It's not all about the numbers buuuut . ..
Like so many others I like to keep lists. I find it helps focus the birding, giving me something to aim for even when it's slow going. Unlike Matt Phelps describes in his excellent recent article I've never found it too much of an issue missing out when others see more than me (my main cause of birding blues revolves around rarity and scarcity descriptions and panels, but that's something for another time), but with Barton as a patch that's rarely an issue!
At the start of March my patch year list was a little bit short of where last year's was at the same time, and not for want of effort. But March, whilst also providing some often very pleasant birding, has seen the year ticks come pretty regularly.
Black-tailed Godwit and Pintail were added on 2nd, then a lovely pair of Red Kites drifted through on 5th (I often leave, out of necessity, too early to expect many raptors so they're all even better value than usual there). Then on 8th five were added during an excellent seawatch.
Sandwich Tern the next day (which is still the only one I've seen this year, over two weeks later) was followed on 10th by a flock of seven Ravens, which headed out towards the Isle of Wight.
Which made for an excellent ten additions in just nine days. But it was to be another week before the list increased further. Species number 96, was, however, what every year is the single most anticipated bird - little in birding gets me as excited as the year's first Wheatear (the one pictured at the start of the post). Rather unusual that it was a female, the first is almost invariably a male.
The next day, the 18th, saw Grey Heron finally make it onto the list; it's one that really should've been seen weeks before!
Then, after a weekend break in Dorset (with Mrs K, so not birding) it was back to business on 22nd, with two excellent species during a productive seawatch in southeasterlies, the best wind direction for seawatching in Hampshire in spring, but seemingly the least likely direction for the wind to blow from.
Firstly a group of three Velvet Scoter tagging on the back of a flock of Commons (they nearly always seem to tag on the back I find), and then the very eagerly anticipated (in view of how many had been seen elsewhere in preceding days) Garganey, with a drake lurking in a flock of Brent Geese.
Which left me poised tantalisingly on 99.
Nothing new yesterday, but some good gull passage to keep me amused, and then I was back out at dawn this morning, still wondering what would be number 100, and how much longer I'd have to wait? Blackcap and Sand Martin seemed the likeliest candidates, or maybe something over the sea, where there are still some glaring omissions? But I had one particular species that I hoped it would be.
This morning was actually pretty quiet, with little in the way of movement, although two Wheatears included my first male of the year.
The last job on my regular circuit (which isn't much of a circuit, more a straight line there and back with the occasional detour) is always to scan the undercliff from the clifftop. And I generally scan with one species in mind. And when that species is the one you especially want for the 100th of the year you prepare to scan a little harder.
Except I didn't have to, because there, out in the open, it was.
Quite a tricky bird to connect with away from its few wintering sites (and even then often elusive) in Hants, and a quality one anywhere in my opinion.
In terms of the year list, and especially with hopes to score better than last year's 153, a very important one because, as with the previous two species, it's one I missed last year.
Oh, and I've got to 100 nine days earlier than last year too.
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