Tuesday 27 December 2016

Scream for me Stevie G

In scenes reminiscent of Steve Gantlett spotting one from the boat as we arrived at Fair Isle, Royzah netted a fine black guillemot (or tystie if we're being nordic) off Donmouth yesterday.

The news was proclaimed via a popular social media app thusly "TYSTIE! Fuckah!" and puts him firmly in 1st place in the Golden Mallard stakes, with just five days of the 2016 competition remaining.

Basil Faulty was left reeling after hearing the news and apart from saying "Bollocks" was unavailable for comment.

Tuesday 20 December 2016

royzah is just short

A busy weekend of drinking for everyone's favourite dead tap-dancer was interspersed with kwality year ticks. Bullfinch was the best of it, and following consultation with several eminent fellow contestants he's retro-yearticking that thayer's/kumlien's  yoke that was knocking about Donmouth back in the winter. So now just half a waxwing short of top spot - major stringing reqd!!

Monday 19 December 2016

Scraping the barrel

It has been a pretty dead year on Boghall this year. Snipe recently brought the total to 75 or a very respectable / average 101.8%. Ya bas - that takes second place !!! I might start trying now for the final few days of the year.

Highlights included a recent trip to Burma but none of that counts. White-browed nuthatch, Burmese tit, Burmese lark, Victoria Babax, but it is all as nothing for this challenge.


Friday 9 December 2016

So good, but not even a year tick...

Back on patch for a week before away for work, again.

Autumn migration is not over, although it more or less is for me. A few birds added to the year list brings me closer to the 100%, but not sure I will be able to find the two more species needed to break through. Seems the effort of last year - my first experience with the new patch - has been very similar to this year.

One of the species that was such a mind-fecker when I first found it on patch is now proving to be a regular migrant, certainly commoner than, grey heron. Still a mind-fecker. Nice to have hooded pitta a short walk away...



Maybe if I spent a whole year in Singapore instead of being away for six months I would do better. At least I would hope so...