counting coots

2008 may have been a great year for rarities around the country, and I may have gone to see a small American sparrow in January, and I may also have bumped into a twitch in Runton for a small brown bird that looks just a little bit different to the normal small bird, but that's as far as it went for me. It was also a year of note for irruptives, ie Crossbills and Waxwings. Despite my numerous searches in apposite sites for Crossbills, I was unable to locate any. Anywhere. Which is a bit of a pain in the arse. I even had a conversation with a young twitcher in Wells woods - he was after a Yellow Browned and a Raddes that had been seen the previous day, and he seemed a little confused when I told him "I'm only here to look for Crossbills". I left him to sift through a fast moving flock of tits and Goldcrests. And of course, I didn't find any Crossbills.

And what of the Waxwings? The magazines tell us that they are 'coming to a supermarket near you', which is not very likely round hear as the fat, gluttonous eating machines that are the local bastard Wood Pigeons have stripped the berries from most trees and bushes by the end of September (they are so bloody quick at it that it is tricky to even hang on to a Mistle Thrush for long). But I have one small area left for the Waxwings to drop into (before they have all decided that blighty is no good any more and move on like the berry following whores that they are) - so I present to you a picture of my Waxwing bush. I admit that there are not many berries on the bush. And that a Woodpig could strip it for elevenses, but it is my only hope! Forlornly I gaze upon this bush as I pass, waiting in vain for one of these Bohemian beauties to drop in. But they don't. Yet. A patch birder must be persistent and ever hopeful. If the Waxwings dont drop in, a Med Gull might, a raft of Smew might, a Willet might! Alright, I'm pushing it a bit for the Smew.