Rufous-winged Ground-Cuckoo, Crestless Curassow, Red Siskin, Crimson Fruitcrow, and Sun Parakeet in Guyana; Florida Scrub Jay and Brown-capped Rosy-Finch in the USA; Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Blue Pitta, Spot-bellied Eagle-Owl, and Coral-billed Ground Cuckoo in Thailand; White-winged Duck in Assam; Satyr Tragopan, Beautiful Nuthatch, and Ward’s Trogon in Bhutan; Spectacled Eider and Kittlitz’s Murrelet in Alaska; Lovely Cotinga and Keel-billed Motmot in Honduras; Dusky Grasswren and Spinifex Pigeon in Australia; Wallace’s Owlet-Nightjar and Black-mantled Goshawk in New Guinea; Ashy Storm-Petrel in California; Red-billed Streamertail and Crested Quail-Dove in Jamaica; Snow Petrel and Adelie Penguin in Antarctica; Magellanic Woodpecker and Magellanic Horned Owl in Patagonia; Rufous-throated Dipper and Horned Hoot in NW Argentina; Smith’s Longspur and Sprague’s Pipit in Texas

Started the year with a local Caspian Gull. Brilliant trip to the Philippines in February with highlights including Mindanao Wattled Broadbill, an excellent selection of kingfishers, Palawan Peacock-Pheasant, a great set of nightbirds and the eagle of course! Colombia was next in March, and was as awesome as ever. 11 antpittas seen well as were 11 tapaculos (inc Ocellated), 10 toucans and many goodies such as Northern Screamer, Yellow-eared Parrot, Chestnut and Black-fronted Wood-Quails, Black Solitaire, Black-and-gold and Gold-ringed Tanagers and the recently discovered Santa Marta Screech Owl (to name just a few!). Taiwan in April produced all the goodies including cracking views of all the game birds (10 Mikados!), all other endemics, Fairy Pitta, Oriental Plover, Asian Dowitcher and many more. Japan in May/June produced all the hoped for goodies such as Amami Woodcock and Thrush, Okinawa Rail, Blakiston's Fish Owl and lovely rubythroats and Locustellas on Hokkaido. A holiday in Northern Peru was extremely successful with most of the hoped for endemics seen. Bird of the trip was probably the superb male Ochre-fronted Antpitta, but other goodies included Fiery-breasted Fruiteater, wild White-ewinged Guans, the spatuletail etc etc. October in Aus was brilliant. Began with Red Goshawk and Northern Shrike-Tit, cleaned up the mallee and outback finding L-w Kites, Grey Falcons, 10,000 Flock Bronzewings, Yellow Chats etc and saw all Tassie endemics. Snook in White-faced Plover in Singapore then straight to Madagascar where highlight was walkaway views of Slender-billed Flufftail with all other possible endems (except the S-E) showing superbly.

Updated 24 May 2009. Sweden,England,Chile, Bhutan, India , Tanzania, Indonesia and Peru

Just returned from a very short trip to the Philippines where amongst 50+ endemics, Black Shama, Red-crested Malkoha, Steere's Pitta and White-lored Oriole were my favourites. Started off year with a long trip to Thailand, where highlights inc Spoon-billed Sand, Nordmann's Greenshank, Asiatic Dowitcher, Gurney's Pitta, Green Peafowl, Giant Nuthatch, Mrs Hume's Pheasant etc. Followed that with the Mishmi Hills and had Ward's Togon, Mishmi & Cachar Wren-babblers, Beautiful Nuthatch and Fire-tailed Myzornis. Then in March spent 3 weeks in Costa Rica and saw 550 species (all new for the year), before returning to the Himalayas at Eaglenest in May. Brilliant! Snow Partridge, Blood Pheasant, Himalayan Monal, Sikkim Wedge-billed Wren-babbler, very showy Bugun Liocichla and more cuckoos than you can wave a stick at!!Only European birding was in the Pyrenees in July. Highlights from Peru in August inc DSP, White-bellied Cinclodes, Chestnut-crested Cotinga. Pavonine Cuckoo and Black Tinamou plus 9 sp owl and 21 endemics.

