15th November - Mega Day

Last Year we were just starting out on this slippery slope of seeking out birds and saw our first ever Mega (Birds that are exceedingly rare) by driving 206 miles to Rochdale to see a Pied-billed Grebe. Today by pure coincidence we drove 147 miles to Hauxley to see our seventh Mega a Greater Yellowlegs.

It's interesting to read our thoughts on the travelling last year. Whereas this year when we were discussing what to do Mrs L's comment was, "well if it's a Mega it'd be nice to go and see it".

It was a bit elusive for the first hour we were there, but as you can see from the above photo we eventually got excellent views, even the 500mm lens had to be turned down to 229mm to fit it in.

Like the Pied-billed Grebe this is also a rare visitor from America. Their breeding habitat is bogs and marshes in the boreal forest region of Canada and Alaska. They migrate to the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the United States and south to South America.

Today is also a rather Mega Day for a fellow blipper - Happy Birthday Odey.

No prizes for guessing what RCB's blipped.