Well done Mr Wilson, thats a fantastic achievement The GM 200 Photographers club is a real special place.

Birding has certainly changed over the past few years , and twitching, lists, and birding in general all seems to be different, so your sideline is a welcomed and a very postive way to reach a target ..

I wonder what other sideline targets GM birders could tackle ..

Keep birding in a way that keeps you happy .

Well, I just took a photo of a random feral pigeon to get the 199 out of the way. And then managed (only just, due to camera playing up) to add a very welcome Alpine Swift to my Photographed 200. Although not the best (or rarest), my favourite just has to be this one. Great memories associated with this bird.

Au contraire mon frère, the humble Manchester Pigeon is amongst the finest of out native birds, I fear getting the perfect photo of  a  pigeon could lead to a life of searching in vain ..for as Moritsugu katsumoto said as he was dying they are all perfect .. okay he was referring to cherry blossom, but the search for the perfect pigeon could be a good project .

The 200 club would welcome the achievement of 200 birds photographed in Greater Manchester , an amazing achievement.

Stay happy and crazy and keep birding 

Well hello  people  ! I just happend to be passing Bickershaw country park last night and saw the amazing White tailed plover (lapwing) thank you so much Gordon Newman for sharing this,  it has added to a few peoples lists and made some happy birders , what an amazing birds.

Also we seem to have a sneeky new member DAVE OUSEY jumps straight into the club membership with a list of 247 .;) welcome Dave excellent list sir..

Looking at the county listers it maybe that someone will get to  300 one day, birding has changed over the years , and apparantly so have I , Rob Adderley kindly pointed out how grey my hair was last night ... nice after not seeing him for a while that he would notice , I just thought oh theres Rob and Sonia how nice ...

An amazing bird, nice that we are all still sharing news , we forget how Fantastic Ians Webpage is and the forum, and his text alerts, thank you Ian .

Keep Birding  people and listing if it keeps you happy , I discovered a new birding spot last night that was good

The GM200 Club Library has this week added to it shelves the excellent ISLES OF SCILLY Bird and Natural History Review/report , this has to be one of the best publications in the country.

The forward is complied by one of our very own, Judith Smith only the second ever female to write a forward , she is one of the quiet GM200 club members but we are extremly proud of her achievements .

An excellent  forward and a outstanding bird report, the recorder John Headon was in his youth a Manchester Birder, perhaps GM birders are taking over the islands .

I for one would love to be the resident ST Agnes birder... one day perhaps .

Keep Birding and looking out for those Rare GM Birds and reports ....

Mike Passant wrote:

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Well done and congratulations to Vicky Harper with a fine milestone species as well;- also its great to have another woman in the ranks of the unhinged!

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Well done and congratulations to Vicky Harper with a fine milestone species as well;- also its great to have another woman in the ranks of the unhinged!

It appears birders are still listing and having excellent adventures in the county addding new birds to their lists Vicky Harper has added the stunning Rose Coloured Starling to her list and its her 200th  bird welcome to the legendary 200 club .

What an excellent bird to get into the club and i hope 201 will be just as good .

keep birding 

Well what can I say, wow reaching the GM 200 with a Sandwich , style !! I like that ..

Congratulations new members are rare, as John says its been some time .

Welcome to the oddest bunch of birders in the county

Keep Birding 

Hi Chris,

Its quite a while since the 200 club gained a new member; - in fact over a year or more, so well done and welcome!

Best Wishes,

Mike P.

A run of good luck (and not being in work as much) meant the Sandwich Tern at Audenshaw on Saturday has taken me to 200 species in GM now. Much thanks to the finders of these quality birds and this excellent site. I did find a few myself also. Now for the 250. Laughing Gull anyone?

Thanks John very helpful. I'll draw up a list and send it in. I reckon about 190 currently so a bit to do to make the 200 club. Nice to see you on Saturday as ever.

Sorry to be a pain, but I was looking at creating a GM list. Is there a link to which birds are accepted and which are not? I note the listing section about using the BOU guidelines. Thinking about birds like Greylag Goose, Mandarin Duck, Muskovy Duck etc. which breed in the county.

Any help gratefully received 

I have just realised that this coming November 1st will mark 10 years since the reawakening of my interest in Manchesters birds starting with a Purple Sandpiper at Audenshaw - how the time has flown! I have enjoyed exploring some 40 different water bodies ie flashes, lakes, lodges and reservoirs in this period, (quite apart from canals and rivers). Very well, so there is no coastline of course but G M nevertheless additionally has some other superb habitats comprising hills moors and extensive reed beds and as dedicated a body of patch workers as can be found anywhere. 

