King of the hill

A quick semi-visit to the caldera produced 2 Ring-necked Duck, Tufted Duck, Pintail and Great White Egret. Then it was off down Ribeira da Lapa (or whatever the valley is called where I found the White-eyed Vireo last year). After another near death experience and, whilst attempting to photograph a frog for Frenchman, said Frenchman radioed through with news of 2 Dotterel on the slopes high above me (10th record for the Azores). Well, who could turn down a nice little trip for a trip. One bust lung and three years shaved of my lifespan later, and I'm peering at a couple of lurvely waders. Then, mid-morinellus, Pierre appears over the horizon and announces the fact that, on the opposite side of the hill are two Buff-bellied Pipits. So, that's two European vagrants on one side of the hill and two Nearctic vagrants on the other, I do like it when that sort of thing happens. Trouble was the pipits had gone by the time we'd scooted back up there and took an hour and a half to relocate at which point they, rather handily, reappeared at my feet. The rest of the day was filled with a meander back, a drawn-out coffee break and an hours seawatch (10 Great and 1,000s of Cory's).