BirdForum is the net's largest birding community dedicated to wild birds and birding, and is absolutely FREE!

Register for an account to take part in lively discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="KenM" data-source="post: 3364607" data-attributes="member: 57880">I received a phone call last night from a colleague who has been "informed" of an upsurge in A.gentilis records for the London area, circa 20+ records in 2014 alone! Whether these translate into accepted records, only time will tell, thus the 2014 LBR should prove to be a "must have read".Regarding scepticism of the said taxa- Thirty years ago I belonged to a local running club, where I met a fellow birder who did voluntary work for the RSPB.One day he took me into his confidence and told me about a breeding pair on the Essex/Herts border, although I acknowledged the "news" with apparent acceptance, Inwardly I was somewhat disbelieving! Prior to this, my only sightings had been in Norfolk and Derbyshire during the '70's.Having suspected their occurence in my local area from 2008 onwards, I was rewarded on March 3rd 2009, when after stopping the car on an unnamed road, with a "blizzard" of Corvids, Thrushes and Woodpigeons preceding an oncoming  female Goshawk, flap flap gliding, about 20m up. This was the only time that I have had unequivocal sustained views in open countryside. My description of the bird.....like a small Llammergeir!  I didn't submit it for obvious reasons.Take the "bones" out of that Rother! It's interesting to note that all the sceptical dissent, seems to emanate from outside the capital :eek!:....FWIW the UK list is currently 600 species....of which 60% have occurred within a 20 mile radius of St.Pauls.</blockquote>

Verification