Phew, migrants!

 Yes indeedy, things is starting to happen hereabouts, as migrants begin to get through. Still no ears here but a sandwich tern off the beach and a willow warbler in me garden on wednesday were the first official harbingers of spring. Old Spoons turned up a black redstart just off patch yesterday evening, which I managed to glean from the Majik Patio (TM), not new for the year but a sign that things is picking up. Spoonsy struck again mid-morning with a fine brambling on the top lane, which I had to twitch at high speed in case it got flushed - you know what photographers are like these days! Sure enuff, he booted it off minutes after I'd arrived!! #FrameFilling

Not to be (totally) outdone, I managed to dig out a new black redstart further down the lane, but neither of us could locate any pink and white flouncy efforts before the rain came on, even though they is seemingly everywhere on the south coast today. Ah well, maybe I'll find one tomorrow, if its not too wet!

All to play for!

Sunday nite update: still nowt better than black redstart at Galley but did manage to twitch two local hoopoes over le weekend, which was nice!

Cracking male black redstart yesterday

A hoopoe just off patch yesterday

Lesser is more (of it)

 Yes indeedy, I'm still trundling on at Galley and there's been some good "wins" of late too! Recent highlights include a highly jammy fly-by brent goose while I was slumped over the breakfast table a week or so ago. This is the most regular goose species I get here but they are less than annual, so a bonus.

Even better news came yesterday morning that there was a female "scaup sp" on the lake that had swam into the reeds without being nailed. Unfortunately I was in Kerry trying to secure some brown envelopes from the GAA so had to hotfoot it back yesterday pm before dusk to try and clinch the ID. Luckily, the bird was flying around showing off its white secondaries and grey primaries before it settled in front of the boat house allowing some mediocre but confirmatory lesser scaup record shots thusly:

A lesser scaup, yesterday

Full Fat Patch Tickage! I even managed to get back home in time to scope it from the Majik Patio (TM) and sekure it onto the garden list, which was nice. Additional good news was that Old Spoons has gone to Kerry for a couple of days - ah well!

Sharp-eyed regular readers might think that this bird looks a bit familiar, and indeed it would seem that it is Basil's female from Lough Clubhir that he found last December. You can do a compare and contrast here. Nice of it to do a bit of a tour. News from this pm is that it is safely back on Basil's patch, along with a brace of tufties - would be handy if it pops back here with them in tow, as I still need them for the year!

All good!

February - merde

 A short note for February. 

Seven new for the year this month with all but one being 100% ers and coal tit being bird of the month...Just about sums it up.

Ending February on 63 species and 49.87%.

Happy days

Bushveld

February is rolling on

 Yup, and so it goes on. Keeping up the near daily thrashing afforded by recording from home has delivered gank for all (at very reasonable prices). Best without a doubt has been a Med gull which we found on a lunch time break from digitally remastering our extensive back catalogue. 57 species which equates to 76.0%.

Update 16/2 three Med gulls this afternoon 

Da Proclaimers

No Japing in January

A record breaking month with my highest ever monthly tally of 56 species and 44.33% of my three year average...Giddy heights for January.

Not much quality though and only two highlights with the best of the bunch being a handsome drake pintail on the 21st, the first since May 2019 and a long-eared owl was only the fourth ever.  Other than that everything you might expect.

Roll on February.

56 species = 44.33%

Happy Days

Bushveld

January japery

Yes indeedy, its been quite a good start to the year so far at Galley, with a whopping 75 (count 'em) species racked up already, and there's still a few days till the months end.

Most year ticks have been regular, expected gank, but there's been a few goodies too in the form of spotted redshank, marsh harrier (my first on patch since 2013!) and goldeneye, which can be tricky these days, and true to form did not stay long.

A bit of unseasonal early gank cashed in too including whimbrel, chiffchaff and black redstart (ooo migrants), while the sea has so far produced one manx shearwater.

Plenty to play for, and indeed to get anywhere near the podium this year I am gonna need plenty! 

Lets golf this....

What a pile of old 'cock

 Almost three weeks in and so little to show for it. As with every year the tally builds up quickly, but it's all predictable stuff. The best so far has been a woodcock flushed from a boggy bit of scrubby woodland yesterday, a couple of lapwings in the first week of the year, and a great flock of fieldfare that have been hanging around. I've scanned them many times but not managed to find anything unusual in there. All this means 54 species, which is 72%. Yes, it takes top slot but you'll pass us soon enough.