Tuesday, 24 December 2019

PAGE TWO 1994

Twitch number 8: Friday 7th January 1994, Serin, King George VI Park.

Craig phoned me the night prior as news had broken about there being a Serin in the park. We made arrangement to meet up and once at the Park soon met up with Giblet and five other birders, eventually getting cracking views of the bird which was hanging around a newly planted piece of scrub.

Twitch number 9: Saturday 15th January 1994, Black-bellied Dipper, Kearnsey Abbey.

The Dipper had been present for a good while (perhaps two weeks or more?) and eventually it drew us in. On arrival we saw the bird immediately, stayed with it for five minutes or so, by which time there were so many birders arriving that we got spooked and left ending up at Sandwich Bay. Quite why we went on a weekend is anyone's guess?

Twitch number 10: Saturday 29th January 1994, Ring-billed Gull, Greatstone.

Craig had already rung me before I'd got out of bed on this day I read. As well as a first winter Ring-billed Gull there were also 2 Glaucous Gulls and an Iceland about on this day. After one hell of a journey made up of a train to Folkestone and then a bus journey to Greatstone, we eventually rolled up at 14.00 Hrs where we found out the bird had been seen but not for some time. To make matters worse there were 1000's of Gulls on the beach too. At some point of the afternoon I'd wandered off along the beach. The weather wasn't helping, it being on and off wet and showery and I was starting to give up hope when I saws Craig waving frantically to me in the distance and lo and behold the Gull had flown into view. I also read that Brian Short gave us a much appreciated lift home which was nice of him, I really wouldn't have been looking forward to another bus ride to Folkestone and another weekend train journey.

Twitch number 11: Monday 31st January 1994, Lesser White Fronted Goose, Elmley.

I went on my own this day, apparently arriving at the entrance track (on my bike) at 06.30 am in pitch darkness. The news was that the bird was hanging around amongst a large flock of White Fronts so once it got light I cycled right along to the main area where I picked a high area (probably on the bank behind the first hide?) and scanned from there, immediately picking up a large flock of Geese made up of 1500 White Fronts, 1 Bean Goose, 1 Pink-footed Goose, 6 Barnacle's and the Lesser White Front. The Geese hung around all day I read. I also found 7 Scaup on the Swale and was excited to see ... wait for it ... a Little Egret! I quite used to enjoy this form of twitching, going to some place out of Thanet and making a day of it, birding from dawn till dusk.

Twitch number 12: Monday 4th April 1994. Short-toed Treecreeper, Dungeness.

An odd sort of day. I went with Dylan to see the Creeper which was showing very well in the bushes round the back of the RSPB reserve. Apparently Dylan then dropped me off at Stodmarsh where I met up with Craig before getting dropped off (by whoever?) at Pegwell as there was a Dartford Warbler on the Country Park. I missed the Dartford, even though the Obs lot had it in view whilst they were on one side of the the bushes and I was on the other side!

Twitch number 13: Friday 6th May 1994, Whiskered Tern, Dungeness.

I read that on this day I rode down to Pegwell where I met Giblet who was just leaving due to news on his pager ... he shouted out of the car window to me "Whiskered Tern at Dunge, Fancy it?" so I ended up locking up my bike, jumping in the car and we were off. Another thirty seconds and I'd have missed him. The Tern was showing really well on the main lake on the RSPB reserve.

Twitch number 14: Wednesday 18th May 1994, Thrush Nightingale, Dungeness.

I properly irritating day out. Giblet rang me to ask me if I fancied going to see a Thrush Nightingale that had been seen (and heard) around the moat area of the Obs at Dungeness in the morning. We arrived at 14.00 where we found out that not only had the bird stopped singing but hadn't been seen for some time. Don Taylor was there playing a tape but it wasn't responding. It all got a bit weird this day as at some point, being bored with the general chit chat going on, I wandered off toward the Heligoland trap where I flushed the Nightingale. I called Dave over and to cut a long story short he didn't believe me. As luck would have it, when I flushed the bird it flew right past the old warden on Elmley (I forget his name) and even when he told Dave that this Nightingale had flown right past him at knee height, Giblet still wouldn't have it. When I flushed the bird it actually flew up onto the netting on the inside of the Heligoland trap, it grabbed hold about twenty feet off my nose before flying off out of the trap, there was no way I was mistaken. Things were never the same between me and him after this to be honest.

Twitch number 15: Saturday 28th May 1994, Melodious Warbler, Margate Cemetery.

Steve Thomlinson had found an Icterene Warbler which in fact turned out to be a Melodious. I was at Pegwell in the morning when I found out so I went up there in the afternoon by which time it was scrawling with birders, many of whom had seen the bird though no-one could make up their mind whether or not it was a Melodious or an Icterene! It had been singing in the morning too. Anyway, good views were to be had though to be honest I couldn't make my mind up and it think it took about two days before it was firmly announced as a definite Melodious!

Twitch number 16: 17th June 1994, Great Reed Warbler, Elmley.

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PAGE TWO 1994 Twitch number 8 : Friday 7th January 1994, Serin, King George VI Park. Craig phoned me the night prior as news had broken ...