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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Gill Osborne" data-source="post: 1481304" data-attributes="member: 143965">If something is local I'll go along to see if I can find it but it doesn't happen very often due to work and feeding hubby taking up a lot of my spare time :smoke:    The one 'proper' twitch I went along to was the one at Bishop Middleham in Durham in August 2002 when a pair of Bee-eaters had bred there. The site was actually signposted and the RSPB had organised an agreement with a farmer to let you park your car in a certain field for £2 (or was it just a quid, I can't remember...the farmer made around £2000 from it so don't think he was grumbling <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite2" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=";)" />).  The RSPB had a tent set up in the next field with all sorts of info and bumph there and you couldn't miss the bee-eaters. We watched the parent birds and two young flying around and perching on telegraph wires. It WAS lovely to see the birds but it all felt a bit flat....it was too easy :smoke:   The only other one was for a Roller that was just up the road from my flat a couple of years ago......THAT would have been sacriligious to miss :eek!:   In that case I worked out where the bird was on the map, drove up, saw the bird (seeing lots of other birders with scopes always helps to find the spot! :t<img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /> and watched it for about 20 minutes before I had to head back home to cook tea :king:   Neil got up just after I got back and wasn't even aware I'd been out 3<img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />  These are just two birds that I HAVE seen mind.....the times I've been told about something and it's not there are too many to count! :smoke:  But hey, that's birding for you :king:   I've got possibly a couple of hours to spare this afternoon but Sunday I'm free from 10am until 4pm :t:</blockquote>

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