Siberian Crane, Short-tailed and Reed Parrotbills, and Scaly-sided Merganser in southeast China; Pallid Scops-Owl and Hooded Wheatear in the UAE and Oman; Smith’s Longspur and Ross’s Goose in Texas; Eastern Wattled Cuckoo-shrike, Grey Ground-Thrush, Sangha Forest Robin, Sandy Scops-Owl, and Grant’s Bluebill in the Central Africa Republic; White-crested Tiger Heron, African River Martin, and Black-headed Bee-eater in Gabon; Giant Weaver and Giant Sunbird in Sao Tome; Scissor-tailed Kite, Black-eared Ground-Thrush, Mount Kupe Bush-Shrike, and Grey-necked Picathartes in Cameroon; Sooty Grouse and Northern Pygmy-Owl in Washington; Red-cockaded Woodpecker and a backyard Golden-cheeked Warbler in Texas; Golden-crowned Sparrow and American Dipper in California; Pirre Warbler, Broad-billed Sapayoa, Tacarcuna Bush-Tanager, and Black Antshrike in eastern Panama; Black-capped Vireo in Texas; Black and Syrian Woodpeckers and Pygmy Cormorant in Hungary; Atlantic Puffin and Bicknell’s Thrush in Maine; Cinnabar and Speckled Boobooks, Olive-flanked Whistler, and Purple-bearded Bee-eater in Sulawesi; Elegant Pitta, Sumba Hornbill, Bali Mynah, and Chestnut-backed and Sunda Thrushes in the Lesser Sundas; all SW Australia specialties including Noisy Scrubbird and Western Whipbird plus Gouldian Finch, Red Goshawk, and Chestnut Rail in northern Australia; more than 900 species leading a recent tour through northern Peru including Ochre-fronted and Pale-billed Antpittas, Marvelous Spatuletail, and perched views of a spot-lit Long-whiskered Owlet ten feet away (photos); Elusive Antpitta in Manu (Peru); Leach's Storm Petrel in California; Pearly-breasted Cuckoo and Red-and-black Grosbeak in Guyana; all expected Santa Marta endemics plus favorites such as Yellow-eared Parrot, Red-bellied Grackle, and Bicolored Antpitta in Colombia.

A good year with two Sunbird tours to Kenya, and one each to Vietnam, Colombia and Australia plus private trips to Mexico, India and the Lesser Sundas, and some local birding in the UK. Best birds included Bar-bellied Pitta, Sinaloa Martin, Sumichrast's Wren, Recurve-billed Bushbird, Chestnut-capped Piha, Munchique Wood-Wren, Flores Hawk-Eagle, Red-naped Fruit-Dove, White-rumped Kingfisher, Elegant Pitta, Chestnut-backed and Orange-banded Thrushes and many more.

January: Colombia, February-March: Costa Rica & Guatemala, May: Puerto Rico & Hispaniola: most of the endemics, June-July: Ecuador, August-September: SE Brazil, October: Veracruz & Oaxaca, Mexico: the river of raptors was again FANTASTIC, Nov-Dec: Kenya. Relatively few species seen at home in Sweden.

20 Dec. One of the best for the year and a new bird for my property - Painted Buttonquail! 5 Dec. My final trip of the year was 15 days in Uganda and what a trip! Highlights were numerous but THE best was surely the lone Shoebill which took 2 boat trips along the Nile to dig out. Others included a total of 15 Handsome Francolins; superb close views of Red-throated Alethe; White-crowned Lapwing (?2nd Uganda record) and Hammer Bat. 18 Nov. Undoubtedly THE prize goes to the three courting Fossas at Ranamafana and at last sensational views of Mad. Wood-Rail building a nest plus all the usual vangas, ground-rollers etc! 18 Oct. My first tour to Egypt & Petra produced 193 spp incl. six life mammals and about 14 life birds. The raptor migration thru Suez was especially memorable. 20 September - Borneo superb as usual incl. a very close encounter with a male Great Argus and a fabulous night-drive that included fine views of Barred Eagle-Owl; 25 August - trips to Spitsbergen and a shortened trip to PNG produced: 25 Polar Bears; hundreds of Walruses at close quarters; 15+ Ivory Gulls and in PNG an absolutely stunning experience with a displaying Brown Sicklebill. 30 July - SW Norway: best bird White-backed Woodpecker, White-tailed Eagle plus many very large Brown Bears at just a few metres in Finland. A little local birding of which the best birds have been Superb Lyrebird; a male Scarlet Robin and a pair of Speckled Warblers on my new property; 35 days at sea and occasional land-falls along the entire west coast of Africa - 5 spp storm-petrels; Long-tailed Hawk and a Cusimanse; 35 days in Southern India, Andaman Is and briefly N. India; The undoubted highlights were two flocks of Andaman Teal totaling ca. 140 birds; Ceylon Bay Owl seen and photographed by day; a pair of mating Tigers and some fine company. A little local birding here in Oz before heading off to Thailand, the best of the pick was a very dapper Diamond Firetail. A few days into Thailand with best birds so far including fantastic, prolonged views of male Silver Pheasants; nesting Red-headed Trogon and Bufffy Fish-Owl. Other highlights included a male Purple Cochoa at Doi Inthanon; Black-breasted Thrush at Doi Angkhang and Malaysian Slit-nosed Bats at Kaeng Krachan.

