Monday, May 17, 2021

Things you only say on local patches

Walking your local patch is a very different experience to doing a day trip to a hot spot. Unless your local patch is a hot spot, which mine isn't. Here's some things that I say to myself on my local patch walk but not on a big day trip.

1. Reed Bunting. Fantastic. What a bird a spring male is. I'll take 5 minutes to have a good look.

2. That's 4 Song Thrushes. Perhaps that's 4 pairs.

3. House Sparrows in the bush by the bridge. Just like last year. Guess they'll breed then disappear again.

4. I wonder what species that hoverfly is.

5. Please God just something for the list. A Whinchat, a Wheatear. Just something I haven't seen every day for the past month.

5. I wonder where those gulls are going.

6. What a great bird a Grey Wagtail is. I can see every feather.

7. six Swifts. That's an excellent total.

8. Little Owl not in its tree again. Wonder where it goes.

9. Bullfinch calling again. Not visible again.

10. That's 7 Whitethroats singing so far, and 3 Chiffchaffs.

11. Lapwing. Fantastic. Great record. At last something for the notebook. 

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