Catching up from the front

Just popping in here to see what's been going on after a subtle nudge from everybody's favourite bent football official. I see The Proclaimers are adding splendid patch ticks like dotterel to their 2017 tally.

Well done the lads!

Nothing quite so grand at The Mall... natch, but a barn owl as I staggered back from the pub a few weeks back, plus some utterly inane forgettable gank before that (can't for the life of me recall what it was... but it's down on the spreadsheet, which is what counts) means that after crunching the numbers puts me on 93.10%

Fablis!

banging them in

A quick stumble about on Galley this am produced ringed plover, sandwich tern, and common scoter for the year - not a bad hours work!

Another bash

Gave it another lash late morning and cashed in another 10 sitters - still nothing of note aside from yesterday's kingy - running out of possibilities too & its gonna be windy as, baz for the next while. Won't be out till it calms down a bit!

buzzin da patch

Scoped a distant soaring buzzard from de patio this pm - about time!

superzoom scope scoop

Scanning distant hedges this pm for any kind of year tick at all netted me 7 (count 'em) fieldfare -usually tricky enuff this early in the year - good to get 'em oot de way!

Good game, good game....

First day of sunshine for 2013, so used my New Year Resolution to be more active as an excuse to take the bike for a spin around the patch. Dipped on dipper at Cononnagh for the second day running, nothing new along the river, no raptors hanging out at the little disused quarry, flat calm and empty lake.

It was all looking a bit desperate until the squeeky front brakes flushed a male pheasant out of some scrub. I knew lack of maintenance on that bike was the way to go. Ganky game bird it may well be, but that pheasant takes me to 42 for the year and up to 50.90%, just 0.3% off the top spot. Oooohhhhh!

Sunshine!

First day of the year when the sun came out! Chanced a quick look in the top fields and cashed in skylark & dunnock, however 4 wigeon on the lake were semi-decent for the year - not quite annual and I have missed them occasionally in a year so good to nail 'em.

lemsip birding

Spent much of the day at the table picking off easy year ticks! Nothing spectacular yet but slowly racking them up.

latest news

No change at the top but waxwing at Folkestone & something well ganky like GND at girdle closes the gap between the top three! This year is going to the wire!

goldeneye anyone?

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

handy gank year tick!

In between getting amayzing views of the Dirk rb fly (down to 5 feet!!) and finding another ybw (three on patch this year - good going for Gallilee) I picked up three (count 'em) fieldfares, which just happen to be a year tick! Huzzah! My celebrations were cut a little short by news that Shakey had just had a flyover Serin on patch but hopefully I'll still be on top this evening! But probly not by very much!!

Right up Shaky's arse!

Nowt new on a two hour seawatch (60 sooties tho - not bad!), so was desperately scanning the lake for a year tick when what should pop into view? Only a less-than-annual-and-you-can't-be-counting-on-one-showing-up Wigeon! Fantastic! Two to go for the ton!

shishkin

five of the buggers - banker duly banked! Three required for the ton, 6 required for new patch high score, 4 months left - piece of piss!

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!

sneaky seawatch

All de spring stuff has pretty much dried up so I tried a wee look at the sea on Sunday morning - 2 easy bankers quickly nailed - stormie & puffin - result!

no sign of the usual May slump

Still bangin them in here regular as clockwork! Over de weekend I managed a heard-only off-patch water rail i.e. i heard it from me patch plus some shenanagins with scoping (very) distant doves netted me a fine brace of turtles, while just yesterday mistle thrush did the decent thing and gave itself up without a struggle. Never been this high before so early in da year - approx 2 months ahead of where I should be! Golden Mallard you'll be heading home I'd say!

bits 'n' bobs

A few bits to report but nothing startling - sarnie, willow warbler, blackcap, yellowhammer etc - keepin me afloat anyway

taking stock

Five hours in the field over the weekend produced no migs but a brace of stock doves instead - happy days! And the payback continues - just had a nice male merlin - all good!

birds at last!

Got to grips with three iceland gulls, grey wag and flyover goldie on the weekend to put me safely back in front of Bushveld!

Happy days!

Grey-t day out

Recent rewards for a bit of patch bashing include the standard gank filling, but the highlight was the grey partridge. Annual, but it did not fall last year until well into the year, so I can sleep easy now (dreaming of a whole host of birds on the patch, and counting all of them - thanks to Derek's example). Other odds and sods included bully's special prize and a few barrow loads of well rotted manure for the garden. 52% and closing.