I couldn’t believe my eyes. An adult male Siberian Blue Robin was in Tom’s hand in front of me and we were the only two who knew about it! After the initial buzz and celebration, I rang George Gay, who spread the news. At first he didn’t believe a word I was saying, but soon realised you don’t joke about birds like this. After phoning we stood waiting for people to turn up, letting it sink in. I knew this was a serious ‘mega’ but I didn’t quite realise how special this particular bird was. The fact it was an adult male made this a first for Britain in itself. It was taken back to the observatory and everyone was rounded up, anticipating their first glance of the most stunning bird of 2017 (so far!) – and it didn’t disappoint, bringing a particular member of staff to tears (not mentioning any names). The bird was ringed and suitable measurements were taken, including a fat and muscle score (1,1) and it was released shortly afterwards.
We all went to the bar, and it’s safe to say Tom and I didn’t pay for a single drink.