5 December. So far NE Brazil (2 weeks), Colombia, Western Mexico, central USA, southwestern Brazil, Northern/central Peru and Sweden. Some of the highlights have been White-collared Kite, Myiornis sp. nov., Alagoas Foliage-gleaner, Tyrannulet and Antwren, Araripe Manakin, Lear's Macaw, Gold-ringed Tanager, Santa Marta Screech-Owl, Long-wattled Umbrellabird, Black Solitaire, Bicolored Antvireo, Santa Marta Woodstar, Tumaco Seedeater, Plumbeous Hawk, Black-breasted Puffbird, Sinaloa Martin, Dwarf and Slaty Vireos, Tufted Jay, Gunnison Sage-Grouse, Great Gray Owl, Connecticut Warbler, Sprague's Pipit, Chestnut-collared Longspur, Harpy and Crowned Eagles, Hyacinth Macaw, Horned Sungem, Cone-billed Tanager, Marvelous Spatuletail, Royal Sunangel, Coppery Metaltail, Rufous-crested Coquette, Koepcke's Hermit, Ochre-fronted Antpitta, Marañon Crescentchest, Henna-hooded and Rudfous-necked Foliage-gleaners, Tumbes Tyrant, Mishana Tyrannulet, Russet-bellied and Great Spinetails, Dotted Tanager, Golden-backed Mountain-Tanager, Pardusco, Bay-vented Cotinga, Fiery-throated Fruiteater, White-faced Nunbird, Solitary Eagle, Amazon Red-fronted Parakeet, Gray-bellied Comet and many more.

30th Dec: African Pitta- 32nd and final pitta species at Siavonga, Zambia! 30th Nov: Indian Pitta and 31 of the 33 Sri Lankan endemics incl. Serendib Scops, Spurfowl, Sri Lanka Scaly Thrush etc. Pied Ground Thrush in Victoria Park. 19th Oct: Black-faced Pitta, Santa Isabel, Solomons (30th species of pitta since Feb 3rd) SW Uganda- 17 of 24 available Albertine Rift Endemics and African Finfoot. 14th July: A further 4 pitta species seen in Sabah: new were Giant-, Blue-headed-, Blue-banded, Black-crowned. All bar 7 Bornean endemics seen.

Just back from Mynamar. Birding in 15 different countries has resulted in my best ever year.

1 Dec. Madagascar and 24 hrs in Jo'burg: All 5 ground-rollers; 3 spp. tenrecs; 21 spp lemurs and sever SA endemics. 12 Oct. PNG: Displaying Buff-tailed Sicklebill B.oP.; Webster's Kingfisher; NG Harpy Eagle; Southern Crowned Pigeon; Oriental Plover. 25 Aug. Gabon & Sao Tome and Principe: 7 White-crested Tiger-Herons, Vermiculated Fish Owl, Western Lowland Gorilla, African Dormouse. 5 July - a little local birding which included the infrequently encountered Speckled Warbler and a very striking-looking Red-necked Wallaby; 11 June - My first visit to Central Asia (Kazakhstan & Uzbekistan), needless to say fabulous! Some truly great birds, mammals and reptiles incl: Great Jerboa, Pander's Ground-Jay, Pallid Scops-Owl, a surprise Little Bustard, Corn Crake - at last! and some fabulous shorebirds in full breeding plumage. 4 May - 6 White-winged Wood-Ducks in Nameri and a 2.5 hr session with a tiger were the highlights of a trip to Assam followed as always by an outstanding trip to Bhutan which included great views of White-bellied Heron, 2 prs. of Beautiful Nuthatch and perhaps best of all point-blank looks at a male Purple Cochoa; 21 March Concluded a superb 35 days in Borneo - 320+ species including numerous Moustached Hawk-Cuckoo; heard Bornean Ground-Cuckoo; nesting Wallace's Hawk-Eagle and some great mammls; 28 Feb. Currently in Borneo for 5 weeks - best birds so far include nesting Everett's Thrush; all three 'Whiteheads' species; Kinabalu Friendly Warbler; Grey-headed Babbler and a gorgeous Blue-banded Pitta attending a nest; 7 Feb. Concluded birding Mali, Senegal and The Gambia in addition to those mentioned earlier added Arabian Bustard and Red-throated Bee-eater among others; 25 Jan. UK; Senegal; Mali - Mali Firefinch; Savile's Bustard; nesting Pharoah's Eagle-Owl; Cricket Warbler and a flock of 20 African Swallow-tailed Kites.

