Sunday 31 August 2014

Second migrant of the autumn...

Found one of these yesterday


But alas …. not on the patch

Happy Days

Bushveld

Friday 29 August 2014

making an arse of it

Good seawatching yesterday eve, banging in 366 cory's shearwaters and 112 great shearwaters, which was nice! Also had an adult skua which I first picked up with a couple of great shears - I actually thought it was a great shear at first, but then it turned into a skua and then I was arsing about with it, starting with arctic, before then going for long-tailed (without the streamers) - and I was getting quite into this idea, prominent dark cap & pale cheeks, very little white on the wing etc, but then I remembered I'd first seen it with great shears and it couldn't be LT on size and "look, how deep chested it is" etc. So plumped for pom. Twat. The bird was a lovely chocolate brown from the lower chest down to the vent, pom or arctic would have big white chest & stomach. and pom would most like have had a breast band!

so. ad long-tailed skua then. And some homework needed! still. they all count!

On a brighter note, saw a balearic shearwater off Galley tonight - someone else pre-verified it so no doubts with that one! and well ahead of the proccies now!


Tuesday 26 August 2014

ooo wader x 2

Just had a sconce at the lake, and while perusing a common sandpiper, my razor-sharp hearing detected a wader call - on the third call it finally clicked - turnstone! And they were, both of them! Just one more species needed to leapfrog Boghall into 4th spot! All going on!

Wednesday 20 August 2014

ooo wader

Green sand on de lake edge! Boom! Never guaranteed, its always a kwality wader to get on de patch! Plus bonus tufted duck on the lake this evening. Its all going on!

Tuesday 12 August 2014

First mig of the autumn

First mig of the autumn goes to….


Garden warbler!!!!!!!

Happy Days

Bushveld


Saturday 9 August 2014

the seawatching

Woohoo! Finally got to grips with cory's & great shearwater this pm ya bas! Happy days!