I've been birding for over 21 years now, and despite having a number of superb sightings and rare birds, the three that are on my top list of most wanted may be suprising include:
1. Storm petrel 2. Leach's petrel 3. Little auk
This is largely because I've never been in the right place at the right time or had an opportunity to visit places where they are due to circumstances or working.
Aside from these, the other top on my life list of scarce birds I still need include:
Would be happy with any of the folllowing:
Seen Abroad but not in the UK
- Honey Buzzard
- Rough-legged Buzzard
- Montague's Harrier
- Nutcracker
Not seen anywhere
- Red-flanked Bluetail
- Red-breasted Flycatcher
- Siberian Ruby throat
- Storm Petrel
- Snowy Owl
- Wallcreeper
- 2-barred Crossbill
As my GM list is quite paltry, there are tons more modest birds that I could be focusing on seeing locally, then I might not be a "new entry" right at the bottom of the GM charts!
Your comments struck a chord with me. Would I qualify for a free pass?
Also - Wallcreeper still niggles!
In the late 1970s I was still an active though fairly junior member in the Merseyside Ringing Group. The leading lights of that august body made no secret of their supposed contempt for twitching and though I should have loved to go down to the Cheddar Gorge for the wintering Wallcreeper there I didnt make any effort. It was only belatedly that I discovered that a few of them had crept off (wearing invisibility cloaks) to see that bird.
I did eventually go to see it to find that it had departed - long gone in fact. So Wallcreeper in Britain is top of my own wish list. The other would be the wonderful Long-billed Murrelet (which I have never seen anywhere) and which turned up when I and my usual travelling pals were out of the country. The photos of that bird were said to be arguably the best ever taken of the species and from time to time I re-read the Birding World article to relive the story and perhaps dream a little that I really had been there.
Cheers,
Mike P.
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Challenges are inevitable, but failure is optional.
Dipped one in Dorset many years ago with John Rayner. Worst dip ever.
Did see one in Nepal again with JR and will never forget how the sun lit up the throat. Easiest one still needed on my British list is probably Corys Shearwater.
Three ticks last year. Belted Kingfisher, BB albatross and LT stint. I have a decent list but will never make the magical 500. I just keep ticking over! I now only twitch when it suits and the bird is not too far. Too old for long overnight drives now. Been there done that and thoroughly enjoyed it although I would still go for a rubythroat!
Cant beat local birding and getting some decent photos.
Just six for me, two of which are doable Lapland Bunting, saw one six hundred yards away which is not really a tick for me and a bloody Wryneck, we missed the one at Horwich by arriving to late and leaving too early..........argh
Then the impossible.......in no particular order
Corncrake
Spotted Crake
Montagu's Harrier
Snowy Owl
Cath says she would be happy with a Jack Snipe though.
All the above appeared in my first Ladybird books about birds and my first real bird book "Observers" series which have been worked through. Fishing has helped my tick list
Was thinking about this just the other day. I have a slightly different take to the gents below, which probably speaks of having been birding a much shorter time. I find I'm actually more after commoner things that I always seem to miss, so my current one is Little Bunting. Don't ask me why but this is the first bird I think of in October now. There is something about the chance that the lbj that just flew up could be one of them and not just another Reed Bunting. A similar one is Greenish Warbler, somehow when they get a few in at Spurn or Flamborough it's always on a Tuesday, never seems to land on the weekend...
Having said that, the Long-toed Stint that I was lucky enough to see definitely revved me up for a couple of waders. Actually as we left Manchester to go for that bird I believed we were after a Least Sandpiper, because I hadn't seen the updated ID, so in fact that is a species I would love to pick up. The other one I really fancy is Broad-billed Sandpiper, which obviously some guys will have for GM, never mind UK!
So nothing as exotic as a Lammergeier or Belted Kingfisher, but in another 20 years I expect something like that will be gnawing away at me...
Always regarded myself as a patch birder who did the odd twitch. Started doing twitches on a more regular basis following early retirement in 2015 but, like Mike, I can be quite selective and not necessarily on distance. Over the last five years, I have averaged around ten new British ticks per year and I could probably list at least ten birds that I would still like to add to my list. Two favourites, though, would have to be :-
1) Snowy Owl 2) White-billed Diver
I have always been drawn to the north and both these birds fit the bill (pun intended) perfectly, being breeders either side of the Arctic Circle. I have never twitched either but should have gone for the Lincolnshire WbD, south east of Lincoln a few years ago as our son, at that time, lived only a couple of miles from the River Witham, where the bird turned up.
To be honest Mike - I have loads!! Considering I have been birding for XX years (I'll let everyone fill in the blanks) my life list is quite low. I don't think this is due to lack of effort, more that I don't really twitch anything. My most serious bout of twitching was when I realised my GM list was in the 190's and I wanted to get it to 200. Apart from visits to Spurn for a week at time once or twice a year, my birding is usually local, day trips to places where I think I might find something for myself, or trips to places where I will just see a good variety. They rarely include a twitch! Case in point, I drove past the Long-toed Stint twice on my way to and from Spurn in autumn and I didn't go for the Belted Kingfisher. Both remain as gaps on my list. I have managed to tick off a few bogey birds recently. Dotterel on Pendle Hill in spring last year was possibly my biggest remaining bogey bird. However to get back you your question...
1. Lammergeier - I didn't go for the one in the Peak District. I should have done. I wanted to, but things just got in the way. I believe it was an incredible sight.
2. Black-faced Bunting - When the one turned up at Pennington birding was playing second fiddle to fishing ( I did 4/5 years as a pretty serious match angler) and weekends during winter and spring were spent drowning maggots (or usually bloodworms) on the Lancaster Canal and Bridgewater Canal. I don't think I'll ever forgive myself for not going to see that one.
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No one on their death bed ever said they wished they'd spent more time at work. http://bitsnbirds.blogspot.co.uk
We all have bogey birds to greater or lesser degree (especially those of us who keep a British List) - some take it more seriously than others whereas others (like myself) are more inclined to be selective about how far they are prepared to go for just another tick and often just cant be bothered or perhaps are too busy doing other things.
Looking back however there are species that I should love to catch up with (especially on the mainland) should another chance present itself.
So- do we have any takers and if so what two species would you most love to see in GB please, - and why?
Cheers,
Mike P.
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Challenges are inevitable, but failure is optional.
as I dont like long Twitches nowadays and what a way of putting GM back on the Map, 
