Thursday 25 October 2012

Playing the percentage game

Fab news from Wanstead this morning as a couple of Brambling lolloped north over Coronation Plantation. Can’t quite believe how close it is at the top, but the very very good news indeed is that because my patch is an inner-city hell-hole rather than a remote headland that gets plastered with rare and scarce year in year out, my overall average yearlist is very meagre. Each new bird for the year sees me climb 0.93%, and so it is that Brambling easily trumps Dick’s Pipit in the percentage game.

As somebody small and blue once said, Happy Days!

Derek

4 comments:

  1. Aye, its an unbelievably close year - don't think we've ever had more than 2 folks fighting it out before, and never with so many so far above the 100%! I'm only getting a poxy 0.73% for each new species, however thankfully Shakey gets even less!!

    I don't think the leader board is finalised yet tho! This could run and run!

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  2. For the stats-lovers, that means if I see 4 more birds, you need to see 6 to be ahead.

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  3. yeah but you keep saying you've none left to get?!? Anyway, thats no big deal - coot, great crested grebe, whooper swan, goldeneye, hen harrier & bullfinch - easy as, baz!! Tune in in December to see who's won!!

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  4. True, true, I've had 5 new birds since September, but three of them were totally unexpected. In terms of what's left, Treecreeper often winters, there is a Hawfinch knocking about somewhere, possibility of Yellowhammer, Woodlark, Waxwing if we get an influx, wild swans, wild geese, the odd mega-duck. Not quite as mundane-sounding as Coot I agree.....Are any of the ones you mention annual gank?

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