Europe: woodpeckers and owls! Sumatra: Sumatran Ground-Cuckoo, Schneider's Pitta, Graceful Pitta, Large & Sumatran Frogmouth. Ecuador: Harpy & Crested Eagles, Peruvian Antpitta, Maroon-chested Ground Dove, Black-necked Red Cotinga. Ethiopia: all endemics + Abyssinian Owl. Green-backed Twinspot, Black-faced Firefinch.

Thats my year done and dusted. Good luck to all birders in 2011: 27 Dec: New Zealand: North Island Brown and Okarito Kiwi, Orange-fronted Kakariki were new for me-other good birds included Little Spotted Kiwi, Rockwren etc: Australia: Red-billed Tropicbird, Kermadec Petrel, White-bellied Storm-Petrel, Lord Howe Woodhen, Buller's Albatross, Turquoise Parrot, Plum-headed Finch, Ground Parrot, Red Goshawk, Gouldian Finch, Plains-wanderer: PNG: Fly River Grassbird, Feline and Wallace's Owlet-nightjar, Papuan Hanging-Parrot, NG Flightless Rail, Greater Melampitta:Sabah: Tawny-breasted Parrot-Finch, Oriental Bay Owl:China: Jankowski's Bunting, Japanese Quail, White-naped Crane, Swan Goose, Pere David's Owl, Elisa's Flycatcher, Pallas's Bunting, Tristram's Bunting, Great Bustard, Spot-winged Rosefinch, Three-toed Parrotbill: Bhutan Hodgson's Frogmouth, five Satyr Tragopans: Assam: seven White-winged Ducks:Thailand: Purple Cochoa, Silver Oriole, Rusty-cheeked Hornbill, Hume's Pheasant, Giant Nuthatch, Mountain Scops Owl. Started this year in India. Gujarat was highlighted by Syke's Nightjar, Houbara Bustard, Hypocolius, White-naped Tit and Crab Plover. Rajahstan turned up Yellow-eyed Pigeon and Cream-coloured Courser. Madhya Pradesh was highlighted by a pair of Black-headed Cuckoo-shrike. Andamans was wonderful with an amazing encounter with the endemic Masked Owl, Crake, Wood Pigeon, Cuckoo-shrike and Cuckoo-dove. Heard but did not see the nightjar thus preventing a clean sweep!

Nepal in Jan - 260 species. Ghana in Feb - approx 200 inc. Picathartes. Philippines in April - 310 inc. 134 endemics, Philippine Eagle, Steere's Pitta. Poland Bialowieza Forest in May with Luke Bunnett - 7 Woodpeckers & European Wolf. REGUA, Brazil Atlantic Rainforest in Sept with Colin Bushell - 264 inc. Grey-winged Cotinga. Oct - Northern Peru with Alejandro Solange - 400 odd inc Marvellous Spatuletail. Nov/Dec - Australia self-guided but inc. one great day with Carol Probets - 200 inc. displaying Superb Lyrebird and Southern Cassowary with two chicks.

