More 'tails!

Collieston update:

Not much time in the field last week or so, but managed to squeeze in a female Black Redstart (no eastern genes unfortunately) last weekend. Still lots of geese in the area, most doing their best to denude the newly sown fields.Short-eared Owls popping up every so often. No extended chances to look at the sea, but will have a chance later today hopefully.

Best bird of the period, and a new patch bird for me was a reasonable looking pure-blood Hooded Crow flying over the back of Cotehill.

Total: 87, or 56.37% patch average

Well done to Ciaron on the Bluetail...what a cracking spring bird!

Reg

more movement through the crease

What with all the excitement of bluetails, I've clean forgot to declare all the other stuff I've been seeing! Best of the rest was male ring ouzel from the upstairs jax window as I went to pee! Then brambling (unseasonal and tricky - not annual), redpoll, shelduck and sand martin - its all go!

No bluetails but migs

No bluetails at the white cliffs of dover but some migs all the same, inc. the first swallows, wheatears and sandwich terns. More useful in the long run though for the year was avocet. Patch gank too in canada goose. Should be properly getting going soon though.

red-flanked bluetail on my patch!!!

Woohoo! All courtesy of "old spoons" cronin - he da man! I verified it tho, and it is one! Corking!

A good brace

Two not exactly heart-stopping birds this week but useful to get under the belt (as both are not quite annual); a 1st-w Little Gull last Wednesday and a Bar-wit yesterday.

Fulmar and Lesser Black-back are signs of the times too.

Less good news is that it seems that I am about to loose a smallish patch of the patch with a super-big security fence going up around a part of Millden Links, at the northern end. I guess it's got something to do with the adjacent landfill site, or weapons testing, or just keeping birders out.

Statto
69 species (54.76%)

Happy Days!

75.70%

Migs rather than megas

They're back! Two (count 'em) male wheatears this very am at Galley - the first in the next-door field to the usual wheatear field - maybe they don't like carrots? Anyway, they were cracking, despite the lack of hoopoes accompanying them! A chiff in the garden later was more evidence of miggery, but wasn't a year tick - had 1 back in Jan. Two common scoters from the patio yesterday courtesy of "Old Spoons" were most welcome too. Game on!