Introducing...

...Stephen Menzie's Merseyside Year List, 2007!
I've decided to do a county year list for a couple of reasons: I'm fed up of driving up and down the country! I want to get to know my local area a bit more than I do; I want to increase my [dismal] county life list; it's something I'm not sure has really been done before - it's always Lancs & N. M'yside or Cheshire & Wirral, never Merseyside.
For those that don't know, the Metropolitan County of Merseyside consists of the Metropolitan Boroughs of Sefton, Liverpool, Knowsley and St Helens to the north of the River Mersey and Wirral, on the Wirral peninsular to the south.
The only 'rules' I have set myself are that a) the bird must be in Merseyside, obviously. That means if I'm stood in M'yside on the border looking out, it doesn't count. If I'm on the outside looking in then, erm, that probably counts. We'll cross that bridge when/if we come to it.
b) Birds must be seen. None of this poxy heard only listing rubbish. And the bird must be seen well enough to be identifiable by myself. Obviously a Tree Pipit on migration will most likely be picked up and IDed on call, but so long as I clap eyes on the bird making the noise, that's ok. I think. Again, we'll see what happens.
c) Listing will be done by BOU taxonomic rules. Other distinct forms will be noted but not included in the main total.
This blog will simply be used to keep a list of species seen, in order of appearance, with the occasional link to a photo or two. For everything else, it will be business as usual over on MenzieBirding.