A great trip to Panama and Darien in January with Yellow-green Finch, Green Manakin, Sapayoa, Yellow-browed Shrike-Vireo, Black Oropendola, Viridian Dacnis, Beautiful Treerunner and others. Then a comprehensive trip to Southern Ecuador with Esmeraldas Woodstar, Pacfic Royal-Fly, Long-wattled Umbrellabird, El Oro Parakeet, 7 spp of Antpitta incl Jocotoco, Wetmorethraupis, Cinnamon Neopipo and others. Another successful Costa Rica trip with Silvery-throated Jays, Zeledonia, White-crested Coquette, Yellow-billed Cotinga, Black-cheeked Ant-tanager, Lovely Cotinga, Red-fronted Parrotlet (perched), Ochre-breasted Antpitta, 5 spp of quail-dove and a displaying male Bare-necked Umbrellabird. That is all 3 umbrellabirds in 3 weeks. A brilliant trip to Northern Peru in June with Peruvian Tern, the highly-prized White-faced Nunbird, a whole slew of Marañón endemics, Rusty-tinged and Chestnut Antpittas, Vermillion Tanager, Tumbes Swallow and Barred Antthrush. In Oct. a successful tour to the Manu, Peru with 689 species recorded including Black-faced Cotinga, White-cheeked Tody-Tyrant, Blue-headed Macaw, Scarlet-hooded Barbet and more. Finally a very birdy trip to Loreto, Peru recording 650 species with Nocturnal Curassow seen on its night song perch, a colony of Band-tailed Oropendolas going to roost, and white-sand birds such as Allpahuayo and Black-headed (jensoni) Antbirds and Ancient Antwren.

Nov 26: Australia season finished with plenty of good birds ranging from Red Goshawk to Western Shrike-tit, Australasian Bittern to Gouldian Finch.PNG: White-mantled Kingfisher, Spangled Kookaburra, Bicolored Mouse-warbler, Rusty Whistler:Sabah:Blyth's Hawk-Eagle, Tabon Scrubfowl, Chestnut-necklaced Partridge, Cinnamon-headed Green-Pigeon, Grey Imperial-Pigeon, Oriental Bay Owl, Red-naped Trogon, Scarlet-rumped Trogon, Black-backed Kingfisher, Bornean Barbet, Yellow-crowned Barbet, Olive-backed Woodpecker, Bornean Black Magpie, Bornean Bristlehead, Temminck's Babbler, Black-throated Wren-Babbler, Grey-headed Babbler, White-necked Babbler, Bornean Stubtail, Rufous-chested Flycatcher, White-vented and Mangrove Whistler, Scarlet-breasted Flowerpecker and Pygmy Ibon: UAE: Hume's Wheatear, Streaked Scrub-Warbler, Persian Shearwater, Arabian Babbler, White-cheeked Tern, Sand Partridge; Turkey: Little Crake, Caspian Snowcock, Caucasus Black Grouse, White-headed Duck, Lesser Kestrel; Cyprus: Cyprus Warbler, Cyprus Wheatear, Eleonora's Falcon Small Button-quail, Pale-capped Pigeon, Blue-rumped Pitta, Black-browed Fulvetta, Black and Buff Woodpecker (Cambodia); Green Avadavat, White-bellied Minivet, Bimaculated Lark, Rock Bunting (India); Rusty-capped Fulvetta, Black-breasted Thrush, Collared Myna, Grey Sibia, Long-tailed Wren-Babbler, Brown-winged Parrotbill, Black-bibbed Tit, Yunnan Nuthatch, Rufous-tailed Babbler and Derbyan Parakeet (China).

