whoop!

A fine whopper swan this afternoon on the lake was indeed a year tick - huzzah! Gettin up there!

A whopper swan earlier

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]

Bully's Special Prize

Arrived at Shite Lane this morning via a rather convoluted route involving extra toast and a roadkill short-eared owl near our house (wasn't me guv but was probably the same bird we saw hunting out on Galley two days ago). As luck would have it, I was just in time for a female bullfinch to fly in calling! Fantastic! a few minutes earlier or later and I would have missed it, but my luck seems in at the moment! 146 for the year now - what odds on getting 4 more species and a 150 finish?

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!

great! gadwall!

Two gadwall on the lake de other day - have now had them the last 3 years though never a sniff before that. All good!

fisher of kings

hoo hoo! With the lake pretty flooded just now, I've been playing a hunch and today was rewarded with a fine kingfisher on a fence post from de house - tricky enuff at Galley, probably get one 2 years out of 3 or so - a good bonus, with the apparent end of the mig season upon us! Although did manage a late swallow from de house mid-morning. Think what I could get if I actually left the building!!