Alpine Swift

I had been around the car park, seeing 3 Chiffchaff, a few Meadow Pipit, 5-6 Swallow East, 9+ Redwing and maybe heard Blackcap, then Trevor arrived and I decided to join him for a look for the Garganey. It wasn't around and not much else to see either in flooded conditions.

Over a 100 Redwing dropped in above the Emmbrook to our right and I scanned for more birds in the sky, I think I was tracking something, when I passed what I thought would be a Swallow, but staying on it, it turned and I could see it was a Swift....in October!!!

Trevor took a moment to get on it, but we agreed it probably never got closer than 600 yards when we first got onto it. Heading SW, it moved with with very fast bursts of wing beats and then long low dives, rarely turning and never giving the 'shimmying' of Common Swift.

I couldn't bear it and tried and succeeded to get my scope on it as it passed in line with the tallest Poplar, I checked for paleness in the primaries and blunt wings...none, but on it's first turn in the scope I suddenly saw an obvious and well marked pale belly and said "******* Hell, it's got a pale belly".

It turned back towards LFGP and a group of Starling passed by behind and it looked bigger than initially thought, but without knowing how near they were, judging size was really hard.

It then went back SW over the houses immediately North of Sandford Mill, dived once more and looked to be gaining speed as we lost it behind the Poplars, heading towards Sandford Park, but not gaining height.

Awesome stuff and actually quite interesting how it never appeared that big, No. 18 on my prediction list and nice to know I am not going to end the year without a lifer on my patch, it is no doubt rarer than last Year's Yellow-Browed Warbler and 2012's Wryneck, but not Purple Heron...we saw that one too well to trump that!

I haven't totally decide the order to put them in, so for now based on Berks rarity status perhaps like this;

Purple Heron - April 5th 2000

Alpine Swift - Oct 15th 2014

Yellow-Browed Warbler - Oct 5th 2013

Great White Egret - Nov 5th 2009

Honey Buzzard - Sept 23rd 2000

Goshawk - Apr 6th 2009

Whooper Swan - Nov 10th 2013

Ferruginous Duck - Dec 2nd 2009

Wryneck - Aug 29th 2012

Avocet - March 13th 1983

Black-Throated Diver - Jan 25th 1987
Little Tern - June 18th 1983

Montague's Harrier - Aug 26th 2007

But as my good friend Andy Johnson said "just 4 off the big 200", what a thought.

Not to sound like it's unfair, but I should have 4 more on my list;

Quail - 1/20th June 2012, heard by Maidenhead birders (B Stacey & G Marsh) heard it 10:00. I didn't hear about until late afternoon and did come back for dusk, but left to see visiting family and it called once 35 minutes after I left.
Common Crane - 2/6th May 2012, flew East 3-6 miles to the ENE, could have possibly been picked up in the scopes?
Hawfinch - 1/13th Oct 2010 Heard a rasping call, looked up to see a short tailed bulky finch heading very fast NW, completely failed to get in focus in bins, or in the scope at all. But sadly saw large white upper wing marks and knew it was one.
Red-footed Falcon - 1/6th Oct 2012 A short tailed falcon went fast South over LFGP, I was looking into sunlight and could no colour, or features on the bird, but surprisingly it turned and hovered at 300ft, then circled and hovered again, then dived down like a Sparrowhawk.... Hovering is well known in Red-footed Falcon