you know there's fuck all on the east coast when you go to the west

the last stilt sandpiper i saw in 2001 was nice and close,but todays was as usual distant.still a good bird and never realised how close the solway is to home.i had never been to this part of the country before.carlisle is in the middle of nowhere but has loads of police.
driving the roads to campfield marsh the locals had that 'children of the corn' look about them.im sure i saw a father and daughter pushing their 3 children down the road.you dont need a secret cellar in these parts.
im afraid that was it,left home at 11:15 picked up nick d and got home at 20:00.

scotland

stilt sandpiper(left)

rain sets in over scotland

on the way home stuck in traffic for an hour,chatting to nick about how all the really good birds are found midweek and go by the weekend,just like the brown shrike.
i came up with what maybe the most genius idea i have ever had.................................

tranquilize the fuckers

yes i think its the way forward.

scenario

take the brown shrike found late wednesday and gone by friday.
so using my new patented 'tranquilize birding'(tm).the shrike could of been caught and rung then tranquilized,kept safe with wires and tubes i think maybe,then revived on saturday morning,placed on the same hedge,result everyone see's it.

pro's

no more stressing
a nice easy drive to save fuel and costs,also no speeding points
you will see the bird
the farmer makes more money for charity

con's

it may die

a lazy saturday

3 hours at the 'with' from dawn,im full of cold,headache,legs ache,stomach pains.but fuck it

3 goosanders (all females)
1 chaffinch (get in year tick)
1 golden plover 1
6 twite

no off roaders! STUNNING

then set off to potteric carr

no birding but did hear a willow tit

dragons

migrant hawker 8
southern hawker 3
common darter loads
ruddy darter 6

butters

brimstone 1
comma 1

comma
incoming

common darters

southern hawker

#102 SHOVELER

3 shoveler on the res this afternoon,fuck the brown shrike!! a 'with' tick is far better!so that makes 102 for the 'with' list.
2 goldcrests in the pumphouse tree were welcome as well,even more welcome was the 2 common buzzards(1st for 2 years) that gave a great show for 30 minutes.

shoveler #102
the 'with'

common buzzard
the 'with'

the day then got better.................................
i found that tesco's is not only good for bargains but is also good for meeting single women!!!

quiet on the western front

apart from this car which had a rough ride at oxygrains.




only birds today were

skylark 1
meadow pipit 3
kestrel 1
carrion crow 2

3 yankee waders and it was crap

started at the 'with' early doors,but not early enough as the mad bagpiper of brigadoon had beaten me to it(twat) then mountain rescue were holding a training day,but i only saw them eating bacon butties! as for the birds twite 36 goldfinch 21 wheatear 1 reed bunting 4

mad bagpiper

bacon butties

then ensued the worst days birding of the year

picked up nick at 1120 yes a good 40 minutes before noon!
headed for alkborough flats in yellow belly land.i felt like ringing RBA and saying.......................

'wilsons phalarope still at alkborough flats but so distant dont bother its just a white splodge'

at one point i admit it did come to about half a mile away!

dead thing

then on to hatfield moor for the pectoral sandpipers,this was shit as well because the who ever found them could not give directions.with a bit of luck we found them.

nick puts the boot in
'no fungi were hurt in the taking of this photograph'

2 pectoral sandpipers

phising in the bushes

for fucks sake!

people are twitching the 'with' from birmingham!! i blame jim! for this on birdforum

'kay d' posted

'Green Withins Reservoir today (thanks to Jim - we got our Twite ....about 15-20 of them). Also c30 Goldfinch, 5 Reed Bunting, lots of Mipits and one Tree Pipit, Skylark, Peregrine and Kestrel.'

ok not a twitch but stopped off on the way home
tree pipit,well and truly gripped off.

oh well,
this evening

whinchat+M62 combo

tw*t*
59?

sssshhhh i had a load of t**t*

well much better weather today after the last fews days and finally some birds

it seemed quiet but meadow pipits were moving over in small numbers,and headed south west after a brief stop on the south dam puddles for a wash and drink(its like a cheap service station)
also on the dam were 42 t**te,sorry i cannot mention the name,but the twiteaholoics will be banging on about rings etc,ok one had enough rings on it that it could not fly!
the bracken to the north held 2 whinchats and 1 stonechat.
bird of the day was yellow wagtail which dropped in on the south dam on the way back,a nice year tick. it was with 8 meadow pipits,and settled in the ditch,it looked settled but my friend and her 2 dogs came bounding along! oh well at least a flight shot of the bird.which was the first for halifax this year!!!!!!

yellow wagtail