2009 off to a nice start with a trip to Ecuador which produced nine antpittas including Jocotoco and Giant, 57 hummingbirds (10 of which were lifers), Long-wattled Umbrellabird, Coppery-chested Jacamar, Gray-capped Cuckoo, and many more. Followed this by a trip to Venezuela in March with lots of excellent birds - two Scallop-breasted Antpittas perched on the same branch, Pavonine Cuckoo, Zigzag Heron, Yellow-breasted Crake, Azure Gallinule, Harpy Eagle, etc. etc. Then ran in to trouble and had to cancel several trips due to illness in my family. Later in the year visited Australia and Southern India, but still ended up well down on my usual year list of 2000+.

All Western Hemisphere, Updated Sept. 2: Red-cockaded Woodpecker (all ABA area woodpeckers!), many southern/eastern warblers and vireos, Bachman's Sparrow, Mississippi Kite, White Ibis, Mottled Duck and Eastern Chipmunk and Eastern Cottontail

Updated December 31st: Highlights include Beautiful Treerunner and Sapayoa in PANAMÁ, Red-collared Mountain-Babbler in RWANDA, Black-breasted Barbet and Shoebill in UGANDA, Cone-billed Tanager, Crowned Eagle, Bare-eyed Antbird and Blackhooded Antwren in BRAZIL, and twitches for Yellow-browed Bunting, Black-throated Accentor and Wilson's Phalarope in SWEDEN.

Australia, Ecuador, New Caledonia, SE Asia, and the USA

Just finished South Africa where both Rock-jumpers, Knysna Woodpecker, Sugarbirds, and lots lots more! Mainly Ecuador: Baudo Guan, Brown Wood-Rail, Stub-tailed Antbird, Lemon-spectacled Tanager, Tooth-billed Hummingbird, Hoary Puffleg etc.

Jan: Panama, Apr: Mexico, Jul: Brazil, Oct: Peru

Spoon-billed Sandpiper and Nordmann's Greenshank, Myanmar; Chinese Egret, Spectacled Barwing, Thailand; Jocotoco Antpitta, 10 spp of Darwin's Finch, Ecuador; Masked Fruiteater, Tumbes Tyrant, Peru; Gentoo Penguin, Blackish Cinclodes, Argentina - Aug; Grey Nightjar, Saunders & Relict Gulls, Swan Goose, China - Sep/Oct.

Last upd: 31-December-09: Thailand, plus trips to Cambodia, ne India. Mallorca, Malaysia, Singapore, UK, Philippines and New Guinea.

Kenya, Brazil, Spain (Extremadura), Ghana & UK

Yellow-breasted Boubou, Vermiculated Fishing Owl, Cricket Longtail, Quail-Plover, Arabian Bustard, Rock and Chad Firefinches, Jos Plateau Indigobird, Emins Shrike, Brown-chested Lapwing, Grey-necked Picathartes, Green-breasted and Kupe Bush-shrikes in Cameroon; Rock Partridge in Croatia; Black-legged and Red-legged Seriema, Cream-backed and Black-bodied Woodpeckers, Chaco Owl, Crowned Eagle, White-winged and Sickle-winged Nightjars, Strange-tailed, Cock-tailed and Streamer-tailed Tyrants, Dinelli's Doradito and lots of seedeaters Paraguay; White-tailed Stonechat, Green Avadavat, Indian Vulture, McQueens Bustard, Sykes' Nightjar, White-naped Tit, Forest Owlet, Indian Bustard and Brook's Leaf Warbler in NW India. Here's to 2010!