Coincidentally I have seen exactly 200 different species during the 10 year period (the last one being Penningtons Temmincks Stint in May) added to which I have 15 other species in GM from the old days which I have not seen again within the county.

The penalty for not living in GM and for being out of the country so regularly during the 10 years has cost me dear -conservatively an additional 21 species, (including last weeks Rose - coloured Starling), proving that nothing can be taken for granted, but that all adds to the fun.

Best Wishes to all,

Mike P.

Good evening fellow birders and members, what a lovely evening to be sat on the club balcony drinking cold beer, and chatting about birds books and listing ..

It appears a number of GM birder have been showing off their list on a site called Bubo.org... 18 birders on the Greater Manchester Life List top four all life members, well lads and lassies get your list on there if you want.

I love the birders who has a life list of 1 haha class .

Keep Birding 

Dear Mr Passant, the membership has no bounds, the closet members are still members as for the 250 crew they have a special room within the club , all birders and non birders are welcome, as you say the ranks have slowed down a bit recently , but I feel it the calm  before the storm , this autumn could be the best GM autumn yet.

Take care enjoy your birding however you do it, and remember , it is all just a bit of fun .....unless you really need it

Keep Birding 

Its 18 months since I last pondered over the composition of the 200 club. It presently comprises 30 members, (2 ladies and 28 gents). It would be rather nice if we could see more women in the ranks; I should try to get Mrs. P involved as she already has some good species under her belt as I write this (e.g.- Manx Shearwater, Osprey, Bittern, Smew, Kentish Plover, Temmincks Stint, Roseate Tern, Two- barred Crossbill, and Snow Bunting)

What has undoubtedly increased though is the number of closet members (possibly 10 or so) who quietly enjoy progressing in their own way;- nothing at all wrong with that.

What has materialised over the last year or so is the emergence of a really tough club - the 250 club, with 4 very keen birders presently there as members, followed by 4 or 5 aspirants in close pursuit; - some of us though can only ever aspire to be spectators?

Its all great fun!

Good Birding!

Mike P.

Well what start to 2018, seems listing is still a special thing for some GM birders, I have been asked if we need to set up a top table or rename the club to The GM 250 clunb, its seems 200 is easy nowadays, hahaha, I doff my cap to all who have added to there list recently, remember its just for fun and the only way to add more is 

Keep Birding.

Mr Burke what an excellent way to get your GM200 bird a double seen on Merseyside and GM borders, I wonder how many times the Hoodie has done this, I have done the same as well, seen it on both location, as it is a lovely bird, I have a  soft spot of corvids.

So Welcome to the oddest club in the birding world, I hope you enjoy your birding from now and add the the most sort after list in GM.

Keep Birding 

steven burke wrote:

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Rob Creek wrote:

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Well done Steve ... but ... didn't you have Hooded Crow (same one?) not so long ago near Haydock when the debate was on if it was in GM or not, when viewed from another road???
Surely not still on 199?

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how mean of you mr creek & here is me thinking you were a really nice man
the hooded crow near haydock back in October when I watched it was clearly not in gm hence the reason I went to see the hooded crow(same one) in ashton -in-makerfield which clearly is in gm
cheers rob
thank you to all who have congratulated me.

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Haha, I am a nice man
Seriously though Steve well done mate, I don't do listing but I know it takes some doing to get 200!

Rob Creek wrote:

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Well done Steve ... but ... didn't you have Hooded Crow (same one?) not so long ago near Haydock when the debate was on if it was in GM or not, when viewed from another road???
Surely not still on 199?

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Mr Hargreaves, yes I have found the papers and correspondence regarding the self found rules , and to simplify for the common everyday birds, ie Coot Mallard Pigeon etc its the largest count of that species thats you have seen that year. Now  on the same shelf was the rules from the now defunct UK 250 Club , they had some great self found rules , the re-find rules is very strange , re-finding a bird rare or not , the rule again roughly is... the bird has to have been unreported from some time and believed to have moved on, ( the time is flexible ) then you have to be surprised by the re-find.. hahaha basically it all a load of ...... well whatever you want it to be, listing is listing its fun and challenge , and game one up-manship.

I have had some great twitches and kept great day list week list month lists year list holiday lists ect ect, and it was all good fun.

I now want to look back on those days with fond memories and move on to a different level, again just for the love of birding.

