Thorn in My Side - Eurythmics

 The appearance of a rare bird in Norfolk over the past few days has caused mighty fervour, which in birding terminology amounts to a

Mega Twitch!

RUFOUS BUSHCHAT

has not been seen in Great Britain for 40 years or more and is not a species that is on my own GB List, but has drummed up a whole host of good memories. If they serve me correctly, it was me who found the first on a holiday to the Greek Island of Lesvos in the company of one of my all time favourite birding mates Ken Parker in 2003.

Agreed to have been a decent find, my moment of glory was short lived as the very next day he happened upon an

UPCHER'S WARBLER
which we both readily agreed was a much more quality find! It would seem we have digressed even before getting into the ups and downs of the day as the

Sun went 'Down',
leaving in its wake what could be described as a Mackerel Sky, and with the temperature having gone 'Up' to a balmy +17°C for the first part of the night at least. Next to come 'Down' was the rain, in heavy pulses throughout the night

Oh, no, don't let the rain come down
(Ah, ah) Oh, no, don't let the rain come down
(Ah, ah) Oh, no, don't let the rain come down. My roof's got a hole in it and I might drown

The Serendipity Singers

 The wind also got 'Up' as did we at 05:15 and later found a first for the year

FEATHERED THORN

clinging to the paling fence.

additionally, there was this

SATELLITE

WHITE-POINT

DARK SWORD-GRASS
and

GREEN BRINDLED CRESCENT
and from further afield, Weymouth in fact John sends us this

CRAB SPIDER
from one of his traps and ditto from Dave a rather special and somewhat scarce

BRINDLED OCHRE

never seen personally.

Otherwise, all the day amounted to was a

 resting

ROE DEER
at the Irrigation Pond along with the seemingly now resident c4 Mute Swans

while next door at the Gravel Pit there were new arrivals in the shape of

a pair of

 TEAL

The Male

joining the now settled pair of
GADWALL
and as we 'sat and stared' in dropped a juvenile

 juvenile

MUTE SWAN

The eerily quiet Heath offered up no more than an

unusually confiding

STOCK DOVE
before heading off to the southern end of the property in search of
Winter Thrushes.

Stopping only briefly to admire the

HOLLY
as we had done so with the Dog Rose a few days ago.
No Thrushes were found but, the sight of the newly ploughed and harrowed

 18-ACRE FIELD,
in readiness for next years Maize crop, added some hope.

A number of counts averaged out at

47

but surely there will be more to come

once the word gets out!

We sign off today's post with a pathetic but irresistable pun

MERVIELLE du JOUR

perch on a 'Brick', which is also a species of Moth, but in this instance of the

Building Variety! Don't laugh, you'll only make it worse!