Without to much description we complete the compendium of Rare Wild Birds in Great Britain, often in company with our friend Hugo Wood-Homer - Gentleman Farmer of this Parish!
BERRY HEAD DEVON
with an Ol' Sea Captain friend, on arrival pointing into the distance announced "we should find the bird at the top of the slope close to that long hedge"! That was the first mis-identification of the day as the HEDGE was in fact a 'Wall of Twitchers', but nonetheless where we found the
with an Ol' Sea Captain friend, on arrival pointing into the distance announced "we should find the bird at the top of the slope close to that long hedge"! That was the first mis-identification of the day as the HEDGE was in fact a 'Wall of Twitchers', but nonetheless where we found the
GYRFALCON
05/04/1986
05/04/1986
BAILLON'S CRAKE
Sunderland - 20/05/1989
Sunderland - 20/05/1989
SQUACCO HERON
Radipole Lake, Weymouth, Dorset, a 10 minute walk from my home in tose days - 11/07/1982
Radipole Lake, Weymouth, Dorset, a 10 minute walk from my home in tose days - 11/07/1982
Something of a 'double-whammy' on the1/05/1988 as we headed for Dawlish Warren in Devon in hopes of recording a
BROAD-BILLED SANDPIPER
BROAD-BILLED SANDPIPER
which, with a little patience, was re-located with all getting thier fill. About to leave, remarkably and equally 'rare' Wader dropped into the very same spot as we also added
GREATER SANDPLOVER
to the G.B. Bird List.
MARMORA'S WARBLER
to the G.B. Bird List.
Blorenge, Gwent, Wales 10/06/2010
We seem to recall that it was Thomas Hardy (novelist, not to be confussed with Dorset's other Hardy, Thomas Masterman of Lord Nelson's Sea Captain fame on HMS Victory) who described Portland as "like the head of a prehistoric monster jutting out into the English Channel"?? So no wonder as a first landfall it attracts so many rare birds with this quartet being a typical example - we were pleased to have been there on each occassion.
BLACK-EARED WHEATEAR
Weston Quary 27/05/1985
SAVANNAH SPARROW
12.04.1982
12.04.1982
BOBOLINK
15.09.1992
15.09.1992
HOODED MERGANSER
found bedraggled in a storm drain on Portland's Chesil Beach Road fisrt seen personally 01/01/1974 which developed into the beauty you see above and favouring Radipole Lake for over a decade. Sticking with the Waterfowl, it was again following another de-mob from the Buchan Alpha Oil Rig on 17/02/1986 that I met Andy Thorpe the Recorder for the North Sea Bird Club at Newburgh, Aberdeenshire. My very first words to him were "you have just 10 minutes to find the
found bedraggled in a storm drain on Portland's Chesil Beach Road fisrt seen personally 01/01/1974 which developed into the beauty you see above and favouring Radipole Lake for over a decade. Sticking with the Waterfowl, it was again following another de-mob from the Buchan Alpha Oil Rig on 17/02/1986 that I met Andy Thorpe the Recorder for the North Sea Bird Club at Newburgh, Aberdeenshire. My very first words to him were "you have just 10 minutes to find the
KING EIDER
as I have a flight to catch! Taking all in good heart he certainly came up with the goods and it was my great pleasure to meet him and NSBC secretary Alma Fraser on a number of subsequent occassions. PS - the club, now defunct, had the same status as all of the counties of Great Britain.
as I have a flight to catch! Taking all in good heart he certainly came up with the goods and it was my great pleasure to meet him and NSBC secretary Alma Fraser on a number of subsequent occassions. PS - the club, now defunct, had the same status as all of the counties of Great Britain.
