Well, it's been a pretty quiet year really, especially as this year I've been spending easily 90% of my birding time on Patch (as I'm trying to set a VP Year List record!!). But a phone call from my birding bud, The Big V, on Friday afternoon was to be the catalyst for quite an awesome day's birding.

Friday 22nd September: Somewhere in Bayston Hill, sometime in the pm.... My mobile rings! I see 'Big V' lit up on the screen... "Hey mate, fancy going for this Wryneck at Motorcycle Museum near Solihul?"... "F***in' yeah mate, lifer for me, I'll ring work now and book it off!!".

Saturday 23rd Septenber: 05:00am, my bedroom.... Up and dressed, quick visit to lav, all parafanalia chucked into the car and off to meet the TSB hardcore!!

By 05:30am we were all in Big V's car and tootling off to Solihul. We arrived in good time and were the first to arrive. Initial first look round revealed nothing, although now several birders were gathered. Then, around 07:30ish, one guy was frantically waving us across!!...

And there hoping in the sheltered undergrowth was the Wryneck!! We got great close views, especially as the bird moved across to a much more open area. But with more & more people arriving it soon got fed up and vanished!! More than chuffed, we departed at 08:00hrs for home!!

Later that morning..... Another text from Big V & one that would drain the blood from my body... 'ISABELLINE WHEATEAR - Carmel Head, Anglesey!!'

WHAT??!!! That was it, a rushed and frantic shopping trip with the wife and daughter, and I was back home planning what to do!!

No-one from the TSB could go.... Okay then, solo twitch it is. Then my mate Andy rang me back saying if I hung on an hour he was in... Excellent.

Rob also got in touch, he would also come.

After initially leaving Rob behind and having to meet near Oswestry, slightly later than planned (15:00hrs!!), we were en route. Road works on the A55 caused a slight detour, and a few wrong turns, ment we arrived at Carmel Head around 17:30hrs. I slogged to the gathered birders and one guy (1st one I asked!!), pointed to the indented 'V' on the nearby stone wall and.... there it was, an excellent ISABELLINE WHEATEAR!!!

We stayed for an hour watching this smashing little bird, which for nearly the whole time, never failed to show brilliantly, even giving us glimpses of it's tail band and jet black alula!!

I eventually arrived home at 21:00hrs, tired, but over the moon with 2 lifers under my belt in just one day. Brilliant.

So, let me set the scene, as it were, it's 5:20am and I have a little over an hour of my current night shift to work! Having only had 3 hours sleep yesterday, fatigue is kicking in big time now and, where a normal, sensible person, would be thinking only of handing over to his relief before racing off home to bed, I'm currently more than aware that I've, very soon, got to drive round a couple of site's in Shropshire looking for a rather plain little brown wader on what is a pretty chilly morning, I can tell you.

Let me explain further, I arrived at work last night to recieve a call from my good mate Andy, who was informing me of a Pectoral Sandpiper which was found the day before on Mire Lake (an area owned by British Sugar, therefore strictly permit only.... w*****s!!). But he had managed to arrange viewing for this morning for a few hours. Brilliant, only it's a clear night and apparently the current choice of site isn't brilliant habitat. So, Andy then asks me.... Firstly - "Can you stick the news out"... Which I do, clearly stating where to park and to NOT try and enter the usual Beet Factory way (which I bet some d***head tries to do!!).

Secondly - "I bet it pushes off from here, not a good site really, can you check out VP in the morning?".... To which I reply Yes! (I'll be running on sheer adreneline by then!)

Should the bird have relocated there, all well and good, I'll 'tick' it and then f*** off to bed and leave everyone else to search for it (selfish I know, but hey! How much sleep you had in the last 36 hours, eh?).

However, and running on VP's recent (well, pretty much all year), run of dire luck (no wader's much at all), it'll either stay at the lake (which means I'll have to drive up there & freeze my nads off for a further hour), or it'll have gone altogether and I shant be able to sleep because I'll be worried to death of it being relocated later in the day at another site (or worse still VP!!), and I'll have been well truly gripped off!!!

So, what will happen in the next few hours?... Will the Pec be 'on show' at Mire Lake? Will yours truly relocate it at VP? Will anyone actually give a s*** what I do? For answers to these questions and mroe you'll have to tune in later.... (or whenever I can be arsed to do my next write up!!)....

