Here’s an opportunity for you to win a copy of David Cobham’s book on raptors (reviewed here). It’s a good book and this is a test of your luck and a little bit of your ornithological nous.
In the Indian summer of the last few days I have made five morning visits to my local patch at Stanwick Lakes. All have been over the same route at the same time of day and in the same weather conditions. I’ve seen or heard 73 species of birds altogether, though the most on any one visit was 57 species.
Of the 73 species I recorded, 33 of them on all five visits, 9 on four visits, 8 each thrice and twice and 15 species were seen only once.
Here’s the list of species seen:
Mute Swan
Greylag Goose
Canada Goose
Wigeon
Gadwall
Teal
Mallard
Shoveler
Pochard
Tufted Duck
Pheasant
Cormorant
Little Egret
Grey Heron
Great Crested Grebe
Red Kite
Sparrowhawk
Buzzard
Moorhen
Coot
Lapwing
Little Ringed Plover
Common Sandpiper
Green Sandpiper
Snipe
Common Tern
Black-headed Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Stock Dove
Woodpigeon
Kingfisher
Green Woodpecker
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Kestrel
Peregrine
Magpie
Jay
Jackdaw
Rook
Carrion Crow
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Sand Martin
Swallow
Cetti’s Warbler
Long-tailed Tit
Chiffchaff
Willow Warbler
Blackcap
Lesser Whitethroat
Whitethroat
Sedge Warbler
Reed Warbler
Treecreeper
Wren
Starling
Blackbird
Song Thrush
Spotted Flycatcher
Robin
Whinchat
Dunnock
Grey Wagtail
Pied Wagtail
Meadow Pipit
Chaffinch
Bullfinch
Greenfinch
Linnet
Goldfinch
Reed Bunting
So, your task, should you choose to accept it, is to select 5 species that you think I saw on each visit and 5 species that you think I saw on just one visit and post your selections as a comment on this blog (not Twitter, not an email to me, but as a comment here). The book will go to the person with the most correct answers. In the event of a tie then the person with the most of the ‘once seen’ species will be judged to have won. And in the event that there is still a tie, then the answer posted here first will be the winner. One attempt per email address (so if you have several email addresses you can enter several times). Entries close at midday on Thursday 18 September. Answers will be posted on Friday 19 September. My decision is final.
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Seen each visit – magpie, starling, blackbird, carrion crow, blue tit.
Seen once – peregrine, cetti’s warbler, spotted flycatcher, whinchat, green sandpiper
jon- thanks for being the first. Hope you enjoyed the challenge.
Enjoyed the challenge, only been to SL twice, not good on birds especially wetland / water birds. Do know George who manages SL but didn’t ask him for advice.
Each visit Mallard Coot Blackbird Robin and Chaffinch
mmmm more difficult
Green Sandpiper Kingfisher Kestrel Cettis Warbler and Meadow Pipit
Totally wrong I am sure but I tried 🙂
Valerie – not totally wrong at all and thank you for joining in!
The ones I think you did see each time are Starling, Chiffchaffs, Blue Tit, Jackdaw, Mallard.
The ones only seen once I think are Little Ringed Plover, Cetti’s Warbler, Spotted Flycatcher, Lesser White Throat and Whinchat.
And the best bird…….was it the Linnet?
Seen every visit: Moorhen, magpie, wood pigeon, Canada goose, carrion crow.
Seen once: Red kite, green sandpiper, peregrine, reed warbler, kingfisher.
Thanks Mark. That got the grey matter working. Probably completely wrong but was fun nonetheless.
Hayley – many thanks.
I’m not familiar with the area but…….
every day my guesses are: wood pigeon, chaffinch,mallard, dunnock, blackheaded gull
Seen only once : snipe, peregrine falcon,little ringed plover, cetti’s warbler,grey wagtail,whinchat
Cheers 🙂
Steve – many thanks!
Every Day you saw
Mute Swan
Greylag Goose
Canada Goose
Mallard
Black headed Gull
You only saw these once
Peregrine
Whinchat
Lesser Whitethroat
Great Black-backed Gull
Cetti’s Warbler but heard it several times
I had my first Common Whitethroat in the garden for the year yesterday. rare bird up here!
John – thanks for taking part.
Great fun, thanks Mark.
Every visit: Mute Swan, Mallard, Coot, Moorhen, Woodpigeon.
Only Once: Sparrowhawk, Peregrine, Reed Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Spotted Flycatcher.
ross – glad you thought it fun. Thanks for having a go.
Here is my second go with my second email address. Got to cover all bases!
Every visit: Blue Tit, Mallard, Coot, Moorhen, Woodpigeon.
Only once: Sparrowhawk, Bullfinch, Kingfisher, Jay, Sedge Warbler.
