The tooth-brush strikes again!

Two-and-a-half minutes is not a lot of time... but in the time it takes to brush your teeth of a night-time you'd be amazed what you can hear... and occasionally see.

So far this year night-time-tooth-brushing has secured me whimbrel and blackwit -- both patch ticks -- and most recently barn owl -- caught in the beam of the quite astonishing little LED Lenser P5R.2 torch. I was sweeping the field opposite for foxes when out of the gloom a ghostly white shape emerged, drifting slowly across the field in front of me before disappearing over the hedge.

Score!

Essential Patch-Birding Gear

 That puts me on 97.24%. Out of action / off patch from the end of July to the start of December... so the pressure is on. Missing the Autumn is a real blow. Will I still be in contention when I get back on patch in December? I guess we'll have to wait and see.