It was Sir Royston of Grangetown who coined the phrase in his witty ditty! He can add a line on my behalf that he's 'as short as the Liverbirder's Life List'.
Last night, I was the, if not one of the, first to hear Quail in Cramlington. For an hour and a half I chased the little bleeders as they called ahead of me then stopped and stooped and metaphorically put their two primaries up at me and then ran off again.
Today, others have invaded my patch and seen the wee game birds. At least one local has also ticked them. But after my fourth try, with sore feet (me and the dog), we give up.
Give me a Great White Egret any time.
Experience will tell you not to even attempt to look for a quail. Its impossible to deliberately see one. Accidentally yes. I have only seen quail once in the uk, in Northumberland. We had 15 sightings of 8 birds one afternoon near Belsay.
ReplyDeleteOur trick?
A friendly farmer and his combine harvester! Thats better than a spaniel I'll tell you...
We were sat in the cab and they flew right under our feet giving great views as they dropped into the stubble and ran off under the straw.