I dipped 5 times in a week earlier this year on the Buff Breasted Sandpiper at Frodsham marshes. God that was painful!!

Only 3 attempts for Quail so far this year on Astley Rd - heard them once, no visible sign yet.

-- Edited by Tony Coatsworth on Wednesday 10th of August 2011 07:44:37 PM

Hi Mike P,

you make a good point, lucky number 1 is more applicable, more like unlucky number 8,
Matt and Riggers picked them up first visit within 2 mins, now thats more like being lucky,

Ah well all part of the joys of birding,

Ill probably be falling over Crossbills now, my friend had the same expereinces this year with Green woodpeckers, just kept missing them while i just kept finding them, though it was good fun keep texting saying

guess what? ive just seen another green woodie

Hi Dennis,

I did note that you'd caught up with your Crossbills; so in turn well done to you too.

I don't normally associate "good luck" though with something involving 8 tries at seeing it; - I'd generally prefer a lucky "1" to a lucky "8" any day, but I know what you mean.

Digressing slightly, I saw a good photo of the gull yesterday and it has noticeably lost more of its black hood in just a further day and a half.
( As regards my comments below, I was mistaken in my impression of its state of moult; it already is well into active wing moult and has replaced about 3 of its inner primaries and is growing/ replacing the middle ones now).

Cheers,
Mike

Lucky number 8 for us both. Well done Mike. I also manged to connect with county crossbills at binn green a few weeks back. I think your gull is in another league to my dips but as we all know a dip is a dip. Sometimes you can just keep missing. Roll on my next big dips

I started this thread in mid September last year as a result of the Whitburn (intermittent) adult Bonaparte's Gull teasing me repeatedly by pushing up my petrol costs at every opportunity (i.e. scarpering every time I set off on the 77 mile round trip trying to see it). I ended up dipping on it about 7 times until mercifully, it cleared off.
This particular individual has reappeared annually along the NE coast for 3/4 years now and is obviously permanently displaced.
The aforementioned culprit appeared again last night, so I drove over to Whitburn this morning into increasingly heavy rain.
This time all was forgiven, (as it was just offshore loafing with a few Black-headed Gulls) and it was finally admitted to my Co. Durham list.

Only my 3rd in Britain, and despite the heavy rain, probably my best comparative views of one so close alongside Black-headeds.
Presently it has a near full black hood apart from a whitening at the lores and bill base. It will shortly commence its primary moult and I felt that in flight, although its primaries are all present just now, the inners seemed possibly a little loose, as if it's ready to drop them soon.

- Probably too unpredictable a bird to come up for specially and probably not one which too many Manchester birders will "need," but well worth looking out for if anyone is coming up anyway, (or for other target birds this autumn); -I expect it will be around now for 7 weeks or so at least if it follows the usual pattern.

Cheers,
Mike P.

are you trying to make me feel bad? well its working

maybe lucky number 7

Dennis atherton wrote:

---

The next visit for Crossbills at Binn green will be my 7th, 7th and still trying, 6 dips in a row so far, who knows when i will get a hit? i will have to update as still diping every visit

---

Me and Riggers saw them within 2 mins of arriving at Binn Green!! And that was my first attempt to go and specifically see Crossbills!!

The next visit for Crossbills at Binn green will be my 7th, 7th and still trying, 6 dips in a row so far, who knows when i will get a hit? i will have to update as still diping every visit

John Rayner wrote:

---

I make that 9 dips in 7 days - beat that!

Cheers, John

---

Thanks for starting this thread Mike. It explains quite a lot. There is an additional space in my car for the next big twitch. Rayner- you are dumped!

Just a word here concerning Tony's effort with the Chorlton Firecrest.

Tony, yours was a really good effort and placed highly but I was a bit concerned regarding terminology as you say "about 12" meaning it could be anything from say 10 to 14, and we're talking about records here. Also you do admit it was local, so the petrol pain would be minimal; and with respect it was not a major rarity though I do admit Firecrest is normally a stunner (except when in tatters from the hassle of feeding a demanding brood). To miss the only British Red-breasted Nuthatch 7 times is pretty special; so Andy won on quality of dips as well as just numbers. (I though I owed you the courtesy of an explanation in case you thought I'd not valued your effort).