All from the Americas; Colombia: Northern Screamer, Yellow-eared Parrot, Santa Marta Parakeet, Santa Marta Screech-Owl, White-mantled Barbet, Uniform and Flammulated Treehunters, Antioquia Bristle-Tyrant, and Golden-winged Sparrow; Costa Rica:Bare-necked Umbrellabird, Costa Rican Pygmy-Owl, Silvery-throated Jay, Yellow-billed Cotinga and Scaled and Ochre-breasted Antpittas; Upper Texas Coast spring migration: Upland and Buff-breasted Sandpipers, Piping Plover, Hudsonian Godwit, Bachman's Sparrow and Red-cockaded Woodpecker; Bolivia: Red-fronted and Blue-throated Macaws, Cliff Parakeet, Yungas Pygmy-Owl, Hooded Mountain-Toucan, Orange-browed Hemispingus, the Beni forms of Plain Softtail, and Velvet-fronted Grackle and a group of 35 Andean Condors in the Saipina area; Paraguay: displaying Giant Snipes, White-winged and Sickle-winged Nightjars, Black-bodied Woodpecker, Spot-winged Falconet, and Ochre-breasted Pipit; southern Argentina: Ruddy-headed Goose, Magellanic Plover and Woodpecker, Hooded Grebe, White-bridled Finch and White-bellied Seedsnipe

Ethiopia in Jan, Antarctica and 2 days Argentina in Feb, Bhutan and NE India in Mar/Apr, Malaysia May, South Africa, Namibia and Botswana in July/August/October, Madagascar in November and Tanzaia in December

Birding independently in Chile, Argentina, UK, South Africa Vietnam Cambodia Thailand Malaysia Singapore Australia New Zealand See my web site at Norfolk Birders

Jan-Feb - NW Ecuador, Mar-May - SE Brazil, July - Alaska, Sept - New Caledonia, Fiji, Vanuatu, Oct - Nov - Eastern Australia, Nov - Florida. Great year full of great birds. Coolest bird of the year - Saffron Toucanet. Most boring bird of the year - Large Lifou White-eye. Weirdest bird of the year - Southern Cassowary. Best birding moment - watching lifer Rock Ptarmigan get eaten by lifer Gyrfalcon, then attacked by lifer Wolverine, which was then chased off by lifer Muskox in Alaska.

9/2/2010: Loads of Eastern NA birds picked up in the past two weeks, en route to and in Delaware. 8/18/10: Whooping Crane, Black and Brown-capped Rosy Finches! Lesser Prairie Chicken, Painted Bunting, Yellow-billed Cukoo, and a few other odds n ends 7/25/10: More Montana fun! Mammals here are incredible, with my Grizz total at 7, Black Bears 13, about 3 dozen Mountain Goats, Bighorn Sheep, and 2 Mountain Lions!! Boreal Owl as a lifer (barring Tengmalm's in Sweden) was the best new bird, though Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch, White-tailed Ptarmigan, Boreal Chickadee, and Black-bcaked Woodpecker are all up there. 6/25/10: Montana has been great! 5 species of Grouse so far, both Crossbills, Pine and Evening Grosbeak, Goshawk, 6 species of Owl, 5/8/10: Recent trips in Arizona got LeConte's and Bendire's Thrasher, Montezuma Quail, Red-faced Warbler, Whiskered Screech-Owl, Mexican Spotted Owl, Botter's, Rufous-winged, and Black-chinend Sparrows, Flame-colored Tanager, Elegant Trogon, and many more! Currently in USA. Update 3/14/10: Southern US provided Brown Jay, Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet, Baird's Sparrow, Sage Sparrow, Little Gull, Northern Wheatear, and many more. Update 3/3/10: Northern Ecuador guiding added over 100 new species to year total included Black-faced Ibis, Streak-backed Canastero, Andean Condor, Masked Mountain-Tanager, Agile Tit-Tyrant, Slate-crowned Antpitta, Black-billed Mountain-Toucan, Plate-billed Mountain-Toucan, Moss-backed Tanager, Giant Antpitta, Rufous-fronted Wood-Quail, Scarlet-breasted Dacnis, Stripe-throated Wren, and others. Updated 2/5/10: Southeast Ecuador guiding and scouting included great birds like Bar-winged Wood-Wren, Spot-winged Parrotlet, Vermilion Tanager, Green-throated Tanager, Blue-browed Tanager, Orange-throated Tanager, Elegant Woodcreeper, Zimmer's Antbird, Masked Saltator, and more. Update 1/14/10:Choco Vireo (new site we investigated at Paul Salaman's urging!), Crested Ant-Tanager, Sooty Ant-Tanager, Tanager Finch, Blue-billed Curassow, Gorgeted Wood-Quail, Chestnut Wood-Quail, Gold-ringed Tanager, Black-and-Gold Tanager, Chestnut-capped Piha, Pavonine Cuckoo, Antioquia Bristle-Tyrant, so far all recorded in Colombia. Now in Ecuador

