Cocky!

Woodcock (Michael Flowers - http://eybirdwatching.blogspot.com/)

This morning saw me raising and dragging my carcass to The Scrubs - driven by the force that is known to many as spring migration. I had hoped to find more Wheatears or to discover our first singing Blackcaps. No avail.

I was standing by the grassland looking out for Meadow Pipits and any hidden Wheatears when from behind flew a Woodcock. It flew in a leisurely fashion across the grassland looking as though it wasn't flushed as there was nobody in the vicinity. It plonked itself down into some shorter grass literally feet away from a dogwalker, who although was looking in the Woodcock's direction, seemed oblivious to the bird's arrival.

This was only our second ever record, although I dare say that they are probably more frequent than records suggest. It certainly made my morning.

Back at base, I continued to plan for the Tower 42 Bird Study Group launch. BBC London want to film me on the roof of Tower 42 on Friday morning so that they can use the edited footage as a news item on TV that day. I had to correct the news editor who had labelled the piece 'twitching on the roof'. I reminded her that twitching is a very different discipline to standing on a roof waiting for migrants to fly over.

Perhaps they will get it one day!