Hello and welcome to my page of lists. Like almost every other page of lists you come across on the birdternet there are a few things that we can assume regarding how you’re about to browse the page. You'll look at where the list refers to. You’ll (probably) scroll to the bottom and find the total. You probably won’t actually read through what’s on the list and, most importantly you definitely won't care. This is known as Parus’s Third Law Of Birdternettic Dynamics. (no it’s not)
Here are the lists I’m currently enjoying – the BALSAG, (Brilliant Avian Life Seen At Grays) and the BOLOCS (Boring Office List Of Crap Stuff). BALSAG is for birds I can see or hear from the flat, or from immediately outside. The lists are the "all time" lists, not year lists.
House list - BALSAG
The flat is in Grays, and has nice wide views of the Thames and across to Swanscome Point/Marsh. It is awesome.
House list - BALSAG
The flat is in Grays, and has nice wide views of the Thames and across to Swanscome Point/Marsh. It is awesome.
| House list - BALSAG | Notes | |
| Start date 04.07.11 | List as of 22.05.12 | |
| Mute Swan | Occasional | |
| Greylag | Surprisingly hard! 2 on 01.05.12 | |
| Brent Goose | 1 upriver 12.07.11. Wtf. 1 downriver 9/15.11.11 | |
| Egyptian Goose | 1 upriver early am 21.05.12 | |
| Shelduck | ||
| Wigeon | Occasional on river, first seen 26.11.11 | |
| Gadwall | One with mallard/wigeon/teal, 19.12.11 | |
| Teal | Occasional, first seen 26.11.11, max 8 | |
| Mallard | ||
| Shoveler | 1 with 62 teal, 29.01.12 | |
| Great Crested Grebe | Very occasional. First seen 23.07.11 | |
| Cormorant | ||
| Shag | One upriver with cormorant, 26.08.11 | |
| Little Egret | ||
| Grey Heron | ||
| Sparrowhawk | Occasional | |
| Common Buzzard | One over deepest Kentshire, 29.08.11 | |
| Kestrel | 1 far bank, 14.07.11 (occasional since) | |
| Peregrine | Regular in winter, occasional otherwise | |
| Coot | ||
| Oystercatcher | ||
| Ringed Plover | scarce but regular | |
| Golden Plover | 9 downriver, 14.04.12 | |
| Grey Plover | 8+ during cold spell 04.02.12 and in subsequent days | |
| Lapwing | ||
| Sanderling | 2 on 14.08.11, singles occasionally since | |
| Dunlin | ||
| Black-tailed Godwit | Surprisingly infrequent. | |
| Whimbrel | On passage. Max flock 8 | |
| Curlew | ||
| Common Sandpiper | ||
| Redshank | ||
| Turnstone | 1st on 27.12.11; max 4/5 | |
| Black Headed Gull | ||
| Little Gulll | 2 adults, 05.02.12 | |
| Mediterranean Gul1 | 1 1W, 16.10.11 | |
| Common Gull | regular from late summer onwards | |
| Kittiwake | regular Dec-Jan 11-12; occasional since. | |
| LBB Gull | ||
| Herring Gull | ||
| Yellow Legged Gull | Regular, ish, if I bother to look. | |
| GBB Gull | ||
| Black Tern | 1 upriver 6am 22.07.11 | |
| Sandwich Tern | 1 up then down with tide, 10.07.11 | |
| Common Tern | ||
| Arctic Tern | Occasional on passage. | |
| Feral Pigeon | ||
| Stock Dove | ||
| Woodpigeon | ||
| Collared Dove | ||
| Swift | ||
| Skylark | Songflighting over Swanscombe Pt | |
| Sand Martin | ||
| Sand Martin | ||
| Pied Wagtail | ||
| Wren | ||
| Dunnock | ||
| Robin | ||
| Redwing | ||
| Blackbird | ||
| Goldcrest | One heard 6.10.11 | |
| Blue Tit | ||
| Great Tit | ||
| Magpie | ||
| Jackdaw | Swanscombe Point | |
| Crow | ||
| Starling | ||
| House Sparrow | ||
| Chaffinch | ||
| Greenfinch | ||
| Goldfinch | ||
| Linnet | Occasional but regular. Max c40 | |
| Total 72 |
Work list - BOLOCS.
This covers a roughly defined area south of the Thames, from Potters Fields in
the west, to the Design Museum in the East with the Railway in the
south. This year I'm doing a patch-battle with Wanstead, on a slightly smaller recording area.
| Work list - BOLOCS | Notes | |
| Start date 17.05.11 | List as of 22.05.12 | |
| Mute Swan | ||
| Greylag Goose | Resident, family of 2+5 juvs in area | |
| Canada Goose | Occasional. 23 on 25.07.11 | |
| Teal | 1 with tufties, 17.01.11 | |
| Mallard | ||
| Tufted Duck | 12 just off Design Museum, 17.01.11 | |
| Great Crested Grebe | One up from Tower Bridge, 03.01.12 | |
| Cormorant | ||
| Grey Heron | ||
| Sparrowhawk | Very occasional | |
| Kestrel | First seen 16.09.11, Tower birds sometimes visible | |
| Peregrine | Ad+poss juv? Play-hunting gulls, 21.07.11 | |
| Moorhen | One in Concordia Wharf inlet, 13.01.11 | |
| Coot | ||
| Common Sandpiper | One on barge by City Hall 02.12.11 | |
| Black Headed Gull | ||
| Common Gull | ||
| LBB Gull | ||
| Herring Gull | ||
| GBB Gull | ||
| Common Tern | Occasional. Some large groups late autumn. | |
| Feral Pigeon | ||
| Woodpigeon | ||
| Swift | ||
| Sandmartin | Small local colony on north bank | |
| Meadow pipit | Single heard 13.04.12 | |
| Grey Wagtail | Local breeders? | |
| Pied Wagtail | ||
| Wren | ||
| Dunnock | ||
| Robin | ||
| Black Redstart | Occasional singer. Local breeders? | |
| Blackbird | ||
| Chiffchaff | Trees outside office, 19.09.11 | |
| Blue Tit | ||
| Great Tit | ||
| Jay | One in Potters Fields, 19.09.11 | |
| Magpie | ||
| Crow | ||
| Starling | ||
| House Sparrow | ||
| Greenfinch | ||
| Goldfinch | ||
| Total 43 |
Year Totals
| Flat list | Work list | |
| 2011 | 59 | 37 |
| 2012 |
 |
| Genuine, real wading birds at Grays attempting to do a high tide roost. Well, they're not really at Grays, technically, but Broadness, on Swanscombe point. According to the foul inter-magic of Google Earth's measurement tool, these birds were 845 metres from the flat. That's a bloody long way away and makes me want a 60x scope. |