Cheers,
Mike

Hi again guys,

Mr. Rayner's effort there was pretty good but doesn't quite hit the mark as his nine dips in 7 days, although a creditable effort, involved 6 different species (not counting the Needle- tailed Swift as he didn't make any attempt on that one, although in the context of that run of bad luck he probably would have dipped on that as well had he gone for it: - so a missed opportunity there). I'm essentially fishing for the most dips on the same individual bird here.

I think the prize goes to Andy Bissett for two reasons:

1. 4 trips to clinch the River Warbler involving 3 initial dips was praiseworthy, but 7 dips on Red-breasted Nuthatch when one is already IN NORFOLK takes the biscuit, =full marks!!

Thanks to all for cheering me up; if the Bonaparte's Gull turns up again I might even go for dip no 6...??

I should not be too fullsome in my praise for Andy as holder of the record as it may yet be premature. I think possibly this same gull may have been wandering around the N E. since 2007 as an adult was seen and photographed in 2007 and seen by a reliable sole observer in 2008 (though not accepted by BBRC). In other words I could spend many weeks of added petrol money yet and it only needs 3 more dips to take Andy's record.. ..

Here's one that still hurts from 1985, pre-pager and mobile phones of course.

First family holiday in Norfolk and a cottage booked in Cley (Shearwater Cottage opposite Nancy's if anyone remembers it). On the way down I dipped Honey Buzzard at Clumber but that didn't seem to count at the time as I was full of excitement with a whole week to look forward to. We had barely got established in the digs and I couldn't wait to get out to the reserve to show my two lads Avocets etc. An hour later, on our return, I found out from my wife that there had been much commotion just outside as "an Alpine Swift or something" had been flying over the cottage.

Next day I visited Wells to dip a Serin that had been there for a week and later same day also missed a female Red-footed Falcon at Overstrand. Two days later, after a pre-breakfast hunt, I failed to find a Subalpine Warbler at Wells and also missed the Serin again, which had put in another appearance the day before. Never mind there was another Red-footed Falcon at North Tuddenham, a male this time, but not whilst I was there. I also managed to miss a Savi's Warbler at Hickling in a 3-dip-day. I'm not sure which day the low point was but I well remember that sinking feeling when news broke of a Needle-tailed Swift at Fairburn Ings, which was far out of reach. I dipped Honey Buzzard on the way home as well. I make that 9 dips in 7 days - beat that!

Cheers, John

OMG Mr P, I've previously been delighted to bump into you at a "biggy" across the land, mayhap I'll have to revise my previous enthusiasm at the prospect of seeing you in the field, if your luck has turned so fully.

Next time I hear you're en route somewhere I might have to seriously consider my plans.......

Under deep hypnosis, it is all coming back now, and the next big 'dip' I have dragged up from where it has been festering amongst feelings of resentment and suppressed rage. I was on holiday in Norfolk for a week when the r-rrrr-rrr (sorry can hardly bear to say it) red breasted nuthatch was in the county, but despite visiting Holkham pines every one of those seven blasted days, it was always somewhere else with no recent sightings. That will definitely go with me to the grave.

Yes, I reckon that Sora was one of my worst, as we also dipped Booted Eagle and some duck or other as well. Going for the Double-crested Cormorant the first day it didn't show (thanks to someone shooting at them the day before, apparently) wasn't too great either.

Probably the worst, though, was the Leighton Moss Little Bittern. Four of us went up and stayed until it was due to fly in to roost. The shout went up. "Coming in, straight ahead" People looked, then asked for more directions, these were given, then someone said, very loudly "It's coming in from the RIGHT!". I just about caught a shape coming over the top of the reeds, landing right in front of Lillians' and walking into the reeds. It was the almost universal groan as much as anything that confirmed what it was. Then the mob cleared and I saw the person who'd given the original directions sitting with her scope pointing to the right!

