How long has it been?!?

Haven't updated for a while, but last year was pretty much a write off! Started off with good intentions and even started a year list. This all fizzled out after a few months and several dips, luckily not at a great distance though! Only managed 3 lifers in the end, but that's about par for the course and I was quite happy with those to be honest. Common Yellowthroat has always been a longed for bird ever since that fateful day in '84 on the Scillies. The Thayer's was completely unexpected and the Orphean Warbler, well not much to say about that apart from, UNBLOCKED!

Think this year is going to be pretty poor as well, only tick so far would have been the Grosbeak on Shetland and that's out of the question at the minute. Time is pretty much taken up with looking after Toby and Amy and trying to work from home now that I've closed the shop. I've still got the desire to go for these things and I even like reading other peoples trip reports, sick or what?!?

I did manage a trip up to Barmston for the Kumlien's Gull a couple of weeks back, Toby behaved himself in the back of the car with a constant supply of breadsticks and rice cakes to hand.

Honestly guv!! Saw it closer than this at one point

 

I know it's never going to be a separate tick but for some reason I've always wanted to see a Kumliens, not really sure why, but was never going to travel any distance for one. Even though I got this one at the first attempt I'm still not a fan of gulls!