Back on patch and back to reality

After spending early afternoon with "Champ" Bradders and "Proud Mum" Bradders at their Saxon Mill patch and having great views of a Yellow Wagtail, I felt inspired to be back at the Racecourse and ventured out early this morning.

It definitely felt autumnal with a heavy ground mist making everything very atmospheric and photogenic, so much so that even I couldn't fail when taking a picture.

There were nothing of note bird wise except for visible movement of Meadow Pipits along their usual SSW route at about 60-70 birds per hour.  I'll be out again tomorrow morning at the same time to see if I can luck in on a Tree Pipit (if not too late).

Norfolk Weekender

After twitching the Booted Warbler in Lowestoft, we made our way over to Norfolk and spent the rest of the afternoon and the following morning at Titchwell.

I once read a derogatory tweet from someone about mingling with the dudes (*) at Titchwell and from that moment decided I didn't want to become like that person and their attitude towards birders who may not be as experienced or knowledgeable.  This is probably because some would accuse me of being a dude but to be honest dude or non dude I would far rather be nice to people than superior and judgmental.  Also, if it wasn't for people who love the outdoors and a spot of birding (even though they may not know what they are looking at all the time) then places like Titchwell may not exist, as membership fees do come in useful!  So, our visits Titchwell are always a positive experience by assisting so-called 'dudes' who ask for identification of different birds and by talking to them instead of just growling and of course my #Birderswife always enjoys meeting different people.

Unfortunately due to strong WSW winds the east coast appeared pretty quiet during our stay but then we couldn't really complain about seeing Spoonbills, Great Egret, Turtle Doves, Little Stint, Curlew Sandpiper, Black Tailed Godwits, Knot, Grey Plover, Arctic Skuas, Gannets, Eider, Dunlin, Avocets, Bearded Reedlings, Water Rail, Merlin and Marsh Harriers (to name a few).

Probably the best news we had when away for the weekend was that our friend Jack Bradbury had won the Best Young Birder award at Spurn Migfest in his age category.  Congratulations to him on such a great achievement.

(*) Dude is a pejorative term sometimes used to refer to birders who have all the equipment but don't actually know a lot about birds.

Booted on the way to Norfolk

After dipping two Booted Warblers in Shetland last year, I felt that all Booted Warblers owed me and it was fortunate that one came up in Lowestoft a day before we were due to drive to Norfolk for an anniversary weekend.

So, when the bird came up on the Bird News Services as still being there just before we were due to leave on Friday, I dropped the bombshell to my #Birderswife that we were taking a slight detour.

It so happened that Neil, Squire and Chris were also on the road ahead of me and a few calls between us assisted in guiding me to the right area in Lowestoft and it wasn't long before we arrived at the destination.  After reports the day before, I was expecting a long wait for the bird to show but as we arrived it immediately it obliged us with great views.  A great start to the weekend on the east coast.

Booted Warbler

More Lifers - Not Birds but Cycling Legends

Interestingly, since my last blog entry I have had a read of some of my previous posts over the years in which I used to talk about failed twitches, lack of birds on the Racecourse, cycling and the number of dog turds on my patch.  You may (or may not) be glad to know that I don't change and those of you who follow me on Twitter could testify that I continue to talk/moan about exactly the same subjects frequently.  So, on that note, let's continue....

Greipel in full on sprint mode

Yesterday saw the Tour Of Britain come to Warwickshire, so I decided to book a half day and try and score some more Cycling Legend Lifers.  Previously, from other Cycling Events I have attended I have notched up Mark Cavendish, Bradley Wiggins, Chris Froome, Thomas Voeckler, Cadel Evans, Peter Sagan, Tejay Van Garderen, Richie Port, Edvald Boasson Hagen, Berhard Eisel, Michael Rogers, Philippe Gilbert, George Hincapie, Marcus Burghardt and Vicenzo Nibali to name a few.

I clocked off just before Midday and marched into Warwick in time to first witness the break away and then the main peloton (two minutes later) turn right and make their way up Theatre Street.  I chose exactly the same spot as I did for the Women's Tour earlier in the year and was awarded with excellent views as the riders slowed down ever so slightly to climb the tiny ramp.

Team Sky Bus

On the way back home I decided to go via the Racecourse and managed to find a single Whinchat, which proved to be pretty elusive.  Even though I do frequently moan about the Racecourse, it has been fairly good this autumn so far, with Whinchat yesterday and a Wheatear plus a Spotted Flycatcher about two weeks ago.  As with all birds on the Racecourse, due to disturbance, the Whinchat proved to be a one day stayer and was not there today (or appeared not to be).

I then drove into Leamington Spa, walked round the Race Village before parking myself at some barriers to await the finish of the Race.  The finish was exciting as per usual, with the commentators whipping the crowd up which added to the atmosphere.  It was great to see Andre Greipel secure victory and afterwards I went to watch the Awards Ceremony followed by a stroll round where the Team Buses were parked up.

Sir Dave

To celebrate a fantastic day of excitement and action I finished it off with a 21 mile bike ride round some of the roads the Tour had crossed earlier on in the day.

Tour De France victor 2018

Significant New Lifers for the day:  Geraint Thomas and Andre Greipel.

Back again

It certainly has been a long time since I last posted.

I originally abandoned this blog to discourage some competitive birding I was being subjected to.  At the same time, I decided to stay on social media via Twitter, while limiting details of all my sightings.  That situation has now resolved itself, although my time on Twitter has equally had its ups and downs as I am a sensitive person and may tend to overthink.  It is clear that Social Media exposes a person to the good and bad behaviours of people who share the same interests and I have struggled at times with all the nastiness that surrounds our hobby, but then there are so many great things about Birding as well and that is why I thought I would resurrect this blog to record some of those things.  I hope you enjoy the read.