Bonanza Points Strategy for Dummies
It struck me just the other day that if I were the competitive type (if...) there could be one or two strategic gambits that I might employ to increase my chances of racking up those all-important Bonanza Points (if I viewed them in that light, of course, which I don't).
For example:
Seawatching
If the wind is from the W, most passing birds tend to fly into it, meaning that positioning yourself towards the eastern end of the patch is going to mean that the birds will pass your vantage point first. In the event of another player seawatching further W you will be able to say "I saw it first - the points are MINE". If you found yourself in the unhappy position of sharing the shelter with other players, simply sit on the left and point your scope as far to the E as you can see. If you cannot get the left hand seat, just irritate everybody by pointing your scope to the E anyway. Conversely, if the wind has any E in it, chances are that the birds will be flying E, so seawatching from Branscombe would be a good ruse.
Early migrants
Still several of these to go. Carefully check which are the most overdue, and therefore about to arrive any second, and visit their most likely haunt - early in the morning.
Anyway, there you have a couple of the tactics which a competitive Bonanza player might find useful. I'm off to a wedding later, so hopefully the biggies won't arrive today.
Managed to pop out early this morning, and got a seawatching fix at Branscombe. Due to the wind having some E in it everything was heading E, though there wasn't much to see - 5
Sandwich Terns, 4
Oystercatchers, 2
Common Scoter and a
Razorbill. However, I was just zooming in on a swimming auk (a
Guillemot, as it turned out) when a very nice flock of duck went by - 22
Eider (9 drakes). Biggest
Eider flock (by 13) that I've seen off the patch. I was just congratulating myself on 3 well deserved points when I realised they'd flown WEST, and therefore would have been visible off Seaton first. When the palpitations eased I remembered that I am not concerned by such issues. At all.
Reed Warbler is overdue and, entirely coincidentally, my next port of call was the very spot where the first of the year might reasonably turn up - Colyford Common. A
Wheatear was out on the marsh, but little else. I walked to the viewing platform.
Lesser Whitethroat rattling away. Nice. What looked suspiciously like a
Tree Pipit was flitting about in the bushes just to the N, but I couldn't clinch it. But what's that singing? Well, well - a
Reed Warbler. With all the reed available in the valley it was surprising to hear it singing from a Blackthorn thicket. I walked over and had nice views too. Would it be presumptuous to add another 5 points to my tally, Steve? As if I cared...... |=)|
