Its been a fairly lacklustre spring hereabouts however I am struggling on adding year ticks where I can. Having missed out on verifying Geller's garganey, I managed to turn up a fine brace of tufted ducks on the lake here, plus common sandpiper too. The addition of collared dove and siskin, plus a smattering of seawatch action in the form of puffin and bonxie keeps thing moving along steadily.
Just shy of 100 species up by mid May is pretty average hereabouts - all to play for in the autumn!
Tuesday 17 May 2016
Drip feed of year ticks and the spotted flycatchers are home
See what happens... you don't stop by the blog for a while and suddenly people are overtaking you left, right and centre.
I'd dropped to third in the rankings... FFS!
Still... that was soon remedied when I totted up the recent trickle of year ticks, including a small flock of whimbrel (16 of 'em) feeding in a field near the lake.
Most of the usual spring suspects are now on the list, including whitethroat, sedge warbler and gropper (which I missed last year... so good to get). My spotted flys arrived back last week, and a jay from the car today was the latest addition... taking me up to 81 species, or 93.46% and back into the lead.
Long way to December though, and with swift the only semi-cert I can think of that I have left, it's going to be a long seven months!
I'd dropped to third in the rankings... FFS!
Still... that was soon remedied when I totted up the recent trickle of year ticks, including a small flock of whimbrel (16 of 'em) feeding in a field near the lake.
Whimbrel on patch... lovely!
Most of the usual spring suspects are now on the list, including whitethroat, sedge warbler and gropper (which I missed last year... so good to get). My spotted flys arrived back last week, and a jay from the car today was the latest addition... taking me up to 81 species, or 93.46% and back into the lead.
Long way to December though, and with swift the only semi-cert I can think of that I have left, it's going to be a long seven months!
Sunday 8 May 2016
Crazy times!
A bizarre week on patch with a fly-by Red-rumped Swallow today, a Great Bustard in off the sea on the 4th and several Pom Skuas through on the sea. A quite ridiculous 90% in what is looking like it could be my best year ever
Friday 6 May 2016
A starter for 10...
This time of year there's not many days you get out onto the patch and score a big fat 10 species for the year! including a full fat patch tick.
What a beautiful morning, nice calm conditions and hazy sunshine, it wasn't snowing, raining or blowing a gale, so I made the most of it and spent a solid 4 hrs on the patch.
Best of the bunch and a first for the patch were the two sum. plum. black-tailed godwits accompanied with a similar sum. plum. ruff. The drake gadwall was also a quality patch bird. Admittedly the rest were either returning migrants, whitethroat, willow warbler, house martin, redpoll etc or just regular birds that I hadn't caught up on this year yet, e.g greylag and sparrowhawk.
The good news is that this brings my tally up to 75 species and 65.22% of my total.
Ahead of Seppy… which is where I intend to remain!
Happy days
Bushveld
What a beautiful morning, nice calm conditions and hazy sunshine, it wasn't snowing, raining or blowing a gale, so I made the most of it and spent a solid 4 hrs on the patch.
Best of the bunch and a first for the patch were the two sum. plum. black-tailed godwits accompanied with a similar sum. plum. ruff. The drake gadwall was also a quality patch bird. Admittedly the rest were either returning migrants, whitethroat, willow warbler, house martin, redpoll etc or just regular birds that I hadn't caught up on this year yet, e.g greylag and sparrowhawk.
The good news is that this brings my tally up to 75 species and 65.22% of my total.
Ahead of Seppy… which is where I intend to remain!
Happy days
Bushveld
Tuesday 3 May 2016
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