Saturday 23 September 2017

To tick or not to tick...that is the question?

Loads of "fun" going on in Norfolk recently at Holkham Hall Estate. A PALLAS'S GRASSHOPPER WARBLER was seen much more off and on. A difficult bird to see to say the least. BAD personal memories of my Spurn dip. At least I would have had a decent view in the hand...IF I'd have made it.

However, seeing one "in the field" is an entirely different matter. Identifying one "IN FLIGHT" is frankly...astounding!!! A myriad of reports online paints a disappointing but definitely NOT surprising picture. Trespassing, fences cut etc etc. As with any group of people, you have the responsible...and the irresponsible...not forgetting the hypocritical! Future access here could be a real problem.

Some will have ticked "something" in flight? A Birders list is a personal thing, obviously. The need to add a rare species as elusive as this one is extra strong. Individual honesty is needed but cannot be measured. Examples like this make tables/leagues shaky to say the least. Best not to take things TOO seriously.

I have this simple rule...if I can't identify it, I won't tick it. Seems fair to me.

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