First two weeks of the year in Ecuador, 10 days in Panama in March, Feb-early April in Washington D.C., last 6 weeks of the year in Peru, all else in MA. (Last updated 6/10/10)

trips to India (Forest Owlet, Pallid Scops Owl, Hypocolious, Indian Bustard, Crab Plover), the Caribbean (White-tailed Tropicbird, Ridgway's Hawk, Ashy-faced Owl, Caribbean Coot, Barbados Bullfinch and all the St. Lucian endemics), Brazil (Mantled Hawk, Three-toed Jacamar, Salvadori's Antwren, Black-hooded Antwren, Restinga Antwren, and Gray-winged Cotinga), Korea (for work but saw Black-faced Spoonbill and Saunder's Gull), and Australia (all Tasmanian endemics, Orange-bellied Parrot, Malleefowl, & Plains-wanderer) and ABA highlights: Cook's Petrel and Red-billed Tropicbird on southern CA pelagic

Updated Dec 31. Excl heard-only. Added Fin Whale, Great Blue Heron, American Scoter, Little Auk and lifer Thick-billed Murre Dec 31 and Glaucous Gull, lifer Kumlien’s Gull, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Golden-crowned Kinglet, lifer American Tree Sparrow, Harlequin Duck, Black Guillemot, Razorbill, Northern Flicker & Cooper's Hawk the past week (New England, USA); Black-winged Pratincole, Long-toed Stint, lifer Caspian Plover, Ross’ Goose, American Golden Plover & Little Bunting in NL this autumn. Birded Belgium (1), Bulgaria (106), Syria (+98), the USA (3x, +96), China (Fujian, +154), Taiwan (+59), Singapore (+10), Malaysia (Panti Forest, +54), Peru (+531), Germany (+1) and The Netherlands (+93). Highlights incl Dusky Thrush (Belgium); 1,350 Red-breasted, 1 Lesser White-fronted & 1 Pink-footed Goose (1st record), Yelkouan Shearwater (Bulgaria); 4 Northern Bald Ibis, 9 Great Spotted Eagle, 75 Sociable, Red-wattled, White-tailed & Spur-winged Lapwing, Eurasian Dotterel, Ruddy Turnstone (2nd record), Hoopoe Lark, Cyprus Wheatear, Iraq Babbler, White-cheeked Bulbul, Dead Sea Sparrow (Syria); triple-breaching Humpback Whales, Worm-eating Warbler (New England, USA); Cabot’s Tragopan, Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Chinese Crested Tern, Reed Parrotbill, Courtois’s Laughingthrush, Chinese Bamboo Rat (China), Mikado & Swinhoe’s Pheasant, Taiwan Bamboo-Partridge, Fairy Pitta, Malayan Night-Heron, Rufous-crowned & White-whiskered Laughingthrush, Steere's Liocichla, Taiwan Barwing, White-eared Sibia, Chinese Ferret-Badger (Taiwan), Crested Partridge, Railbabbler (Malaysia); Spectacled Bear, Chatham (2nd record), Buller’s & Waved Albatross, Ringed Storm-Petrel, Red-legged Cormorant, Pale-winged Trumpeter, Tawny-throated Dotterel, Rufous-bellied Seedsnipe, White-bellied Cinclodes, White-throated Antbird, Red-and-white Antpitta, Rufous-capped & Black-faced Antthrush, Barred Becard, White-eared Solitaire (Peru); Smew; Balearic, Manx’ & Sooty Shearwater, Baillon’s Crake, Mediterranean, Sabine’s & Iceland Gull, ad Long-tailed & Pomarine Skua, Snowy & Short-eared Owl, Alpine Swift, Radde’s Warbler, Firecrest (Netherlands).

Birding destinations this year: Finland, Japan, Australia, PNG, Fiji, Samoa, Hawaii, South Africa, Botswana, Slovakia, Argentina, Morocco. 2000-2009 annual average 1111.

Colombia, Venezuela and Belgium. Last new one was Tree Pipit!

Ecuador only

England, Spain, Morocco, South Africa and Brazil.

UAE, Thailand, Cape Verde Islands, China, Turkey, Lesser Antilles, Australia and Malawi. Haven't updated all my year's records yet!

Splendid and Turqoise Parrots plus Bay owl (Pen Malaysia 407, Netherlands 133, Belgium 70, Germany 55, Australia 279, South Africa 182).

