On Black Down

Today I achieved a long-held personal target. Like most birdwatchers I keep a 'list' of all the birds I've seen in Britain, Europe, The World, and other places. For most British Birders it is the British list that matters most. Some years ago an elite club was formed, with membership limited to people who had seen 400 species in the UK.

I'm not really a 'twitcher' but I love seeing new birds so when I heard there is a pallid harrier at Black Down on the Mendips - 45 minutes from where I work - I quickly decided to go even though I knew it was difficult to see.

There were about 20 people up there when I arrived, some of whom had been there for 6 hours without a sighting. It was great when a harrier came into distant view and showed us its orangey underparts and well-marked neck. I would have been happier with closer views, but from the views I had there is no doubt it was indeed a juvenile pallid harrier - incredibly, one of five or six that are in the UK at the moment, having strayed from west/central Asia.

So, that puts my list at 400. I think I could join the UK 400 club now if I wanted to. However, they've probably raised to bar to 500 by now.

This pre-sunset view is of Flat Holm in the Bristol Channel, with the Welsh shore behind.