How much birding have I done this week?

Hmm, let me think about that for a short while. I know! Twenty minutes, perhaps twenty-five. Yup, I have given up birding. Since the Desert Wheatear twitch I've picked up my bins twice. Once on Monday as I walked across the Flats to catch a train to work, and once today, as I scanned the Basin for non-existent scarce waterfowl on the way back from the school run. My scan took approximately one minute, and I saw diddly squat of note.

The Desert Wheatear twitch was of course rather fun, but I have to say the bird behaved very poorly indeed. I'm noticing this more and more at twitches, these rare birds just seem to have no fieldcraft whatsoever. It was incredibly self-centered, strutting about like it owned the place. Why couldn't it realise what it was doing? While I was there it was just walking up to birders and photogaphers and deliberately flushing them. I personally saw it flush two photographers simultaenously, causing them to step back from their chosen locations and move away. One was so shocked I think he got back in his car and drove home. I can't believe nobody spoke up at the time, shouted at it to stay still and not get too close to people, but there you go. It won't change, these Desert Wheatears are all the same, selfish bastards without a clue as to how to behave around birders. The only thing left to do is to complain about it on Birdforum, but it's gone now and probably doesn't even use the internet anyway, so that would be a complete waste of time.

Yes, I am bored. On the plus side a trip to Tobago is looming, my reward for over a year back at the salt mines. I can't wait, it is going to be amazing. I've told Mrs L that there are no birds there at all, but I don't think she's buying it. There are of course lots of birds there, including loads of selfish Bananaquits so lacking in fieldcraft that they apparently land on peoples' breakfast tables at our hotel! If they do, I'm going to complain to the manager. But only because I won't have internet access....

Flusher - name and shame is the name of the game