Wryneck and the 140 target!

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Well over the last week and since returning from Biscay I have finally added Wryneck to my county list when I saw the long staying bird at Great Glen on the Sunday. After that I found a couple of good birds down the Soar Valley which pushed me past 140 target mark. These included a juvenile Marsh Harrier flying over Cossington Meadows LRWT, which John Hague just about twitched from London!?!, a nice looking adult winter Black Tern at Watermead CP South  and a "dodgy?" Cape Shelduck on Wanlip Meadows LRWT which was a Soar Valley tick for me!
The Wryneck at Great Glen and the Cape Shelduck at Wanlip Meadows.

Comments

Paul Riddle said…
Congrats to you and John in getting to the 140ish species, a great joint effort. But you shouldn't be sitting on your laurels just yet, if you really put some serious time in (maybe camp out up there!!!!)surely 150+ is achievable?????
10 September 2010 at 15:01
Anonymous said…
The Ruddy Shelduck won't count towards the 140 I'm afraid unless the BOU do a huge volte-face and I'll be left with egg on my face!

As for the Marsh Harrier, I didn't just about twitch it, I did twitch it. Only from Birstall though, the Wryneck was twitched from London.
10 September 2010 at 19:12
Anonymous said…
Paul, I'm now on 144. I'm hoping that a good vismigging effort will get us to 150 before years end. A rare Bunting (Lap or Snow), Woodlark and Honey Buzzard (one has already passed over) have to be possibles and I'm hoping for a rare duck, American Wigeon or Green-winged Teal and maybe a Merlin or Hen Harrier in winter.
10 September 2010 at 19:15
Craig Round said…
Hi Dave,
See you had a Ruddy Shelduck, at Wanlip recently, i wonder if this is possibly the same bird i saw flying east over my midlands patch on the 5/9? Any idea when it turned up at Wanlip, i haven't heard of any other Midland sightings, or is it just a coincidence?
10 September 2010 at 22:38
davidearlgray said…
Hi Craig, I saw the Ruddy Shelduck at Wanlip Meadows LRWT on the 5th around 1pm I think?
The bird may have come from Rutland Water as there has been a pair on the reserve for the best part of the summer!
Hope this helps?
Dave.
Ps But also may have been a genuine vagrant from the east!?!
11 September 2010 at 12:53
Anonymous said…
Vagrant from the East my arse... unless that's Rutty!
13 September 2010 at 21:15
davidearlgray said…
John don't forget it turned up on easterly winds but it was probably from Rutty!;-)
14 September 2010 at 10:58
The Leicester Llama said…
Just looked at this - I can't believe no-one's pointed out that that bird is NOT a Ruddy Shelduck - it's a Cape Shelduck (male). And at least one of the so-called Ruddy Shelducks at RW is a hybrid!
14 September 2010 at 16:08
John Hague said…
Doh! I knew there was something dodgy about that Shelduck (being aside of it being dodgy even as a Ruddy Shelduck). I couldn't be arsed with the bird anyway.

I'll get me coat!
14 September 2010 at 19:33
davidearlgray said…
Hooray another tick for my Soar Valley list thanks Andy!;-)
16 September 2010 at 09:23
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