Wednesday 28 December 2016

Gloucestershire - Blue RockThrush appears!

A Blue Rock thrush that has been around for a week or so has surfaced within my imaginary driving boundary! The forecast was for fog until 1000hrs which would rule the Farm out at least until the sun appeared and had worked its magic.

I set off at semi stupid o clock with a clear road and path until I hit the M25 when the fog began creeping in. By the time I had reached the A40 visibility was pretty bad and almost impossible to drive along some of the smaller open roads near my destination Stow on the Wold.

I had a brief chat with an AFC Wimbledon supporter about the FA Cup game with the U’s in a couple of weeks before finding a spot to view the bird. Views were possible as it sat on a branch of a tree just to the left of two feeders in a rear garden to a house. The bird moved out of sight but re-appeared in the same tree further back. The light was still poor therefore it was to be a waiting game if I was to take any pictures of my quarry.

There have been few records of this species in England in the months of October and May. I heard mumblings about it could be an escape from a nearby sanctuary?! This species is known to frequent ruins, churches and inhabited buildings at lower altitudes therefore its genuine presence is possible! I also wondered how long the bird had been visiting the garden before the news was released. Over to you records committee!

The light improved and the overall blue grey colour was more visible. The bill and eye were dark with the faintest signs of barring on the breast. There was some black in the wings and tail and the legs were dark.

News for the day had broken and other birders were arriving so I stepped out the viewing area had a chat with Gordon and then made my way back home to the sunshine!


I have attempted four twitches since coming home from Paraguay and I had a 100% record thus far! I still prefer patch watching and will therefore keep a sensible balance between both! I wonder what will be next!

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