Desert Finch comes up Trumps

Phew. 1st message on the pager Monday morning around 07.30 was to tell the birding fraternity the Trumpeter Finch was still at Blakeney. A quick decision was made, after a nanosecond hesitation, to carry on to my meeting in Burnley and then head off down the M6 afterwards. Stopping only to pick up Mark Payne on the M6 the day before his honeymoon and we were off.

Slogging miles across the shingle banks of Blakeney was no fun lugging a camera and tripod in the bright sunshine but we arrived at the right spot expecting a crowd. We found no one! Mark found the Trumpeter Finch showing well but probably 70 m away and aware of the message to stay away from the breeding birds nearby we didn't risk getting any closer.

After events contrived to ensure I missed the mini influx of 2005 I was pretty amazed to get one on my British list so soon after. Happy smiles all round and I dropped the newly wed Groucho back home to do his packing around 21.30.