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="gambirder" data-source="post: 1798495" data-attributes="member: 61539">For me - CORNCRAKE. Had a family holiday on Tiree last year and just a few minutes after stepping off the ferry started hearing them - crex crex, crex crex crex crex... Arriving at the croft they were calling in fields all around us - crex crex, crex crex, crex crex. Thought it was gonna be easier than I had anticipated. Spent an hour or so the first evening staking out a calling bird - crex crex, crex crex, crex - in a tiny field, standing still as a statue, eyes scanning for the slightest movement, binoculars poised. Not a dicky-bird. Repeated this scenario endless times, sometimes with a calling bird - crex crex, crex crex, crex crex - so close, I swear I could've stretched out my arm and dropped a brick on the blighter. |=(| Last evening but one, staked out Mrs Brown's field (from the calls - crex crex, crex crex, crex crex -  seemingly a Corncrake hotspot in West Hynish). CREX-flipping-CREX all around me and not the faintest shadow so I could note "fleeting but unsatisfactory view" in my notebook.  As the evening wore on - crex crex, crex crex, crex crex - I became increasingly :-@ - crex crex, crex crex, crex crex - and then increasingly :-C. That was it then. Whole week listening to crex crex, crex crex, crex crex and doomed not to see even a single feather. ("Crex crex is the most irritating bl**dy birdcall on the planet...Note to self: next time bring a brick to drop on calling Corncrakes...oh I hate birdwatching...")  :storm:On the last day, having given up completely, we braved the rain to go to a surfing beach. Half-way between Balephuil and Balemartin, something like a scrawny runty half-grown chicken crossed the road 50m ahead. :eek!: I've never seen anything so beautiful in all my life... We drove slowly up to it as it wandered on to the verge and parked right beside it. Cue scrabble for camera as it was right beside the front wheel. Camera located - removed from bag - switch on - bird starts moving to edge of verge - point camera - bird disappears under fence and into adjacent field - crex crex, crex crex, crex crex. Four or five miles down the road another, even more obliging bird. Returned to the croft that evening with that sweetest of all bird-calls - crex crex, crex crex, crex crex - drifting in from fields all around the croft. Ahhh, sheer contentment... :bounce:</blockquote>

Verification