So, bald heads ARE attractive to birds!

Tues 19^th April... In anticipation of seeing a Ring Ouzel, Jill, Christine and I met up at Bardon Hill, the highest point in Leicestershire, where RO’s are known to stop en route to their breeding ground. 

Sadly, despite a remarkable view to the bottom of the quarry, our birding success was limited to multiple Willow Warblers, but made up for by the deep croaking call of a pair of Ravens. I find identification is helped by seeing what is described as a graduated tail, but I prefer to see it as coming to a point.

We then went on to the Sence Valley Park near Ibstock, for a pleasant stroll but nothing significant to report.

I wonder if you caught the story about the bald Postman in Exeter who was attacked by an escaped Eagle Owl, who said he thought the bird was after his rat-like moustache. It brought to mind another of the WoW stories that I have referred to and one that I had published in the local paper. This story came from a Mr KC of Surrey, and goes as follows:-

“In 1985 a friend and I had access to a part of Kempton Park Racecourse on which there was a thriving heronry and one winter we built a hide 80 feet up a chestnut tree to get some pictures of the herons on their tree-top nests in an adjacent oak.

One day in spring, as I entered the hide via the trapdoor in the floor, I heard the sound of a biggish bird exiting the hide and discovered a nest on the floor. I abandoned my photo plans in order not to disturb the mystery nester and returned a few days later in order to photograph the bird. On entering the hide, the bird again flew out and I set up my flash-guns and settled down to await the return of the mystery bird.

After about 10 minutes, I heard the bird return to the hide behind me. I couldn’t turn round for fear of disturbing it and it stayed perched behind me for about 5 minutes until it hopped on and nestled down on my head! It sat there quite comfortably for about 10 minutes and I still had no idea what it was. I had an incipient bald patch and I could feel the bird wriggling as though it was incubating my bald spot. Eventually, after what seemed a life-time, the bird dropped down onto its nest and I got my first picture of what was for me my first – a stock dove!”

Thursday 21^st April.. Had a pleasant stroll round Markeaton Park in the afternoon, the usual suspects on display, and the only nice surprise were the 3 Mandarin Ducks (a pair and a single male) on the duck pond, A single Swallow on the tele-wag wires was an encouraging sign that they may be back to breed again in the beams of the craft village.

My previous reference to maximising my lifetime NI contributions with the NHS has sadly increased, and I am heading towards some treatment which will NOT be the subject of this blog! But in my recent hospital visits,I often find the kindly nurses wanting to make conversation and relax me, by asking “What would you be doing if you were not here?”!!!   Nice opener!

So as a PR man for birding at Carsington (it seems), this week the conversations have gone thus:

• 1.       Whilst being wired up for the treadmill, the nurse tells me she goes regularly to Cley, a birding haven in Norfolk. (Cue verbal debate as to the most successful birder!!)

• 2.      A CT Scan technician tells me she loves Attenborough gravel pits.

• 3.      Friday, under escort to be anesthetised, by a charming little (!!) oriental nurse “What you do today?”,brings the answer, birding at Carsington, followed by a short lecture to the anaesthetist about Swifts and their life on high. Quote “I’ve learnt something to-day.”

If all else fails, one can always talk about our Avian friends.

The Ospreys are coming? They've arrived!

Monday April 11th   First of all, an apology to Mary for giving misleading information in my last blog.

When I stated that “Leo and I chatted about birds while his Grandma was giving him a necessary bath after playing in his football team”, it was of course Leo playing in the football team, and not Mary.

I digress......You will gather that I am stretching my standard 550 words because it’s been a No News week – again.

But what I can report is the Osprey season has started well.

Friday 1^st April   Reported on the Bird Guide website was one Osprey passing through and surprisingly heading South West. Logically at this date, the bird would be en route back to its place of birth in Scotland or the Lake District; South West is normally the route to Senegal. So without any id features such as a ring, Bird Number 1 will be a mystery.

Tuesday 12^th April, again a single bird, at 11.35 am, which was seen fishing and then left NE over Hall Wood. Mystery Bird No 2.

Another bit of late news was that on the Osprey bonus walk on the 10^th, BOD was some nice viewable Redpolls on Stones Island. And they could also be seen through a scope on Horseshoe Island on Sunday 17^th, the latter being alongside Goldfinches (they both like the same food) so an instant comparison was useful.

Sunday 17^th April, I was at a meeting at Carsington to see if we can erect an additional hide, or even a screen, as the volunteers’ project for the year 2017, the 25^th Anniversary of the year when H M Queen opened Carsington. I gather my daughter and her husband had a walk round Carsington to celebrate their WA, drinking a celebratory “Gin and Prosecco” at Sheepwash car park. (And they say romance is dead!) 

Had a message later to say that when they reached the Wildlife Centre, they encountered a very happy volunteer team who had just seen a Whimbrel come into roost, presumably one of the 5 that Roger Carrington saw very early on Monday morning. Quite a thrill for my daughter to use the VR scope, and see a bird she had not seen before. 

Well I’m sorry the maximising of my passed contributions to the NHS has limited my blog this week, and even Boots welcome me on Christian name terms, but I have greater plans for the coming week.

 Because Osprey sightings have started well this month, this appropriate picture is the first landing of an identifiable Osprey on one of the newly erected Osprey nests, on the 5^th May 2011. 

We were able to read the white ring on the left leg and the letters “KR”, and found out that this male Osprey was ringed (=borne – almost!) on the 28^th June 2009 (as a nestling), and was heading to its place of birth near Dingwall.

Did I see it? Nope. I was stuck in a Polling Station handing out voting papers to the great British public, and not allowed to have my mobile on, so I just got all the recordings "have you heard.....etc"

Ring details really make bird watching come alive