The Manchester Birder

A strange month, September kept me waiting, then delivered almost all the drift migrants over two days when I was stuck and couldn't go birding!  A month of some real quality birds, and probably the biggest sense of frustration caused by the Big Year target - I had planned to be at 298 or thereabouts by month end, and instead, with almost no absolute certainties left to see, I'm seven species short of 300.   The Pechora Pipit was by far the best bird of the month, a genuine mainland rare bird, and a really beautiful species to boot.  That thrill of seeing something that is so very far from where it should be, the excitement at staking out a roost site and patience rewarded is such a buzz.  Having failed to see Marsh Sandpiper twice this year so far because the bird had left, and twice because of migraine while driving and mechanical breakdown (the car, not me), it was a relief to finally catch up with the very long staying bird at Musselburgh.  Plagued by t...