I have been laid low by illness for quite a long time now and so birding has been very limited when it should have been at it's peak now the holidays are here. However, this doesn't mean I've had no year ticks. In recent sleepless nights I have picked up Tawny Owl calling and spotlighted one two days ago.
Yesterday I got a text from Aaron alerting me to a Wheatear very close to my house. I tried to 'scope it from my window but bushes were in the way. Normally I wouldn't have gone given my condition but I thought it wouldn't say much for the patch if I didn't see a Wheatear til mid April. In truth, our first Wheatear was seen on March the 19th and we've had Swallows and House Martins in for a long time now as well. I went down with my bins and instantly picked up the stonking male Wheatear. They are very nice looking birds and I reckon they'd be more appreciated if they weren't so common.
Also, the total WALBOC yearlist has now hit 100 factoring in others' sightings. This is the earliest date that this has been acheived and interestingly we're not so far therefore behind the big-name Surrey sites like Holmethorpe and Beddington.
WALBOC Patchlist: 93
WALBOC Yearlist: 80
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