Yellow Browed Warbler makes 250 milestone!

On January 1st 2010, my day was spent birding from dawn til dusk to get a good start on my yearlist for this year. Now, 10 months later on, on the 4th October, my 250th bird turned up at Soldier's point on Anglesey, circa 1 mile north of Holyhead..

Rather unexpected was a text in the middle of a lecture from Zac, the text read:- ''Anglesey Yellow-Browed Warbler near Holyhead at Solider's Point by metal gate at entrance to breakwater''
After finishing the lecture, I knew that this bird would still be there, so met Zac 20 minutes later at Bangor station, paid a respectable £4:80 and headed for Holyhead. Was I really going to see my 250th bird for my 2010 yearlist, today? On arrival, not a single birder in sight, so a bit of relocation was in order and after an hour or so, there was no sign of the bird. However, just as we were about to head for home, a bird flitted from a bush and luckily Zac caught a glimpse and shouted - ''There it is''! To my relief, there was a Yellow-Browed Warbler and my 250th bird for this year!!! I can tell you now, it was such a relief to see this bird as it was only my 4th record for Britain, surprisingly! Thanks Zachary!

Thinking that I was going to blog out this later on when I got back to Bangor, I needed some pictures so set about digiscoping whilst Zac used his larger camera... So better pictures were obtained by Zac.. After 5 mintues and some of the most stressfull digiscoping I have ever had to accomplish, I came up with several record shots but at least you can make out what it is!

Included this shot to emphasise the eyestripe and the diagnostic wing-bars, present in all the scandinavian phylloscopus warblers..

Another shot that would have been an absolute stonker, but as usual the bird didn't turn round and on the second shot it flew to another tree..

A fantastic bird and one that I was confident in seeing this year! If anyone is thinking of going to have a look, the bird is at the large entrance gates to Soldier's point on Anglesey, literally at the end of the road before you turn off for South stack. On the wall in Ivy and Sycamore bushes by lamp post 2A.. If anyone needs any more info, please feel free to leave a comment and I will get back to as soon as possible.

See Zac's blog for slightly better pictures and his account of today @ http://zacswildlifeblog.blogspot.com/