Bird project 1 - 2013 target list

Having finally worked out what I saw last year, I can now outline what species I'm aiming for this time round. Some are much more likely than others. Some sightings will rely on chance, others patience, and quite a few will require travelling some distance, as I start to exhaust the local area.

Interestingly, many fall into just a few natural groupings - raptors, owls, game birds, auks - which are either not common where I live, or harder to spot (being nocturnal, or skulking in woodland for instance).

This list is subject to revision (probably upwards). I've based it largely on the RSPB's species guides. The master list I hope to get all of, as they are common and widespread enough not to pose too many difficulties, if I make enough effort. The following two lists are birds I might see, but are either few in number, unpredictable visitors, or in situations which are difficult to photograph (such as far offshore).

As I photograph species, I'll cross them off here.

Master list - 101 species (37 as of 19/09/15)

Accipiter gentilis Goshawk
Acrocephalus schoenobaenus Sedge warbler
Alauda arvensis Skylark
Alca torda Razorbill
Alcedo atthis Kingfisher (2014)
Anas acuta Pintail
▶Anser albifrons White-fronted goose
Anser fabalis Bean goose
Anthus petrosus Rock pipit
Anthus trivialis Tree pipit
Aquila chrysaetos Golden eagle
Asio flammeus Short-eared owl
Asio otus Long-eared owl
Aythya marila Scaup (2014)
Bombycilla garrulus Waxwing
▶Botaurus stellaris Bittern
▶Branta bernicla Brent goose
Branta leucopsis Barnacle goose (2015)

Calidris alpina Dunlin
Calidris canutus Knot
Caprimulgus europaeus Nightjar
Carduelis cabaret Lesser redpoll
Carduelis flavirostris Twite (2014)
Catharacta skua Great skua
Cepphus grylle Black guillemot
Certhia familiaris Treecreeper
Charadrius dubius Little ringed plover (2014)
Cinclus cinclus Dipper
Clangula hyemalis Long-tailed duck
Coccothraustes coccothraustes Hawfinch
Columba oenas Stock dove
Corvus corax Raven (2015)
Corvus cornix Hooded crow
Crex crex Corncrake
Cuculus canorus Cuckoo (2014)
Dendrocopos minor Lesser-spotted woodpecker
Egretta garzetta Little egret
Emberiza calandra Corn bunting (2015)
Emberiza citrinella Yellowhammer
Falco peregrinus Peregrine (2014)
Falco subbuteo Hobby (2014)
Ficedula hypoleuca Pied flycatcher (2015)
Fratercula arctica Puffin
Fringilla montifringilla Brambling (2014)
Fulmarus glacialis Fulmar (2015)
Garrulus glandarius Jay
Gavia stellata Red-throated diver (2015)
Hydrobates pelagicus Storm petrel
Lagopus lagopus Red grouse
Lagopus mutus Ptarmigan
Limnocryptes minimus Jack snipe (2015)
▶Locustella naevia Grasshopper warbler *seen but not photographed 2015
Lophophanes cristatus Crested tit
Loxia curvirostra Crossbill
Loxia scotica Scottish crossbill 
Luscinia megarhynchos Nightingale
Melanitta nigra Common scoter (2014)
Mergus merganser Goosander
Milvus milvus Red kite (2014)
Morus bassanus Gannet (2015)
Motacilla flava Yellow wagtail (2015)
Muscicapa striata Spotted flycatcher
Numenius phaeopus Whimbrel
Oenanthe oenanthe Wheatear
▶Pandion haliaetus Osprey
Panurus biarmicus Bearded tit (2014)
Passer montanus Tree sparrow
▶Perdix perdix Grey partridge *seen but not photographed 2014

