With so many good birds off park in Berks, I decided I should try and see some of them at QMR. On arrival the outlook didn't look so great, just 1 observer out of over 200 claiming the Buff Bellied Pipits, but I went on anyway and en route a report came in that both were in view on the SW side.
But in a few moments it became evident that they were mobile and now had left again, but like many others I lingered and after 30 mins, someone got 2 brown dots in the scope, running around the puddles of rough ground about 1km to the SE.
To be frank it was laughable, that 90-100 birders spread out and discussed the distant birds as Buff Bellied Pipits, at that range they could have been any pipit and no-one would have been any the wiser.
I thought this is dumb and knew that Welley Road ran past the rough ground everyone was scoping, so left, drove there, stopped in the driveway before the lights, just as a van pulled up outside the gates, so asked the driver if it was okay to stop there, he said "no problem, come in if you like".
So I did and in moments so did 10+ other birders who followed and we all had brilliant views of both birds.
Moral of the story, don't be dumb and try and tick birds from a kilometre away, when you can see them from 90 yards!
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