more scores

Friday was a good day - spotted a juv black tern from the lunch table, and then Old Father Spoons pulled a marsh harrier out of the bag - he's a love eh? Marvellous! Here's a photo for Royzah as he's still only seen 1 black tern ever ever ever

A black tern yesterday [Copyright Old Spoons]

ya mite as well have one of de marsh harrier too eh?

A marsh harrier yesterday [Copyright Old Spoons]

green-veined white

Was having a casual check on the gadwall situation this morning when, lo! A male green-winged teal swam past! Ker-chow! Only my 2nd at Galley - first was in Dec '05, lingering into Jan '06 so its been a while! And then grey heron finally fell too! 67 species - dizzy heights!

little orc ya bas!

Well! What a jammy bit of luck that was! I'd made the effort to go for a seawatch this am, but aside from a blue fulmar mealying around there wasn't much happening. Two small waders flushing around the rocks got me thinking of purps (they weren't turnstones anyway) but they blew away in the wind when I tried to stalk them. Back to the scope for another 5 mins, then packed up. Just standing up, lifting my trusty Scope Porter tm, when I noticed a bunch of kits going by close in, with what looked like a small dark wader even nearer. A quick perusal thru the spare car bins (left me leakys at home by mistake!) revealed that the wader was actually a little auk, complete with small dark bill and white streaks on the wing! Fantastic! Only my 3rd sighting on patch, with c.4 off Galley in pre-patch days (2002 i tink), and 1 wrecked on the lake in Feb '05! Major score and re-opens the daylight between me & 2nd & 3rd, with both FPS and Shakey needing two species again to take top spot! And I haven't checked the lake yet today either!!

goldeneye anyone?

Er, there would appear to be a goldeneye on the lake! Hoo Hoo!

Definitely not in the lead, for now!

How much more can this year produce? Was mooching about shite lane this morning when I got the good news that Nimmo had scored big at Wanstead with brambling! Feck, enough to put him back in front I thought! Finger out then! A rigorous hoof of Galley then ensued, complete with my trusty companion "Old Spoons". A few new bits and bobs - brambling, 4 black redstarts, blackcap and the yellow browed still at Shite Lane but the best happened on the way out to the lighthouse when a pipit flew in and landed on the grass in front of me. While trying to work out what it was, a voice in the back of my head was screaming "don't throw this away, this is not a meadow pipit, don't call this a meadow pipit", whereupon I heard it go "Shreep" and everything clicked - Richard's Pipit! Excellent! Old Spoons got shots too - see below:

My third on patch, and second one found - a great bird but somehow I don't think its going to be enough! Shreeeeeeeeeeep!

Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler

HAPPY DAZE!

blackwits

A quick sconce at the lakeside curlew flock has just produced 2 black-tailed godwits! Huzzah! And with south-easterlies blowing today for the 1st time this autumn, all is good hereabouts!

patch tick!

got a leo over da hoose after de footy last night! Score! full-fat patch tick ya bas!

windy but

still very windy but a hatful of offerings to be gleaned for the persistant: sedgie, gropper, collared dove (yes boy!) and a cracking cuckoo - only me 5th ever! gettin up there!