Every Visit
Goldfinch
Mute Swan
Canada Goose
Mallard
Wood Pigeon
Seen Once
Lesser Whitethroat
Cetti’s Warbler
Red Kite
Little Ringed Plover
Spotted Flycatcher
Sounds like a great weeks birding. Some nice late Warblers.
common: mallard, coot, woodpigeon, blue tit, robin
uncommon: stock dove, sand martin, treecreeper, meadow pipit and bullfinch
lee- many thanks for having a go.
Well worth a go, for a book on my Birthday pressie list – but I admit I do not know the area or where it is, at all.
Every visit: Mallard, wood pigeon, jackdaw, blue tit, swallow.
One visit: little ringed plover, green sandpiper, peregrine, bullfinch,lesser whitethroat.
Mark W – i don’t think that lack of knowledge of the site is a great disadvantage. the list of species seen overall tells any bitder quite a lot about it> thanks for having a go.
I’ll hazard a guess at
every day:
Mute swan, mallard, coot, grey heron, great tit
Only once
Spotted Flycatcher, Whinchat, Green Sandpiper, Snipe, Great Black Backed Gull.
There are quite a few things that you could easily have seen only once or every time!
Jonathan – thank you. Indeed, there are. And that is one of the things that makes birdwatching, and nature-watching genereally, so much fun.
My logic may well be totally wrong but by the way recorded, seen and heard are used in the blog and question, I’m assuming that the 15 species seen once means just that – anything heard on another day would go down as having been recorded on two days, three days, etc.
So I assume the seen every day would tend to be big and visible and I’ll go with Mute swan, Greylag goose, Canada goose, Mallard and Black-headed gull (same as John Miles).
Seen once would need to be relatively uncommon, unobtrusive and quiet – Sparrowhawk, Treecreeper, Spotted flycatcher, Whinchat, Dunnock
Of course, my reasoning could be utter bilge!
Stuart – many thanks!
oooh this is fun!
Seen every time – Mute swan, mallard, grey heron, starling, robin
Seen once – Green sandpiper, Cetti’s warbler, whinchat, spotted flycatcher, treecreeper
Sounds like a great patch to go birding 🙂
Anne – thank you. It’s a good patch – but then you see some good birds I notice, near you. Happy birding!
Seen every day – woodpigeon, Canada goose, black-headed gull, lesser black-back gull, great crested grebe, cormorant.
Seen once – spotted flycatcher, little ringed plover, lesser whitethroat, whinchat, reed warbler.
I decided to take a few risks here because I compared with my local patch and you are much further south Mark. Hard choice for the 5 ‘seen once’ because sedge and reed warblers are both long gone up here so you could be getting passage birds or late breeding birds, green sandpiper can settle for some time (we have had daily records for more than two until today). Spotted flycatcher, lesser whitethroat and little ringed plover have also mostly moved through recently as have whinchats but they can be sporadic, short-stayers here anyway. You are near enough to red kite sites to be better than once but probably not a ‘gimme’ on a daily basis (ditto little egret). We are also at the front edge of the meadow pipit movement here but there have been odd birds prior to a bigger movement as a I write this.
This is fun. Definitely gets your mind working. My husbands just told me all about it,now I’m going to give it a go.Will I beat him?!
Daily seen,woodpigeon,mallard,mute swan,gadwall,teal
Once seen,bullfinch,lesser whitethroat,peregrine,wren,spotted flycatcher
Jennifer – I’m glad you think it’s fun. I wonder who will ‘win’ in your household?
Seen every time:
Magpie
Carrion crow
Blackbird
Great crested grebe
Wood pigeon
Seen only once:
Little egret
Snipe
Kingfisher
Great spotted woodpecker
Tree creeper
Hannah – thank you for your attempt.
Very good quiz Mark, this certainly got me thinking.
For the five you’ve seen every time i’m going for four relatively common and easy to see: mallard, mute swan, moorhen and swallow. I’m thinking outside the box for number five; i’m going for whinchat, because it’s that time of year.
For the five you’ve seen once i’m going for: spotted flycatcher, peregrine, red kite, snipe and cetti’s warbler.
🙂
Michael – thank you. I’m glad it got you thinking – that was the idea!
Seen every visit:
Magpie
Canada goose
Mute swan
Mallard
Wood pigeon
Seen only once:
Snipe
Whinchat
Reed bunting
Peregrine
Cetti’s warbler
Rob – thank you!
How wonderful that you can walk in your local patch and see so many bird species!
Here are my guesses.
5 seen every time:
Mallard
Black headed gull
Robin
Canada Goose
Starling
5 seen once:
Swallow
Lapwing
Willow Warbler
Lesser Whitethroat
Chiffchaff
I’ve enjoyed the challenge!
Kim – thank you. I’m glad you enjoyed it.
So much like my own patch on Otmoor Mark that your experience could be almost the same as mine:
Seen 5 times: Canada goose; Mallard; Grey heron; Coot; Woodpigeon.
Seen Once: Common sandpiper; Peregrine; Cetti’s warbler (but heard more than once I bet); Treecreeper; Grey wagtail.
No Grey wag for Otmoor but up to 200 Yellow wags in the reedbed roost!
Unlikely to win but already a proud possessor of the book. Great fun. Thanks.
Richard – thanks. 200 Yellow Wags – wow!
Every Visit: Mallard, Gadwall, Tufted Duck, Coot, Woodpigeon
Seen Once: Bullfinch, Spotted Flycatcher, Snipe, Peregrine, Stock Dove
But only because I have never seen them there!
Andrew – thank you!
Recorded every time: Mute Swan, Black-headed Gull, Blackbird, Blue Tit, Linnet
Recorded once only: Little Ringed Plover, Green Sandpiper, Kingfisher, Lesser Whitethroat, Whinchat
Hugh – many thanks!
Seen every time:- mute swan, mallard, cormorant, coot, black-headed gull.
Seen only once:- pheasant, tree creeper, whinchat, song thrush, grey wagtail.
Reasoning:- many common birds don’t always present themselves for viewing! Part of the serendipity of bird watching.
Sandra – many thanks
Great quiz Mark. I’m going for the wooden spoon here as in any quiz relying on ornithological nous and being quick to post a reply I am bound to fall short!
5 species on each visit:
* Blue Tit
* Little Egret
* Red Kite
* Black-headed Gull
* Carrion Crow
5 species on just one visit:
* Kestrel
* Cetti’s Warbler
* Starling
* Sand Martin
* Great Black-backed Gull
Good to know you took the time to record so many species – all those beautiful linnets must have been very distracting!
MK – Linnets! Don’t you just loathe them?!
Five seen every day.Mute Swan,Canada Goose,Mallard,Moorhen,Coot.
Five seen once.Grey Wagtail,Tree Creeper,Peregrine,Stock Dove,Snipe.
Dennis – many thanks!
A great little challenge for a fellow BirdTracker! Based on my own complete lists from the (vaguely comparable) Nunnery Lakes since the beginning of September, 5 ‘every visit’ species would be Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, Robin and Wren. As for 5 ‘once onlys’, I’ll go with Peregrine, Spotted Flycatcher, Grey Wagtail, Lesser Whitethroat and Willow Warbler (it’s getting late for them inland).
Nick – thanks very much
Hi Mark
On each visit I think you saw mute swan, canada goose, mallard, coot and black-headed gull.
On one visit I would guess at meadow pipit, spotted flycatcher, lesser whitethroat, pergrine and kingfisher.
Cheers
Chris
Chris – thanks very much
A very difficult competition Mark but here goes…….
5 species recorded every day: Mute Swan, Mallard, Tufted Duck, Great Crested Grebe and Coot
5 species recorded on just one day: Spotted Flycatcher, Bullfinch, Peregrine, Lesser Whitethroat and Whinchat
Lee – thanks very much for having a go
Seen every time Mute Swan, Canada Goose, Carrion Crow, Coot, Wood Pigeon
Seen only once. Lesser Whitethroat, Winchat, Peregrine, Common Sandpiper, LRP.
Great idea Mark, really enjoyed thinking about it – lucky you to see a Winchat on passage
Seen every time.. Mute Swan ,Mallard, Tufted Duck, Little Egret, Lapwing.
Seen once… Cetti’s Warbler, Bullfinch, Red Kite, Lesser Whitethroat, Grey Wagtail.
Cheers
Dave – thanks very much
the scores from Yorkshire, 5 points: Mute Swan, Mallard, Black Headed Gull, Swallow, Coot.
une point: Treecreeper, Sedge Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, Green Woodpecker and Kingfisher.
Merci.
Tim – ta very much
5 species seen on all visits: Mute Swan, Canada Goose, Greylag Goose, Mallard, Coot
5 species seen on just one visit: Peregrine, Sparrowhawk, Common Sandpiper, Whinchat, Kingfisher
Steven – thanks very much
All: Canada goose, Mallard, Teal, Kingfisher, Starling
1:wigeon, pochard, cormorant, common tern, bullfinch
Carol – thanks very much.
Each visit moorhen Canada goose mallard wood pig carrion crow
Only once
L R P, red kite, bullfinch buzzard peregrine
Never been there but here is a try
Anna – many thanks.
