15 Hours In a Tin Can - God There's Got to be Another Way!

2.30am, The Birding Clams started to get together in order for the long, long drive to Fife to begin. Saturday 20th October. M6 and onward, arriving at Kilminning at around 10.00am.

Immediately the target bird was seen! Eastern olivaceous warbler, a new bird for three clams easily seen and close too. Even when out of view it was easy to follow as it constantly, gently gave a soft, lesser whitethroat like call.

So grilled and utb to the satisfaction of all it was off to another great rare warbler; this time a radde's. Not too far to go either with the bird being hidden within some very nearby rose bushes about 100 yards away.

Now this one played hard to get for an hour or so but did eventually allow us to glimpse the diagnostic features. What a super bird!

Waiting for the Raddes to show

                                                        View over to the Isle of May



Off to Leven for fish and chips but sorry to say that the standard of the food fell well below our expected fare. Then over the Firth of Forth road bridge to get onto the road for Lancashire and a small garden being used to watch a Pallas' warbler. Obviously the garden of  birder with a mist net installed diagonally across the lawn, it gave views over to a garden two doors down where thick conifer bushes and a sykamore concealed the avian prize. Still the hat trick of rare warbler ticks was not to be denied and the bird flashed its rump, tossed its stripey head and flicked its wing barred wings. Three new birds - lifers for Chatty and Malteser Man. Another successful birding day but maybe one where the amount of time spent in the car was a little too much! [What am I saying? I slept most of the way there and back - Captain]

Clam on!!!