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!

Booya! Autumn!

Autumn started yesterday with the first southbound Wheatear, and was followed up this morning with a great little fall. Two Garden Warblers (absent from the patch up until now), two Spotted Flycatchers and a Sedge Warbler were the ones to beat. I caught up with one of each of the first two, but of the third there was no sign. A neat double nonetheless and takes me, Mr D Nimmo, to 97.20% in the great Patchlist Challenge.

Another patch bogie falls!

Adult long-tailed skua past Galley fri nite! Patch tick no less! Hoo hoo! Delighted so I was! Still behind de proccies et al but firming up my position (if you can say that these days) for a push for the top come the autumn mig season!

Wi Jammin'

Despite it being the worst summer for birding that I ever recall, I managed to jam 2 Crossbill wsw over the garden last Friday. I got quite excited and ran around the house shouting for a little while, but then something else must have come up as I've only just remembered them six days later. When I went to add them to my spreadsheet of happiness, the last Wanstead record I have down is from the beginning of June. That, ladies and gentlemen, is patch birding during the summer. It can only get better from here though, one of the lads had two Blackwit (cripping, stonking, mega MEGA) over earlier this week. I was in bed.

Derek

L’addition, s’il vous plaît.

Nothing doing for ages, then it all happens at once. Not only did we have a recently fledged dipper hoping around in the garden on Sunday, but also crossbill flying over. The 'bill takes us to 71, and a happy 94.66%. No ducks though.

Hey, that takes it to the top spot - we'll just get our guitars out and have a wee sing song to celebrate (unless you pay us to stop).

pushing da envelope

A spare 30 mins this eve and a bit of a clearance of the fog so razzed up to galley for a sconce from the car (seriously cheating!) - manxies were hooring through but managed to glean a balearic in amongst them  - huzzah! a sooty & 2 stormies before the light finally went - all good!

Daffy Duck turns the summer blues bright orange

Year ticks are few and far between of late with Gropper finally falling, along with Manxie and Great Crested Grebe. Other birders have gripped me off with Gadwall, Hobby and, patch mega gold, Coot!

I claim, though, Bird of the Year with the discovery at Blackdog of Daffy Duck. This bird has puzzled, repulsed and terrified observers, being likened to a cross between a Common Scoter and a Farmyard Goose. While much money now lies on a Common x Surfie hybrid, I think the images clearly show that, rather than living out an animated retirement from Looney Tunes, Daffy has pitched in and is trying to look inconspicuous among the local scoter flock.

Statto (106 species, 84.13%)