A message late last night...
19:41 North Yorks Eurasian Penduline Tit at Seamer Tip Pool this afternoon
Too late for a possible result BUT the cogs started turning. "Us Twitchers" have pretty good memories regarding Species and previous records. I'm not in the same league as some who can remember exact dates but most occurrences ring some sort of bell? This particular Species took me back to the early 90's when I was in my Twitching infancy and had a young family...pre-internet of course. A report of a Penduline Tit at Hay-a-Park Gravel Pits, Knaresborough (Sept 92) caused me some confusion (no secrets here) when I stupidly mis-interpreted it for a Bearded!!! By the time the penny dropped (I blame my lads) the bird had flown. Limited knowledge of the Site would also have counted against me...I like to think? A brief sighting at Wintersett (Nov 2011 I think) proved "untwitchable". Hence I still "needed" it.
Last evening was spent planning. Big thanks to Tony Dixon, John Harwood and Kevin Grewcock for information on the Site (which I've never visited). Google Maps and Scarborough Birders Website also deserve a shout. By 10 pm I was confident I could find it...the Site that is.
Over the Years I've switched between "wait for news" and "get there for dawn". I've drifted from the former to the latter as opportunities have diminished! I never sleep well when I set my alarm and I woke at 3 and decided to prepare. A good surprise (he certainly was) walk for Bud helped me come round before I packed the car and headed North. As the first signs of twilight appeared I could see some menacing clouds in the distance. I looked at the car thermometer: it registered 2C! It then started to hail!! It didn't bode well.
Google Maps did the business and took me right where I wanted to be at the South side of the Industrial Estate. What it didn't show was the Barrier preventing access down Thornborough Road. I started to "park up" when another Birder got out of his car. It was Tim Isherwood. Fancy seeing him here!
We gathered our gear and started to walk South to the Pond as the light improved...slightly. It was now 5.15am. As I followed John Harwood's directions we found ourselves halfway down the North path.
It was VERY cold and it was still raining/sleeting but fortunately there was little wind. Spirits were lifted almost immediately when Tim heard the Bird calling!!! A couple more hopefuls had turned up and one of them caught a glimpse. I made it just in time to also get a brief look...but far from satisfactory. The Bird continued to call intermittently, keeping spirits up. I could just about hear it...sometimes! A consequence of 23 years in the Sports Hall...not continuously.
Richard Willison turned up...I thought he would. It was great to see him as I hadn't bumped into him for quite some time. There were now 10 present, which was quite surprising considering the Rarity and beauty of the Bird concerned? More calling and more shuffling of the pack, as we tried to figure out exactly where it was coming from. Then around 6.20 one chap spotted it in the Willows below the path!
The next 5 minutes or so were a mixture of relief and excitement as we all tried to get a decent view and maybe a pic or two as it flitted among the branches. The Bird was around 30 yards away on the edge of the Pond...
Fortunately it ended up on the right hand tree and stayed long enough for everyone to get their Photos...before it (surprisingly) took off and flew high West into the distance at 6.25...
So, after my armchair Baikal Teal tick, I've followed it on fairly quickly with this little gem, bringing me to the magic 400 for the County. It only took 37 Years!!! To be fair I didn't really concentrate on County Birding until the mid Nineties. Excuses, excuses! I was hoping for a "looker"...and I certainly got it! The plan worked well...
No comments:
Post a Comment