Fantastic tours to Ethiopia, Guatemala, Cameroon, Madagascar & Ghana - recent highlights were Black Spinetail, Black-collared Lovebird, Tessmann's Flycatcher and Red-fronted Antpecker in Ghana

2010 Trips - Cook Islands (Feb), New Zealand (Feb), South Africa (Mar), Canada (Apr), Hong Kong (Apr), Portugal (Apr), Bali & Sulawesi (May), Sulawesi (Jun), USA (Jul), Canada (Aug), Peru (Sep), Argentina (Oct)

Update 31 Dec. Excl HO. Highlights Southern Cassowary, Beach Thick-knee, Black-banded Fruit-Dove, Spinifex Pigeon, Hooded & Bourke's Parrot, Superb, Variegated, Lovely, Red-backed, White-winged, Splendid & Purple-crowned Fairy-Wren, White-throated & Dusky Grasswren, Macleay's Honeyeater, Logrunner, Chowchilla, Victoria's Riflebird, Tooth-billed Bowerbird, Apostlebird & Gouldian Finch (Australia); Salvadori's Teal, New Guinea Eagle, Purple-tailed & Collared Imperial-Pigeon, Southern Crowned-Pigeon, Superb Fruit-Dove, Palm Cockatoo, Goldie's & Plum-faced Lorikeet, Barred & Wallace's Owlet-Nightjar, Shovel-, Hook- and Yellow-billed Kingfisher, Little, Common, Brown-headed & Buff-breasted Paradise-Kingfisher, Golden Cuckooshrike, Chestnut-backed & Blue Jewel-babbler, Orange-crowned & Emperor Fairy-Wren, Slaty-chinned Longbill, King-of-Saxony & King Bird-of-paradise (PNG); Rock Partridge & Three-toed Woodpecker (Switzerland); Northern Bald Ibis, See-see Partridge, Sociable Lapwing (Syria); Ahanta Francolin, Bronze-winged Courser, Oriole Warbler, Sudan Golden Sparrow & Western Bluebill (Gambia); Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoo, Ocellated Antbird, Black-crowned & Spectacled Antpitta, Blue Cotinga, Sapayoa, Yellow-green Tyrannulet, Brownish Twistwing, Green Shrike-Vireo, Tacarcuna Bush-, Sulphur-rumped & Rufous-winged Tanager, Yellow-green Finch & Slate-colored Seedeater (Panama); Red-breasted Goose, White-tailed Lapwing, Eagle Owl, Oriental Turtle Dove, Great Spotted Cuckoo, Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, Wallcreeper, Bohemian Waxwing, Firecrest & Baltimore Oriole (NL).

US, Ecuador, Brazil, Costa Rica, Trinidad. Updated 22 Dec, most recent additions Smith's, Lapland, McCown's and Chestnut-collared Longspurs

Sweden,Sierra Leone, Hawaii, Canada PNG, Djibouti, Somalia and Micronesia.

China, Estonia, Ethiopia, Gambia, Iceland, Kuwait, Latvia, Lithuania, Mongolia, Russia, South African, Sweden and UAE. Lots of countries but not much avian diversity, worst year total for many years!

Last upd: 31-Dec-10. Thailand, Philippines, Palau, Bali, New Zealand and Hong Kong.

Latest: Working in the southern DRC and picking up Miombo specialists including Boehm's Flycatcher. Highlights: 5 weeks in Colombia with 57 endemics including Colourful Puffleg and Blue-billed Currasow.

Australia, Honduras, New Zealand, USA; updated May 21st

05-12 I visited Australia (Victoria and Tasmania), Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodja, Vietnam, Laos, Southern France and the Netherlands

382 in Thailand inc Spoon-billed Sand, 25 Nordman's Greenshanks, 9 Asiatic Dowitchers, Gurney's Pitta, Baer's Pochard and Dark-rumped Swift. 218 in eastern Turkey, 306 in southern India and the Andamans, and the rest in England and Wales.