TO BE CONTINUED......

(P.S. - Just so you know, I've seen 2 Pec Sands in previous years in Shropshire, incl. a bird at VP.... Just dont like missing on the 'good ones' which turn up.... We dont get many decent birds.... *sob!!*.... )

This year twitching has taken a back seat for me, although it has really grained on me the fact that I haven't been for the Scops Owl, Semipalmated Sandpiper or the Lesser Grey Shrike... all much needed lifers! But shock horror, to see on the 11th July @ aprox 17:30hrs news of a Stilt Sandpiper at Conwy RSPB my mouth began to water!!

No way was I missing out on this one. Unable to go that evening due to being at work, I began making plans for the following day.

With my wife working it meant I had my daughter with me, but being as I should've also been working that afternoon, my Mum was coming to have Erin anyway.... so, no problem there. This gave me time to check to see if the bird was still there... it was!! So, I got my Mum to come slightly earlier than usual and phoned work to say I wouldn't be in on time.

I set off at 11:00am, and had a wholly uneventful journey, although the A55 was congested to hell in places, and I arrived at Conwy RSPB at 12:30pm.

It was almost too easy... I walked into the visitor centre set my scope up pretty much centrally and looked through it, the first bird in my scope.... STILT SANDPIPER!!!

How easy was that? I remained for half an hour or so, letting a few new arrivals peer through my scope at this great little wader, before deciding to head for home.

The journey back was much quicker, so I headed for VP, where I picked up a patch year tick in the shape of a Kingfisher!! Taking my patch year list to 118 species!!

The Stilt Sandpiper was my 14th lifer this year and my 208th bird for the year. I didn't bother going to work at all, instead I headed for the local and celebrated a good days birding with several pints of Guinness!! Excellent stuff!!

Having simply not bothered to go last year, this year I wasn't making the same, complette lack of effort!! So on Monday night (3rd July), I met my buddy Damon at my Dad's house at 20:30hrs, and we all piled into Damo's car and we were off to Cannock.

We arrived, after intially missing the damn car park, and treked off down to the Chase. We didn't have to wait long before we heard a distant churring. We moved closer to where the noise seemed to be eminating from, at one point a Woodcock almost flew into us!! This bird flew round us a few times, giving off it's own unque call of 'croak, croak - squeak!!' Brilliant bird, but bac to our main quarry. We'd pretty much levelled up adjacent to the churring, but it was coming from the far side of the opposite wooded area!! What to do? Retrace our steps and move along the second track, where a branch off path lead up into this wood or search for a closer pathway?...If there was one?

I decided to head a little way further, to see if I coud find a way down, narrowly avoiding having my head removed by the biggest damned bat I've ever seen in my life!! Then a bird flew out of the opposite woodland, against the skyline it was silouetted perfectly, with long, narrow wings with roundish ends and a sleek body!!....

"Nightjar!!! Flying left".... I yelled. My Dad reached me just in time to see the bird fly behind a tree... Damo wasn't as lucky as the bird had now reached the rising valley to our left and now was out of sight. And just to rub salt in Damo's wound it instantly began churring from the vacinity of a small copse of trees!!

We remianed for over an hour, in which time it never stopped churring nor did it move far from the top of the valley, but we failed to see it (well, I saw it again briefly fly out of a tree!!)

So, we decided to leave, even though Damo failed to see it and my Dad had only a brief view, we still agreed that it was a great evening birding with a great sound show accompanied by a very showy Woodcock and kamikaze bats!!!

If you've never been you must go....Just dont leave your interior light on in your car when your sat in it!! ;-)

And so it was that the morning of June 23rd dawned and I was awoken at 01:30am by my alarm clock going off. The decision to watch the Brazil game the previous night was now seriously taking it's toll!! But none the less, I had picked up my fellow TSB members, Mike, Damon & Andy, and was heading off down the M54 by 02:30am.

