I'm struggling at the moment. Doing plenty of odd bits of birding, but my heart doesn't really seem to be in it at the mo. Perhaps this week my luck will change and a flood of rares will come my way?
On Friday evening, after work I headed up to Thurleigh to fill my boots with the apparent Wheatearfest which is happening this year. Despite walking most of the way around the east end all I ended up with was six Wheatears and a Curlew. I somehow seemed to be missing a zero off that Wheatear total. Mildly disappointed I went to twitch RIBeye's Yanky Teal which Keith O had refound earlier in the evening at Meadow Lane.
With the stripey Teal under my belt I had a wander around the rest of the site. I quickly picked up four more Wheatears bouncing around the rubble and then another smaller bird popped up on a stem next to them - Whinchat! Bonus. Other scrot included two White Wags, five Dunlin, and four Little Egrets.
That was as good as it got for me over the weekend - other things added were Hobby and Swift. Come on waders...
Sunday, 28 April 2013
Migrant crud
A pretty poor weekend for me with just a few padders which may well mean I'm in the lead for a while or until Steve gets a swift or something common. This here Greenshank was a half decent bird but not one most others will have trouble with.
The Grim Sleeper
I liken AG to Borussia Dortmund's performances in the Champions League: quietly efficient, stealthy, exhibiting great tactics and coming up on the blind-side. In short, he has me worried...
Whilst Steve 'Barca' Blain and Richard 'Real' Bashford steal the headlines with moments of sheer brilliance, Mr G has been displaying stereotypically Teutonic qualities, married with inspired strategy, in order to maximise his tick potential. In short, he has me worried...
On the other hand, I feel a bit like Malaga: unfancied outsider, exceeded expectations, but ultimately going out. I'll give you odds of no more than 2/1 on Mr G claiming the crown. In short, he has me worried...
Deutschland, uber alles!
DOM
Whilst Steve 'Barca' Blain and Richard 'Real' Bashford steal the headlines with moments of sheer brilliance, Mr G has been displaying stereotypically Teutonic qualities, married with inspired strategy, in order to maximise his tick potential. In short, he has me worried...
On the other hand, I feel a bit like Malaga: unfancied outsider, exceeded expectations, but ultimately going out. I'll give you odds of no more than 2/1 on Mr G claiming the crown. In short, he has me worried...
Deutschland, uber alles!
DOM
Friday, 26 April 2013
Garden Warbler and Stuff
My first of the year in Pegnut Wood today will not strike fear into the hearts of my SFYL adversaries. However, whilst I was walking around seeing virtually bugger all this afternoon, I started thinking about the veracity and authenticity of my year list. For example:
i) This business of species x being reported at site y, and self-finding year-lister z going to site y and discovering that in fact 2x are present, so claims the second species x as self-found. This sounds a little dodgy to me. For one thing, would self-finding year-lister z have visited site y in the first place if the original birder had not found species x? Are you still with me? No? OK...but I'm seriously considering taking the few examples of this kind of 'self-find' off of my list, for my own peace of mind.
ii) I 'found' a Cetti's Warbler during the first few days of the year, but it was at a site only a few hundred yards from where they have been in residence for four years (apparently). Can I really claim this? I'm uneasy with it...
...and another thing, can anyone seriously, honestly, hand-on-heart-and-without-tongue-in-cheek claim to self-find Lady Amherst's Pheasant at the site that must not be named? That would be a bit like me claiming to have self-found Black-winged Stilt during a visit to Titchwell or Thornham back in the noughties! Let's face it, the Stilt didn't breed (apart from a few forlorn passes made towards the local Oystercatchers) and neither - to my knowledge - do Lady A's, unless one or other has undergone a sea bass-like sex change in its dotage.
Just my thoughts; I don't make the SFYListing rules, but I'm sure no one will lose any sleep if I deduct ticks from my tally!
ATB,
DOM
i) This business of species x being reported at site y, and self-finding year-lister z going to site y and discovering that in fact 2x are present, so claims the second species x as self-found. This sounds a little dodgy to me. For one thing, would self-finding year-lister z have visited site y in the first place if the original birder had not found species x? Are you still with me? No? OK...but I'm seriously considering taking the few examples of this kind of 'self-find' off of my list, for my own peace of mind.
ii) I 'found' a Cetti's Warbler during the first few days of the year, but it was at a site only a few hundred yards from where they have been in residence for four years (apparently). Can I really claim this? I'm uneasy with it...
...and another thing, can anyone seriously, honestly, hand-on-heart-and-without-tongue-in-cheek claim to self-find Lady Amherst's Pheasant at the site that must not be named? That would be a bit like me claiming to have self-found Black-winged Stilt during a visit to Titchwell or Thornham back in the noughties! Let's face it, the Stilt didn't breed (apart from a few forlorn passes made towards the local Oystercatchers) and neither - to my knowledge - do Lady A's, unless one or other has undergone a sea bass-like sex change in its dotage.
Just my thoughts; I don't make the SFYListing rules, but I'm sure no one will lose any sleep if I deduct ticks from my tally!
ATB,
DOM
Astounding!
Forgive me but I feel I should brag. And highlight that I'm now level-pegging with Mr Blain. My Whimbrel this morning brings me to 132. Shame the godwit I saw with it wasn't a Bar-tailed... but I'll enjoy the moment as it won't last long I'm sure!
Not sure if this was the godwit or the Whimbrel...
Richard
Not sure if this was the godwit or the Whimbrel...
Richard
Wednesday, 24 April 2013
Passerine Progress
The middle ten day period of April passed without me finding
a Redstart on the hills despite regular walks and plenty of Ouzels and
Wheatears entering the notebook. Then on Sunday morning a distinctive call had
me jogging up the face of Deacon Hill from the fence line to get some glimpses
of an elusive female dodging around the base of the bushes near the trigpoint.
In the bag ! …though was not too worried as I have never had a problem finding
them on autumn passage. Better and more SFYtickworthy was a Tree Pipit that sat
almost totally still for quite a few minutes on a tree top before bounding on
northwards. Added to a blue-headed moustached reedbed dweller I had found on Saturday,
that completed three decent passerines for the weekend, making up for the complete
lack of terns or waders that I had been hoping to find at daybreak; maybe next
weekend…
Tuesday, 23 April 2013
Curlew
I don't get to visit damp places very often...or wetlands either, for that matter. However, today in the company of JOS, I visited Gypsy Lane East whilst Steve, Richard et al were at work, and we managed to luck in on a fly-by Curlew.
I must confess that as it was flying towards us from the south, I did say ''Hmmm, is this a Whimbrel?'' fully expecting it to be one, but as it drew closer and flew directly in front of us, the proportions and languid flight action made it fairly obvious to us both what it was, despite the light being somewhat against us. A nice bonus!
DOM
I must confess that as it was flying towards us from the south, I did say ''Hmmm, is this a Whimbrel?'' fully expecting it to be one, but as it drew closer and flew directly in front of us, the proportions and languid flight action made it fairly obvious to us both what it was, despite the light being somewhat against us. A nice bonus!
DOM
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