PACIFICOUS GRIPBACKOFFUS

The so called 'A'team were once again playing catch up with with the 'B'team. Gregsy and I set off for the long awaited grip back of  Pacific Swift  on the Sunday, 24 hours after the boy had been showing its tits off to the masses all day Saturday. Of all the months in the year to decide to have an op on her back the misses has one in mad June!
Having not joined the dipping crew of 93 cos quote ''its a swift and it won't stay'' the lads missed by 20 minutes having stopped 5 times to phone (remember those days)  Nancy's/Birdline for updates...if only they'd just driven!
Well here we are 20 years later and having tantalized birders at Spurn and Saltfleetby the Pacificous decided to give its self up to the hordes and show all day at Trimley Bird Reserve on Saturday 15th June. If only it had chosen one with a shorter entrance road we hear you all say. What a patch find, I wonder if the guy is doing the Patchwork Challenge cos the best find trophy would certainly be in the bag.
Cue to Sunday and the two aging crocks finally make contact with this long awaited mega..wow! what a bird.
Camera in hand I didn't get one piccy so here's some Cranes nearby...

My view of the swift over the Trimley Reserve hence no jaw dropping mouth watering flight shots.

That moves the list up another one and grips back Fred who's been on my coat tails for ages.

British List (UK and IRE old school) - 519

TTFN

BUG UPDATE

Yes it's that annoying time when I take loads of photos of insects, usually butterflies and dragonflies and bombard my few followers (most of whom are birders) with tales of what, when and where I came across the little critters...so here goes...

seems like ages ago now but a working trip up to north Cumbria gave me the chance to nip to Finglandrigg NNR. The prize on show my first ever Marsh Fritillary...

what a cracker and quite small as Frits go.

Next up and a chance find on the patch at Neumann's Flash whilst 'going in' to get better views of the LRPs and only my second ever in the world ever...Dingy Skipper. Now armed with a proper phone at last my new Samsung Galaxy s3 is proving great for taking quick mega pics, the quality of which is truly outstanding.

saying that after transferring the photos from phone to pc I seem to have lost some quality (any ideas anyone)

some of the more commoner butterflies that are starting to appear this late summer...

Speckled Wood

Peacock

Meadow Brown

a rather tatty Common Blue

To this list add Large, Small and Green-veined Whites, Orange-Tip, Brimstone, Small Tortoiseshell, Small Heath and a patch mega find PAINTED LADY yesterday 22nd June then that's the butterfly list so far this year. Methinks it needs some work.

Dragonfly wise nowt new yet but then it's still earlyish for these critters.

TTFN

PATCH ACTION

Off work for a week so it gives me a chance to give the patch a good bashing and hopefully catch up on the leaders of the Year List race.
A walk round today in between all the showers didn't produce the hoped for Cuckoo or Hobby or waders that usually drop in once its rained but here's some piccies of what was going down.

The Black-headed Gull colony on Haydn's Pool is certainly churning out the youngsters...12+ at the last count. With so much vegetation on all the islands and even in front of the hide its a bugger to see anything!!

Time to get the strimmer out my ranger

Reed Warbler does extremely well on the patch with 40+ pairs (best guesstimate)

One of the two pairs of LRPs on Neumann's Flash

Just practicing in case we get one of those specific swifts or a turner white-rump?

Bird of the day though the very obliging female Goosander that's been knocking around Witton Brook probably for a week now. Dig those flippers!!

TTFN

JUNE BUGGY

This humongous thing flew into the garden t'other day, what a stonker...

Had a fight with the ornamental fir thing then zoomed over to next doors hopefully to eat the cat!
A once in a lifetime encounter me thinks...in the garden at least.


TTFN

POND LIFE

Fantastic news Fabio the Frog is back in the garden pond. Found him hiding in his usual corner sat on the submerged brick watching our new solar powered water fountain.
Next doors cat has had another House Sparrow, why can't we have a cull on these feline murderers instead of decimating our natural heritage. Brian May for prime minister that's what I say.
Enough ranting dear chap and god speed to Fabio.

TTFN

DUSKY THRUSH...SAY NO MORE!

Friday/Saturday night and having just endured Piggy the movie I wander off to bed, its 1.30am in the morning and as you do I start messing with my phone. I've got 5 missed calls, 9 texts and 12 email messages all waiting to be read, instead I check twitter cos that's what I do. KABOOM!...THWACK!...OH MY GOD!!!!.........female DUSKY THRUSH...Margate Cemetery 3rd day?
As casual as I can I set my alarm for daft o'clock and attempt to sleep, tomorrow's (or is that to days) news will sort out my day.
Daft o'clock and I'm woken by Mia our dog going ape shit at some dude banging on the front door....its Groucho,'' the birds not showing yet but surely we must be heading south just in case''.
I let the dog out, brush my teeth and dress all at the same time. This young upstart is right! the old 'A Team' have lost the plot...get moving NOW!!!!
Groucho, Malc, Gregsy and I pile into Malc's car and we're off down south with no news as yet on Dusky!
As we reach the M6 joy!! the boy is still there showing well to the birders who set off early...god bless them all.
5hours later and two stops for us oldies to have a dump and coffee we arrive at Margate Cemetery. The target is surrounded on all sides as it hides in a cemetery sycamore...cue nervous wait till I get a glimpse of the Margate mega.
The rest as they say is history as the Dusky Thrush performs to its growing throng of admirers, giving tantalizing views as it rummages around the various bits of cemetery shrubbery.

twitch on!

first contact...

You beauty!....get in!

Dusky wondering what all the fuss is about.

Cheshire's finest in action plus a few others.

And by the next day it had the decency to do one...tough titties to the Sunday league'rs.

that puts me on the following:- 

World yes its a World tick...2835

WesternPal.....690 (according to Birder's Diary)

UK+Ireland (old school).....522

England.....481


one of the locals....

FANTASY LEAGUE FINAL GAME

Who would of thought I'd end up with this bunch of reprobates at the start of the season...but wow have they done the business or what.

Lindegaard a last minute replacement for De Gea who's been awesome but SAF has decided to give him the day off hence my last transfer in. I'm currently leading The Bagnall League by 27pts but anything can happen in this game cos its a funny old game what?

Head to Head League and guess who's reached the final!!!!!

Hope I can do a Wigan...come on INTER TOTTI

bizarrely I could win the league and lose the cup final or vice versa!

or win or lose both...aaahhh!!!!