Twitchers Revisited

Look at the date. THE DATE!!!

No! You mean to say this isn’t genuine research? :roll_eyes:

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Had a new idea for a mindful walk to work and was pleasantly surprised with the variety. Haven’t arrived at the office feeling so chirpy in a long time :grin:



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Where did you photograph those, Edd?

Where was this?

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Stavanger, Norway.

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Newport Pagnell; possible the Merlin Bird I.D App misheard?!

Enjoy your ban. :+1:

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A nice day out at Snettisham
Would have got there earlier but set satnav to Snetterton

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It was very close to a lake, so possible according to RSPB website

I’m not doubting the record at all, I was just curious about the location.

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Worth going on April 27th or 28th for the knot flyover spectacular as the spring tide makes them (over 10,000 birds) leave the shore and fly over the spit to the lake. It will be evening, prob about 6pm but the car park will fill much earlier.

https://www.rspb.org.uk/days-out/reserves/snettisham
Scroll down to Snettisham Spectacular Guides and download

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Cheers Dave - We are planning on doing that.

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Today I have - apparently- seen an Egyptian goose;

It was bimbling around Bedford Embankment and has precisely zero road sense. It and partner didn’t seem bothered by the other geese but I don’t recall ever seeing one before.

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The increasing UK breeding numbers are a result of escapees from various collections.

There’s a self sustaining population now but they’re classed as an introduced species.

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Serving suggestion:

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My first Wheatear of the year arrived on the 7th - a Male at Brough, albeit very distant. A couple more males yesterday and two females today. Only a matter of days now before they’re all over the island, including in and around the garden.

Passage migrants are still thin on the ground with a few early Chiffchaffs and Goldcrests being the only exceptions.

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Spring passage doesn’t usually get serious until near the end of April and peaks between mid May and mid June so plenty of time yet before we start to get good numbers and the prospects of any scarce/rare species.

Lingering Winter visitors include a few pairs of juvenile Whooper Swans

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Among the many waders that are starting to sing and display are Golden Plovers, getting close to full breeding plumage now.

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Good numbers of Ringed Plovers have also arrived and will soon take to the hills to breed.

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So, a bird as small as the Goldcrest, where do they migrate from/to? What distance of travel over sea or ocean?

Probably en route to Scandinavian pine forests, maybe 200 miles across the North Sea.