Seen once: whinchat, snipe, bullfinch, dunnock, sparrowhawk
Each time: mute swan, woodpigeon, blackbird, chaffinch, blue tit
John – thanks for your thoughts
Seen everyday Canada goose, mallard, woodpigeon, goldfinch, moorhen
Seen once sparrowhawk, red kite, peregrine, spotted flycatcher, whinchat
Nice task!
Rachel – thanks for having a go.
An interesting task, Sir!!!
Seen each time: Mute Swan ,Mallard, Tufted Duck, Coot, Woodpigeon.
Seen once only: Little Ringed Plover, Peregrine, Sedge Warbler, Whinchat, Spotted Flycatcher.
Seen every time:- mute swan,Canada goose, mallard, wood pigeon and blackbird.
Seen once:- peregrine ( isn’t it strange how the falcons come after the woodpeckers now?), Cetti’s w, lesser Whitethroat, song thrush and Treecreeper.
5 species on each visit: 5 on species overall:
Mute Swan. Cettis Warbler
Mallard. Green Sandpiper
Coot. Whinchat
Moorhen. Stock Dove
Wood Pigeon. Snipe
Here you go Mark a lot of guessing and a little knowledge 🙂
On all visits Mute swan, tufted duck, mallard, moorhen, coot
On one visit Spot fly, lrp, snipe, lesser whitethroat and peregrine.
If (?) I’m right I do expect to be disqualified Mark!
Erm, this is tough!
Every time; Mallard, Coot, carrion crow, black-headed gull and mute swan.
Once; Green woodpecker, sedge warbler, linnet, lesser whitethroat and bullfinch.
Probably totally wrong, but hey ho!
Nice quiz 🙂
Steve Fisher, if either of us win this we will probably be guilty of insider trading!!
An irrestistible challenge! Tricky….
Seen every time:
Black headed gull, Mallard, Woodpigeon, Blue tit, Robin
Seen once:
Peregrine, Sparrowhawk, Snipe, Whinchat, Green sandpiper
Tom
Good challenge!
Every day: Woodpigeon, Mute Swan, Mallard, Coot and Herring Gull
Only once: Green Sandpiper, Red Kite, Peregrine, Whinchat, Spotted Flycatcher
All visits Canada goose, mallard, great crested grebe, coot, starling
One time only: snipe, peregrine, treecreeper, bullfinch, common tern
Each visit: mallard, carrion crow, Robin, moorhen, cormorant
Only once: kingfisher, Treecreeper, winchat, peregrine Spotted Flycatcher
Lorraine – many thanks
Every visit: Mute Swan, Mallard, Lapwing, Black-headed Gull and Blue Tit
Once: Red Kite, Green Woodpecker, Peregrine, Green Sandpiper and Lesser Whitethroat
Evie – many thanks
Seen each time – mallard, black-headed gull, goldfinch,Canada goose and mute swan.
Seen once – little egret, jay, lesser whitethroat, grey wagtail and peregrine
Abby – many thanks.
Enjoyed the challenge.
I think every day you saw Canada Goose, Mallard, Great Tit, Robin, Chaffinch.
I think you saw once, Little Ringed Plover, Snipe, Kingfisher, cettis Warbler and Linnet
I look forward to the results
Lynne – thank you.
Easy, just hand me the book now.
5 seen every day are
GRIFFON VULTURE
BALD EAGLE
SPOONBILL SANDPIPER
BELTED KINGFISHER
SWALLOWTAIL KITE
SEEN ONCE
DAFFY DUCK
TWEETY PIE
ROADRUNNER
ROD HULLS EMU
ORVILL
Joe King – you may not win, but you made me smile. Thank you.
Seen each time …
Mute Swan
Greylag Goose
Canada Goose
Mallard
Cormorant
Seen once …
Little Egret
Grey Heron
Buzzard
Kingfisher
Coot
Seen every time:
Wood Pigeon
Carrion Crow
Canada Goose
Mallard
Coot
Seen once:
Whinchat
Sparrowhawk
Peregrine
Common Sandpiper
Snipe
Of course I have been there once or twice with you, but that was in the depths of winter. No unfair advantage I hope?
All 5 visits: Mute swan, mallard, coot, black headed gull, jackdaw,
One visit only: Sparrowhawk, Peregrine, treecreeper, spotted flycatcher, bullfinch
Made me think!
Gill
Gill – thank you for taking part. Answers tomorrow.
Here we go….seen on each visit: Mute Swan, Mallard, Blue Tit, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Magpie and seen only once: Little Ringed Plover, Green Sandpiper, Cetti’s Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, Peregrine.
I am going to guess that one or two days were misty so your viewing may have been restricted.
Seen every day: robin, wren, blackbird, coot, mallard
Seen once: peregrine, spotted flycatcher, whinchat, green sandpiper, lesser whitethroat
Duncan
Duncan – too late but you did well – answers revealed tomorrrow