Far to difficult to chose a favourite, without doubt the
LITTLE BUSTARD
at Lizard Headnwall on the 29/10/1996 was the most exciting but little to do with the bird. In the process of getting back Hugo had been lost in the crowd but further on meeting up with a gentleman of far senior years, dressed in a Grogham style coat (the name attrbuted to Admiral Edward Vernon, R.N. who wore such a garment endlessly) and a triby hat we broke into a conservation centred, not surprisingly, on Wildlife. Holding the barbed wire fence for each other he asked if my interests streached further than bird watching replying that back in the late 70's to having been inspired by the then schoolboy Martin Cade (now long time Warden of the Porrtland Bird Observatory) into the world of Moths and how I had fashioned 2 traps out of redundant ammunision boxes and was traping at home in Wyke Regis and East Weares on Portland. He seemed very taken by this with the subject not chanaging until the parting of the ways when I politely ask his name. As a new Moth Man you may well have heard of me as I am none other than the author of the book below
at Lizard Headnwall on the 29/10/1996 was the most exciting but little to do with the bird. In the process of getting back Hugo had been lost in the crowd but further on meeting up with a gentleman of far senior years, dressed in a Grogham style coat (the name attrbuted to Admiral Edward Vernon, R.N. who wore such a garment endlessly) and a triby hat we broke into a conservation centred, not surprisingly, on Wildlife. Holding the barbed wire fence for each other he asked if my interests streached further than bird watching replying that back in the late 70's to having been inspired by the then schoolboy Martin Cade (now long time Warden of the Porrtland Bird Observatory) into the world of Moths and how I had fashioned 2 traps out of redundant ammunision boxes and was traping at home in Wyke Regis and East Weares on Portland. He seemed very taken by this with the subject not chanaging until the parting of the ways when I politely ask his name. As a new Moth Man you may well have heard of me as I am none other than the author of the book below
This was Mister Moth himself and what a fillip to have met, talk with and shaken the hand of such an eminent and no frills Gentleman! Note:- Admiral Vernon must have been the most popular man in the R.N. having instituted the 'daily rum ration' with the mix for Junior Rates (Able and Leading Seamen) being issues with one part rum 2 parts water, known as GROG after the Old Lad himself, and Senior Rates (Petty Officers and Chief Petty Officers recieving a 'neat' tot with the explicit rule that this was not to be bottled and stored. Fat chance as it obviously was with the occassion of drinking such a stash be known as a Black Mass! Don't you wish you'd 'signed on' now?
Finally, we come to something of and unhappy ending but not without the story of undoubtedly the most bizarre story from the World of British Twitching. A middle-aged married couple were strolling through Holkum Pines bordering the sea on the North Norfolk Coast on 13/10/1989 when they heard a delicate hooting sound coming from the trees above and imediately attributed it to a bird. Not having a clue and considering as such it might be rare they phoned their son, who was 'twitching' on the Scilly Isles at the time, and offering the phone up to the calls he immediately identified it as a First for Great Britain
Finally, we come to something of and unhappy ending but not without the story of undoubtedly the most bizarre story from the World of British Twitching. A middle-aged married couple were strolling through Holkum Pines bordering the sea on the North Norfolk Coast on 13/10/1989 when they heard a delicate hooting sound coming from the trees above and imediately attributed it to a bird. Not having a clue and considering as such it might be rare they phoned their son, who was 'twitching' on the Scilly Isles at the time, and offering the phone up to the calls he immediately identified it as a First for Great Britain
RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH
which caused a stampede of other twitchers, jostling for flights to get off the Islands a.s.a.p. in order to record such a rarity. Hugo and I decided to give it a couple of days for the excitement to calm down and wended our way to the site on the 15/10/1989 finding, still under the cover of darkness, the second largest crowd, after the Golden-winged Warbler, but in far more restricted area given the trees, we had ever encountered before. Already the pushing and shoving had started when at daybreak a whisle was sounded with tripods, telescope, camaras etc being scattered and broken across most of the area and even a number of fist-fights. Hugo and I plus others simply stood back and eventually saw the bird but vowed that would be our final twitch, which of course it wasn't but always more reluctant than in the past!
which caused a stampede of other twitchers, jostling for flights to get off the Islands a.s.a.p. in order to record such a rarity. Hugo and I decided to give it a couple of days for the excitement to calm down and wended our way to the site on the 15/10/1989 finding, still under the cover of darkness, the second largest crowd, after the Golden-winged Warbler, but in far more restricted area given the trees, we had ever encountered before. Already the pushing and shoving had started when at daybreak a whisle was sounded with tripods, telescope, camaras etc being scattered and broken across most of the area and even a number of fist-fights. Hugo and I plus others simply stood back and eventually saw the bird but vowed that would be our final twitch, which of course it wasn't but always more reluctant than in the past!
THE END!
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