Here we go

 Yes indeedy, its been a reasonable start to the year at Galley with the long staying surf scoter and spotted redshank both scored early on the 1st, plus a bonus common redshank courtesy of Basil's new patch, which proved emminently scopeable from Dirk - hopefully the first of many such scores for the year.

Onto today, and more gank duly added, with a male black redstart the best of the bunch - good to get that out of the way early doors. Also good to be back ahead of Shakey, the sly fox that he is.

All to play for....

3rd Jan update - a fine goosander paid an aerial visit to the lake this am, only my 3rd evah record on patch. It was all very reminiscent of January 2024, but with more prolonged fly-by views! Just lucky I was scanning the lake at the time. Shakey has snuck back into top spot though, and must shurely be hamstrung by a steward's enquiry before the month's end....

Bumper Seawatch Weekend

 Yes indeedy, it was big shear fun all weekend, with large numbers of both cory's and great shearwaters off Galley - several thousand all told - bumper indeed!

However, it was the year ticks that I was really there to get, and they did not disappoint, with grey phalarope and four (count 'em) fly-by bar-tailed godwits on Saturday, followed briskly and finally by singletons of common tern and balearic shearwater today. Plus I discovered I hadn't ticked spotted flycatcher from the other week.

Majik! And up into 3rd spot, with September right around the corner!

Ten years of tears

 Yes indeedy - its been 10 long years since I've been king of the heap, but as of midnight last night I'm officially back on top and the Golden Mallard will soon be returning to its rightful and true home on my mantelpiece!

The official 2022 final scoreboard is presented below for all posterity thusly:

A scoreboard yesterday

So all to play for once again! Lets see how 2023 turns out - good luck and let the game begin again!

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.

banging them in

 Yes indeedy, its been slow and steady on patch the last couple of weeks - not amayzing but just knocking off some regular and not so regular waders and seabirds for the old year list. Wader highlights have involved a single bar-tailed godwit the other evening, plus a few flyover ringed plover, dunlin  and sanderlings. A dodgy attempt to string two distant dark-looking small waders into turnstones was later deemed unnecessary after stumbling across a good 'un thusly...

blurred and on the huh, yesterday

To seabirds then, and while great shearwater  and cory's shearwater both fell back in july/august, I have managed to further glean a total of nine (count 'em) long-tailed skuas, five (count 'em again!) grey phalaropes and a fine 1w little gull over the last couple of days which moves me on nicely.

It must be nearly time for some migs now tho hey?

Another Grey-cheeked Thrush!!!

Still reeling!

Grey-cheeked Thrush, Red Strand

Wahay!

Just off-patch, and only 1.25km from the Dirk Bay bird, and about 6 km from the Ross Pier bird! This one has no warts on its feet though so looks like a new bird! Amayzing!

Almost as amayzing was ticking a hawfinch dug out of Dirk this am by Old Spoons. And three (count 'em) Glossy Ibises flying past the window when I was eating my lunch! Old Spoons found a fourth one at Red Strand this pm. Thats two Full Fat Patch Ticks in one day! And the small matter of finding another Grey-cheeked Thrush! Its been quite a day!

bit of movement through the crease

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!

Old Snowy's 2015 Best Patch Find Poll

Yes indeedy - whistle up the dogs and piss on the fire, for it is time once more to vote for the Best Patch Find, with the eager winner getting to have Old Snowy on his/her mantelpiece for a full 12 month (subject to delivery, natch).

Old Snowy yesterday

To vote simply look left I mean right and then click on which ever species you'd most like to find on your patch, if you have one. And if not, then imagine you have a patch and imagine which species you'd most like to find - simple!

If you're on a mobile device you may need to scroll to the bottom of the site & click on web view to see the side bar on the right, where the poll is.

The poll is open for a week.

Just bear in mind that Old Snowy has been trapped in North-east Scotland for the last 5 years and wouldn't mind stretching his wings & trying life somewhere else!

Victor ludorum es

Well it's not been for want of bloody trying! Five years I've been losing at this, and then I realised why. It was because I was trying to win it every year! The minute you say to yourself "oh feck it" and "I cannot be arsed", that's when you're in with a chance. But then after that you actually have to put in a bit of effort, Turns out I gave it 103.60%.

I understand Basil has been feeding up the Mallard with small pieces of Toblerone to ensure a suitable fat score for south(east)bound migration, and that once Seppy is in receipt of a suitably fat envelope it will be with me by June.