We arrived at Lakenheath by 05:15am and instantly were getting the usual suspectes of Reed & Sedge Warbler, Cuckoo (6 together at one point!), a Hobby perched in a tree, loads of Whitethroat, Common Tern and a distant Turtle Dove, but so far no sight or sound of a Golden Oriole. As we moved to the rear of the 1st plantation we were rewarded with 2 Marsh Harrier's and 2 Kingfishers. With still no sight or sound of our quarry we moved all the way around to the other side of the plantation, where another birder informed us of a female he'd seen in the second plantation!! So, off we went. We eventually located the 'spot' and began in earnest scanning.....nothing!! All we got was a Green Woodpecker....maybe what the other guy saw? I dont know, but after being at Lakenheath for 3 hours and not a sight or sound of Orioles, we decided to leave!! Not the best start.

Next stop was Weeting Heath, where as soon as we got out of the car we were rewarded with a Woodlark flying above the car park singing away merrily. We all paid our £2.50 entry fee and made our way to the West Hide. As soon as the first flap was raised we were all instantly on a Stone Curlew!! After a scan we picked up the second bird and then her chick!! Another Woodlark was seen feeding in the field but little else of note. But an excellent bird and stunning views - bird of the trip for me! A Spotted Flycatcher was picked up in the car park and the Woodlark was still merrily singing away. Anyway, time to go....

Much closer views of Turtle Dove were gained en route to....

Great Ryborough watchpoint was excellent as we instantly got Marsh Harrier, Hobby & Common Buzzard, and after about 10 minutes wait we were to get on a Honey Buzzard which gave great views on & off for over 30 minutes!! Our day was improving brilliantly!!

Walsey Hill was our next quick stop off where we got 2 Adders basking in the sun. A Cetti's Warbler song burst out in a nearby bush, but little else and the heat haze made scoping very difficult.

So Cley reserve was next where the 3 Spoonbills were still present, which was a great addition as was the Ruddy Shelduck which had arrived just 2 days earlier. Greenshank, Redshank, absoloutely loads of Avocet, Black-tailed Godwit, Wigeon and other Cley regulars were also added to the day list.

With time moving along we headed off to the Ironbank next for a quick seawatch. We instantly scored with Little Tern and there were higher numbers of Sandwich, Common & Arctic Tern. A solitary Little Gull flew past and also a lone Guillemot was ssen, but otherwise it was pretty quiet.

Titchwell and our final port of call. There was a Lesser Whitethroat calling by the information center, but it remained typically elusive. On the first pool 2 Little Egret were easily picked up and there was a huge flock of Bar-tailed Godwit & Knot. 3 summer plumaged Spotted Redshanks and a summer plumaged Ruff were excellent. Again, large numbers of Avocet & Redshank and 11 Little Gulls relaxing in the sun was a much better view. A seawatch here added Common Scoter, Gannet, Fulmar & Eider. Plus a small group of Sanderling on the shore line. On our return to the car 2 distant & 3 much closer Bearded Tit were also added.

A day tally of 108 species was excellent!! A total round trip of 460 miles was tiring, but well worth it as I added 10 ticks to my year list and also bagged 2 lifers!! Norfolk....what a place!!!

Hmmm, somewhat late in the year to be starting a whole new blog on a whole new subject, but hey, who cares? And does anybody actually read this s**t anyway?

But with my currently running blog (please see my Venus Pool blog), having almost no updates (due to VP being totally naff currently), I was getting a bit bored so decided to do this little one instead!! Okay? Right then, here we go folks - hold on, it's going to be a very rough ride and I expect most of you to fall asleep in sheer boredom!!

I wont be going back too far (because I simply cannot be bothered to trawl through all my notes...yep! I actually keep notes!!), so we'll begin on the 18th April 2006 when I went to a beautiful local spot and a big favourite of mine - Bridges: This site is situated between the Long Mynd and Stiperstones and is a very picturesque narrow, lightly wooded valley with a small stream running at the base. My reason for visiting was simple, this is an excellent spot to relax into a spot of easy birding. As I parked at the small layby by the old stone bridge, I was overjoyed to see an entire family group (at least 4 generations - with dogs in tow!!), enjoying a nice day picnicing and generally making enough noise to scare off every bird within a twenty mile radius, by the lovely quiet stream. Undettered, I crossed the style and did my best yob impersonation (making sure they clocked my wealth of 'hard-man' tattoos), as I walked past so that they wouldn't follow me! My utter disregard for family outtings rewarded me with not one but two brilliant male Pied Flycatchers. My first target bird scored within just a few yards. Excellent, now where are the others? I scanned the top of the steep ridge and was amazed to get straight onto my second target bird, a male Common Redstart!! This was going too well, surely it would end? And it did, right then, apart from two more Redstarts squabbling in a tree above me, I saw nowt else!! Nevermind.

