Azores day one

After the crew mopped up on Shetland earlier in the month (with seven selfies, 28 likes and a retweet from none other than Captain Wank) we decided to hit the Azores to hoover up all of the Yank vagrants. But before we did there was the small matter of the Cornish Catbird, so the crew got back together at Big Dick's House - that's me, Pipit Shagger and our new member Spunkwit. What a birding possee!! After a fraught drive through the night we were relieved that the bird was still there, pointed out to us by a passing cyclist who reassured us that it didn't have a tail - we must have been looking at the wrong field guide... anyway, we all uploaded a load of images via Spunkwit's big lens - I'm sure that there haven't been many pictures taken of this particular bird. Our's were shite to be honest, but you could easily make out the tell tale whiskers.

Anyhow, back to the Azores. It took us three days to get to Corvo where we were met by one of the top Western Palearctic listers Phlegm Goran Erikssen. Together with a load of middle-aged men we climbed a heavily wooded mountain to get untickable views of several American rares, none of which we had heard of or were able to identify. Never to mind, we just went along to the evening log and then wrote down anything that was called out - after all, we must have seen them. So today my WP list is now on an awesome 256, with today's additions including Greater Trumpstart and a Weeryoe. Our combined tweeting got us 23 likes, 4 retweets and a comment from none other than Corvo pioneer Peter Alfafa. This is top tweetage! Spunkwit also managed to self-find a Portugeuse custard tart! Legend!!

What will tomorrow bring? Whatever it will be our crew won't know until one of the kind European birders points it out to us. Maybe we ought to remain in the EU after all... But we will be at the ready, Big Dick with his phone to take selfies, Pipit Shagger to get too close to the rares, Spunkwit with his big lens and me to tweet incessantly about the first thing that comes into my head. TOP BIRDING!!

Comments

Gibster said…
Pretty crass blogging there, Steve. Not your style at all.
22 October 2018 at 00:04
Paul Trodd said…
Hilarious post Steve, fully understand where you`re coming from - if I see another self congratulatory pic of that Catbird online I`ll scream!! Bring on the next instalment of `Azores`!
22 October 2018 at 07:49
Steve Gale said…
I'm sorry you feel that way Seth
22 October 2018 at 08:21
Steve Gale said…
Thanks Paul. A crass or satirical take on events? Maybe a bit of both...
22 October 2018 at 08:22
Derek Faulkner said…
Sorry Steve, I agree with Gibster, I didn't derive any hilarity from it.
22 October 2018 at 16:27
Ken Purdey said…
Have to say Steve, I totally got your post! An amusing parody of the way social media and it's terminology have changed the face of what is now immediate bird news and information.
22 October 2018 at 20:02
Steve Gale said…
Thank you Ken. That is appreciated.
22 October 2018 at 20:23
John said…
Love it Steve, when I read it I was not convinced it was a parody. It is so close to the sad truth that is social media today.
23 October 2018 at 19:14
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