A nice way to start

The New Year swept in on a brisk SW gale and accompanying precipitation - not ideal for outdoor pursuits of a natural history leaning! This morning, however, dawned clear and bright. The wind had abated, somewhat and, as my shift pattern is 14.00 - 22.00 hrs, I took advantage of the conditions to embark upon my year-list. A very modest effort - I walked around the corner to Ramsgate Cemetery, a distance of less than a mile. At the start of any new venture, where a Wren is equal to Black-browed Albatross (they both count as one!), I have enough experience to realise that this particular form of lunacy is a marathon, not a sprint. I have no desire to chase the unobtainable my effort, for 2014, is purely to satisfy my own curiosity and to keep a written account (I am now carrying a notebook on all of my wanderings - birding or angling) of what I manage to see/catch.

Looking very Chiffchaff-like. It was very active, flitting about within
the dappled foliage of the Holm Oak.

Even so, with the report of a Yellow-browed Warbler being present in Ramsgate Cemetery, I thought it prudent to give the site a visit. Filthy "twitching" - OK. Guilty as charged! Strange how the only other birder on site was the guy who found it - Phil Bareat. Great to see him again and exchange pleasantries; it's been far too long. Fortunately for me, the bird was still present (and likely to remain for some time given the weather forecast) and performing well in the Holm Oak, just inside the entrance gate. It called frequently, thus removing any doubts as to the id - it is a rather drab looking bird, so Hume's couldn't be ignored as a possibility without hearing the call.

Looking rather drab, so very unlike the strikingly bright autumn juveniles, this individual
called regularly as it fed. 

As always distance, and lack of ability, ensured that my images are of dubious quality - hey ho! I was back home within 90 minutes, job done! A nice bird to have on the year list so early.