Weather Balloons and another tick!

Or should that be another tick thanks to a weather balloon? The balloon went over mid-afternoon trailing a long wire with what i presume was recording equipment, putting up every bird for a mile radius, including two MISTLE THRUSHES that flew NW towards the towans. Species number 93! Not a great deal else of note but there is a large flock of pipits and finches in the distant fields that will be worth a look with the scope tomorrow, too far away for the bins today. A Grey Heron flew west early this afternoon and a distant Peregrine was to the north.

Ive decided Im going to keep a garden Yearlist in 2010 and record everything on this blog. I'll count all species seen from the perimeters of my house and garden. I must total up the species that have actually occured IN my garden i.e. not flyovers.

Bad Guts

......are not good. And having spent two days in bed with sickness, i have managed to look out of the kitchen window on about two occasions! Just long enough yesterday to see a Cormorant fly up from the pond and a Bullfinch, nice male, in the trees in the boat yard. Still feel crap. Wish i could go back to bed!

New Species for the list!

A flock of approximately 150 Herring Gulls and 30+ Black-headed Gulls decended on the field opposite the cottage yesterday and a scan with the scope produced an adult and a first winter Med Gull! That brings the garden tally to 92. Nothing much else to report. The rarest thing in the sky these days is the sun!