Earlswood all-dayer - New Year's Day 2019

For the first time ever, some midlands patches including Earlswood competed in a winter all-day birdwatch on New Year's Day this year, like those we've been doing each spring and autumn in recent years. The results with species totals were as follows:

1. Belvide - 77
2. Middleton Lakes - 76
3. Sandwell Valley - 74
4. Upton Warren - 70
5. Doxey Marshes - 66
6. Whitemoor Haye - 61
7. Morton Bagot - 58
8. Earlswood - 56

So we came last, but with a superb adult male Common Scoter being found at Engine Pool, who can complain?! A great start for hopefully another productive year. Earlswood day list with initials for single-observer records and scoter as follows:

1. Mute Swan
2. Greylag Goose
3. Canada Goose
4. Mallard
5. Shoveler
6. Tufted Duck
7. Common Scoter (JM et al.)
8. Goldeneye (JJ)
9. Goosander
10. Little Grebe (JK)
11. Great Crested Grebe
12. Cormorant
13. Grey Heron
14. Sparrowhawk (JOw)
15. Kestrel (JD)
16. Moorhen
17. Coot
18. Golden Plover (JHS)
19. Common Snipe (TRP)
20. Black-headed Gull
21. Lesser Black-backed Gull
22. Herring Gull
23. Feral Pigeon (TRP)
24. Stock Dove (MPG)
25. Woodpigeon
26. Collared Dove
27. Tawny Owl (MPG)
28. Green Woodpecker (JJ)
29. Great Spotted Woodpecker
30. Grey Wagtail
31. Pied Wagtail
32. Wren
33. Dunnock
34. Robin
35. Blackbird
36. Fieldfare
37. Redwing
38. Song Thrush
39. Mistle Thrush (JJ)
40. Long-tailed Tit
41. Blue Tit
42. Great Tit
43. Coal Tit
44. Marsh Tit
45. Nuthatch
46. Treecreeper
47. Jay
48. Magpie
49. Jackdaw
50. Carrion Crow
51. Raven
52. Starling
53. House Sparrow
54. Chaffinch
55. Goldfinch 
56. Bullfinch (JJ)

Thanks to John Bishop, Jon Chidwick, Judy Donath, Harry Hopkins, Janet James, James Kenny, Joe Martin, Joe Owen, John Sirrett, Rob Strong, Tony and Barbara Philp for their reports and/or offering to fill in gaps in the list. Rematch in the spring!