180!

No not my year list - I'm not sure what that's up to at the moment but it'll be a miserably low figure I can assure you, and much lower than 180.

I'm talking the Boy Birder's Life List - son of mine - which moved up a couple of ticks today. (Actually his life list went up to 181 today but that would not have made such a good title for this meagre blog entry). Not bad for a nine year old. Actually, bloody miraculous for a nine year old living in Glamorgan!!

I digress. His 180 came up when we found a female Dartford Warbler at a (well known) undisclosed site. And fair play to him, he found it - which made the walk back to the car unbearable. He even grips his own father off!

The Twitchmeister (not disturbing a Schedule 1 species!)

I managed to find a single Tree Sparrow at the Monktons. Boyo stayed in the car reading his Collins - it wasn't even a year tick for him!

2nd winter Herring, 3rd winter Lesser-black backed . . . adult summer Med!!!

On to the Ogmore Estuary where there were several Common Sandpipers and amongst the flock of gulls on Portobello Island I found a summer plumaged Med Gull. Lifer number 181 for the Twitchmeister, and since I found this one for him we ended the day on a score draw: 1-1 - my reputation restored!