Hubris! (1 Viewer)

With strong NE winds I was out seawatching at Reculver (Kent UK) this morning. Despite a passing Little Auk (which I missed by a few minutes), a Leach’s Petrel and a Sooty Shearwater, the seawatching was pretty slow and desultory – a guillemot, a single diver, few Little Gulls, the odd Bonxie and a couple of Arctic Skuas was about it. So, having located (with others) a Pallas’s Warbler yesterday at Bishopstone Glen (c5 mins drive), I decided to check the area out again.

Having been fairly elusive the previous day, this time the Pallas’s popped up in front of me, giving superb close views, within seconds of my arrival. Not only that, but when it disappeared the Yellow-browed Warbler hove into view. To say I was feeling pretty pleased with myself would be an understatement. Ah, hubris! For no sooner had the Yellow-browed dipped into cover than I got a phone call from those I’d left seawatching …. a Cory’s Shearwater was steaming past!

A quick drive along the coast failed to deliver so what seemed a very good day suddenly fell somewhat flat. That this experience in missing Cory’s (a very rare bird in Kent) almost exactly mirrored one I’d had a few years ago at the same site did nothing to dispel my gloom. Nor did the fact we’d been speculating about the species earlier on in the seawatch!

John

Them's the breaks as they say (they do somewhere I think). Still I'd have been delighted to see the Pallas's and the Yellow-browed Warblers not to mention the Leach's Petrel. The Cory's will turn up again.....

E

John,

Bad luck - you must be really bitter as just read the same story on kosnet. Think the other Kent listers will give you any sympathy?!

I may go and have a look for the two phylloscs at Bishopstone tomorrow (although meant to be moving house Thurs so will need a good excuse). On the pagers it mentions they have been showing by a clearing - is that the clearing by the carpark or the one over the bridge and to the right?

I have now dipped on YB Warbler for about 5 consecutive days at St Margarets now. At least I actually heard it today before failing to relocate it! Have seen c40-50 Firecrests in these five days which is some consolation! I mean I don't mind not seeing it as I've seen plenty of others but 5 times is silly!

Incidentally anyone else out there with a sore neck fancy forming an organisation dedicated to stopping sycamores getting any higher than say 10' ?

Ivan

Hi John,
Hard luck - once had a similar thing happen, was looking at a foreign Rosy Starling (in Durham), when the news broke of a Great Shear north at Newbiggin

Hi Ivan,
Try moving up to Northumberland . . . a lot of our coastal sycamores are not so very much larger than that!

And Yellow-broweds outnumber Firecrests by about 5:1 here (even Pallas's are easier to get than Firecrest here)
The Pallas's I saw on Saturday was in some 7' whitebeams, feeding just below eye level . . . o :bounce:

Michael

Me? Bitter? Never! I'm damned annoyed most certainly, but - hey - it's quite funny really. If I was that bloomin' upset I wouldn't have got home and straight away have painted the Leach's (with a Cory's in the background) for one of the guys for whom they were both Kent ticks. Besides far, far worse things can happen - Saints could have got relegated anytime the past few years!. The double posting to KOSnet (Kent Ornithological Society) was done primarily cos it'd give other Kent listers a bit of a chuckle. Birding is good fun, but you shouldn't really take it too seriously! Besides I've seen Cory's elsewhere. Yep, I am still pleased to see Y-browed Warbler & Pallas's. As for you poor misbegotten types who are forced to live northern places like Northumberland just remeber - we've got plenty of Firecrests in the south and more genuine Honey Buzzards too . Besides, Firecrests are MUCH more attractive than either Pallas's or Y-broweds ...

John

Hi John,

Swap you some for a Black Grouse :king:

Unlucky John. It's always Sabine's Gull with me. But hey I'm even further north than Michael and I've seen Yellow-browed, Pallas's AND Firecrest in the last week. Didn't have to strain my neck to do it either! Wouldn't mind a Black Grouse though.

Well, after 5 days finally connected with a YB Warbler today and probably had some of the best views I've ever had. And it wasn't in the top of a sycamore - well not always..........
So, thanks for the offer of relocation Michael but I'll stay down here in sunny Kent even if there are no decent footie teams. But then I'm a Colchester United fan so what do I know...............

PS and another half dozen firecrests as well!

I'm still trying to connect with that Pallas's! I have been trying (OK not very hard) to see one for 20 years and I am determined this will be the year! I went to Bishopstone on Monday late PM. Great views of the YBW....then a call from another birder.....'The Pallas is here....' I scurried into a gap in the trees where he was standing. It had just moved on! Next day I decide to take half a day off work. I am at Bishopstone for 4 hours and have great views again of the YBW down to 8 feet. No sign of the Pallas. Then yesterday the Pallas is reported again. Ahhhhhhh. Can only get out again on Sunday AM for a couple of hours. Fingers crossed!

As for Firecrests you could virtually touch them in the bushes at Dungeness last week. Here is a link to a picture I took for the Northern birders. I had to step back to get it in!

http://steve-nunn.fotopic.net/photo.php?id=1459450

Plenty of other Kent pictures in my gallery if anyone is interested. Hey, could even be a Pallas's after this weekend....you never know!