Here is my life list. This list includes trips to Tobago, South Africa x4, Swaziland, Namibia, Botswana, Tanzania with brief excursions to Zimbabwe and Zambia (Victoria falls).
A holiday in Tobago started my birding career. I took an Island tour with a guide that was a fanatical birder. His enthusiasm for birding inspired me to find out more about birdlife in the UK. The rest is history... I would not have considered birding as a hobby before that day.
Pisces Lake Sundridge Kent 31/07/1999
0001 Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)
Barbados Nature Reserve Barbados 19/08/1999
0002 Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis)
Tobago West Indies 19/08/1999
0003 Magnificent Frigatebird (Fregata magnificens)
0004 Snowy Egret (Egretta thula)
0005 Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis)
0006 Green Heron (Butorides virescens)
0007 Stripe-backed Bittern (Ixobrychus involucris)
0008 Rufous-vented Chachalaca (Ortalis ruficauda)
0009 Caribbean Coot (Fulica caribaea)
0010 Southern Lapwing (Vanellus chilensis)
0011 Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca)
0012 Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla)
0013 Laughing Gull (Larus atricilla)
0014 Large-billed Tern (Phaetusa simplex)
0015 Brown-backed Dove (Leptotila battyi)
0016 Green-rumped Parrotlet (Forpus passerinus)
0017 Orange-winged Parrot (Amazona amazonica)
0018 Smooth-billed Ani (Crotophaga ani)
0019 Short-tailed Swift (Chaetura brachyura)
0020 Rufous-breasted Hermit (Glaucis hirsuta)
0021 Copper-rumped Hummingbird (Saucerottia tobaci)
0022 Collared Trogon (Trogon collaris)
0023 Green Kingfisher (Chloroceryle americana)
0024 Blue-crowned Motmot (Momotus momota coeruliceps)
0025 Rufous-tailed Jacamar (Galbula ruficauda)
0026 Stripe-breasted Spinetail (Synallaxis cinnamomea)
0027 Barred Antshrike (Thamnophilus doliatus)
0028 White-bearded Manakin (Manacus manacus)
0029 Great Kiskadee (Pitangus sulphuratus)
0030 Caribbean Martin (Progne dominicensis)
0031 Rufous-breasted Wren (Thryothorus rutilus)
0032 Tropical Mockingbird (Mimus gilvus)
0033 Bare-eyed Robin (Turdus nudigenis)
0034 White-necked Thrush (Turdus albicollis)
0035 Bananaquit (Coereba flaveola)
0036 White-lined Tanager (Tachyphonus rufus)
0037 Blue-grey Tanager (Thraupis episcopus)
0038 Palm Tanager (Thraupis palmarum)
0039 Blue-black Grassquit (Volatinia jacarina)
0040 Carib Grackle (Quiscalus lugubris)
0041 Crested Oropendola (Psarocolius decumanus)
This section lists the rest of my 1999 life ticks. My birdwatching was done locally and had not got into top gear but was enjoyable all the same.
Pisces Lake Sundridge Kent 03/09/1999
0042 Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus)
0043 Common Coot (Fulica atra)
Cheam Park Cheam Surrey 11/09/1999
0044 Black-headed Gull (Larus ridibundus)
0045 Common Wood Pigeon (Columba palumbus)
0046 Eurasian Blackbird (Turdus merula)
0047 European Robin (Erithacus rubecula)
0048 Eurasian Magpie (Pica pica)
0049 Carrion Crow (Corvus corone)
0050 House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)
Battersea River Thames London 15/09/1999
0051 Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
West Sutton Surrey 17/09/1999
0052 Common Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)
0053 Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus)
West Sutton Surrey 25/09/1999
0054 Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus)
Bourne Hall Ewell Surrey 30/09/1999
0055 Mute Swan (Cygnus olor)
0056 Common Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus)
0057 Feral Pigeon (Columba livia 'feral')
0058 Stock Dove (Columba oenas)
Nonsuch Park Cheam Surrey 30/09/1999
0059 Green Woodpecker (Picus viridis)
0060 Long-tailed Tit (Aegithalos caudatus)
0061 Eurasian Jay (Garrulus glandarius)
Sears Park Cheam Surrey 30/09/1999
0062 Hooded Crow (Corvus cornix)
At the time this bird had not been split and frankly I did not realise what a good find this was.
Carshalton Ponds Carshalton Surrey 30/09/1999
0063 Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula)
West Sutton Surrey 30/09/1999
0064 Eurasian Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto)
Bourne Hall Ewell Surrey 28/11/1999
(!) Bar-headed Goose (Anser indicus)
2000 began on the same scale as the previous year finished. Local birding with some N Yorkshire / Cleveland birding thrown in.
Bath Somerset 15/01/2000
0065 Greater White-fronted Goose (Anser albifrons)
West Sutton Surrey 15/01/2000
0066 Eurasian Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes)
Westerdale Cleveland 09/02/2000
0067 Common Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus)
Scaling Cleveland 09/02/2000
(-) Ring-necked Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus torquatus)
Leaholm North Yorkshire 09/02/2000
0068 Eurasian Jackdaw (Corvus monedula)
Runswick Bay North Yorkshire 10/02/2000
0069 Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs)
Leaholm North Yorkshire 11/02/2000
0070 Greylag Goose (Anser anser)
0071 Great Tit (Parus major)
Ugthorpe North Yorkshire 12/02/2000
0072 Northern Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus)
0073 European Golden Plover (Pluvialis apricaria)
Dalehouse North Yorkshire 12/02/2000
0074 European Greenfinch (Carduelis chloris)
Scaling Dam Cleveland 09/02/2000
0075 Black-throated Diver (Gavia arctica)
0076 Common Pochard (Aythya ferina)
0077 Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula)
Dalehouse North Yorkshire 09/02/2000
0078 Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos)
0079 Mistle Thrush (Turdus viscivorus)
West Sutton Surrey 24/02/2000
0080 European Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis)
Tintagel Cornwall 11/03/2000
0081 Eurasian Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)
Dalehouse North Yorkshire 04/06/2000
0082 Eurasian Bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula)
0083 House Martin (Delichon urbica)
Dalehouse North Yorkshire 06/06/2000
0084 Marsh Tit (Poecile palustris)
0085 Eurasian Treecreeper (Certhia familiaris)
Dalehouse North Yorkshire 23/08/2000
0086 Eurasian Swallow (Hirundo rustica rustica)
Westerdale North Yorkshire 24/08/2000
0087 Eurasian Buzzard (Buteo buteo)
Scaling Dam Cleveland 09/02/2000
0088 Great Black-backed Gull (Larus marinus)
Boulby Cleveland 09/02/2000
0089 Common Swift (Apus apus)
Virginia Water Surrey 07/10/2000
0090 Rose-ringed Parakeet (Psittacula krameri)
0091 Goldcrest (Regulus regulus)
North Gare Cleveland 23/12/2000
0092 Common Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna)
0093 Eurasian Teal (Anas crecca crecca)
0094 Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator)
0095 Eurasian Curlew (Numenius arquata)
Scaling Dam Cleveland 24/12/2000
0096 Slavonian Grebe (Podiceps auritus)
Dalehouse North Yorkshire 28/12/2000
0097 Grey Wagtail (Motacilla cinerea)