A definite OMG year

It has gotten beyond all my expectations and I am amazed at just how incredible the year has panned out. Yellow-browed Warbler was awesome, Grey Phalarope was outstanding and lucky I was close enough to get there in time, not forgetting Wood Warbler, Pied Flycatcher, but today surely this was the last gift of 2018!?

Mid work party and I have no good reason to look West into the sky...but I did and my eyes were met with 4 very large birds moving North behind the remaining Poplar and right, focusing and my brain caught up....with my autopilot ID checking suddenly screaming "they're bloody Cranes, 4 Common Crane, where are my bins?" Scrambling through the undergrowth still shouting "Common Cranes, 4 Common Cranes" there these little beauties drifted majestically across our skies, just 200-250 feet up, then veering East but almost certainly dropping as they got just east of Twyford, so probably Waltham StLawrence, White Waltham area.

And I even got this record shot with my phone....bliss seeing therm in context beyond our infamous Oak tree.

I'd lost count, this is my 204th species for my patch, 138 this year, equaling 2012.

Still riding the crest

I have been enjoying so much luck lately and I'm happy to say it still hasn't ended, Friday afternoon I came down to enjoy the late afternoon sun and head off to WSL, but on arrival the Yellow-browed Warbler was showing beautifully, close and in full view at it's favourite tree....It's not been seen since.

Then 07:30 Sunday morning I was out at Sandford again, when something told me to look up and my eyes were met with a fast moving raptor, before lifting my bins I thought Peregrine, but when I got in it, it was way too small and compact.... a Merlin moving very fast in from the North at about 250 feet, it arced over me and headed West over toward Bader Way and gone.

I had to look it up, it was my ninth and all of them since autumn 2009, my second this year with first being the male perched on the landfill 17th March.

I'm hoping to catch up with a white faced Athya, but instinct and research says it's just a Tufted Duck, but I'm going to keep looking for anything more I can add.

Even if I add nothing I can say this year is up there with the best.

A 31 year wait is over

Driving back from Asda with my wife and my phone chirps the LWT bird news tone, I ask Emi to read it..."Phalarope next to bund Tern scrape, Steve Day"..........."Phalarope, what now?" I say. "call him, call him for me now". He says on loudspeaker "Yes it's still showing but getting grief from Black-headed Gulls!"

We are going by the Good Companions pub and had turned left already and now a very quick right down Fosters Lane took us down to near Just Tiles and on toward DP. We followed the slowest idiot in Berkshire down Sandford Lane and finally I pull up by the constantly locked Lavell's car park gate.

I then sprint to Bittern hide, bursting in Steve says "it's still here"

Quickly looking through his bins my eyes fall upon the somewhat distant but nonetheless blatant Grey Phalarope beyond the far end of the bund, at which point my body is bathed in warmth, joy, relief and pain with my whole diaphragm heaving in and out as I try and speak amid the gasps to catch my breath.

It's been a long wait for me, I was away when the famous 1987 October Hurricane hit, the two unrepeated megas have haunted me since, October 16th : 2 Grey Phalarope on BSL for one hour
October 17th : 1 Sabine's Gull on BSL.

But now after 31 years and 16 days, I got to see Grey Phalarope, even if it was just for 15, possibly 20 seconds, I saw it. Sadly them darn Black-headed Gulls chased it off and I was sad when I saw it leave over the Emm Brook and vanish behind the Oak, but not emerge the other side.

Blimey we've been unlucky in the last 2 years along, the Billingbear bird 2017 and 3 at Theale this year and I know numerous have been seen over the last 31 years, just not at Dinton.

My 203rd species, 137th this year. Here's to Steve's picture of this little stunner