Busy weekend of it

 Yes indeedy - its been all go at Galley with a double full-fat patch tick bonanza and several strange species turning up the last few days. 

Friday's excitement was the news that Old Spoons had found a treecreeper down Dirk. Treecreepers are not resident on Galley, and we only know of three previous records, none of which I saw. The bottom of Dirk is full of tall sycamores and is the kind of place that a treecreeper could get lost. A treecreeper heading in there would not be the ideal scenario.

I got down there in minutes and Old Spoons informed me that it had been in the big sycamore on its own, but he'd lost it and he reckoned it was probably in the bottom of Dirk.

Bugger.

However, luck was on my side, as, while slowly scanning the sycamores one by one, I managed to pick it up foraging in some ivy, and got good views as it flitted to the next tree and worked its way up the trunk - absolute scenes! This is what patch birding is all about!

Fast forward to Saturday and I was out early trying to find whatever was about when I noticed a white bird flying in the distance. At first I thought it was a swan, albeit a bit small, but then it turned and I could see it had a big long black beak out the front. Just as it dawned on me that it was a spoonbill, it turned away from me and started heading west, towards Rosscarbery. I tried calling Old Spoons in case he was out and lost the bird altogether. Two full-fat patch ticks in two days - I was on a hat-trick!

Alas, it was not to be, with Sunday failing to produce the full-fat goods. I did glean a wigeon and two lapwings on the lake shore though, and followed them up with a heard-only flyover grey plover today, so not too shabby.

The wind remains firmly in the east for the next few days too...

Full fat patch action

 Yes indeedy, while the regular autumn migrants have all but dried up at Galley (no ybw, no lesser whitey, no firecrest etc), there's still been a bit of score-age going on. Just as well really, given the hours I've been putting in!

Imagine my surprise when I saw a goose coming off the flooded carrot field last Thursday! Although it was flying into the sun, after a few terrifying moments when I thought I wasn't going to be able to ID it, it did the daycent thing and banked round back west, allowing me to clock the dark head and pinky bit on the bill - pink-footed goose ya bas! A true patch gold ingot, and even better, ganky enough to almost certainly secure me the Black Scoter - the trophy for best full fat patch gank ticked in a year!

A pink-footed goose yesterday

After a celebratory slap-up lunch, I was back out in the field that very afternoon, whereupon I flushed a fine yellow wagtail, which are considerably less than annual around here. In addition, over the next coupla of days I added long-tailed tits, lapwing and a fine short-eared owl. Even better was the phone call two evenings ago, telling me there was a glossy ibis on the way from Red Strand. I rushed outside avec bins, and sure enough, five minutes later there it was, flopping slowly west, safely onto my patch year list! Finally for now, a cracking male ring ouzel was kind enough to materialise right in front of me on this mornings dog walk. Which was nice. So, the upshot of all this is that I've cracked the near mythical 140 species barrier for only the 5th time in 20 years, but the second consecutive year. Plus only another 10 species required to beat my best ever total of 149! And plenty species still to get! Don't rest easy just yet Mr Bushveld!

 

Announcing the Black Scoter Prize for the Gankiest Full Fat Patch Tick!

 Yes indeedy, here is the inaugural competition for the gankiest full fat patch tick complete with an amayzing new trophy, courtesy of Royzah - herewith....

A black scoter, yesterday

We're going to be awarding the Scoter to one lucky winner shortly for the best gankiest full fat patch tick seen in 2021. The current front runner appears to be Little Grebe claimed by Bushveld on his crummy north-east Scotland patch but we just need to check that no-one else has anything worse....