First Twitch (1 Viewer)

[JWN Andrewes]

I was staying at Spurn for a week in August 1985 with a mate of mine who did a bit of twitching when the Little Whimbrel turned up in Norfolk. He sorted a lift out for the pair of us with someone else staying at the Obs, and before I knew it I was on my first twitch, thoroughly successful I might add. Happy days.

James

 

[Dog]

I never saw that in about 6 attempts!

Me & a friend of mine had just completed the 110 mile Cleveland Way which ends at Filey, so while he bused it back to the start to pick up his car I got the Warbler & he never did see it.
My first twitch was a dip ( Lesser Yellowlegs Dec 24 1983 Banbury) & my next was a dip ( Ring-billed Gull Jan 84 Radipole Lake ) & my first successful twitch was (White-tailed Eagle Jan 84 Brill- Bucks ).

Mike.

 

[Dom F]

1983 - Lesser yellowlegs at Hampden Park near Eastbourne in Sussex - now an industrial estate.

 

[Sandra (Taylor)]

Twitching

1983 - Lesser yellowlegs at Hampden Park near Eastbourne in Sussex - now an industrial estate.

Really can't remember when but it must have been at least 15 years ago - one of the divers (great northern or black-throated) on a reservoir near Burnley. I remember going before I started my day at work - poor view. Would be interested to know what ancd when if any local birders can remember, without the name of the reser.

What an interesting thread

Sandra

 

[owl flight]

just recently went thru all me auld notebooks & put 'em in a spreadsheet with locations/dates/etc for everything i could find. rather spartan at times, so some detective work ensued. anyway, i regard going for anything you already know is there is a twitch, no matter the distance. however, i do view distance as a factor generally, so here's me first few...

1. Red-necked Phalarope: 1971 Cheshire & Wirral - River Birket, Meols, 29th September

went down to see this every day it was there. even tried a few locations close by once it was gone, naturally without success

2. Baird’s Sandpiper: 1971 Flintshire - Point of Ayr, 30th October

i was on hilbre when this turned up & remember looking longingly over to the point of ayr. had to wait 'till the next weekend to connect

3. Ring-necked Duck: 1973 Buckinghamshire - Marlowe Gravel Pits, 13th January
Ferruginous Duck: 1973 Berkshire - Wraysbury, 13th January
Mandarin Duck: 1973 Surrey - Virginia Water, 13th January

a triple-header & me first proper twitch going in a carload with a mate & two hilbre stalwarts of the time. i was so green i didn't take a sleeping bag. it was a freezing night so i didn't get much sleep. needless to say, i was never again without me sleeping bag! so, while three of us were in the car, one of the hilbre softies was luxuriating in b&b at a hotel!

 

[Fozzybear]

1. Red-necked Phalarope: 1971 Cheshire & Wirral - River Birket, Meols, 29th September

went down to see this every day it was there. even tried a few locations close by once it was gone, naturally without success

I think that's one bird I would definitely go out of my way to see - after watching a programme where Simon King (or was it Gordon Buchannan...? can't remember the name of the programme now) was filming them I was really struck by them, absolutely gorgeous little birds! :t:

 

[Dean Waring]

my first twitch was for a bittern when i was only around 12 years old. It was discovered by a local birder and only three of us saw it. Of course, at that age, it was an absolute mega!

 

[birdermoose]

My first twitch was the Dungeness Purple Herons, Waited 8 hours over 2 days and finally saw one while walking back to my friends car. Only been on a few since, Pectoral Sandpiper, Night Heron etc

 

[KenM]

My first twitch was March 11th 1978, a colleague drove me down to Cheddar (Somerset), where I was promised, I might christen my new Bins with something special...Wall Creeper on Butterfly wings did not disappoint! What I'd give to see another..If that's greedy? then I'm guilty as charged.

 

[Steviewonder]

Little Crake at Cuckmere in 1985.

I found out about it from the Tony Soper nature programme on tv.

 

[Jan-Paul Charteris]

Little Crake at Cuckmere in 1985.

I found out about it from the Tony Soper nature programme on tv.