Phalacrocorax aristotelis Shag (2015)
Philomachus pugnax Ruff
Phoenicurus phoenicurus Redstart (2015)
Phylloscopus collybita Chiffchaff
Phylloscopus sibilatrix Wood warbler (2015)
Picus viridis Green woodpecker *heard but not photographed 2014-15
Plectrophenax nivalis Snow bunting
Podiceps auritus Slavonian grebe (2015)
Poecile montanus Willow tit
▶Puffinus puffinus Manx shearwater
Pyrrhula pyrrhula Bullfinch
Rallus aquaticus Water rail (2014)
Recurvirostra avosetta Avocet (2015)
Regulus regulus Goldcrest
Rissa tridactyla Kittiwake (2015)
Saxicola rubetra Whinchat (2015)
Saxicola torquata Stonechat (2014)
▶Scolopax rusticola Woodcock *seen but not photographed 2015
Sitta europaea Nuthatch
Somateria mollissima Eider (2014)
Sterna albifrons Little tern
Sterna sandvicensis Sandwich tern
Streptopelia turtur Turtle dove
Strix aluco Tawny owl (2015)
Sylvia borin Garden warbler (2015)
Sylvia curruca Lesser whitethroat (2014)
Sylvia undata Dartford warbler
Tachybaptus ruficollis Little grebe
Tetrao tetrix Black grouse
Tetrao urogallus Capercaillie
Turdus torquatus Ring ouzel
Tyto alba Barn owl
▶Uria aalge Guillemot
▶ indicates birds I have a reasonable chance of photographing in my local area, depending on the time of year.

Extended list - see explanations below for inclusion here: 42 species (33 as of 18/09/2015)

Acrocephalus paludicola Aquatic warbler*
Anas querquedula Garganey*
Anthus spinoletta Water pipit**
Burhinus oedicnemus Stone-curlew*
Calcarius lapponicus Lapland bunting*
Calidris ferruginea Curlew sandpiper*§ (2014)
Calidris minuta Little stint* (2014)
Carduelis flammea Mealy redpoll§
▶Cettia cetti Cetti's warbler* (seen but not photographed 2015)
Charadrius morinellus Dotterel*†
Chlidonias niger Black tern§
Circus aeruginosus Marsh harrier* (2014)
Circus cyaneus Hen harrier*
Circus pygargus Montagu's harrier**1
Coturnix coturnix Quail* (heard but not photographed 2015)
Emberiza cirlus Cirl bunting*†
Gavia arctica Black-throated diver*
Gavia immer Great northern diver‡
Grus grus Crane*†
Jynx torquilla Wryneck** (2015)
Lanius collurio Red-backed shrike*
Larus glaucoides Iceland gull*(2015)
Larus hyperboreus Glaucous gull*
▶Larus michahellis Yellow-legged gull*2
Larus minutus Little gull*
Locustella luscinioides Savi's warbler**†
Loxia pytyopsittacus Parrot crossbill**†
Melanitta fusca Velvet scoter‡ (2015)
Mergus albellus Smew*
Oceanodroma leucorhoa Leach's petrel†
Oriolus oriolus Golden oriole*
Pernis apivorus Honey buzzard*
Phalaropus lobatus Red-necked phalarope**†
Pheonicurus ochruros Black redstart*
Podiceps nigricollis Black-necked grebe*
Porzana porzana Spotted crake**
Pyhrrocorax pyrrhocorax Chough*
Regulus ignicapillus Firecrest* (2015)
Stercorarius parasiticus Arctic skua†
Sterna dougallii Roseate tern**†
Tringa ochropus Green sandpiper* (2015)
Upupa epops Hoopoe§

* Very small population, several hundred.
** Tiny population, no more than a couple of hundred.
§ Passage - usually only seen passing through Britain on the way to somewhere else.
† Restricted to remote locations, such as the Western Isles of Scotland, or has a very limited distribution, no more than a handful of sites.
‡ Usually only found offshore.
1 locations kept secret.
2 hard to distinguish from another species.

Highly unlikely list - rarer vagrants found in awkward locations, such as offshore, tiny populations of less than 10 per year, etc.: 18 species (15 as of 18/08/2015)
Acrocephalus palustris Marsh warbler
Alle alle Little auk
Ardea alba Great white egret (2014)
Bubulcus ibis Cattle egret
Calidris melanotos Pectoral sandpiper (2014)
Calidris temminckii Temminck's stint (2015)
Carpodacus erythrinus Scarlet rosefinch
Haliaeetus albicilla White-tailed sea eagle
Luscinia svecica Bluethroat
Phalaropus fulicarius Grey phalarope
Platalea leucorodia Spoonbill
Puffinus gravis Great shearwater
Puffinus griseus Sooty shearwater
Puffinus mauretanicus Balearic shearwater
Serinus serinus Serin
Stercorarius longicaudus Long-tailed skua
Stercorarius pomarinus Pomarine skua
Tringa glareola Wood sandpiper