The hollow hills

A tour of de upland areas and hollow hills on the patch yesterday evening produced fine crop of wheatear and snipe. The 'ears were all over the place, including the regular breeding area where every year they occupy the Dark Entries of rabbit burrows. A real god in the alcoves.

Just like busses

After getting a full fat patch tick last week, a few days later a second one appeared in the form of a water rail.

Happy days

Bushveld

In the flat fields

Spring is long overdue. But at last there is some cheer with chiffchaff singing (if that is the right word) on Thursday, and two swallows yesterday. The latter were added to the list while sat in the recording studio garden drinking coffee in the sun. Our type of birding. Them plus stonechat brings us to 62, or 81.22222%

Still no sign of a golden mallard.

It's bean a while...

It certainly has been a while since I got a full fat patch tick.

After a few weeks of not making it onto the patch a couple of visits this week produced the first migrants of the year, with blackcap and chiffchaff both putting in an appearance.  A non-migratory coal tit was also much appreciated having not seen one at all last year on the patch. But best of the bunch was a Taiga Bean Goose in with a small flock of pinkies.   A full fat patch tick no less.

Happy days

Bushveld


Still no sign of any snowy owl....

trundling on

As Basil says, it has indeed been quiet. Once again I didn't miss anything vital by being off-patch and overseas for a week or so. And whilst I tried "getting in amongst it" on my return, I haven't managed a great deal, with just chiffchaff, swallow, manx shearwater and tufted duck to show for my efforts - haven't even had a wheatear yet.

All still to happen then.

Swallow!

Just now... from the front garden... which along with a few dribs and drabs like Jay, and a noteable Shellduck on the lake since I last updated the blog, leaves me on 76.72%... or nipping at the heels of The Proclaimers for that vaunted top spot on the podium.

But it's slooooow and incredibly tedious, with birds few and far between.

Anyone else getting fed up with this patch birding caper?

UPDATE

Chiff singing on patch bumps me up to 77.86%!