Looked at the cracking Yellow Wag flock on Biggy Common this lunchtime - its up around the 55 birds mark! As I was there I thought I'd just check the fencelines for errant chats. BOOM! A Whinchat and a Stonechat together. Nice. I think I can claim the Whinchat as 'new' as none have been see there for the last couple of days according to my sources.
I think that is an extremely cheeky claim. However, I suppose I would resort to similar tactics if I were desperate. :-)
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ReplyDeleteNo birds there for the two days previous - or only negative news at least from several people who looked. And after all I have been looking in that spot for them this autumn anyway ref Lesser Spot in Pegnut! ;0)
ReplyDeleteThere is a world of difference between LS and WC but I sort of get your point. Anyway, I don't care, as you are no bloody competition this year. ;-)
ReplyDeleteI'm going to Marston Vale and Stewartby on Tuesday, so I hope that no one reports the Caspian Gull before then. ;-)
Which Caspian Gull are you talking about - the probable adult or juv/1w MJP had over the weekend...
ReplyDeleteMate...come on. Have you read the Punkbirder rules (to which we adhere?)
ReplyDeleteThe only people in the known universe who think that your Whinchat is fair game as a self-found tick are you and Emily, and she only nods because she hasn't got a fucking clue what you are on about. Frankly, neither do we! ;-)
As far as I knew there were NO Whinchats left on Biggleswade Common - two separate people told me they'd been down there and looked for them without success. That is two days of NO Whinchats being seen there. Therefor I go down there to look for Yellow Wags on the Friday, just so happen to peer across to one of the fence lines and see a chat. It was too far off for me to id so we walk round the side of the farm for a better view - it was a Stonechat. Lovely. However then another bird pops up next to it - a Whinchat. That, in my book, is a self-found bird.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing - Whinchats, when they are at a place are pretty easy birds to see don't you think? So if someone goes to look for them, especially where I saw mine, they would certainly see it - its not a huge area after all, its the size of a football pitch. So I am pretty confident the bird I found was a 'new in' bird, especially as a Stonechat was with it and hadn't been seen previously either. Any other holes you want to try and pick?
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