Everything is getting a tidy up at the moment, and there are
a few things I need to tell you.
Shortly after Xmas I had a give and take discussion with the
nurse at my local GPs. She gave me a dose of Methyl cobalamin in one arm, and I
gave her some rhesus positive out of the other. I told her she could reduce the
Methy-thingy if she wanted to, as I was getting some from my regular intake
from Marmite on toast!! Ed: Rhesus?
They’re Monkeys, aren’t they? (Copyright, Tony Hancock “The Blood Donor”
– 23rd June 1961)
As we are passed 31st December, I have checked
the candidates for the 2018 200 Club. Just
2 winners this year. Christine breached the 200 with a Turtle Dove, finishing
on 202. Amanda took pole position with 207 with her 200th being a
specious I have not heard of….a Created Tit. (So much for spell check!!) There
trophies will be organised shortly. (Ed: Crested
Tit)
As the 200-club award was my initiative (and cost!) I’m
afraid 2018 will be the last year.
Bit of good news and bad news just after Xmas, which I
forgot to mention.
On our train journey back from London to Tamworth, the bad
news was that we were delayed near Nuneaton. The very efficient and informative
lady guard kept us up to date and said that (more) bad news was that a train in
front had hit a member of the public, and the police and ambulance were
involved. The good news was that the member of the public was alive, and we
would continue as soon as possible.
The
further good news was that when we had been delayed 15 minutes+, she announced
that we would be able to claim compensation!! She did not tell us that being 32
minutes late, our compo increased from 12.5% to 25% of the journey cost. It was just a surprise to hear an employee
telling us we could claim. (Unlike the attitude for those delayed by the
Gatwick Drone.)
Whilst I have been wrapping things up in the last 3 months
vis-à-vis my retirement as a VR, it was good to hear from a farmer not far from
Carsington, that he would appreciate my help and guidance on Osprey Posts, as
he plans to put a nest on his farm. For something like that, I’m glad to
temporarily come out of retirement!!
Carsington water level Is really building up now and on 31st
December it was 74% full… that could pull the Great Northern Diver in a bit
closer!!!!!
Answers to the post-Christmas puzzles: -
The numeric answer -
A MERRY XMAS TURKEY was 2, 97445, 6928 and the total 104,375.
8 strokes in golf? A
snowman, because that is what 8 looks like!!
I know I showed you my Osprey picture, but it has been more
appropriately framed and looks like this on the dining room wall. Ed: AKA The Bird Room.
Last of the tidy-up, my nomadic friend Roy, e-mailed on New Year’s
Eve at 23.28 to say he has his first bird for 2019, a Barn Owl!! His message is from France giving him a 60-minute
advantage, well used!!
Right - here we go
- BIRDING 2019!!!!!
It’s good to be back using my birding notebook!! Tuesday
January 1st Mary and I enjoyed a casual stroll
round Allestree Park and ticked off 21 species for our trouble! Mary spotted
AND NAMED a Tree Creeper quite early on, and almost immediately after a Goldcrest. A
nice start to the year.
Wednesday
January 2, Christine and I set off at 8.00am for our first full
birding day of 2019. Markeaton Park was
quiet with hardly anyone around and like yesterday we had a Tree Creeper within
5 minutes. A single Little Egret and
4/5 Goosanders
were the other pick of the site, before we drove to Radbourne Lane.
A field
adjacent to a farm was now no longer productive for Thrushes, but from a nearby
lay-by we added Redwing and Fieldfare. Twixt here and Cromford 2 Buzzards in a dead tree with a superb specimen sitting boldly and facing us, and 8
pheasants, safely feeding in a field in
Duffield, well away from the shooting club active in the grounds of
Kedleston Hall.
Surprisingly
not a birder to be seen at Cromford looking for a Hawfinch, maybe why we did
not see one either! But patience was
rewarded along the Derwent when Chris spotted a Dipper alighting on the rocks. Pairs were frequent sightings
to-day, and this one was joined by a second bird leading to a great deal of
wing flapping for a couple of minutes. Encouraging!!
After some warming soup at Cromford Mill (Broccoli?? Not favourite) we moved to the
Sheepwash hide at Carsington and added 17 for the rest of the day. The first
good bird was the distant view of the Great Northern Diver, helped by the water being like a
mill pond. This was followed by my finding what was to be the BOD, a Peregrine Falcon, on the rocks straight in front of the hide.
54 species
for the first full day… excellent.
I’ll leave it
there for this week. Amanda is head poncho to-morrow, along with Keith and Gary so I hope the weather, the
customers and the birds are kind to her. Did she but know the lady’s toilets at
Carsington now have bird walk posters on the inside of the doors of the cubicles…
and DON’T ask me how I know…which is probably why she has 22+ bookings.
Yes.......... we know the time is wrong!!
Good luck
Amanda.
Happy Birding
I cannot, with all honesty say, that standing outside of a barn, on a freezing last hour of a fast receding year, and armed with nothing more than a mug of hot chocolate, waiting to see if Barney the Barn Owl is at home, is equal to a warm sherry, drunk in front of a log fire, watching an old Morecambe and Wise Christmas show, and reminissing just how good TV used to be.
ReplyDeleteBut it had its compensation as at 12.28 am Barney shuffled out of his hideaway, to investigate the light of my torch. ( The nearest street lights are six miles away).
I cannot come close to your weeks total so far as New years day will be added to this Wednesday.
However; New years day produced the following; and a surprise from our nearest lake 'Elang Neuf.' View from open car window no more than 20 yards away, a Gt. Northern Diver. we stayed with him for some four or five minutes as he plunged regularly into the water. A site to be visited again when I get my bike
Ta ra.
I do like your Bird Room. I wonder if Mrs Bridge would wear that idea....Maybe not, could be me wearing it.
ReplyDeleteA good start for the new birding year with some nice spots with Mary at Allestree and with Christine at Cromford, especially the PAIR of Dippers.
Bodes well for a productive year.