Maybe.
That Wheatear what I found, like ages ago, may appear below this sentence (blogger is playing up like stupid).
If it doesn't, your dose of stunning photography can be found here...a wheatear picture on the wrong blog
Not only was it a patch tick, it also goes on the London List. Cracking little boid.
Wheatears that is. You wait five years for one to come along, and then two turn up in the same week. Found another this morning, all perched up and everything. Incredible. Totally.
I even took a rubbish picture.
If you can handle this kind of excitement I'll be uploading it later...
Yep, 67 - that is now the stunning year's total for 2010. A stunning 4 more more species than last year, and the remainder of October to add to the total.
The Wheatear yesterday was a complete surprise. Although it was moving with determination southwards, I was lucky enough to see it close in (and without optical aids - naked birding I believe it is called) as it first came past. That's a Wheatear I said to myself. Bloody hell, I also thought.
Apropos nothing at all, have a picture of a gull that won't load properly.
Just had a Wheatear flying south across the river.
Patch tick mega and everything! Result! Fulham continues it's run as vis-mig hotspot!
Sort of.
Migrating Magpies. Really? Well it would seem so, as less than an hour ago there was a rag-tag stream of Magpies steadily moving south over the river. There were nineteen of them. There are not that many Magpies round here. Yet more vis-mig in the on fire patch...
The patch has been quiet, and to be honest I haven’t been expecting much of late as the tide is high at lunchtime and the weather not great. Have been in the patch of course but there has been little to report, despite cracking birds being found all over the show. Ring Ouzels a couple of miles up the road. Little Gulls. Terns. That sort of thing, but obviously not likely to show up in humble Fulham of course. Or could they?
Whilst time wasting by the river yesterday afternoon, I saw a bird flying up river which is not unusual in itself, but was unusual specifically as it was a bloody Sandwich Tern! Patch Mega! Year tick! 66 for the year now. I’ve seen one of these rarities in this location only once before and that was years ago so it was thoroughly unexpected. Get on in!
Well in the end it was if nothing was happening underneath the streets, and the traffic was more normal than usual. But for the sake of completion, here is yesterday evenings list.
Black Headed Gull
Cormorant
Herring Gull
Crow, Carrion – not Bob
Wood Pigeon
Mallard
Starling
Canada Goose
Kestrel
Magpie
Jay
Stunning, eh?
No owls unfortunately, nor could I see much bombing past Rainham at 70mph in the failing light....
Some time ago I wrote about how I (internally) beat the tube strike - read it here if inclined.
So we find ourselves in the same position today, but with considerably less pleasant weather and largely darkness as a companion. But I have three times the distance to travel and a metropolis to cross. Bitching doesn't even get half way to describing the commute this morning. However, when a river has to be crossed there are birds to be seen. Somehow this morning I found myself on the Woolwich Ferry, and while on said ferry there were three Common Terns to watch around the side of the boat. A nice interlude.
I'll count the birds on the way home tonight but don't have my hopes up for 26 species, or for that matter finishing the journey within two hours.
Nice.