Mind you, got the River Warbler & the Bunting first go.

Opps, shouldn't have mentioned that, should I Riggers

Took me four trips from Romiley to Wigan Flashes to see the river warbler in '95. Wasn't going to let that one get away.

Tony. You won't be pleased to know that I saw the Chorlton W.P. firecrest at the first time of asking (ouch!).


Cheers,

Andy B

Something like 12 dips on the Firecrest at Chorlton Water Park in 2001. At least it's local.

It spent nearly all winter in one hedge and I must have scrutinised hundreds of Goldcrests before finally seeing the Firecrest - well worth the effort though !

Mike, sorry to say it, but I think you are in a league of your own there.
The best I can manage is 3 dips for the Short-billed Dowitcher at Seal Sands.
The most frustrating dip was a Ross' Gull at Plymouth harbour. First light to late afternoon with no sign,it was then relocated at in Somerset a couple of days later, another dip,then one turned up at Scarborough the following Sunday. Just a few gallons of fuel and damage to the ozone layer to get that on my list.
Another long distance dip was the Sora at Stover CP in Devon. We ( Messers Chorley and Coupe) went on the only day it didn't show during it's stay due to high water levels after a mega downpour the previous night. Then when we went again, poor old Mr. chorley couldn't go (ouch!).

To start with, I readily acknowledge that this is a mildly depressing subject to raise as we go into the autumn, when we anticipate a degree of excitement and the appearance of "something good." We also generally hold to the view that the harder we work and flog our local patches, the more likely that we shall turn up, or catch up with, a "goody." Well up here, a goody has already been found;- an adult Bonaparte's Gull (a potential Co. Durham tick for me) that commutes between Whitburn and Seaham, (to the north and south of Sunderland, to put you in the geographic picture). This bird has been well photographed standing on the beach (even by non-birders who didn't really know what it was, poss. Little Gull, etc). The photos showed it was in moult, having dropped some of its primaries, probably nos. 6 and 7. So I figured it might not clear off for a couple of weeks; = easy? I must admit to having sustained a total thrashing. This bird has so far won 5- Nil. I have made 5 x 70 mile round trips to the coast and back, putting in full days, checking ( i.e. 'scoping) every Bl. headed gull type within miles, against stiff breezes and bright sunshine, generally when this gull is lurking unseen and unwatched by anyone. The second time I missed it I was dutifully and quite happily working one of my local patches for the precise 2 1/2 hours it was flaunting itself at Whitburn Steel, (- and yes, I didn't have a mobile 'phone with me, so it's nobody's fault but mine!). Since then it has become rather more sneaky, appearing for no more than the 40 plus mins it would take me to get to the coast. When my wife and I did a thorough search through all the gulls at Ryhope (below the crumbling coastal cliffs, and picking our way over slippy wet boulders), the gull was found on the roof of Lidl's supermarket less than a mile away, but totally inaccessible from our spot on the beach. The day after, I covered the clifftops, scanning down to the beaches and all the gulls following the ploughing operations on the top fields, and finally even the supermarket at the equivalent tidal stage. At Lidl's, not only were there no birds of any description, but not even people; (the supermarket here seems stranded in a place that time forgot, and I began to seriously question my sanity). After a lull of 4/5 days the pain began to ease and I enjoyed a Marsh Harrier, a site "first" on my local patch at Salter's Gate which I more or less have all to myself, when news came that the dreaded gull had reappeared for it's 45 mins back at Whitburn. So, full of positive vibs, I put in a full day on Sunday, sandwiches, mobile 'phone, water, etc. and ..... dipped again; - not seen anywhere, by anyone, all day. I did pick a load of blackberries though, in Marsden Quarry, whilst optimistically listening out for the promising "tec, tec" of a Blyth's Reed or whatever; but of course the winds weren't right. In 40 plus years, I've never put in so much effort for any individual bird without seeing it; 5 dips is by far a PB for me. Can anyone beat that, and at least cheer me up and amuse me by coming out and admitting to say, 8 dips? It will help even if it's a lie!! Things can only get better, Cheers, Mike P.