Wigan Flashes Local Nature Reserve SD5803.
After a week off from birding. It's once more back in to the saddle. Tons of stuff on the East coast - again, but you gotta get there before dawn. Alarm set for 3:30am. At that time, there is a Hoolie of a gale blowing outside. I couldn't motivate myself to leave the warmness of the bed. Thinking I will get them sea birds another day. ("Regrets..I have a few...but then again..") back to pushing zedz up.It's 10am when I emerge from the pit. Remembering that I had once told myself that, "I will catch that bird another day...", well there is a bird not to far away in Wigan. "You get them from your back garden". 35 mins in the car, and I am in another wooded area, with half a dozen birders - "should have been here 10 minutes ago greetings - as usual"
About an hour later, Two stunning Firecrest's are putting on a great show for us all. I must quote from a yorkshireman I once met many years ago, describing the close views he got of a Nightjar that day, "they where that close..they could 'ave crapped on our heads", and that's how close we got to them. Two of Britains smallest birds, Flitting above only a couple feet above our heads. Fantastic.
Total 178
7 weekends left - nailbiting times.
