1st January 2021: Family bird race

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 Last year it was great to kick the New Year off with friends Becky and Sue and brother Andy at Pulborough then Waltham Brooks.

As we were unable to meet this year, we decided to each stay local and have our own sibling bird race in our own restricted areas.

Sue and Keith, who bumped into Mike in the morning visited Poole Park and Baiter Park, then walked across to Upton country park in the afternoon. Andy marooned in Essex visited Hornchurch Country Park and Harrow Lodge Park. Jenny and Tim walked 8 miles from home in Shoreham via Widewater beach to Brooklands park in Lancing and back.

Highlights for Sue included a lifetime tick with a White fronted Goose and the always special Avocet. 

Andy had local speciality Ring necked Parakeet and did well with winter thrushes, finding both Redwing and Fieldfare.

Jen and Tim benefited from scoping the sea and finding a Great Northern Diver, which Tim had failed to find at all in 2020. (Jen had seen one with Sue and Nip on their sisters weekend!) A mixed  flock of roosting waders also boosted their tally with Sanderling an especially good find.

The winner of the race was Andy with a total of 51 species. Jen and Tim, who perhaps shot themselves in the foot by selecting a walking route managed 46 different species and Sue and Keith were close behind with a respectable tally of 40. And I quote Sue here, who infamously managed to go a whole year without recording a Collared Dove  ‘Needless to say, I didn’t see a Collared Dove’

The collective total was 76 species. Well done everyone. Hopefully next year we will be able to meet up and travel more extensively to get the year started.

Red throated Diver

Sanderling


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