Spooks
Black-headed Gull
My alarm went off at 5.50am this morning. I peered through the blinds to be greeted by a dark and grimy looking day. Despite all my hopeful thinking last night you know, about finding a totally unusual Larid pacing around the football pitches at The Scrubs, I thought ‘what the hell’ and jumped back into bed. ‘I’ll find that weird gull tomorrow’ I thought as I closed my eyes whilst snuggling up in my lovely warm bed.
Literally ten minutes later my little electric heater that I have had to employ recently to fend off the nippy evenings, suddenly switched itself on. I woke up with a start. You see, last night I switched the thing off but left it plugged in. So how did it turn itself on again? It was a spooky moment, but I saw it as a sign that I needed to get dressed, don my bins and head down to the patch. And so I did.
Unfortunately, I didn’t find a Siberian Thrush (although one did show up at in Norfolk today). No, instead I had to make do with 4 Greylags flying over (rare here), 3 Stonechats, 350 Carrion Crows, c400 Black-headed Gulls and at least 57 Redwings.
So much for the sign!
‘Nippy evenings’ didn’t think they happened anymore in sub tropical London.
The sub-tropics are in my blood – which chills quite quickly!
I’m up in Gateshead on the 17th for a couple of days, do you fancy meeting for a cup of tea (schedule permitting)?
Only just seen this David, sorry, email me at birdneast@btinternet.com the times you are available and I’ll see if I can fit in with you as that would be great. If you have a couple of hours spare late afternoon on 18th we could even try and see some birds!