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Sora Rail Pagham Harbour Oct.-Dec.1985
My first ever rarity photo, this bird caused a massive twitch at the time, making the national
media - unusual in the mid-80's. Apart from a bird on Scilly it was the first twitchable example
and in almost full breeding plumage.
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Least Sandpiper Porthscatho Cornwall Feb.-April86
This bird famously wintered in a Cornish field, the first such occurence, and moulted from 1st-winter
plumage. This shot was taken at Easter,near the end of its stay.
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Great Shearwater Western Approaches Aug.87
Sadly the pelagic trips run by Peter Harrison of "Seabirds" fame are no more, since due to the
manouverability of the boat it was possible to approach birds such as this to within a few feet.
The numbers are also smaller now due to changes in fishing practice, but we never saw Fea's
Petrel!
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Aquatic Warbler Langton Herring Dorset Sept.87
For many years one of only a few decent shots of this species in Britain, this photo was never published.
Usually difficult to see, let alone capture on film, this bird in a small area of vegetation was very
obliging on occasion.
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Ross' Gull Poldhu Cove Cornwall March 88
My first Ross' Gull, and still an uncommon plumage, this first winter bird was rather mobile,
associating with a large Black-headed Gull flock. Most records nowadays seem to be adults,
often in summer plumage.
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White-throated Needletail Orkney June88
Near the top of many twitchers "most wanted" list a repeat visit by a needletail would be
extremely welcome, but this
bird stayed just long enough for the lucky ones to get to Hoy and
enjoy it as it skimmed the crowd at head height.
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Solitary Sandpiper Porthellick Sept.88
The last of a short "run" of records on Scilly, Solitary Sandpiper became a bit of a blocker
until one in exactly the same spot in 1999.
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Double-crested Cormorant Billingham Feb.89
Still the only confirmed record in Britain, this least exciting of birds didn't do much when you
did see it, surely with several "possibles" over the last few years one will eventually turn out
to be the real thing.
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Baillon's Crake Sunderland May89
This is the famous "Town Centre" bird which walked through shopper's legs; telephoto lenses were
a positive hindrance for this one. Ann & I didn't even have to twitch it really, we were on our
way home from Scotland to Suffolk! An equally obliging bird occurred at Stodmarsh almost exactly
ten years later.
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Great Snipe Girton Notts Aug.89
Dave Cottridge said "don't bother, you'll only get flight views", but this one didn't conform to
the norm., walking around in the middle of the afternoon just a few yards in front of us. Probably
still the most obliging example ever.
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Killdeer St.Marys Scilly Nov.89
It was once possible to see rarities without crowds, I spent two hours watching this bird alone,
although it had been reported as flying off the previous day. I took a chance, and 30 minutes
after I landed I saw it fly back to it's original field.
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