A month in Peru, three weeks in Chile, two weeks in California, and living in Massachusetts. (Last updated 6/10/10)

Spoon-billed sandpiper, Indian Skimmer and Pale-capped Pigeon in Myanmar, Swan Goose and two cranes in Korea end of Feb., Uhu, Comon Crane and White-tailed Eagle in Germany March. Firecrest and treecreeper in UK in early April, Ring Ouzel in UK early May, Corncrake in Germany June, Gyrfalcon in Iceland and Humpbacked Whale off St Kilda in July, Black Skimmer and Yellow-billed Magpie in California Sep., Burchell's Courser, White-tailed Shrike in Namibia mid November, Greater Adjutant, Black Baza, Hainan Blue Flycatcher and many more in Cambodia and Chinese Grey Shrike in Korea in December

Wallcreeper (Holland),Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoo, Harpy Eagle, Christmas Frigatebird, Salvadori's Nightjar, Javan Frogmouth a.o.

Sardinian Warbler, Short-toed Eagle, Levantine Shearwater, Honey Buzzard, Pygmy Cormorant (Istanbul), Grey Phalarope, Great Skua, Common Scoter, Puffin (UK), Mtn Yellow Warbler, Evergreen Forest Warbler, Rockefeller's Sunbird (Rwanda) Fire-crested Alethe, Green-tailed Bristlebill, African Dwarf Kingfisher, (Uganda), Star-spotted & Slender-tailed Nightjars, Pectoral-patch Cisticola, Mackinder's Eagle Owl, Greyish Eagle Owl, (Kenya)

Netherlands (130), Germany (60), Belgium (66), Denmark (34), Pen Malaysia (399), Cambodia (45), Sri Lanka (225), Borneo (112), New Zealand (115)

ABA Region, plus one trip to Ecuador

Thailand and 6 weeks in England

Peru, Colombia, Mexico, USA

Colombia, Spain

Grey-crowned Crocias, Grey-bellied Tesia, White-shouldered Ibis, Bar-bellied Pitta - Vietnam

Botswana, Biscay, Scotland, China & England.

Trips to Australia, Florida, W. Texas and Maui; 11/07/10: IVORY GULL, Arroyo Grande, CA; 11/08/10: BLACK-TAILED GULL, Long Beach CA; 11/10/10 BEAN GOOSE, south Salton Sea, Imperial Co. CA

Indiana, New Mexico, and one species each in Maryland and West Virginia. Also southeast Brazil in August. Highlights: White-necked Hawk, Mantled Hawk, Hooded Berryeater, Black-and-gold Cotinga, Gray-winged Cotinga, Itatiaia Thistletail, Giant Antshrike

trip to North Qld added 64 species incl Little Kingfisher, Great-billed Heron, Papuan Frogmouth

23/12/10

Banded Martin,Red-faced Crombec and Orange-breasted Waxbill in NNP

Only 18 days to go. December 13th. This week - Ring-billed gull. Previous few weeks - woodlark and Caspian gull, bean geese, Black Brants, 5 cranes, firecrest, golden pheasant, male hen harrier, 3 barn owls, grey phalarope, green-winged teal. Before these : waxwing, american wigeon, , little auk, little gull and sooty shearwater, 3 pectoral sand, sykes warbler arctic warbler rb flicker buff-bellied pipit, buff breasted sandpiper, bluethroat, subalpine, yellow-browed and pallas' grasshopper warblers, arctic and common redpolls, jack snipe and common rosefinches as year ticks on Fair Isle. So far the birdy highlights - 3 Golden eagle, 4 white-tailed sea eagle, 10 osprey, Dotterel, Great reed warbler, Bonaparte's gull, 3 lesser scaup, 3 ring-necked drakes, Red breasted goose, cirl buntings, 4 Great white egret, Great grey shrike, 3 water pipits, Green-winged teal and found a black redstart at Severn Bridge. Please go to my website www.bikingbirder2010.blogspot.com to get more details on my trip and how to sponsor the charities I am supporting, namely ASTHMA UK, WWT & the RSPB. 18 days to go on the bike ride to cycle to every RSPB & WWT nature reserve. Also look at my blog at www.bikingbirder2010.blogspot.com. Thanks. Next phase - the final push - Rye Meads, Fowlmere and SANDY

Highlights: Common Eider, Cackling Goose, Neotropic Cormorant, Upland Sandpiper, Am. Golden-Plover, Groove-billed Ani, Swainson's Hawk, Green-tailed Towhee, Cinnamon Teal.

Snow Bunting, Boreal Chickadee 11/11/10

Explorer's Inn, Tambopata, TRC, Peru

www.distone.webs.com

Not bad for first year birding

Woodpigeon