What is the most common bird that you have had problems adding to your list? You know the ones - they are so common that they never get a special mention but always seem elude you.
It took me about 4 years to see my first Water Rail ( it had always been out in the open until just prior to my arrival) another bird that gives me problems is the Cuckoo - you hear them everywhere but how many times are they seen.
Silly as it seems mine are Reed Warbler and Spotted Flycarcher. I do get them in the end (allthough I never saw a spotted fly at all last year) but they elude me on most of my visits to find them.
‚l‚™ UK list is missing quite a few "common" birds:
Black Throated Diver, Nightingale, Woodlark and Velvet Scoter all spring to mind. I've also never seen Goshawk, Red Kite and Chough as well as some regional specialities such as Cirl Bunting, Ptarmigan and Capercaillie. There are also big gaps in my seabird list. Now I no longer live in the UK I may never see them I guess though I've seen several of the above elsewhere.
It took me until last year to get my first UK Grasshopper Warbler and ages too to get Barn Owl.......never had a problem with Cuckoo though.......
If you live in the north and aren't into travelling round to list birds I suppose such gaps are inevitable.......
I reckon there must be quite a few birders now who have Black Lark on their list but not Woodlark ( I have neither! ).