1000 miles completed - and one new species. 143 species in total

A day of two halves! A 33km 'mystery tour' in search of another rare breeder turned up distant but tickable views of a Red Kite 'somewhere in central Hampshire' - good average speed over hilly terrain, despite heavy legs! On my return home, and with a hot bath beckoning, I got a phone call from Simon Ingram down at Lakeside Country Park in Eastleigh - the Gropper he'd found this morning, and which I'd dipped on a brief car-based drop-in at lunch time, had been singing again at 1300! So I put my cycling kit back on, and made the 15km journey down the valley. He called again to say it was reeling at 1845 - I arrived at 1910, feeling pretty confident....and dipped horribly! I left after 2000, getting cold and with the darkness closing in - blast! Perhaps a dawn ride tomorrow? I'll wait for news before testing my legs still further!

A big milestone today - 1000 miles clocked up in the quest for birds, at 7 miles (11.6km) per species.