After 17 years living in the N.East, it may seem presumptuous of me to even suppose to include myself among you, though I used to be a "Manchester based" birder before the majority of you were probably born, and I myself was born in Radcliffe after all.
I read with interest your various choices for "GM bird of the year" and got to thinking of what my choice would be for up here. Here's how my thinking went :- In County terms, we had Glaucous-winged Gull (now almost exactly a year ago), but I quickly dismissed that on the basis that with my usual lunatic talant for mistiming I managed to be out of the country for the exact period of its presence on Teesside. More recently, we had the little gem from the far east, Eastern - crowned Warbler; it had to be that then you might suppose? Not so! Even though it was for me a "World Lifer" I really felt relief at seeing it, rather than "rush of blood" elation. No, - the best candidates for my bird of the year were all far commoner and turned up on my local (Wolsingham) home patch. A Green Sandpiper appeared at Tunstall Reservoir on 28th Oct and is still here. For me this was a local patch tick after 17 years of birding here, so I was pleased beyond measure to find it. On 8th Dec Greg Jack turned up a first winter Black-throated Diver on the same reservoir, which I then monitored almost daily until 16th Dec at least. It departed ahead of hard weather and snow just after this but before Christmas. What was special about this was that it was the first ever Weardale record, and the first on an inland Co. Durham water since 1986. I just wish I had been the finder.
My prize though goes to the next bird. 10th Dec. mid morning saw me pottering about in my stocking feet in the kitchen, every now and then checking on the garden feeders which I had set up only a few days previously. I normally start a fun list to see what comes in each winter and it makes for some interesting comparisons year on year. I was pleased to see and hear a Marsh Tit (one of our regulars here, though I know this would be greatly prized in your neck of the woods), but little else of note. I saw that in the adjacent farmer's field there were Fieldfares on the deck and commuting back and forth up into the crown of a big Ash tree. I stepped outside and set up the 'scope to check through the thrushes in the crown of the tree, after all, you never know.... Fieldfare, Fieldfare, Fieldfare, Redwing, Fieldfare, Starling, Hawfinch.... WHAT!! Sure enough there it was, a whacking great honker and sporting a big black chin, looking right at me with those pale hypnotic eyes. I swore; my heart was pounding; what a buzz! The first ever from my garden, and first on the local patch since a real purple spell in the winter of 2004/5. After 15 secs or so it was gone, as all the thrushes swooped down onto the fields again, but this time further off. The following day saw me with 'scope set up in the kitchen, bins in hand checking all the tree tops almost minute by minute for the possible return of the culprit. I saw every species and some more from the previous day, but for several hours nothing of the main target. I had an appointment at the barbers for 11:45 and at 11:36 was getting ready for off, when I made a last check on the big Ash tree directly below our garden (it slopes down, so even the top of a big tree is barely above our eye level), I noted a single Starling, and another bird which looked an odd size... It was. Barbara! Hawfinch quick! get to the 'scope! "It's too high!" Bloody Hell! It's going to be off" I barked, as I fumbled trying to spread the tripod legs in a relatively confined space, between the glass patio doors and the heavy wooden legs of our kitchen table. I re- set it, panting and grumpy as I checked it was in focus at x 60 and still showing. " There ! Get your eye to that!" She moved in like the panther she is, but kicked the tripod leg. "B....cks!" I yelled. "Calm down" she said, ever so annoyingly evenly, which made me even worse. I shot to the 'scope like a raging bull now, but with one tripod leg wedged firmly against the table leg, I tripped over it and went flying head first towards the glass doors, saving myself with splayed arms but taking the skin off the upper length of my left foot which now began to feel as if it was on fire. Limping and mentally beaten, I managed to set the 'scope to rights and at long last Barb got her eye to the 'scope. "Have you got it?" "Yes." "In focus?" "Yes." "Isn't it great!" "Yes." "Do you realise these are the best Hawfich views you've ever had? -And from inside the kitchen as well!?" "Yes, erh..- super." (I really think she'd rather have been shopping somewhere). In summary, yes, I was in a panic. I so wanted to share this bird with her, and she did appreciate it in her own way. But our performance (up there with the best of Laurel and Hardy)and the ensuing relief we felt that it showed brilliantly for several minutes (possibly deriving amusement at our antics), did much to make our Hawfinch my local patch bird of the year.
Happy New Year to all of you, and I hope to get down in 3 weeks time, having been prevented from coming down after your Green-winged Teal by threat of nasty weather today.
Good Birding and Best Wishes for 2010. Mike Passant
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Challenges are inevitable, but failure is optional.
