OK, Monday
September 11th, and I bottle it;
I said I was going to Rutland, but the weather did look decidedly iffy, and it
was in fact on and off showers all day.
This also gave me a chance to
retreat to the garage, to re-make a bird table for Sarah. Back in 2006 I used to make a lot of bird
tables, as often as possible and initially from any scrap wood I could get. But
as the numbers increased I had to buy most of the wood. I got to the stage that
I could make 2 in a day, including painting and assembly. I bought a small
circular saw so I could cut up the 31 components for each table very quickly,
and I sold many of them to friends and contacts, and at Carsington. My most
notable one had a feeding table made from a lavatory seat lid!!
I must be honest….as I was
doing all the work in the garage I was able to smoke as I worked. In 2008, I
was hospitalised following a TIA (Transient Ischemic Attack), and I persisted
with the non-smoking that had been enforced on me in hospital, so I lost one of
the raisons d’etre for being in the garage!!
Now, 3,557 days later the
saving at £6 per day = £21,342, has made it all worthwhile.
After 8 years, I was therefore
a bit out of touch with making bird tables, but I managed to cannibalise a
wooden garden seat, bought a table top, and Sarah did get her bird table.
Ironic, because at least 6 pieces came from a dilapidated wooden garden seat,
which Sarah and Julian had originally given us, so it was good recycling.
Her
new one looks like…
Anyway, Tuesday
September 12th, I decided that I
would see what I could find at Rutland Water. The news was good, so I went
straight to the North Arm, and with 4/5 fellow birders with scopes, we finally
picked up a distant single Black Necked Grebe. Whilst it was repeatedly diving, we could see how much
smaller it was alongside the nearby
Great Crested Grebes. We could also just about make out the steep forehead.
A trip to the Fisherman’s Car
park to look for a Red Necked Grebe, was abortive and other birders had similar
failures. Another day I hope.
So it was off to the main
centre for the latest sighting news. Apparently, the reports of a Ruddy Shelduck
appeared to be history, so my remaining target was the American Wigeon, which I
was told was viewable (with luck and hard work) from Grebe hide.
Mary had waved me off with a
tear in her eye, and a Black Pudding and Egg salad so I decided to dine al fresco.
The American Wigeon had been around for 16 days, so it was not likely to leave
in the next 30 minutes.
Yet another coincidence; I’m
sitting by my car, and the couple in the next car turn out to be Wenyu and
James, 2 fellow volunteers from Carsington.
I told them that because I
have lost almost 4 stone following my operation in May 2016, I’m still trying
to add fat.. and the reason for the Black Pudding is that a single round of
Black pudding includes 83% fat and 16% protein, so where’s the harm in that.
Trouble is, I became hooked on Black Pudding for breakfast, on 18th
October, and despite a full English for over 300 days, I still haven’t
added any weight!!
Ed: Can we talk about something other than Black Pudding - it upsets Slim Bridge.
The four men in the Grebe hide
did not seem to be sure whether they were “on” the Wigeon, and kept talking
about the poor light, and “it’s gone behind the island (which island?)”. I
spent about an hour in the hide searching and watching birds emerging from behind
the 4/5 islands, but to no avail.
As some consolation, a Hobby
(and in due course 2) kept flying in front of the hide and across the reeds, calling
and picking off Dragonflies at will. Sometimes it perched in a tree before
setting off on another sortie. Brilliant viewing.
3 experienced birders came in,
and within a couple of minutes they had found the American
Wigeon, and with directions I
was able to identify the duck, with the greyish eye patch, and a very wishy-washy wings
colouring – well it was in eclipse. Only the second time I’ve seen this bird,
the first occasion at Anglers Country Park near Barnsley on 28th February 2004.
I leave you with my Year to
Date at a satisfactory 202, and with a forthcoming 2 weeks rest, I’ll be posting again in a
fortnight.
Don’t forget the next
Carsington walk is Sunday October 1st.
Happy Birding
Glad that you are back from foreign parts as it were!
ReplyDeleteI seem to remember contributing some wood to the good cause of bird table manufacture. I wonder which lucky customer got the table made from a lavatory seat lid. No doubt it made him feel flushed with his new bird table (sorry).
Black Necked Grebe was a good spot, did we see one once at Rutland?
The thought of Mary waving you off with a Black Pudding in her eye and Tear and Egg Salad brought a lump to my throat - well, a lump somewhere anyway....
It is Mrs Bridge that gets upset at the mention of Black Pudding following an unfortunate incident with a Black Pudding at the Seawood Hotel last year.
Ah well, it is these shared memories that make it all worthwhile, so I'm told...