pretty fly

I also broke through to the other side over the weekend. Great fun with loads of birds around, patch highlights including twite (only my third ever on patch), yellow-browed warbler, a barred warbler today on my lunch break, and best of all, an RB fly flitting around the south bank. Not found by me unfortunately as it means I now have a dilemma regarding which slightly scarce species I'm going to choose to get nowhere near to challenging the best find. All academic anyway, I should imagine...

So those goodies put me on 131 species, or 101.94% - my second highest score ever and still some real dross to get (and some that I've definitely missed....). Joint third place though, and all to play for.

In the words of Jim Morrison...

Break on through to the other side

while managed to pass the 100%... but only just!

A weekend of easterlies has proven to be a bit disappointing.

The best of the bunch was a reed warbler found by Reg in the whinnyfold road plantation.  A good bird for the patch but it must be the only unstreaked Acro this autumn that hasn't been a Blyth's.  Totally ridiculous!  There's been flocks of Blyth's up and down the east coast all autumn  Not a sniff of a reed warbler in Shetland and yet, we get a bog standard reed warbler.  Unfortunately it showed rather well and as reg pointed out didn't show a single possible Blyth's feature.  But not to worry still a good one for the year.

Better still was this, not so, little cracker...

Appeared on my bird table and has now stayed for three days.  The last one in the patch was 12 years ago during the very first patch list challenge, also on the same bird table but in a different garden!

Happy Days

Bushveld

a load of tits

A good morning for vis-migging from de patio so I gave it a lash - coal tit, chaffinch, redpoll & siskin all through. Did some distant tree scanning for jay and the like, which netted me a bunch of distant long-tailed tits! Score!! Only my 4th time of seeing them on patch. They worked through the pines, then the lakeside reeds, up the hedge to the road and ended up in the garden! Amidst all the excitement, some crossbills flew over - patch tick no less, although I didnae nae see them unfortunately. Gotta tick 'em tho, cos hey, they were crossbills and they were on patch, as was I - top score! New patch year list record (142) and into first place in the challenge at least until Bushveld & Hollis get their scores updated! Happy days ted!

Back out in front

Still picking up bits in what seems certain to be a record year on patch, the best of which was my first ever Barred Warbler here. Good times.

Birding skills

Good to tick the Wanstead Birder and the rest of his birding pals watching a happy hammers game in a pub in Lerwick!  Safely off patch.  Cheers to you all.

Meanwhile back on patch the birds keep a coming.

First, at the weekend I finally connected with a fine hooded crow (and it was mostly a hooded) that's been kicking around.  The ol' Bill has been reporting it for ages but it's taken a while but now it's bagged.

Today a stroll down to the heavily trampled Whinnyfold Road bushes produced a very fine treecreeper and on the way back I checked a site in the middle of a stubble field that looked good for jack snipe.  Birding skills there is was, jack snipe.  Neither are easy and all much appreciated.

I've never been so far up the leader board before...

154 species

99.35%

Happy Days

Bushveld

tits oot!

Two (count 'em) coal tits this very morning at Shite Lane was much welcome as I'd missed two out on de head while on Shetland - my 1st ones since Oct 2010! Get on it!

yellow browed at Galley

Woohoo! Dug out a fine yellow browed warbler in Dirk this morning, in a stiff easterly and drizzle. Did a full lap of Galley afterwards waving to the crowds etc but couldn't do better than a handful of phylloscs, blackcap and 25 blue tits! Just one more required for the ton, and second place ahead of shakey!! Easterlies set to continue for next coupla days - its gonna be monster!

More monster this very afternoon after news of a lunchtime firecrest at Shite Lane! Once the rain eased off, it was swiftly hoovered for the year - 1st one on patch since 2008! Skills!