Having not been to see a rarity more than an hour from my location, I'd consider myself a somewhat modest twitcher. So when news of a Siberian/Stejneger's Stonechat in Cheshire came up on BirdGuides, I started to feel twitchy and just couldn't help going for it. Despite my Twitter handle suggesting that I've travelled up from Essex to see the bird, I have in fact been staying in Cheshire with my grandparents - a mere 25 minute drive away from the site in which the bird was seen. Circumstances (in other words revision) meant that I only had a couple of hours to have a good crack at seeing the bird. So, after an early start and 3 hours of revision, I managed to find sufficient time to have a go at the bird.
The pre-twitch feelings of mild nervousness began to strike me on the drive to the Flashes, however news that the bird had been seen half an hour prior gave me some encouragement. On arrival, we spotted a few birders to reaffirm that we were in fact in the right place. So, after gaining some handy directions, we headed down the path towards the location of the bird. An extremely showy Goldcrest very early on seemed a good omen for the day, this was joined by a Blue Tit who gladly serenaded us. After walking for 5 minutes, we reached the group of twitchers on our left, whom informed us that the Stonechat had been showing on and off all day - but not for a good 10 minutes.
So, we got to business and began to scan the bushes and saplings of the flash for the bird in question. A brief Green Woodpecker served to make the wait a bit more interesting and providing a nice species to add to the day's list. A few distant Long-tailed Tits stirred some excitement in me for a split second - a false alarm. Another 15 minutes went by with nothing but the odd distant call of a Cetti's Warbler, and just as I started to feel disheartened, the hoped for cry of "Sibe Stonechat went" up. But a desperate search in my (cheap) scope came to no avail. Another very helpful birder kindly let me look in his scope, and there it was, a fine Siberian/Stejneger's Stonechat. My 191st bird and a county first perched before my eyes! The views were very distant, but you could make out the bird alright!
With the bird in the bag, I felt a somewhat palpable sigh of relief and was able to relax a bit. Over the next hour or so, the bird got gradually closer and closer until it gave views good enough to make out the key ID features (plane and pale rump, longer wings etc.) and even get a ropey record shot. Eventually, it pulled a disappearing act (at around 15:08) and despite my best efforts, I couldn't re-find it for the few newly arrived birders. But with the light fading and the temperature decreasing, we decided to call it a day and headed back to the car satisfied. Another top days birding in Cheshire and sweet revenge for the dipped Blyth's Reed Warbler earlier this year.
Whichever species the bird turns out to be (if we ever find out) - it'll be a tick for me. In the meantime, I'll remain satisfied with my 'Eastern Stonechat'.
The pre-twitch feelings of mild nervousness began to strike me on the drive to the Flashes, however news that the bird had been seen half an hour prior gave me some encouragement. On arrival, we spotted a few birders to reaffirm that we were in fact in the right place. So, after gaining some handy directions, we headed down the path towards the location of the bird. An extremely showy Goldcrest very early on seemed a good omen for the day, this was joined by a Blue Tit who gladly serenaded us. After walking for 5 minutes, we reached the group of twitchers on our left, whom informed us that the Stonechat had been showing on and off all day - but not for a good 10 minutes.
So, we got to business and began to scan the bushes and saplings of the flash for the bird in question. A brief Green Woodpecker served to make the wait a bit more interesting and providing a nice species to add to the day's list. A few distant Long-tailed Tits stirred some excitement in me for a split second - a false alarm. Another 15 minutes went by with nothing but the odd distant call of a Cetti's Warbler, and just as I started to feel disheartened, the hoped for cry of "Sibe Stonechat went" up. But a desperate search in my (cheap) scope came to no avail. Another very helpful birder kindly let me look in his scope, and there it was, a fine Siberian/Stejneger's Stonechat. My 191st bird and a county first perched before my eyes! The views were very distant, but you could make out the bird alright!
Siberian/Stejneger's Stonechat
With the bird in the bag, I felt a somewhat palpable sigh of relief and was able to relax a bit. Over the next hour or so, the bird got gradually closer and closer until it gave views good enough to make out the key ID features (plane and pale rump, longer wings etc.) and even get a ropey record shot. Eventually, it pulled a disappearing act (at around 15:08) and despite my best efforts, I couldn't re-find it for the few newly arrived birders. But with the light fading and the temperature decreasing, we decided to call it a day and headed back to the car satisfied. Another top days birding in Cheshire and sweet revenge for the dipped Blyth's Reed Warbler earlier this year.
Whichever species the bird turns out to be (if we ever find out) - it'll be a tick for me. In the meantime, I'll remain satisfied with my 'Eastern Stonechat'.
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