Taiga, Taiga, shining bright

Following a precedent set last year by Pacific swift, we suggest we skip the annual farce vote and give the award of best find to Seppy’s red-breasted, sorry, Taiga flycatcher. Nothing else really  comes close. Please let us know in an essay of around 10000 words if you disagree so we can confirm the result in the next few days. Then the new ol’ Snowy can make its way unharmed from Longhaven to Galley.

Last gasp full fat

A wee influx of black-headed & common gulls the other day had me out scanning from the magic patio, just in case. One adult common-type gull on the lagoon outflow caught my eye, with a good bill band and pale iris, I quickly twigged I was looking at my first ever ring-billed gull on the patch! Amayzing! As I was trying to work out the best way to try for shots, all the birds lifted, and although I was able to keep my eye on it, it drifted off over the lake and out of sight. Hopefully, it'll make another appearance in the not too distant future....

Crucially, this full-fat patch tick was just enough for me to clinch 3rd place on the podium too! Happy days!

Last gasp little gull

Gleaned a rather smart 1st winter little gull out the window this am, which was nice! Less than annual around here, I probably see one every 3 years or so.

Just one more year tick required for me to sneak onto the podium - I'd best get out there...

Puddleducks

Humdrum at The Mall of late... and pissing down.

Which is tedious, but did result in a whopping great puddle/mini-lake in the field across the way that had a Whopper Schwan sitting on it one morning in early December, along with a small flock of wigeon, a gadwal (year tick) and a pintail (full fat patch tick).

Very ropey phone-scoped record shot of the Whopper on the whopping great puddle

That takes me stumbling to 87 for the year... or 99.62%. As I'm heading off-patch for Christmas/New Year on Sunday, that's probably me done for 2018 -- barring an errant flyover or two over the next couple of days.

So congrats to the winner... commiserations to the rest of you losers... see you in January when it's back to square one.

Movement

Its been dull on Boghall of late but following two bramble finches on patch at the weekend we have been moved to update our scores. We are now on 98.25%, or 75 species (total in 2016). The obvious gaps are greylag goose and whooper swan, the addition of which would take us over the ton. Nae flycatchers though.