Southeast year listing day trip, 1996

In 1996 I did a big year list, I mean a properly big one – 354 BOU on current taxonomy – which puts me in a fairly exclusive club (though there were three or four birders who finished with bigger totals that year alone, so I probably don’t even make top 10 all-time). It’s a total I will never beat, nor am I likely to try – not sure I could cope with the endless night drives these days, and it would be so much more expensive to do now. Not to mention the ridiculous carbon footprint it would leave.

But anyway, for anyone who has not done a big year list, here is a tale of a single day that spring that gives you an idea of what it’s like. And remember, this is one of the good days, when everything went well…

I had spent the working week planning that weekend’s targets and so had my route for Saturday 11 May worked out, attempting to mop up a list of target species across the southeast of England. An early start saw me cover the 120 miles or so up to the M25 before 9 am, and then out on to Staines Moor, where a dazzling female Red-necked Phalarope was still on the little pool it had been favouring for a few days. Great views of a great bird. But little time to linger, as the next target was two Night Herons found the day before at Lade Gravel Pits near Dungeness, another couple of hours’ drive away. Risky, for a couple of reasons: firstly, it was not a site I’d been to, despite various visits to Dunge, so it took a little time to find the way in. Also, the middle of the day is hardly the best time to be looking for Night Herons, of course, but in the end it didn’t take long to get decent views as they were roosting more or less in the open in a willow. Bonus!

Two targets down, two to go, and now time to start working my way back west. The next site was on the South Downs near Rottingdean. Not that far away, comparatively – only 60 or so miles from Dunge – but it was a snaggly drive along the south coast and took quite a while. And then there was a fair walk to do once there. But it was so worth it – good scope views of a trip of five Dotterel, including a couple of very smart females. Another year tick in the bag! As a bonus, alongside them, not a year tick but putting even the best of the Dotterel in the shade, was an absolutely stunning summer plumaged Golden Plover – the best looking one I’ve ever seen.

After the slog back off the downs and another hour’s driving, it was late afternoon before I arrived at Sidlesham Ferry Pool for my final target of the day, which also duly fell quickly – if only all days were like this one – a lovely Temminck’s Stint. Nowhere near as colourful as the other target waders seen on the day, but a dapper little thing all the same. And a real bonus here, as alongside it was a  Little Stint – another year tick! OK, one I was sure to get at some point, but very nice to bump into a pretty spring adult. It was early evening by now, but as my luck was in I decided to push it and nip the short distance down to Selsey Bill for a quick seawatch, in the hope of a Pom or two. No joy with that, but I could hardly complain.

I arrived home some 14 hours after leaving it that morning, having spent about 9 of those driving, solo, and with 450 more miles on the car. Utter madness, I know, but it had been a cracking day.