12th December:
A mid-morning dash to Bewl Water in Sussex for a Blackpoll
Warbler that had taken up residence in the waterside vegetation was enough to
also tempt Ian and Pete from their respective slumbers. Once on site it only took seconds to locate
this American waif. Larger and bulkier than I expected but probably on a par
with other Yanks I had seen. It was very
agile, climbing up branches and stretching to reach higher leaves and would
seemingly fall from branch to branch. A thin sip sip call was heard. A Chiffchaff was sharing the clump with the
Blackpoll and was dwarfed by its foreign cousin.
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| Blackpoll Warbler #414 |
24th December:
By Christmas Eve birding is more or less over for the year
but not in 1994. Not content with one manic Scottish trip recently, Kettle,
Tony and I headed north again on a cold and foggy Friday night. Musselburgh to
the east of Edinburgh was our destination and a Forster’s Tern our quarry.
The drive up was a bit treacherous in places but by 4am we
safely installed on site with only 4.5 hours to wait until daylight! Some sleep
was had but it was not especially comfortable and by 7am we were restless and
another car load of birders were also getting ready. A cup of whisky laced
coffee livened me up before the short walk down to the lagoons where the bird
had roosted. We did not want it to fly
off before daylight and so we there as the sun came up but alas it had already
departed and we could not find it amongst the gulls and amassed waders so we
took to the task and looking for it on the firth from the long seawall.
Seaduck were plentiful with many Velvet Scoters (but no
Commons), Long-tailed Ducks, Eiders, Mergansers, a lone Goosander and many
Grebes. Everything was displaying, perhaps prompted by the exceptionally mild
weather. Slav Grebes outnumbered Great Cresteds with at least 15 seen. A
Red-necked Grebe was found and it was at that point that the day improved
markedly as I looked up and the Forster’s Tern flew straight past I front. I
called it but I had to say it twice for the others to take notice as I pointed
at it patrolling the seafront! Another
ridiculous twitch had paid off and for the next few minutes this elegant bird
performed just for us.
 |
| Forster’s Tern #415 |
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After a while it headed off back towards the river mouth so
after a look at the neglected Red-necked Grebe we followed it down telling the
few new arrivals that it had just flown past them. Never walk looking at your feet! Surf Scoters
had been seen the previous day and so I was pleased to find two drakes and a
female amongst the constantly active scoter flock. [Eds: I saw my very first ones off here or
hereabouts back in 1988 on a family caravan holiday around Scotland that also
saw me find the Loch Fleet King Eider and getting my name in the BBRC report
for the first time]
The only passerines were Pied Wagtails, Linnets and a couple
of calling Snow Buntings that I could not find. With time dwindling on this
short Scottish day we packed up and made a b-line for Carlise and the M6. The cross country route on the A702 was
scenic but the weather was closing in and by the time we reached the other side
of the country and Cumbria, we were back into heavy wet fog.
Junction 35 on the M6 was our turn off the fog had turned to
mizzle otherwise we would never have even seen the pit at Carnforth that the 1st-winter
drake Lesser Scaup was frequenting. We
soon found him paddling around with a few Tufted Ducks, Goosander and
Pochard. A truly grotty looking duck
that matched the weather!
 |
| Lesser Scaup |
Time to hit the road and I still even got home before
Christmas Day started. What a way to
finish up the year.
29th December:
An afternoon stroll sat Fishers Green with Mum and Dad was
hampered by driving rain and a couple of splendid hail showers but the Bitterns
were nonplussed by the weather and showed well with one catching two small
Roach. Willow Tits and Chiffchaffs were
both heard although avoided being seen and a Kingfisher zipped through.
******************
Another birding year over and what a splendid year it has
been. It will be remembered as the year I stormed my way through 400 and
cleared up on a host of Siberian vagrants, the year of my first visit to Eire
and of a November and December that surpassed anything I can remember for those
months.
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