avin a barney

News of 2 barnacle geese just off-patch got me & Old Spoons out on full alert. With me safely on patch, a wee well-applied chivvy and the geese were securely on the patch list! Cork tick too! Score!

Oooof! Boom! etc etc

One-by-one

Still adding to the 2013 total, a bird at a time. In fact, given that a podium position is totally out of reach, I'd be best off staying well away from Blackdog until Jan 1st but force of habit draws me back. Gadwall two weeks ago was just my third patch record, 11 Mistle Thrushes last weekend was the first record since 2010 (formerly reasonably regular in winter) and 12 Snow Buntings yesterday was a record Blackdog flock.

Just realised, I still need Tree Sparrow for the year - myaybe its time to lurk around the village gardens.

Now on 125, equal to the 2012 final total.

Statto

It's the little things that count...

Like the little egret that happened to fly past our back garden this morning at the exact same moment as I was having a wee on the compost heap (apparently it's good for the composting process... I saw it on Gardener's World... well, not the actual weeing bit, but you know what I mean).

 

Here's one I prepared earlier....

30 seconds either way and I'd have missed it. Just goes to show... you should never fight the call of nature.

Only my second little egret on patch... they're tricky enough up here... to take me to 103.03%. So, still in 4th place, but achingly close to a podium place again.

All to play for!

What's another word for speechless...?

MUTE!

3 (count em) mute swans over the back garden a few minutes ago takes me to 101.82%.

Woohoo!

Gulls FTW

Who'd have thought it... on this inland patch gulls, of all things, are keeping me in the running for a podium spot, and sneaking me just ahead of Seppy again in the Irish mini-league.

First up, a stonking med gull fly-over from the garden while letting out the girls' guinea pigs (originally purchased to bait in buzzard and white tailed eagle... but no luck so far). First ever on patch... so a great one to score.

Then a female yellowhammer down the lane and a common gull on the ludicrously unproductive lake... pushing my running total to a non-too-shabby 100.61%... so back up into fourth place with a podium finish still a distant possibility.

Unlikely, it's true... but hey, aim high they say.