5 Years Later

It was 5 years ago on Saturday that this blog started - not a bad run really. I had tried and failed to start blogging before I started 'the idiocy' but I have had a ball composing my posts and sharing my birding. Ultimately the site will always be a diary for me. It gives time and place to my birding history and I find it easier to put this part of my life into a context. Over the course of the blog I have gone from an enthusiastic newbie to a cynical, grizzled jobbing birder. Ha - if only! I'm still like a puppy when it comes to birding - loads of enthusiasm and I hope that comes out in my slightly leaden prose.

Antillean Crested Hummingbird - the first blog header

 I had a ball documenting January throughout the Foot it and Patch Challenge visits and it seems my readership swelled quite markedly - I would like to thank you all for visiting. At this point I must apologise as I havent posted for 10 days and it seems unlikely I will post for another week at least as I head to sea today after working all last week. This week is a 6 day odyssey around the North Sea which hopefully will give me a few decent birds.

This Barbados Anole Anolis extremus used to watch from the corner.

I actually managed some decent stuff on a brief survey on Saturday with a winter Manx Shearwater my first in that season. I'd have been off Brazil - it was baltic! A Black-throated Diver was amongst 40 or so of its Red-throated Diver brethren. A couple of drake Long-tailed Ducks were smart if a little confusing in flight as I desperately tried to turn them into winter plumage auks before conceding defeat. It seems I missed a Little Auk but I will live. A corking start to the survey year. Long may it continue.

When I get back from my voyage I am home only a couple of days before I head away mammal watching to Spain to hopefully catch up with some Wolves and maybe some bustards. That will be some post!