Migrant football - a kind of bird race - with Andy R

What is it? It's a little game I invented last year.

 

Warning: it must only played by consenting birders!

 

Each year, from late March, bird species arrive in th UK having migrated from places like sub-Saharan Africa to breed here. Birders eagerly await their arrival. Almost always the first is the Chiffchaff, a warbler. Later come Willow Warblers, and Swallows (one of whicha alone does not a summer make, as the saying goes). Others include the Cuckoo, Swift, Common Tern, and lesser known birds like Ring Ousel and Grasshopper Warbler.

 

The game, which needs two players, starts with the player who spots the first migrant scoring a "goal". Each new migrant not spotted by the other player is a goal.

 

Last year I beat Andy R 8-3 or something, a right thrashing. Not bad considering he works outside among the local fields and moorland, and I have basically an office job.

 

This year he scared me by bagging Chiffchaff, Swallow and Sand Martin in one go and going 3-0 up. Ouch. I fought back with, in one day, House Martin, Willow Warbler and Blackcap in Derbyshire on one day 3-3, then a Wheatear the following day, just the merest glimpse from the car as we sped past Snake Pass returning home. 4-3! I'm in the lead thank goodness, and then an extremely early Swift over Bolton town centre made it a respectable 5-3 so far. That's better. Poor Andy, he's gutted. Loser! Loser!  (I did say FOOTBALL so you expect moronic chants don't you?).

 

But it's not over yet. A furtive trip to Pennington Flash produced nothing. I need a plan. I must consolidate my lead!