YEAR TICKIN

Sunday it proper pissed it down!! Got to patch early and it started brilliant with a Little Egret battling E then SE into a horrible cold wet breeze  at 5.45am ! Enthused i headed into the weather pretty sure there was more in store. I got really wet and cold and was away by half seven, missing a Greenshank that CP poached while visiting from Scotland!

It later transpired that 3 Little Egret flew N at 9.25, after trying to settle by pole 17. This was relayed to me by IB who only rang to ask where everyone was!! Everyone is either out earlier or in Suffolk or twitching!!

So to Monday. I was out early again on the patch and had very little to show for 3 hrs leg work - late spring is often grim inland!! So i folded and headed of to Blacktofts, quickly arriving to find a small groups of Avocet ticklers unsure which small brown bird to tick . The Marsh Warbler was sporadically singing and and once located showed quite well then really well, though  generally mobile - even managed to get a few Robin strokers onto it with my scope. Once they got used to ignoring the Sedgeys everyone was following the bird by the clicking, whistlisng song - Fantastic stuff! Mate showed me some great photos he got but aint got them yet so this is what i took.....

Most i.d. features are fairly clear on this shot....(if tape is playing behind you)

Called at Wintersett on the way home and sneaked a little year tick in the shape of a smashing adult summer Black Tern. Bit distant on the Top res but after driving round to the SW corner decent views were had.

So a decent 3 days! I did some painting and even tried some colour - sorry!!

It was SLIGHTLY like this!

Another one missing from Pugneys year list!