Birding: 2 rares, one lifer
Today went a little better. Since the weather was supposed to be bright and sunny I went for the juvenile pallid harrier in Holderness. Arrived on site about 9, to be told it was sitting on a post half a mile away. Within five minutes it had taken flight and proceeded to quarter the marsh for about ten minutes, giving excellent views.
Given how fast the harrier had appeared, I then headed over to a village near Chatsworth where a juvenile dusky thrush has been hanging around for a couple of weeks, arriving around half-one, after awful traddic in Chesterfield and awful signposting. The bird news services were trying to prevent birders from parking in the village, but although the parking is limited it was coping this afternoon, with no-one parking anti-socially or illegally. Anyway, most of the non-residents' cars seemed to belong to walkers with spiked sitcks and inappropriately-bright clothing. The thrush was some 300 yards from a public road, feeding under a hedge. It was rather prettier than most little brown jobs, or perhaps that is because it was a life tick?
Last time I kept a year list I got two rares and a lifer on the first day; this time it took me twice as long :) On the other hand as I have been to a small town park, some fields with an expanse of reedbed, some more fields and some fields in a village, I have seen hardly any birds this year, which is rather embarrassing. In fact I have seen a total of 34 species, not including great tit.
Given how fast the harrier had appeared, I then headed over to a village near Chatsworth where a juvenile dusky thrush has been hanging around for a couple of weeks, arriving around half-one, after awful traddic in Chesterfield and awful signposting. The bird news services were trying to prevent birders from parking in the village, but although the parking is limited it was coping this afternoon, with no-one parking anti-socially or illegally. Anyway, most of the non-residents' cars seemed to belong to walkers with spiked sitcks and inappropriately-bright clothing. The thrush was some 300 yards from a public road, feeding under a hedge. It was rather prettier than most little brown jobs, or perhaps that is because it was a life tick?
Last time I kept a year list I got two rares and a lifer on the first day; this time it took me twice as long :) On the other hand as I have been to a small town park, some fields with an expanse of reedbed, some more fields and some fields in a village, I have seen hardly any birds this year, which is rather embarrassing. In fact I have seen a total of 34 species, not including great tit.