Dipping the Bobolink

News yesterday of a Bobolink in Lincolnshire had me wanting to jump in the car and go get it. Unfortunately the news broke at 3pm and the journey would take a good three hours so with sunset at 6pm the twitch was a non starter. I called the Jims and said I'd be making the journey in the morning and they opted in so the three of us made the 150 mile trip and arrived at first light this morning.

Theddlethorpe St Helen

The car park was full as we joined the group of around a hundred birders in the search for the Bobolink. We had a Short-eared Owl fly over and watched the local Skylarks, Reed Buntings and Meadow Pipits but as the morning went on we conceded that the clear night had probably assisted the bird in moving on. We left for home but decided to stop at Rutland on the way back down the A1 and try to add a year tick with the reported Lesser Scaup. After a while I picked the Scaup out tucked in behind the large island on lagoon one. Unfortunately it took another ninety minutes to get the Jims on it but eventually it moved out enough for them to get the scope on it. We had good views of a Yellow-browed Warbler in the bushes outside the visitor centre and then left for the journey home.

The Lesser Scaup was my 287th bird to make the year list my best ever.