Blighty

Currently catching breath in the middle of a mad dash around the UK, combining family visits and birding (with more of the latter done so far). birding sites visited include Wicken fen, Lakenheath Fen, some field in Suffolk with a Stone Curlew, some lake in Buckinghamshire that didn't have a family of Polecats, some field in Hertfordshire that held a calling (but not showing) Quail, Holkham Pines and Gun Hill, some field in Norfolk that held a male Montague's Harrier, Swonton Novers (nice car park for snoozing away the mid day jet-lag, but I didn't even get out of the car to look for Honey Buzzards), Glenloy Lodge near Fort William and its toast-and-jam-munching Pine Marten family, some field near Fort William which held a Black Grouse lek and a singing Gropper, Isle of Mull, Iona and its bevvy of Corncrakes, and Cley.

Birds seen have included Bittern, Little Egret, Hobby, Peregrine, three species of harrier, Golden Orioles at the nest, Stone Curlew, Black Grouse, two Corncrakes that made me wait longer than for any bird ever before finally giving prolonged point-blank views , and Manx Shearwater. Mammals have included Roe, Muntjac and Red Deer, Grey Seal and Pine Marten.

"Do you have any more jam sandwiches?"