Wednesday 26 May 2010

A Nice Stint On The Patch

Well feck me, West Hartford does it again! 

Took the dog out at tea time and on reaching the east shore, I saw a wee wader on the mud.  Clearly a Stint, our eyes met (or rather my bins met its beadies) and it was off low and west.

After the quickest poop'n'scoop known to man and dog, it was home and back with the scope and the copy of Collins (might have been a Long-toed one, you know!!!!!!!) and after five minutes of scanning, success Temminck's added to the patch list (now 94 species since I started visiting it).

AND, a pair of Garganey, and two Ringed Plovers and six Shelducks and loads of Swallows, House and Sand Martins.

Monday 24 May 2010

Flat Out

Spent a few hours up north yesterday afternoon - the weather was great, the birds poor.  Cresswell and Druridge were absolutely chokka, so much so I didn't even try and get parked at the latter.  East Chev. was better, but still busy.  The Harrier lady had little to report (or was playing her cards very close to her chest!).

The North Pool was a gull and tern fest (Common and Sandwich), plenty of Sedgies and Stonechats and Linnets and Mipits too!  But nothing to get the pulse racing.

And so home to start the BBQ and checking the phone showed a Temminck's at Earsdon.  Super - I had no time earlier to hot-foot it to Newton Stringer's patch so off we jollywell went and Top Bloke Lord Dack of the Sluice was just leaving and Sir Alan Jack was still there.

Eh voila - Le Bécasseau de Temminck was duly ticked.  Crackin' views, and what a wee chap he/she was.

Sunday 23 May 2010

Spectrum (both ends of)

Yesterday started so well - sunny, hot, and the road to WHBP a veritable bird-fest, all the warblers you'd expect in good voice and showing well,  Hirundines aplenty over the Flash, a pair of Canada Geese present and a Greenshank in a feeding frenzy on the west shore.  And then the moby rang, and the devastating news that a work colleague had collapsed last night and died.  I was speaking to him at 5:30 Friday, and within five hours he was gone; and only 43!  RIP PG.

So this morning was a bit of a Grounhog Day.  Same dog, same route, almost the same birds.  No Groppers at the back of the new Fire Station, and no Greenshank.  BUT, a pair of Garganey in the NW corner of the larger Flash was a great find.

For a couple of over-sized puddles (getting smaller as the hot days go by), this place does the business.