Dun for fun + Chicken run.

I am well off the running again, puffing and panting in the lower middle order. But its all the more sweet when I actually see something at Broom that hasn't been seen by 10 other birders first!
Visits have been fleeting and infrequent this year as I save up valuable brownie points to get the Spring passage birds when Spring really kicks off. Though admittedly, now you can fall out of your car and watch birds at GLE- the task been made much harder.
A male Wheatear and a presumed newly arrived Chiffchaff were nice to see.

But my pictorial offering has come in the form of a long range shot of a Dunlin- none have been reported at Broom since last week, so I think this one is Bona Fide!

Caught in good light and clearly showing a classic winter plumage individual. I just couldn't face another field sketch!

Jim- I am available for photographic tutorials- just give me a call and I'll arrange an exclusive workshop..........................;)

Dunlin- click for a grainier view.

 STOP PRESS!- I managed to catch a female Rhode Island Red in the garden too! I can see its going to be a passage filled Spring!

Obviously exhausted after a long flight- it almost looks tame!

Dun for tun

A dawn raid on Meadow Lane didn't provide much for me but following sightings of the odd, regularly reported Dunlin/s at Broom last week, there were two at Meadow Lane this morning, taking me to three figures.

Not Dun yet

Still plenty to find for me this year. Two Redstarts at Pegsdon on Saturday morning were nice, an adult male and an immature male while on Sunday, as well as the surprise of getting very wet, it was good to see that Brogbrough No.2 is attracting some waders again this autumn with this Dunlin one of two present along with three each of Green and Common Sandpipers. Nothing new but some promise for the next few weeks... Wryneck please

Snowy plovers

Stayed in most of Saturday with the snow but figured that most others would have done so as well so leaving a week’s worth of arrivals to be found on Sunday. Had a few waders today around the brick pits: Redshank, Oystercatchers, a few Snipe, a couple of flocks of Golden Plover (one of 11 and a second one of 50ish was probably GP though could not be certain with the distance and gloom), two Ringed Plovers over MVCP and then two in Quest with two SFYL Dunlin.

Dunlin

Not what I expected my century bird to be...

With SCB this lunchtime at Broom was instructive in a number of ways; not least comparing our differing scanning tactics. As this is Steve's local patch, he seems to intuitively know where to look first and consequently, often gets onto birds before I do. I, on the other hand, tend to always scan a site from right to left. The logic being that as we are principally a 'left to right' culture, by scanning (counter-intuitively) in the opposite direction, our brain is 'forced' to take in more - or work harder  for - the information it assimilates. It seems to work for me and there is sound psychophysiological evidence to support  the theory.

The Dunlin was dull and about three-quarters of the way across the site from the right. But, when eventually I did scan across to it, I knew what it was and that is - after all - what counts.

DOM