04/05/06 - Ercall Woods: A morning stroll up The Ercall with my daughter in tow (Wrekin's too damn steep!!), was rewarded with three Wood Warbler's all in great voice. Also a very showy Garden Warbler, but little else to quench my birding thirst....and Erin was getting well p***ed off with Daddy... so time to go! Nice spot though, and a cert for Woodie!!

12/05/06 - Bayston Hill: This is where I have chosen to live, in a modest little cottage with my family, it has four pubs (all rough and we dont like strangers, so stay away!!), a very naff Spar, an excellent butchers (chilli sausages are to die for here!!) and of course, a cheap booze offie sandwiched between a chippie and a kebab house. What a lovely rural scene it makes, too. Anyway, we are surrounded on all sides my agricultural land and is generally good for birds! Today, whilst walking my dog in these afore mentioned fields, I was very happy to see two Yellow Wagtails in the 1st field from my house, they bred here last year!! It's possible to walk all the way from my house to Bridges (see above) along The Shropshire Way - totally irrellevant piece of information for you there!

19/05/06 - Bayston Hill: We'd just got back from visiting relatives in Leicestershire, as we got out the car I pointed to a Cuckoo sat in a nearby tree calling away to my wife & daughter (who were both totally uninterested), when a second Cuckoo landed in another tree just 50yds away and began out-calling the first!! Awesome, 2 Cuckoo's outside my front door!!! Who say's Shropshire's s**t for birds? (Well, okay, yeah it generally is!).

26/05/06 - Wood Lane NR: So, I'm at work and Geoff, the county recorder, send me a text saying that there are 4 Avocet at Wood Lane!! What?!!! The last record of Avocet in Shropshire was about 3000BC!! I cannot miss this tick. Okay, get a grip Jase you knob, let's get confirmation, so in the next 30 minutes I run my mobile phone bill up by about £80, but manage to get my mates Rob & Andy winging their way out there. At 12:30pm Andy rings and say's " Yeah mate, they're still here but are being mobbed by Shelducks, get here quick!!".

I'm in Telford, at work, miles away. Sod it, I'm off!! I leave work regardless of being fired and leaving empty mouths at home, and, without bins (they're at home - dick head!!), I race off to Wood Lane (at one point, overtook two police cars at 90mph on the Shrewsbury bypass!!...but they ignored me, thank heaven for shift-change time!!). Anyway, I ended up following my mate Jim to Wood Lane and we arrived together, Jim gave me a loan of his bins as he was going to be photographing the birds anyway. After initially going to the wrong hide, we were soon staring at the 4 Avocets!!! What a county tick! They were constantly getting up, due to being chased off by a family of Shelducks, but did eventually settle again. I left at 14:35 hrs....the Avocets flew off (for good), a few minutes later!! Had I gone home for my bins, I would've missed them!!

18/06/06 - Whixall Moss: How could I possibly top Avocet in Shropshire this year? Well, read on...

A ring-tailed Hen Harrier had been reported on the moss on the 11th June and I can remember at the time thinking what an unusual time for Hen Harrier being there and actually joked about it with my mate Mike as being a possible Monty's!! Oh boy!!.... On Sunday 18th I recieved a text of a possible Pallid Harrier being on Whixall!!! What?!! No way man. But, around 15:00hrs my mate Andy (another Andy from before!), called me saying, with huge excitement in his voice, "Get up Whixall now, this bird aint a f***ing Hen Harrier!!".

Off again like a total lunatic I drove. I arrived at the moss to find Andy, Geoff & Jim already there on the bird....a totally awesome 1st summer female Montagu's Harrier!!! A county 1st, no less! We watched the bird on & off for over 30 minutes, totally gobsmacked. What a bird!! We were soon joined by Alan, Paul & Phil with Rob & Damo en route. Unfortunately Rob & Damo dipped it and Paul and Phil only got brief views, but that didn't stop this being the major highlight within the county since, possibly, the Lesser Scaup last year!!? Maybe even better than that?

Anyway, I really cant be arsed to write any more yet, so for now at least, traaa!