a.k.a 100 + a whiff of VAT, whatever that is.
I think I have commented before
on the effect of year-listing on your brain and I found myself in the middle of
another egregious example this afternoon. Furiously thrashing round to find
some material in which to bury the fact that last week’s Scaly-breasted Munia was #173, I found myself scanning through a
flock of 200 mynas trying to find a Bank, which would have been # 176 i.e. 100.00%.
Luckily I failed, leaving that coveted position open for another hour when a Golden Oriole – yeeeeeeehaaaaaaaaaa –
flicked across in front of me and then sat up for a nice view. In between
munias and la oriole I had the double whammy of Garganey swimming through the legs of a Little Egret out on the golf course during a busy evening of waders and, straight after la oriole I came up with one of the best, most workable shorebird flocks I have found on Abu Dhabi island, eventually culminating in 2 Broad-billed Sands, only my second ever AD record. My third Green Sandpiper
(and second Garganey) was in the
same flock and other goodies in the last few days have included decent waves of
Isabelline Wheatears, Tree Pipits and Swallows, the odd Roller
and Ortolan, a nice sprinkling of shrikes of four flavours, and bee-eaters daily, including up to 15 Europeans coming in to roost on a
couple of evenings. Rarest of all, at least nationally, was my second Great Reed Warbler of the year,
memorably thudding around on a lawn and traumatising the Whimbrels. No bother counting the primary tips on that one!
Total so far - 177 (101%)
Last additions – Golden Oriole and Broad-billed Sandpiper (18th
September)
OSCAR
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