Yes indeedy, the last few days of spring have been pretty full-on and fun-packed with a whopping two (count 'em) full fat patch ticks in three days! Absolute scenes! Let's catch up....
Thursday was pretty wet. Old spoons was on his way back from his favourite coffee place and decided to have a quick squizz for scoter off Cloghna Head (just off patch). Whilst scanning, he picked up a nightjar coming in off the sea. He rang me with the good news. I was, naturally, delighted for him and immediately invited him over for a cup of tea so that he could tell me all about it.
Eventually he left, after all the grisly details had been divulged and he left to drive home. Two minutes later he rang me again....
"Hobby! Might be coming your way"
"Wonderful", I replied. Or words to that effect. I rushed to the Majik Patio (tm) but to no avail. Flips sake - was I really going to miss another hobby on patch? On top of being gripped by the nightjar?
I left the gaff hurriedly, and headed for Shite Lane, catching up with Old Spoons who told me all about the hobby, in full grisly detail. Awesome. But just then, I noticed a falcon fly into view, as we headed down Marsh Lane. Was that it? It flew behind a house. We ran to the other side of the house. It swooped behind a farm shed....
There followed several slightly frustrating minutes of this japery before it finally did the decent thing and gave some proper views. At long last, my most-wanted patch bogey had fallen! Happy days!
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| A hobby, yesterday |
After returning home for a light salad and a lie-down, I headed out again late pm when the rain had finally gone off. And bumped into two spotted flycatchers, common sandpaper, sanderling and two ringed plovers. All regular enough but a bonus to bang 'em in all at once.
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| common sandpaper, yesterday |
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| A spotted flycatcher, yesterday |
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| A turtle dove, yesterday |
Friday was quieter, but I refound the turtle dove from last weekend in exactly the same bush, which was nice. And then yesterday there were two whinchats in the weedy field at Shite Lane, and I twitched a pied flycatcher in Dirk. Loafing at home in the sunshine mid-pm when I suddenly noticed two geese coming in high over the lake, heading west. All geese are pretty mega on Galley, so after very nearly botching the ID by having a scope-fail, I was delighted to clinch 'em as greylag geese, another long-awaited patch gank gold moment! No shots I'm afraid but you can't have everything! And I'm up into second in the standings too! Hello below me!
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| A whinchat, yesterday |
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| Two greylag geese, yesterday |
