What's rockin' at Longahven?

Not much as it happens…

But steady going with new birds each visit.  Today scored with a fine drake gadwall and a less fine greylag.

Last weekend produced bird of the year so far with a blue-headed wagtail skulking around a damp patch and very nice it was to.  Other highlights include a male pied fly at the beginning of the month and a stock dove overhead.

Next two or three weeks are the big ones for migrants and with the winds sniffing around to the east over the next weekend there's sure to be something half-decent… the problem is I've got to find it.

Current tally 82 species, 63.08%

Should pass Seppy over the next couple of weeks!

Happy Days

Bushveld

May doldrums are looming!

Struggling on here - have added collared dove  and arctic skua in the last week but its been feckin slow! Still plenty gank to get but its looking like I'll have to wait till the autumn for it! Still, at least I'm back in 4th spot ahead of Reg, until he gets round to updating again!

Ooooof!!

Jay walking to hear a throaty singer will drive you cuckoo!

A tramp around patch yesterday yielded an unexpected jay on the back road around the lake -- good score for the patch. Then a singing whitethroat sitting on top of a blackthorn tree at the back end of the lake added another year tick to the tally. Bingo!

Then this evening something unexpected happened. I stepped out of the front door for a quick look around from the garden... and heard a cuckoo!

Wowser! That puts me on an unbelievable 92.49% as we head towards the second half of May. Not a bad place to be, all things considered.

slow going

Struggling on here - feck all migs to speak of but gleaned bonxie and sarnie tern over the weekend.

Ho hum

Late night brushing -- the new patch-birding secret weapon!

That little known birding strategy of venturing outside to brush your teeth late at night yielded another patch cracker the other night.

Fly-over call... several times... several birds. Definitely a wader, definitely not the whimbrel I had during another late-night tooth brush session recently. But what could it be (we don't get many waders up here, so you'll forgive me for being a bit rusty on calls)?

Checked through a few likely suspects on the phone and BINGO -- black-tailed godwit. A new bird for the patch taking me to 88.94%.

The latest essential hi-tech patch birding gear!

Duck games

So called spring continues to drag by on Boghall. Willow warbler and swallow were misplaced harbingers a couple of weeks ago, while mallard have undergone a population explosion on the patch, and are on every bit of water they can find. But highlight has been the very welcome return of whitethroats - welcome back boys, I've missed ya. All this bring us to a paltry 64, or 68.1% to those who can do maths (that's you Statto).

3rd, how dare you!

Been a bit remiss, and whilst I've not been patch-twitching (lowest of the low lows) I've been picking up a few bits and pieces mostly on my daily commute to the studio. The latest being a crafty commuting Yellow Wag from the 308 Bus Stop. It arrived before the bus did. Probably got to wherever it was going before the sodding bus did as well.