All Our (Feathered) Yesterdays - Part II

 starts a litttle closer to home than those that went before, in fact right on our doorstep! Sunday 20/03/1994 was not the most clement of days in fact downright dreary with that persistent light rain that gets you soaked in seconds. However, not enough to deter us from visiting the nearby Fleet (the finger of seawater that seperates Weymouth from Portland) but more particularly the western end at Moonfleet (of the book fame) where in the days leading up a

BUFFLEHEAD

 had been seen failry frequently among the large flock of Brent Geese and Wigeon. After only a few minutes of searching a young man from Chichester joined me in the search and although it took quiet some time eventually our quarry which was gratefully added to our British Lists. As an added bonus there was also a sub- rarity

RED-BREASTED GOOSE
in the same vacinity.

From our own backyard as it were to more distant shores on 09/02/1992 the 800 miles return journey to Cresswell in Northumberland very nearly proved to be a disaster. Leaving Weymouth in the very small hour our arrival coinceded with daybreak, as planned, but by noon nothing had been seen of the 'target' despite the mass hords of fellow twitchers. There came a point in late afternoon when the 4 of us decided enough was enough but as clambering into Hugo's car there was frantic waving from the remaining stalwarts about a mile away with our response rewarded with long and close views of

PINE BUNTING
by and large a resident of Siberia and the Urals.

DUSKY THRUSH
30/12/2016
close to Chatsworth House in Derbyshire very nearly kicked the New Year off in fine fashion and well worth the 520 miles return drive.
Except for the very early days, it was only occassionally did we score a 'double' but on one 'magical day' we did produce a Hat Tick!
  It started at our dear friends house, Bowie and Sheila, over what had become a nightly tot, their's one night, mine the next and well within walking distance. The subject of an

AMERICAN KESTREL
currently residing on St Mary's Iasles of Scilly was considered worthy of a 'twitch' should we be able to get the logistics to suit but with all flight from Newquay to the Island booked we had to look towards the

M/V SCILLONIAN
out of Penzance.

No problems with having to find the bird as already relocated by the hords that had arrived via

flights, or those having stayed overnight, so no concerns about making the mid-afternoon ferry back. On such voyages it is usual for the birding fraternity to stay on the upperdeck, eyes peeled for the chance of a rare or uncommon seabird to come into view. Out of character only 14 of us did so with me looking out to seaward (starboard) as we neared the Runnel Stone Buoy, just off the coast of  Cornwall. It was at that moment that Bowie sped from the port side physically dragging me back while pointing and shouting "look at that, look at that"! There before our very eyes was an unmistakable

RED-BILLED TROPICBIRD
a resident from the other side of the Atlantic Ocean which had been spotted by a 14 years old schoolboy who had reported it immediately to his father, the 14 being a coincdence!

This brought all of the 'bar-flies' scurrying to the upperdeck immediately trying to play it down as not having seen it. There was never any follow-up found to this event, not even a submission to the British Birds Rarities Committee, but for myself it went staright onto the List having no need for the agreement of a 12 Wise Man jury hundreds of miles away - the British Birds Rarity Committee, always stick to your own convictions and honesty which reminds me to stress that these images were not taken at the time, but just for your enlightenment from the archive. As if that were not enough excitement for one day as we disembarked the 'bird-line pager' confirmed that the

CITRINE WAGTAIL

was still performing well at Marizion Marshes - a 2 mile detour the 3rd addition to the list that day!

✔✔✔

Look Through Any Window - The Hollies

 There comes a time in everyone's life, even us totally Free Agents, when for unescapeable reasons we find ourself Confined to Barracks. However, it will have to get far more demanding than that before we 'let down' our Most Valued Readership even though all on today's Post was captured from the doorstep. A few past by date bread rolls provided the lure and with Canon poised the first candidate, not surprisingly were these

HERRING GULLs

confined for now at least to the bund in the name of fear,

but plucking up the courage

and with the advantage of strength able to carry off the bounty.
With the bully-boys gone the humble, but everyones favourite,

ROBIN
took its chances before being displaced by more marauders

BLACK-HEADED GULL

only a middleweight compared to the

Herring

but enough to keep a tiny Robin at bay with the same applying to our local reluctant

BLACKBIRD
The last of the

Hungry Must be Fed Brigade was this lone

WOOD PIGEON
but simply cannot close without one final look at that brace of irresistable

HERRING GULLs

He's Football Crazy - Robin Hall and Jimmy Macgregor

 It is an annual and single practice in January, which may be frowned upon in certain quarters, as we don our wellies and stray out into the

STUBBLE FIELD
to prove the presance of the tiny

JACK SNIPE
which will not take to the wing until almost stepped upon, flying to some elevation before tumbling back to earth close by and with no attempt to undertake a count 'one is enough'. Up north both ponds remain more or less frozen but at the

IRRIGATION POND
a small pocket of water held something of a most welcome surprise, a single female type

SHOVLER

with a male from the archive just for comparison!
Something of a scarcity here, if not considered down right rare as over our 10 years recording there have been but c5 so Gob-Smacking then when arriving at the

GRAVEL PIT

to find a further c5, all looking rather female like,

which simply would not allow themselves

to be Canonised in their entirity, but the male

TUFTED DUCK
certainly added to the lustre and one more than the previous total tally!
To add to what had already been the foundations of a good day a pair of

MUTE SWANs

were finding plenty to sustain them.
Along the Sewerage Works hedge it took a full 10 seconds to attract a

'first for year', for the uniniciated note the 'white eye-brow,
FIRECREST
with the aid of the new lure, closely followed by a close relative

GOLDCREST
The following wander around the Solar Panel Compound, after clicking another die-back

PUFFBALL,
was the joy of a small host of

STARLINGs

with these

Sparkling Beauties

just doing it for me, and as if the heart were not light enough already to see the

BOUNEMOUTH UNIVERSITY SPORTS FIELDS
back in use again with players ages ranging from 5 to 55.