Yesterday was this year's Winter Bird Race; last year's was my first.
This year, six teams and not four (next year? Who knows? If I was in the Sally Army, I would jump into a verse or two of 'Come and join us.....'. But I'm not; so I won't).
Crammy and his team (they needed five members not the 'standard' four to get the average age over 15!) looked like Northumberland's birding version of 1D (I think that's how they are described by those into popular music these days).
Final scores yet to be declared by The Guv'nor, we bettered last year's under-par score/hit three figures and will not finish sixth. Not bad for a 6am start, 6pm end and nearly 200 miles covered.
Highlights? A Bittern in flight on the South Pool at East Chev, six Barn Owls seen either at dawn or dusk and Tawnies equally numerous. And Fenham Mill at sunrise was spectacular. As last year, and despite a dearth of Barratt's famous Xmas cake (she may have seen my expanded waist line since 2012 and thought it was necessary to be cruel to be kind!), the company was first class.
Lowlights? Not getting a Goldfinch all day!!