And people moan about slow dissemination of news these days

Surprises are always nice too...About my third twitch or so was for a Pied Wheatear at Felixstowe, with Pallas's Warbler in same area. As the guy who was giving us a lift arrived, he said something like "well, now you're sitting down I'd better tell you, there's a male Red-flanked Bluetail around the corner from them too!" They were still pretty mega in those days, and there still haven't been many males...we saw the wheatear, bluetail and little gem of a warbler on that day

My second twitch had been for the Red-throated Thrush at The Naze...

Looking back, it all started pretty damn well!

 

[FormerMemberfor15years]

The first time I went for a twitch was a Wilson's Phalarope on the Belgian coast the 21st of May 1992, this is 6 years after starting birdwatching.

I did 95 subsequent twitchs in Belgium, the Netherlands, UK, France and Germany, up to September 2006 (Belgian coast again, for Arctic Warbler). Since then, I didn't go twitching; I'm birding mainly in the tropics (Africa/Brasil/Ecuador), and I've enough birds around me... and I admit I'm a bit ashamed to drive sometimes 500km for one bird... not really "eco"-tourism as I try to develop here in Africa...

Happy birding!

 

[Mike Montier]

Nice to be reminded about the Cuckmere Little crake, I too heard it on the Tony Soper nature programme and went on 10th March 1985. It was one of my earlier twitches and I see from my notes that I described it in great detail which amazed me. I also drew it and my drawings then were much better than now so I have obviously lost my touch. Better go and sharpen that pencil..

 

[apbarr]

Not really my first twitch but my first rarity was the Bo'ness Killdeer in January '83. It has a lot to answer for!

 

[a_j_steele]

Very intresting thread my first twitch was to see the Brown Shrike on Staines Moor in october 2009 also happened to have been my first Shrike.

 

[FormerMemberfor15years]

Very intresting thread my first twitch was to see the Brown Shrike on Staines Moor in october 2009 also happened to have been my first Shrike.

Waw, first shrike a brown, in WP is quite extraordinary!

Well, my Wilson Phalarope twitch was my first phalarope, but with Brown Shrike you are in upper level!

 

[O.Reville1989]

Waw, first shrike a brown, in WP is quite extraordinary!

Well, my Wilson Phalarope twitch was my first phalarope, but with Brown Shrike you are in upper level!

My first "long distance" twitch was for Canvasback at Welney in January 1997.
I use long distance loosely though, for an 8 1/2 year old 52 miles is quite a long way! Although this was probably my longest twitch until this year!

 

[Mike Cross]

My first "twitch" in the loosest sense was for Lesser Yellowlegs at Banc Y Lord, Cydweli in Carmarthenshire in 1990. I bumped into someone who told me about it and gave directions to the pool so I drove the 2-3 miles. I had only been birding for a few months and had absolutely no idea what a Lesser Yellowlegs was. At the time there was a lot of discussion in the birding mags about splitting Yellow Legged Gull and in my mind I was expecting a gull. Got to the small pool, nobody there and no gull just three waders the biggest of which on approach I took to be a redshank. Then hang on those shanks aren't red they're yellow. Penny dropped. Eventually a few others turned up including a guy who turned up in slippers having driven 30 miles and uttered the immortal words "I haven't got long, I've just popped out for a pint of milk". How many times have I heard AND used that line or similar since? The other waders were Curlew Sandpiper and Little Stint - 3 lifers one small pond!

First proper twitch Red Flanked Bluetail at Winspit, Dorset. A far cry from today's pager and instant news. Bird was found on Sunday, on Wednesday my mother in law who lives in Bournemouth sent us a newspaper cutting. We decided to pop down and visit for a long weekend. Went there on Sunday morning, never having been before I had a sleepless night as concerned it was close to the village and fireworks people etc would disturb it. Still large crowds on its eight day, massively more than I had evere witnessed before. Great bird, nice weather and my abiding memory was seeing two cars in the village on the way back where photos were being sold from the boot of the cars. I had enetered a different world!

 

[FormerMemberfor15years]

First proper twitch Red Flanked Bluetail at Winspit, Dorset

I was there too!

 

[Jane Turner]

I was there too!

Me too - that was my last proper twitch (outside the NW)