Indiana, West Virginia, Texas, Michigan, Florida (one species seen from the airport in Miami), one species across the Rio Grande in Mexico, Ecuador, and one day in Bogota, Colombia. Latest bird: Pacific Loon 11/29/09

White-crowned Hornbill, Scarlet-rumped Trogon, Red-bearded Bee-eater (Malaysia), Regent Nowerbird, Powerful Owl, Bourke’s Parrot, Chestnut-breasted Quail-thrush (Australia), Crested Caracara, Hooded Warbler,Rufous-backed Robin (Arizona)

Grey Patridge in December, October: White-tailed Shrike and Rueppels Korhaan in Namibia, Iceland Gull in Iceland! End September: Sicily with Pallid Swift and Audouins Gull! End of July: Kamchatka with Kittlitz Murrlet, Steller's Sea Eagle and Aleutian Tern and the ever impressive Siberian Rubythroat; Slowly with Manx Shearwater and Little Gull in UK, End of April, Latest: Black-eared Shrike Babbler in Nepal; End of March update: Serin and Hawfinch in Germany; Chiffchaff in UK; Germany with Purple Sandpiper and Ferrugenous Duck; Myanmar with Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Nordmann's Greenshank, Collared Falconet and Brahminy Starling new for the country

As of Nov. 2 Nevada and Northern Ecuador' Yucatan Peninsula, MX and 3 days in California . Blue-winged Warbler, Orchard Oriole, Scarlet Tanager White-winged Crossbill and Rusty blackbird in NV. Andean Condor, Andean Cock-of -the -Rock, Oilbird, Rufous-bellied Seedsnipe, 6 species of antpitta, 56 Species of Humminbird and 58 species of tanager in Ecuador.

Brazil only. Recent highlights are Black-and-tawny, Dark-throated and Rufous-rumped Seedeaters, Horned Sungem and Purple-throated Fruitcrow in Vila Bela de Santíssima Trindade.

Two weeks in Colombia, part of an Ecuador trip and leisure birding around Minnesota. Orange-throated Tanager, Jocotoco Antpitta, Gray Tinamou, Nocturnal Curassow, Rufous Potoo, Wing-banded Antbird, Choco Vireo, Gold-ringed and Black-and-Gold Tanagers, Chestnut-capped Piha, Yellow-eared Parrot.

Diard's Trogon, Hooded Pitta, Banded Pitta, Rufous-collared Kingfisher, Cutia, Pale-capped Pigeon, White-gorgetted Flycatcher, Lesser Cuckoo, Red-backed Shrike, Arctic Skua, Ultramarine Flycatcher, Long-billed Plover, Common Crane, Eastern Curlew, Baikal Teal, Chestnut-eared Bunting, Speckled Wood Pigeon, Chestnut-headed Tesia, Grey-winged Blackbird

updated 12/21/09 Just added Least Sandpiper,Iiwi,Amakihi, Maui Creeper, in Hawaii, visiting PNG, Bougainville,Aus., Mexico,Oregon.

All So Asia. Highlights Large-billed Reed Warbler, Kolkata March.

21/11/09: Lesser Yellowlegs; White-fronted Goose; Bewick's Swan; Purple Sandpiper; Shore Lark

So far just one trip around South Africa and a bit of backyard birding in Minnesota, South-east Alaska, and Montana

12/6/09

British Columbia & Alberta 4 weeks May/June, Taiwan 3 days, coastal NSW, SW Qld & SEQ

in Karen/Langata Pale Flycatcher, White-starred Robin

Skylark, Slaty backed Gull, Long eared Owl, Snow Bunting, Rough legged Hswk, Common Teal, Iceland Gull

Brolga, Black Falcon, Nakeen Night Heron, Stubble Quail, Eastern Curlew, Common Tern, Spiny cheeked honeyeater,Zebra Finch, VIC, Australia; Gamble's Quail, Crissal Trasher and Horned Lark, Road Runner, Ross Goose, Costa's Hummingbird, NV, USA. Hudsonia Godwit, VIC, Australia

Winter Wren, Gadwall, Purple Sandpiper 12/19/09

Toronto island Toronto Canada..3 lifers black throated green and pine warbler plus field sparrow. other warblers included nashville, yellow,cape may,palm and numerous yellow rumps. 5 sp of sparrow. also nice to see plenty fo summer plumaged long tailed duck along with bufflehead,canvasback and hooded merg