Migrants and blunders

An eventful few days at Galley, with a fly-by, calling richard's pipit last week, a few yellow-browed warblers appearing over the weekend, while on Sunday I nailed my 4th ever great crested grebe on the lake, before bumping into a immature red-breasted type flycatcher at shite lane, which we'll have to come back to later.

What a beauty!

What wasn't so nice was deciding to go on fieldwork the next day, allowing Old Spoons to slip three (count 'em) tree sparrows (full fat patch tick), 2 stock doves (not had stockie on patch for 3 years) and a firecrest past me - Doh! I got back in time for an evening thrash but to no avail. He got photographic evidence of two of the claims so I can't even rubbish em!

Back on patch on Tuesday....

Ooooooof

An eared owl sp last night in the dark was inked onto the list as a short-eared owl. After missing a patch tick & 2 good year ticks on Monday, there's no way I'm missing out on another one just because I couldn't actually ID it!

I've updated the leader board for Bushveld, Mr Nimmo, Royzah and moi. Two over the ton already - could be a nail-biting finish!

#verified

Much as it irks me, recent correspondence with Senor Faulty seems to be indicating that there may indeed have been a wigeon on his patch lately...

A wigeon, yesterday

which is annoying!

More MEGA than Seppy's MEGA cock action

I might have to re-evaluate my opinion of my on-patch lake.

While it is undeniable that it's most remarkable feature is a lack of species diversity (mallard, teal, moorhen, grey heron, cormorant and a smattering of gulls are the only regulars), it has delivered a few stellar additions to this year's tally over the last month or so.

There were the gadwall and coot, of course... and then there was yesterday.

A quick spin to the lake on the bike looking for elusive mute swans resulted in a very distinct lack of swanage... but did throw up a rather splendid green sandpiper down on the lakeshore.

OUTSTANDING patch tickage... taking me to 101.18% for the year.

No pics, obvs... I was on the bike with no camera and my attempts through the bins with the phone turned out to be woeful. So here's one I purloined from Google that looks exactly like it.

Now... it's a toss up between green sandpiper and coot for my best patch find... decisions, decisions!


By Ron Knight from Seaford, East Sussex, United Kingdom (Green Sandpiper (Tringa ochropus)) [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons