Anatomy of a patch watcher

To be a successful patch worker you need...

Optimism - "That flock of Linnets could attract a Common Rosefinch"

Blind faith - "That flock of Linnets will, one day, attract a Common Rosefinch"

Determination - "If I check that flock of Linnets three times a day I will find a Common Rosefinch"

Imagination - "That sparrow-like bird with the Linnet flock could have been a Common Rosefinch"

Appreciation - "My goodness, doesn't that flock of Linnets (without a Common Rosefinch with them) look grand"

But it can all go wrong...

Envy - "That bastard down the road has had a Common Rosefinch in his Linnet flock and he only checks them twice a day"

Anger - "Why the bloody hell as every other Linnet flock within twenty miles got something in with them apart from my flock?"

Despair - "My life will never be complete until I find a Common Rosefinch in my Linnet flock. I'm a feeble, sad, lonely man and a crap birder to boot"

Defeat - "Sod this for a game of soldiers, I'm off to Dungeness. I hate Linnets"

Comments

Graham James said…
The first section of your post reminds me of someone we both know very well Steve!
16 September 2010 at 17:30
Simon Taylor said…
Reminds me of myself. I'll get Common Rosefinch on my patch one day.......
16 September 2010 at 21:50
DorsetDipper said…
I think the bottom line is you have to enjoy just being out at your local patch, and watching whatever birds are around. Anything unusual is a bonus.
16 September 2010 at 22:22
John Young said…
What about just blatent stringing. Jesus! it's a flock of Common Rosefinches with that Linnet. Then going home happy.
17 September 2010 at 20:07
Steve Gale said…
Graham: I don't know who you mean...:-)

Simon: Surely a birder from Kernow can do better than a Rosefinch. A yankee warbler at least!

DDipper: You are, as always, the voice of reason

John: I'd forgotten about stringing. maybe it is too painful an admission for me.
17 September 2010 at 20:17
seppy said…
No, stringy is what you label the fella who comes poaching onto your patch when your not looking, and claims a rosefinch in your flock of linnets that you've been watching all autumn!!

You've captured the many facets of patch birding very well!

And the password for leaving a comment was speaw, which is what you'd probably do when you finally hear about the rosefinch!
18 September 2010 at 21:25
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Goldfinches and Lavender

Image
We have three medium-sized Lavender bushes in our back garden. Throughout the summer the flowers (which last for several months) are a magnet for insects and give off a most restful aroma. As tempting as it is to cut the dead stems in the autumn, we always leave them, as we know that during the late winter we will get visitors to feed on the seed heads... This video was taken from the kitchen window this morning. We will normally see one or two birds over a few days, but have had up to 14 at once. We never tire of watching them. Lavender is a wonderful plant to have in the garden, with year round natural history benefits. So what are you waiting for? They are readily available at a garden centre close to you right now! There is an historic association with Lavender in this part of northern Surrey and south London. Lavender fields have been harvested for many years, with one particular field close to Woodmansterne being very popular with day trippers. A significant proportion o
Read more

To tell it like it is, or not...

Image
I am grateful to Gavin Haig (Not Quite Scilly) who drew my attention to an opinion piece, penned by Matt Phelps, which appeared in the November issue of 'Birdwatch' magazine, entitled 'Positive Approach', which I have now read. In it, he suggests that there is too much negativity being posted on social media regarding the state of our birding world, which is then acting as a deterrent towards a younger generation in adopting conservation and wildlife study. He also suggests that a lot of this negativity is being generated by older birders, and that these old timers keep banging on about the 'good old days' which isn't helpful in encouraging the youth to pick up a pair of binoculars and get out into the field. Does he have a point? Now, I am undeniably an older birder, and I am also guilty of having posted, blogged, written and spoken about the slump in bird and invertebrate numbers. I also like nothing better than to revisit my notebooks and share in the hi
Read more

Time to reflect

I normally come up with the title for a post after I have written it. If I'm feeling creative it will be some sort of play on words, or if I'm not then an all-encompassing word or two will do. As for this particular post, and with a few things to discuss, I've written the title first, inspired by having just read a feature about musicians who have used the title of an album as the starting point for their creative exercise. Here goes... Firstly, blogs - yes, this very medium that I am writing in and you are reading from. - what content they derive, the reason that the content exists and what the writer should (or should not) expect from any reader that visits the blog. This was brought into sharp focus by a series of posts to be found here, at Jono Lethbridge's excellent 'Wansted Birder'.   His blogging output has recently included detailed and entertaining reports on his recent overseas trips which have received a bit of flak from certain quarters. None of us b
Read more