Jack-on-the-List

Not sure how many times I've squelched round the likely-looking spots this year but it finally paid off today as a Jack Snipe shot out from under my feet! Great bird, and the list moves on to 143 (mine to 130).

Cryptically-patterned waders were the order of the day; a couple of Snipe and a Woodcock were in the same area as the Jack Snipe. The other highlights of a 60-species haul were 4 Goosander and 2 Little Egret.

Slow going

New birds are proving hard to come by at The Lodge at the moment, so I decided to walk into work this morning across a little-watched area of the reserve. Disappointingly, only three new birds added: Song Thrush, Linnet and Canada Goose. My two best birds of the morning have already been chalked up: Woodcock and Peregrine. We move slowly on to 63 species.

Still, if you don't swing the bat, you won't hit the ball...