White and Patch Gold!

We knew there'd be some good birds found by patchworkers during this competition but we didn't think it would be this soon!

Yvonne and Ian, who both patch Askernish on South Uist, take over....

Ian's version is:-

"While ringing today in the walled garden, I noticed a large flock of birds in the distance heading towards me from the machair. As they drew nearer I could see that they were rock doves – in a hurry. It soon became obvious that one of their number was being chased by a large white raptor – a gyr falcon. As they all approached, this particular individual and its pursuer headed for the garden only to weave in and around the nets, missing them of course! The gyr gave up soon after and went to rest on a nearby house where it stayed for some 20 minutes before the home-owner returned in her car when it flew off North."

Yvonne's version is:-

"Today started off pretty well, the forecast was not too much wind (i.e. it would be less than 20mph) so we headed off down the road to a neighbour’s house – it’s a holiday home and isn’t let out over the winter, it has a nice, sheltered walled garden and the owners are happy for us to ring there when there are no punters in. It was a pretty chilly morning and you know how it is, or maybe you don’t, maybe it’s my age, but i had to head back off home to answer a call of nature. Sitting on the loo and my phone rings. It’s Ian. He says "there’s a Gyrfalcon sitting on Huw’s roof" I yell WTF! and leap up and run out to the shed to grab a bike so i could get back down the road asap.

At least the Gyr had narrowly missed the nets because that would have brought the whole new problem of whose turn is it for a ringing tick. Great views were had and it sat there for a while, looking around and preening. Ian had also phoned Bill our next door neighbour and with him being an artist his first though was to make some sketches of the bird so he arrived with his scope and sketch pad. After a while of watching i decided to head back home for my own camera but when i got back the bird had gone Still, Ian got some half reasonable photos."

So, i got 4 good points but what a bummer to lose out on the finder's bonus points. The pressure is on ;-)