I may have mentioned before, but I'm not a twitcher. I don't have the time or money to zoom off across the country looking for lost birds, especially when there are so many birds locally that i've still to see.
However. And there's always a however.....
The pectoral sandpiper which appeared in the east end of Glasgow last week proved too tempting for me. Through the wonders of Google maps I managed to find FRankfield loch, ironically less than a mile from one of my favourite patches at Hogganfield Loch. Even more ironically, my wacky sense of direction has seen me get lost there lots of times, but never came across this place. Situated slap bang next to a new housing estate, just off one of Glasgow's busiest roads, this was a gem of a site, holding curlew, oystercatcher, grey heron, teal, mallard, mute swans, swallows, little grebe and a load of other stuff just out of reach. And, of course, the pectoral sandpiper. A lifer for me, I felt obliged to do a dance of lifer shame....
Imagine my surprise, then, to find out later via the Scotbirds website that, just after I was dancing my jig of lifer shame, a blue- winged teal had been sighted (literally, as I was driving away). I went back the next day, but dipped on it by about ten minutes. So, in the space of 2 days not only did I have the eternal 'you should have been here 10 minutes ago' but also 'you should have been there 10 minutes later.
For someone who's not a twitcher, and who has a poor success rate when he does, I can't feel too sad about getting only the pectoral sandpiper. Better than that, though, is I discovered a fantastic new site that I will defintiely return to.
However. And there's always a however.....
The pectoral sandpiper which appeared in the east end of Glasgow last week proved too tempting for me. Through the wonders of Google maps I managed to find FRankfield loch, ironically less than a mile from one of my favourite patches at Hogganfield Loch. Even more ironically, my wacky sense of direction has seen me get lost there lots of times, but never came across this place. Situated slap bang next to a new housing estate, just off one of Glasgow's busiest roads, this was a gem of a site, holding curlew, oystercatcher, grey heron, teal, mallard, mute swans, swallows, little grebe and a load of other stuff just out of reach. And, of course, the pectoral sandpiper. A lifer for me, I felt obliged to do a dance of lifer shame....
Imagine my surprise, then, to find out later via the Scotbirds website that, just after I was dancing my jig of lifer shame, a blue- winged teal had been sighted (literally, as I was driving away). I went back the next day, but dipped on it by about ten minutes. So, in the space of 2 days not only did I have the eternal 'you should have been here 10 minutes ago' but also 'you should have been there 10 minutes later.
For someone who's not a twitcher, and who has a poor success rate when he does, I can't feel too sad about getting only the pectoral sandpiper. Better than that, though, is I discovered a fantastic new site that I will defintiely return to.
