Beeley nr Matlock in Derbyshire
I went with Paul and Gareth to Derbyshire to twitch the rare dusky thrush. A very early start (2 a.m.) saw me pick them up at 4 a.m. before we made the 400 mile round trip to the lovely village of Beeley near Matlock. After a 40 minute delay on the M1 we arrived on site just after 8 a.m. Sadly there was a huge gathering of similar minded twitchers and they were occupying the prime viewing positions.
- As we arrived at the orchard, the dusky thrush took flight so our view was good but only fleeting. In the next hour or so it was seen near the church, then in the playground area but again the best we could get were flight views.
- Finally we got to see the bird on the ground, in the orchard close to where we parked our car. The views were now prolonged and excellent so we could pick up the key ID features. Quite soon after we got further, even better, views in the main orchard by the activity centre.
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| dusky thrush courtesy of Daily Telegraph |
By this time the sheer number of birders was getting to us as it was quite chaotic at times. Heaven help the locals if this bird is still there at the weekend! We decided to head off home - and it was still only 10.30 a.m.
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| Too many twitchers in a confined space courtesy of The Telegraph |
This rare vagrant breeds in Siberia and winters in south east Asia and should be somewhere near Japan at the moment!
Addition to BUBO UK 2016 Year List
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