Birding purity!

There are a few species of bird which, although not particularly rare, are capable of lifting your spirits and making a day out just that little more special. The advent of the "Patch Watch Challenge" has seen interest in local patch birding rise to the fore. It still involves twitching mentality, numbers and league tables, but is conducted under very different circumstances. Personally, I'm not about to make a major "U - turn" and join in with this folly but have to admit, I am very much in favour of promoting the ideals of bird-watching from this angle, especially if it can be aimed at the kids?

Red - breasted Merganser in Ramsgate Harbour - the one I found, whilst pike fishing,  on The RMC
caused quite a stir amongst the local birders

So what brought me to this juncture? I've been working alone, on a manual packing bay, filling 1 litre bottles with a white ink that is worth more than gold! Plenty of time to allow my mind to wander, without compromising the quality of our operation - just in case the guvnor reads this? Once again I am keeping a year list, as I have done since the 1980's. but I'm no longer an avid lister. The birds I record will be those that cross my path, not some that I have diverted to because of third party information. It stands to reason, therefore, that my list will be a little sparse! However, just as nature has no concept of international boundaries, neither do my lists - I record what I see; wherever I see it!

Jack Snipe - a gimme on any serious "twitcher's" year list. To find one for yourself, on your local patch?
A moment to be treasured - very special.

There have been a great many occasions, when I have discovered a gem, whilst simply out walking; there have been a few more that have appeared whilst I've been sat behind the rods. The beauty of patch watching is the ability to escalate the status of any species to "rare" purely because local appearances being applied. Common birds, therefore, can become incredibly desirable when found under these circumstances. My own version is to take this mentality a step further. I simply remove the local boundaries and enjoy every birding experience that comes my way. No pagers, no social media, I see what I see - the rest? Who give's a f*ck? This has to be birding purity in its' most basic format. You see what you see whilst going about a daily routine.

This female Black Redstart was a right result along the cliff-top path at Foreness Point

I've experienced the thrills that full-on twitching are capable of providing, so there's no point in my pretending otherwise and assuming some higher moral ground. Purity birding, getting right back to the very basics of what got me started is now what ensures I am able to derive every ounce of pleasure, from whatever birding encounter I experience, in these latter years.

Red-throated Diver in Ramsgate Harbour