Dan's 2006 End of Term Report

Year list = 203

Glamorgan year list = 186

East Glamorgan year list = 177

Could do better. Didn't feel he gave 100% throughout the year, but his cause wasn't helped by the absence of many birds which you'd normally expect to turn up annually in Glamorgan. Would advise a repeat effort sometime in the near future.

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Oh well, that's the end of yet another birding year and I must say that my experiment with 'local listing' made it a very enjoyable twelve months. I'd heartily recommend it to anyone.

Having gone on only four 'out-of county' birding trips during the year (Somerset, North Wales, Norfolk and Skomer) it's not surprising that I had only three lifers during 2006: Black-throated Thrush, Montagu's Harrier and Semi-palmated Sandpiper. The Monty's experience was certainly my highlight of the year. It was worth every second of those eight hours waiting for that bird! The lowlight? Those bl**dy Golden Orioles!

On the other hand I had 22 Glamorgan lifers (many of them too embarassing to list here!) but my local highlights for the year include: Velvet Scoter (thanks Tim), Marsh Harrier, Black-throated Thrush, Laughing Gull (I didn't go for the Glamorgan bird during 2005), Hawfinch and Grey Partridge (both after years of drawing a blank with both these species in the county), Storm and Leach's Petrel, Honey Buzzard, Arctic Skua and Puffin.

And the birds that got away? Well, I'm really disappointed that, somehow or other, I didn't manage to tick Goshawk, Red Grouse, Cetti's Warbler nor Tawny Owl in Glamorgan. I did at least manage to hear the last two species!

The only other big dips of the year were the Cardiff Bay Red-necked Grebe and both the Llandaff and Kenfig Yellow-browed Warblers. I really should have got those two species. Of the other scarce birds which I missed in the county, I comfort myself with the knowledge that most (if not all of them) were short stayers and untwitchable!

And last, but not least, that American Wigeon! After a lot of thought I've decided not to include it in my year list. I can't quite put my finger on why I've made this decision. But, if it appears in the 2006 Bird Report as a kosher bird I'll be the first to tick it!

Here's wishing you good birding in 2007 - may it prove to be a vintage year.