Thursday 13 March 2008

Shropshire - Back to base

Adventure over - it's back to the delights of Shropshire (not?) and some sleep after a 24 hour + coach/ferry/coach/wait/flight/taxi/train/car journey home..... Reality check too with work tomorrow...

Over the next week or two I will try and catch up with, edit/delete some of the many hundreds of pictures taken and bring you the best of them! Keep checking back to early March as I fill gaps, if you find them of interest (there will be the odd bird or two also found in Shropshire!)

It might have been the worst possible time to go birding on the West coast (but I was there anyway, birds were a bonus) - hardly any migrants yet but I did see my first Barn Swallow of the year plus some Violet-Green jobs and overall it was an amazing trip!!! In all (subject to a recount) I saw 104 different species - not at all bad for the time of year considering the limited time / opportunities to go further afield.

Birds already featured or still to come:

Most fascinating/amazing/irresistable: Anna's Hummingbird.

Best 'hairdo': Mrs Hooded Merganser.

The perfect couple: Wood Ducks

Most incredible plumage: Northern Flicker.

Best action: American Dipper.

Glad I got this: Western Meadowlark.

Most frustrating: not getting a pic of Varied Thrush

Best birding moment: Witnessing a Pileated Woodpecker part demolish a log just 10m in front of me - awesome power!

The Gull I got sick and tired of, would probably never want to see again or twitch even though I haven't seen one in the UK: Glaucous winged.

And not to be seen!

Bogey Birds : Belted Kingfisher and Steller's Jay.