Have fun which ever way you want to bird, just Keep Birding.

ps a birder once told me his mate had a huge Garden list... he rules were he counted anyones garden, or any garden any bird was flying over

Paul,deep in  the library (if memory serves)there is an article by Ian which covers his "self found" definition,something along the line of you visit a patch a few times and note the Coot present. if on the next visit  there is an increase you have self found a Coot.That may be wrong but a list is just your own record,my puzzle is if you refind a bird or a rare bird turns up years later is it self found times2.

happy listing geoff

Feliz Navidad from Madrid !

To all friends in the Manchester birding community, (whether in the 200 club or not); and if its not too soppy, a special Merry Christmas to all those Hawfinches this last few months who brought so much pleasure and fun to many of you; - (candidates for species of the year?)

I havent been in Manchester since last January so didnt have the pleasure myself of bumping into a Hawfinch down there.

Best Wishes for 2018!

Miguelito

May all GM Birders have a happy festive time and a bird-full start to the new year, lets hope 2018 can bring back some good old fashion GM twitches, all the best.

Keep Birding 

Sorry Gentlemen, for the late reply.

Mr Charles Owen, has a list of 200 ! just for Pennington, wow ..now that's a proper list, well done that man, these are the right and proper members of the GM200 Club.

The club was originally going to be called the silent meals club, due to the trouble we used to get in when we got home... however the GM200 Club, seemed to give, a target for people to try and reach, over the years I have often raced out just to add a bird to a list.

I know there has been loads of discussion on the rights and wrongs of listing, twitching etc but deep down it should always be personal, you can list what you want when you want, personally I have given up twitching ? ok Wallcreeper and Male Siberian Rubythroat maybe ones to pay homage to .

I do like the self found list which is open to all sorts of odd rules and anomalies, how do you self find a Coot or a Mallard ? 

So the birders that have a list of 200 for one place are good old fashion proper birders, and I doff my cap to them, for I am well short of finding 200 birds in GM, and in fact recently as I have been on a Hawfinch hunt ( i know thats not PC ) but I mean a figurative hunt, I have seen loads of common birds really well, and it has brought back by real love for birding, which is just watching and seeing birds, really looking at them, watching behaviour, looking a plumage , and just watching birds.

Perhaps Club members should do that in 2018, lets have a return to old school birding, lets just enjoy birds for what they are, lists are fun and a little bit of competition is good. But enjoy your birding for whatever reason you want to.

Keep listing ,Keep Birding, 

As a long serving waiter  at the top table I,d hate to upset any new members with "sorry your not on the list" at this years xmas bash,please submit your list.

In good fun geoff 

A special Well done to Bill, an unassuming, modest and dedicated Pennington stalwart, with whom Ive had the pleasure to spend many a happy hour in recent years, (though not thus far in 2017).

Best Wishes, Bill,

Cheers,

Mike

Craig I think a special medal for 200 birds at Pennington Flash is in order,  puts a GM list in the shadows .

But hell yes Bill Harrison is a very welcome member of the GM 200 Club.

Well done Mr. Tromans upon entering the hallowed portals of Mr. Heaton's Nuthouse. I do find the place to be a great source of comfort and solace in time of crisis/stress, with the added bonus of the availability of the padded rooms when things are very hard in the wider world beyond.

-A cautionary note though John, don't ever stay overnight, as the frequent wailings and gnashing of teeth from other inmates isn't conducive to a good night's sleep.

I did place a shilling each way on you to be the next new member, and shall be skipping to the local bookies to collect when it stops raining.

Regards,

Mike P.

Rob, an extra 0, can just add a bit of fun, thought it best to edit it before the someone else does.

keep trying to reach new heights 

Paul Heaton wrote:

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Mr John Tromans, how very pleasing that we can now add you as a full member of the elusive GM 2000 Club, well done on your latest two ticks, I hope you get many more.

 

Keep Birding.

 

 

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Mr John Tromans, how very pleasing that we can now add you as a full member of the elusive GM 200 Club, well done on your latest two ticks, I hope you get many more.

Keep Birding.

The clubs ranks have swollen considerably since I last perused it in March of 2011 when there were some 20 members.

Presently in the published rankings are 29 people (comprising 2 ladies and 27 gentlemen). In addition are three other people whose names sadly no longer appear, (gone but definitely not forgotten), and an unknown number of "closet" members.

There have been no new entrants during the current year so far, so who might be the next one?

The smart money is on a certain Mr Tromans, a thoroughly nice man who enjoys his birding, but who has a masochistic streak in being a Birmingham City fan.

-Just teasing John!