Working long hours in the NHS can make it very difficult to achieve a work - home - birding balance. Indeed, birding for me is a luxury and time in the field is not infinite. It is pleasing to note other birders sightings on various websites and blogs, sometimes I rely on these and rush out to see a lifer or year tick. How disappointing it can be to arrive at a site and see nothing. It has happened that a sighting has been sent to me by SMS and I am actually in the area, indeed, on one occasion actually within yards - but nothing, and no birders about either! Why do they do it? Who are they? Maybe we should name and shame?
My life list is not great at 231 and my year list stands at 174. I do not travel outside of the UK and it is rare for me to "twitch" unless local. My biggest regret is not going for the Woodchat Shrike (Lifer and NOT a string) at Brandon until the day after its sighting - big mistake but MY mistake!
So stringers are not welcome in my birding life and should be strung up by their gonads!
Rant over - and feeling slightly better now!!!
Alas I couldn't possibly name them has I really fear they would do it more.
ReplyDeleteThere are several patterns to this, the usual one is to see a descent bird that someone else as found on or close to their local patch and then add another one or two birds on, you know, just to get the limelight back on them.
The saving grace normally is that it is always a believable bird, nother out and out rare. You see there would be too many questions to answer if it was very good.
Build your life list around the good birds and wait for a second confirming message, that will do the trick.
When you have a reasonable life and regional list the stringy birds do not normally matter.
Interesting blog, I have just linked.
Cheers Martyn.I cannot disagree with what you are saying!
ReplyDelete