That was a good day!

After the slight disappointment of yesterday's elusive Phyllosc (bright coloured thing I glimpsed) today certainly made up for it. Mostly the same stuff at home to start with as yesterday (Brambling, 5; Redwing, quite a lot; Blackbirds, 15+ etc) coming through, excluding the Phyllosc but including a brief view of a Woodcock.

The rest of the birding world is pretty excited about a relative of this...

Off to Birsay where there were plenty of birds coming in, loads of Redwings, quite a few Fiedfare and a scattering of Blackbirds, Song Thrushes, Meadow Pipits and Brambling. A Brambling was on the road in front of me so I went photograph it, not being a common bird at Palace, with it was a Meadow Pipit and then another I presumed, until I looked at it with the bins, ah, I know that head pattern! The Olive-backed Pipit hopped up on to the fence wire and I blasted away with the camera.

Wonderful Brambling pic

OBP

The bird then flew off some way to some houses. It was very hard to see there but I got a few views. I was waiting to see if anyone would respond to the texts. Just after Alan arrived the bird was flushed by a car going up the driveway. It then led us a merry dance with not very good views before reappearing back in the original spot and showing off well.

Driving home up the track to the house a bird flew across the front of the car amongst a flurry of Redwing. Various words were said before I stopped and got on to the bird in flight, whoa Mistle Thrush! It landed and a scan with the scope found there were two. First record for me in the county, nice.

 Not a Mistle Thrush - the left behind juv Whooper otherwise known as Ellen's goose.