Spring Sprong

 Yes indeedy, this has easily been my best spring evah at Galley and now that it appears to be calming down, I've finally got time to write it up!

Things were kicked off by me missing hawfinch and turtle dove, both found by Old Spoons up to his tricks again. However, I responded by bumping into two (count 'em) hoopoes feeding away on Marsh Lane, which was nice!

Two hoopoes, er, the other day

Exhibit B

I nearly went to work the next day but thankfully common sense prevailed, and I just hung about on patch instead, finding another hoopoe and seeing two more, while waiting for Spoonsy to come up with the goods. Which he duly did in the form of a female western subalpine warbler in his very own garden - skillz! Luckily I was quickly on site to validate the record thusly...

A western subalpine warbler a few days before yesterday

Top stuff! A day sweating on a hillside dreading "good news" followed, however I was back on patch by late afternoon in time to bump into a trio of hoopoes flying into Shite Lane - were these new birds? hard to tell but they could well have been! A fine fly-by shelduck and a cracking male yellowhammer and a merlin were also welcome additions for the year list!

But the biggie had to wait until the following day! A smattering of overnight rain promised new arrivals and I'd got no further than the end of my road when I heard a snippet of this from the massive bush down by the beach...

Song 2

So that was pretty much the next couple of hours trying to see the fecker but eventually myself and Old Spoons (#Validated) were able to get some views of most of the nightingale as it continued to sing sporadically from deep cover - amayzing to get one on patch, and an irish tick too! This is also about the only bird I've ever seen in this bush!

A few other bits of lesser gank have also been accumulated over the last week or so, including redpoll, house martin, dunlin, common sandpaper, 2 pintail (patch gold again!), tufted duck, sedge warbler and even kestrel, which was nice! The stats show that reaching 100 species by 11/4 is also the earliest I've ever reached that milestone - ooooof!

All to play for then!