Horrendous weather here this morning, so a few final thoughts regarding the "best" month.
Being a fairly new and somewhat reluctant participant of Twitter, I've tried to tailor my feed to POSITIVE topics! Not easy. I do like to follow and greatly respect the adventures of the various teams/squads etc of Birders dreaming of MEGA GOLD. It's cheaper!
Common phrases like "lots of potential" are banded about, with good reason. Thing is, there are so many places with lots of potential and so FEW MEGAS...obviously! Finding 'your own" is the ultimate dream in Birding.
Having had a few cracks over the years I can speak from personal experience how difficult, frustrating and tiring this can be. I scoured the Cornish Valleys a few years ago with Trevor Charlton seeing very little indeed. Once I arrived on Scilly for "Teachers Week" to meet some Birders from the NE who were almost suicidal with the lack of "good birds". I had a similar week, in fact I've had a few!! Still great to be there though, I must add. A beautiful place. I've also "done" the Outer Hebrides with Barra being my favourite spot.
Expectation levels are understandably sky high in October, possibles and probables abound and can frankly get rather wearing as the messages come through.
As you know I personally prefer the SW to the Northern Isles which I find bleak, colder and on average wetter. I also have a lot of great memories from Scilly which will always produce. Oh and there's no chance of the good lady going North! I would love to go back to the Fortunate Isles one year, if circumstances allow. Even though I've been marooned a couple of times!
Some great birds are being found on Corvo in the Azores at the moment. Western Palaearctic Listers having fun. Not my cup of tea. British or ABA for me, not in-between. Birds found on Corvo have no significance regarding what might arrive in Britain. Depends on your preference I guess.
Like life, there's no justice in Birding. You can slog an island/s for week/s and find very little. You can go for a pee and find a MEGA!!!
Whatever you do this month, all the very best and...enjoy it...before the clocks go back!!!
P.S. A topical example: In all my trips to Scilly I never got a sniff of a YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO. There's one present today, albeit elusive and I missed the Porthgwarra bird due to being ON Scilly!!! You've got to laugh!?
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