Branta Bonanza

 Yes indeedy - el Royzah has once again been bangin' them in on Donside. He even managed photographery too although it is likely to have originated on the internet. Thusly

Barnies on the Don t'other day

More of it, ted

In addition, he's also claiming a fly-by puffin on a seawatch, which all seems a bit unlikely. Still its enuff to push up to third spot, just behind Bushveld.

All this catch-up action has me a bit worried. So much so that I've had to cash in redpoll and a fine lesser whitethroat in an attempt to stay out in front. I need some south-easterlies, pronto!

LATE EDIT: Just remembered someone claimed 3 whopper schwans over Galley earlier today - a quick check of the lake from the majik patio (tm) and boom - two whopper schwanns right there! Fantastic!

11/10 EDIT - just added yellow-browed warbler this afternoon - score!

100%

 Barnacle Goose + Long-tailed tit = 120 species = 100%

Long-tailed tit is patch gold with only one previous record exactly four years ago to the day.

Happy days

Bushveld

What a month that was

 September delivered undoubtedly the best months patch birding I've had at Longhaven.  

A total of 19 patch ticks for the year including four full fats: Barred warbler, Long-tailed skua, Black-throated diver and the Brown-shrike.  Bung in a couple of red-backed shrikes for good measure and some patch bonus birds: redstart, pied fly and the expected yellow-broweds etc and the month was a real cracker.  

October looks like it might not follow the same bird rich vein with nothing so far this month and the forecast of prolonged bird free westerlies on the cards for the foreseeable future, doesn't bode well.

A rather nice 118 species and 98.33% puts me on the podium for now but no amount of effort will get me past the cruising Seppy, so I might as well quit now

Happy September Days.

Bushveld

Hello below me!

 Yes indeedy, these are strange times on patch, with plenty missed and some things seen, and a few other bits in between....

Forgot to add a seawatch update from last week which saw me net a bagful of large shears as well as patch goodies such as long-tailed skuas, pomarine skua, grey phalarope and best of all, two full fat leach's petrels! Which was nice.

Away last weekend and an incendiary Old Spoons enpatch led to me missing a whopping eight (count 'em) year ticks, however I was able to claw back a fine whinchat and connect with an even better redstart on monday to close the missed gap to just the six species. or so I thought. The redstart was good enough to get me over the near-mythical 100% barrier too, which is miraculously early - game on!

However, news of a yellow wagtail  and a short-eared owl on patch on tues, followed quickly by reports of a red-rumped swallow by one lucky observer yesterday am and another report of a hobby by another lucky observer fairly had me gnashing my teeth!

All you can do is get back on the horse though, so out again I went after work, and soon I'd clawed back spotted flycatcher for the year, before stumbling into a showy and lingering long-eared owl (shurely yesterdays reported SEO?) which performed well for the quickly assembled crowds...

Easily my best ever views on patch, with only one previous record from dusk one summer evening in 2012.

All good! Onwards and upwards....

September Delights

The last two weeks have been a Patch Birding bonanza.  The large numbers of large shearwaters and small skuas reported along the coast tempted me out to join in the fun.  A seawatch on the 1st produced a couple of long-tailed skuas (Full Fat Patch Ticks) but alas no large shears.  Luckily the winds shifted to the east which meant migs...

The 2nd produced a pied fly, the first since 2015! followed by a red-backed shrike on the 3rd.  Barred warbler (another Full Fat Patch Tick) and lesser whitethroat on the 6th. Spot fly, redstart and whinchat on the 7th were blown away when a visiting birder looking at another red-backed shrike found an adult female BROWN SHRIKE on the 9th.  

Unfortunately a case of Patch Poaching occurred on the 8th when a couple of no goods found a wryneck on patch and kicked it hard enough for me to dip.  

Three full fat patch ticks in one month and 11 year ticks puts me on 110 for the year and 91.67%.

Very Happy Days

Bushveld

banging them in

 Yes indeedy, its been slow and steady on patch the last couple of weeks - not amayzing but just knocking off some regular and not so regular waders and seabirds for the old year list. Wader highlights have involved a single bar-tailed godwit the other evening, plus a few flyover ringed plover, dunlin  and sanderlings. A dodgy attempt to string two distant dark-looking small waders into turnstones was later deemed unnecessary after stumbling across a good 'un thusly...

blurred and on the huh, yesterday

To seabirds then, and while great shearwater  and cory's shearwater both fell back in july/august, I have managed to further glean a total of nine (count 'em) long-tailed skuas, five (count 'em again!) grey phalaropes and a fine 1w little gull over the last couple of days which moves me on nicely.

It must be nearly time for some migs now tho hey?

99...

 Alas, that would be 99 species not 99%.

been a while since I posted any news from Longhaven, largely because there hasn't been much to talk about.

May was steady with 19 species new for the month, which is about average.  Although lacking any migrants, the month did produce the only full-fat patch tick of the year, in the form of good looking hooded crow.  A species that is remarkably scarce along the coast of Aberdeenshire and this bird didn't hang around.  This lifted my spirits and my all time patch total to 169.  Luckily Seppy scored some tree sparrows which are much more worthy of the black scoter.

June can only be described as awful, A month that is always full of hope only delivered a common swift.

July produced a handful of wader species on the Notsogreat pool before it dried out but hopefully some rain this month might return it to its former glory in time for some September rares... er like a ruff would be nice.

This month I've ventured into doing a bit of seawtaching... I've been out twice and scored some nice Manxies and Arctic skua but alas the hoped for large shears haven't materialised... yet.

The patch bird drought continues but it's now autumn mig time and all we need is a sniff of some easterlies and Bushveld will be a happy man.

99 species = 82.50% only 21 more needed for a 100.

Happy days

Bushveld