wintry gank

Finally managed redwing on saturday, which was nice! Didn't even have me bins with me, which is perhaps rather telling of my enthusiasm for being out on patch just now! Still, the wheatears will be back in a fortnight so soon be time to get in amongst it again!

Gap fillers

Almost the end of Feb,  I suppose I could make the most of the extra day this leap year gives us to find a mega, but won't, cos aside it being on a Monday and i really should do some work, there's also very little doing.

The total to date is 47 species (40.87%).  The best this weekend being great tit, goldcrest, chaffinch etc etc… All simple gap fillers and really not worth my time writing about nor yours reading…

Happy days

Bushveld

Seppy entrapment shocker overshadows patch birding

Well, it's been a fairly uneventful month or so on patch, although I have managed to add the occasional year tick to the tally. Nothing overly exciting, of course (this is The Mall, after all). Dabchick on the lake, long-tailed tit by the pub (somewhere I may spend a bit more time during this year's patch challenge... *HIC!*), and a hen harrier from the front garden being perhaps the most notable.

When all tallied up the recent lack of activity puts me on 71.54% for the year. Which is OK, until you realise that there's bugger all left to get until the swallows arrive back. FFS!

Oh, and I almost forgot the green sandpiper I had down by the lake again... which puts me in with a shout of best patch find again this time around :-).

Speaking of which, the more observant among you may have noticed I chose to maintain a dignified silence during Seppy's outburst against my integrity in the wake last month's "vote". But the truth will out, as they say. Here's unequivocal evidence that Blatter was angling for controversy from the get go:

Entrapment! Case dismissed... roll on the next vote.

FFS!

Jeez, the mallard was just resting on me mantelpiece until a suitably secure box came into my possession innit

et voila...

A packed mallard yesterday

It'll be with ya before ya know it (defo by June anyway)

New Rool

Evening all, just wanted to let all participants know about a new and hitherto unknown Patch List Challenge rool. Quite a simple one, and one we really all should have guessed by now, but I thought it best to spell it out just on the remote offchance that there is any confusion out there.

"No matter who wins the Golden Mallard it will simply live on Seppy's mantle piece for the whole year anyway."

That's it really, nice and simple, no room for doubt.

All the best

Derek

a few bits

bits and bobs being gleaned from the patches - Royzah has hauled his weary *rse to the dizzy heights of 77 species or 57.18% in old money. I, on the other hand have been steadily marching onwards and upwards with iceland gull the other day and a fine kingfisher this very am, which puts me on 67 species or 49.38%. Woah sit down!