counting coots

Many of you will know that if you are the known birdwatcher/birder/spotter/twitcher at a place of work, you often get approached by colleagues looking for identification solutions or titbits (geddit?) of knowledge. In my present job that has ranged from the 'little black and white birds in my garden' for my boss (Pied Wag) through 'what's that pretty little birdie by the smoking area?' (Dunnock) to ensuring billigerent oafs that there are fish in the Thames because Cormorants feed on bloody fish and there are nearly a hundred round here in the winter, you eeediot!



And then there are those that have a modicum of information that need me to put the finishing touches to a tentative i-d (what folly!) One such bird is here.

This was taken on his day off, while sitting at home in Kingston doing nowt. He had the identification right, and I told him this. It sat there for about an hour, he said looking lost. I informed him that a Wheatear sitting on a roof top in Kingston was lost but it wasn't anything to worry about. While we are chatting about the bird, and where it should and shouldn't be etc the thought was going through my mind that I have not had a Wheatear on this patch. Ever. And you just look out of your bloody window and lo! A Wheater just sits there!

Bastard.