It seems that autumn is well and truly here now, the leaves are turning, the days getting shorter and a good few rares turning up - with some very appetizing looking Atlantic storms coming across in the next few days.
Back down the patch each morning this week produced a couple of useful self-found year ticks, namely Black Tern and Curlew Sandpiper. The latter was a site tick for me, coming just a couple of days after Roy found one. The tern however is behaving in the same manner as last years bird i.e. sticking around and touring Orgreave, Treeton and RVCP. As evening visits are becoming difficult, and frankly frustrating due to the high number of oblivious dog walkers, I've been increasing efforts during the morning usually doing a couple of laps before eventually leaving for work - fortunately I have an understanding (birding) boss and a healthy flextime account. If there is a birding God then surely I'm due a reward - a nice Buff-breast, Pec or Sab's Gull ought to do it, I'd even settle for another Leach's Petrel (though one that avoids the clutches of the local Sparrowhawks) here's hoping.
Woke up this morning (which is useful) and did what every smartphone addict does - check Twitter/Facebook and my emails - are smartphones the 21st century's answer to the early morning fag? To my delight whilst I had been sleeping my British list had taken another step closer to 500 with a tweet from the BOURC chairman saying that among others Siberian Stonechat had been split - hurrah (though strictly speaking not until January). So the bird I saw 21 years ago, at Flamborough North Landing and infact the only one I've ever seen, becomes the first species on my list with Siberian in its name - though hopefully not for long.
1 comment:
Woohoo! Not only a tick, but a found tick for me. Richard Fray and I found one at St Leven, can't remember the year, early 2000s I think.
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