer it doesn’t get much better. (Thanks again Nick)

Ross%2527s%2BGull%2B1 — The Radipole Lake Ross’s Gull was one of my best twitches as it showed really well after a challenging morning to find it, the twitch was good and well behaved and it’s a bird I had always held high on my wish list.

Green%2BHeron%2B4 — The Green Heron in the MP’s garden in Wales was a must go for bird. A great bird with a real rarity value and again a very nice well behaved twitch.

Grey%2BCatbird%2B2 — This will be right up there with the best of the best. A great bird with extreme rarity value and although a long way to travel who wouldn’t want a day out at Lands End in Cornwall to bag a lifer.

Horned%2BLark%2B1 — This is the one that’s not yet on the list due to it not yet being split but surely it’s just a matter of time. This was at Staines reservoir so again not far from home and showed well feeding along the banks close to the causeway.

Pallid%2BSwift%2B4 — This Pallid Swift could be my luckiest life tick as I was just in the right place at the right time when it was found feeding along the cliffs at Cromer.

Capercaillie%2B1 — Caper just a magnificent bird and a real treat to watch this male as one of my 400

American%2BCoot%2B3 — American Coot in the Highlands

Harlequin%2BDuck%2B1 — Harlequin Duck in Aberdeen

Rose%2Bcoloured%2BStarling%2B4 — Rosy Starling at Wells

RB%2BShrike%2Be — Red backed Shrike at Canvey Island

Jimmy%2Band%2Bme%2Bat%2Bthe%2BHume%2527s%2BLeaf%2BWarbler%2Btwitch — Dunge

Brunnich%2527s%2BGuillemot%252C%2BPortland%2BHarbour%2BDecember%2B2013 — Brunnich’s Guillemot in Portland Harbour way back in 2013

There’s obviously a lot more but these are a few of the memorable ticks…..now where’s the next one?

Brian Anderson

Essex Birder using the blog as a diary of my trips around the country chasing birds. Enjoying the places it takes me and the people I meet along the way. Great to spend time with my Dad and brother as we chase our year lists and grow our life list in the process.

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