23rd September. Raising the Bar

THE FOLLOWING POST HAS BEEN PASSED BY THE BRITISH BIRDWATCHING ASSOCIATION AND GIVEN AN 18 RATING

It's getting very close to that time of year when the Llama and myself head north for a feast of lasagne pies and smart price whisky, no doubt resulting in a few libellous blog posts. The next few days will be spent optimistically viewing the weather charts and pretending that we know what we're talking about. We might even see some birds!

Proper bird stringing finding liqour

There's a lot of exciting babble flying around the ether at the moment, most from the very excitable Andy L. He's even talking about a sweepstake, for the best 'rare', of £10 per entrant. £10 from a Yorkshire man - you're having a laugh! To save all the trouble Andy, you or any one else wanting to waste a £10 pie voucher, pop your money in an envelope and post it to Punkbirder's, Norfolk, England.

Punkbirders? I'm sure you all remember them:

They were new, fresh and anarchic. They travelled the world in search of 'rare'. Writing useful articles about vagrancy and with PHD's by the sack load they became an editors nightmare, just adding their qualifications in the credits would regularly run into the following months Birding World.
Gradually they grew older and even wiser and started to move their separate ways decimating the once rich gene pool of Norfolk. One to the darkest reaches of Amazonia, one to BOU's 'gentleman's club' with comfy chair with free pipe and slippers and most startling of all one to Doncaster! Others travel the length and breadth of our glorious land counting Coots and fondling Puffins, while rumour has it that one has regular paid work!
Sacking off the Northern Isles for previously uncharted territory - that turned out to be shit they went their separate ways leaving just a handful of members to dream about the halcyon days in the lighthouse. Days when they would pillage the Northern Isles of 'rare' (like their viking predecessors) 'skoring' in every ditch that they came across.

Just like those Daleks from Dr Who they've regrouped pulling in new recruits from Ireland (Tim O'tay) and Guernsey Dave. Presumably both wanting to increase their Irish and British and Channel Islands and British lists respectively. Well I don't know what dark arts those two wizard like Punks have taught our colonial cousins but it's bloody working. No sooner had Tim ticked his first (British) Willow Warbler he quickly progressed up the ladder to finding a super River Warbler knocking off Barred and Yellow-browed on the way! Not to be outdone Dave was on his way back to the lighthouse, for a brew, when the sudden case of tick induced shits came upon him - forcing him into the cover of the Sumburgh Quarry, where on dropping his pants discovered something brown! Britain and Ireland's 5th Brown Flycatcher!

I once saw a Goldcrest in here

Congratulations chaps there may only be four of you but you've raised the bar considerably, I'm sure LGRE will be sending you the appropriate certificate very soon. Now if you'd all move along and leave us something for next weekend we'd be very appreciative!

Rick looking shocked at the amount of 'rare'