Great White at Galley

 Yes indeedy - blundering around the gaff late morning and noticed some white things in the reeds by the newly flooded fields around the lake - "best check them for whooper swans" I thought - well, one did have yellow on the bill....

A Great White and some smaller sharks this morning

Imagine my surprise! I have been hoping for one for a while, and this is probably the one thats been hanging around at Clogheen Marsh near Clonakilty for about a week, but great to finally get one on patch. Needless to say, I didn't try to get too close to the feeding frenzy, just in case. 

So that shurely sees off any last gasp challenge from Bushveld and co? I certainly hope so anyway!

Record Breaking Bumper Bonus Bonanza

 The end of October ended with a full fat patch tick in the form of a fine fly by Goosander.  Since then November has produced two seconds and third with red-breasted merganser, turnstone and Iceland gull all this weekend. I wasn't expecting those.  

The turnstone today puts me on 126 for the year, a new patch total record and needless to say makes it temptingly close to the run away leader, Seppy.

126 spp.

105%

Happy Day

Bushveld

Nearly Done

 Yes indeedy, there can't be much to add to the Galley year list total, but the last few weeks have demonstrated that you never know what might be out there!

To recap:

Having missed Old Spoon's dick's pipit by having my phone on silent, I was out early doors the next day, before it had even stopped raining! Consequently I was back in the car soaked, about 10 minutes after I'd started. Once the rain really had finally cleared, I was out again. No luck with the pipit, but I did bump into this instead...

a little bunting erm, 10 days ago...(calvin's pic)

Quite an unexpected bonus - it showed well and called a lot, and even hung around long enough for Basil to tear over to get an irish tick - all good!

And that really should have been it for the year. Away the next weekend, and so consequently I wasn't surprised to hear that I'd missed long-tailed tits and a globby at Red Strand, viewable from the patch. Bum. Ah well. Unphased, I had a wee jaunt down the beach last Wednesday am, and banged in a fine brent goose instead - another good one for round here.

So thats 143 for the year, and rather satisfyingly, it works out at precisely 110.28%. I reckon I could still get another two species maybe, which would be 145, my second highest patch score but still 4 below my highest ever. Incidentally, I think if I'd been around a bit more in Sept & Oct this year I'd definately have smashed the mythical 150 barrier, but hey ho, something to aim at another time.