Late news

Had a bash on Saturday morning and managed to bag mistle thrush and grey wagtail to take me to 53.07%. There's still a few winter possibles but running out rapidly.

You're collared

No actual birding to da patch this weekend (although i have managed 101 in January without straying further than Fife or Lothian.). However, i did score collared dove in the garden while servicing my bike prior to its first (muddy) trip of the year, taking me to 54.5 %.

Don't just sit there, do something...

..with all your garden bird records this weekend:

www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch *

*Offer not available in Ireland or Venezuala and records of fish do not count.

Ringo

Ringed Plover the latest addition brings the total up to 60.47%, my highest score at this stage since, well since last year actually, and look what happened then...

T-2006 out of commission

For 3 weeks, gathering rust in Venezuela. It may even post from the Andes if its hardware is compatible with localnet.

There's a rumour that Reg is currently in Morocco too.

Breaking news - Galley patch tick for Seppy!

Cowabunga! Five (count 'em) Shoveler! On the beach at Long Strand! Full Fat Patch Tick! Have a picture...






More on the sensational story here!

News just in

Another three added today. Great spotted woodpecker, stock dove and moorhen, nothing startling but they all count. 51.66%

Nowt new today but after a tip off earlier this week that there might be some mergansers on the sea, a quick look this week produced my two best birds so far this year in the form of a juv pom and a glauc but none of the hoped for mergs. A reasonable tally so far, taking it easy.

Bushveld

Tufty Club

Six tree sparrows in the back garden this morning were a handy addition they're usually fairly tough to nail. Then it was off to watch Patrick playing footy at Portlethen, an 8-4 defeat but a moral victory, dodgy homer of a referee I say. Had quick stroll down the river later and scored with two Tufted ducks plus kittiwake on the sea. So it's on to 49.53%.

The hits keep coming

Just when you think there's nothing else left to add before spring then you remember that you haven't seen Fulmar and Firecrest. 58.71% seems heady at this stage but I know I'll plateau out at around 100% which is well short of the 106-110% it takes this win this comp. Or will it?

Fox all

After a reasonable chicken and ham pie for lunch, I took a tour around the patch. After a fox, a fine brace of roe deer, and some great views of fieldfare I hit big with a pair of bullfinch (53.2 %)

Woodcock rises

Not quite a mega-total Hadders but added another 4 to the list this morning putting me on to 47/36.91%. It was nice to get some quality on the list too, with a greasy grebe in Nigg Bay and a bunch of Snobus over the hill behind Nigg. I also nearly trod on a woodcock at the sewage works.

Scholesy

Peregrine falls

Hi, I saw a peregrine in the patch while cycling into work this morning. There were a couple of other additions I hadn't got around to including, so that took me to 43 species 34.26% and one ahead of Scholesy, at least until the end of today when he'll no doubt post a new mega-total.

Best find for 2011

OK, I know it's old news, but I want to record for posterity that I'm staking a claim for the best find of 2011. A humpback whale I saw swimming just off the rocks in the village at 9:00 a.m. on New Year's Day.

I know it's not a bird (it's a fish really), but it's f**king rare (I might well have used that word at 9:01 a.m. on 1st January 2011), and blew my mind at the time.

And I know that by rights, I shouldn't have been sober enough to breathe at that time, but I was awake, reeking of booze and staring down my scope when I saw that bushy blow. It surfaced twice, so I got a good view of the dorsal fin, the head and when it dived the last time, of the tail stock. George saw it as well, so I wasn't completely in la-la land, and there were other sightings around that time, including nearby at Stonehaven. Interestingly, it had a deep vertical cut on the anterior part of the dorsal fin, so it ought to be recognisable if anyone else gets a decent view.

So, that's the story (morning glory - I feel a song coming on), and unless I can top that, it's my claim for best find of 2011.

Captain A Haddock

Jan 19th

An accumulation of three days birding has seen me notch up a highly average 43 species/33.77%. Today also saw me screw up a potential flyover snow goose....I'll await news from T2006's garden to see what it actually was.

Scholesy

hello

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