March 08, 2005
First freshwater Diver of 2005
(NB - for those looking for the Little Auk / Gyr Falcon image - click here)
Very brief entry this - first Red-throated Diver on freshwater this year this morning as I drove to catch the ferry. Really threw me for a moment as I was expecting to see Goldeneye, but the reality was a much dingier, but far more thrilling diver.
Forgot to mention the walk around the golfcourse on Sunday - really fine day to be out, and the Great Northern Divers clearly thought so too - 12 birds in total, including one compact flock of 5 close inshore. I was wishing so hard for a White-billed it almost hurt! I haven't seen White-billed since the over-summering bird off Fetlar in 1995, so it's been a while... Actually, that's not entirely true - when I was working on the Vomit Comet catamaran crossing to Calais in the winter of 1996/7 I saw what I'm 99.9% certain was a White-billed flying across our bows - the only problem was that 0.1% uncertainty of "nah, it couldn't have been, surely?..." But at the time I was convinced, and in my heart of hearts I'm still sure. But you'd never get a fleeting view like that accepted by the powers-that-be, so it's relegated to the strange limbo that's neither on-my-list nor one-that-got-away.
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Posted by Stercorarius at March 8, 2005 02:06 PM