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Monday 15^th August,  Ah that’s better, I’ve reached a week where birding is starting to become a bit more of a priority. Brill!

For a start, I briefly popped into Markeaton Park, and went through the archway to the craft village courtyard, only to be buzzed by a Swallow going up into the rafters. And even without bins I could see, each time the bird flew to the nest, 3 heads appeared.

There will be 3 young Swallows with a strange noise imprint on their memory, because in the courtyard that week, there was an outdoor film show, and they would have been listening to Star Wars!  Not the quietest of sound tracks.

Tuesday 16^th and I decided to be really adventurous, and have a trip to Blacktoft Sands. It’s only 1hr 25min so not far, and a much better run now the 3 year roads work speed limit of 50 has been lifted on the relevant M1 section.

Within minutes, I had a year tick of a female Marsh Harrier, and soon after a Ruff so that’s 172. But the brilliant sighting for the day, was to see a gorgeous grey male Harrier fly in carrying food, and seeing it pass the catch to the female, by dropping it as she flew below.

Unfortunately, yet again I went there on a day when maintenance work was being done on the Marshland hide, which I didn’t know until I approached the hide – pity because it is one of the best hides in my experience, and I invariably see Water Rail and Bearded Tit there (the latter I have yet to see in 2016). They will have to wait for another day.

By the way, did you recognise a Corncrake last week on my blog? I’ve yet to see one or hear the distinctive call. The call is best illustrated by taking a credit card, and running it along the teeth of a comb, equipment that every birder will have with them when in the field.

I mentioned drones last week, and whilst I know there is a wide range of views, from “are they intrusive?”, to “do you want Amazon to drop (??!!) your purchase on the front door step by drone?”, I’m thinking of other advantages.

I do Like the concept of a beach lifeguard being able to deliver a lifebuoy to someone a distance offshore, quickly. But what I want is a camera that can tell me whether our 5 Osprey posts at Carsington Water are in need of any remedial work! 

No one has a 25ft pole with a mirror on the end, it’s a fag for the DWT to bring their 26ft ladder to visit 5 nests for a quick 30 second squint over the edge of each one, low flying helicopters are not an option (noisy, disruptive to birds, nests below tree canopy), and although we do get them, hot air balloons are unlikely to be steerable to exactly where the nest is.  So opting for sensible ideas, the drone is the answer. Thoughts?

Finally, I’ve had a word with the Blog’s technical adviser, Julian. I asked him if he could tell me how my readers could set their computer to get an automated message each time I posted a blog update. He went into Julian-speak, I went to sleep, and he said you’ve got the latest software, “let’s have a look”. This usually means that he will do things that you will not  understand, and you pray that he will leave it as it was!!

But fair do’s, he did find a gadget which is now installed on the front of my blog. So if instead of having to monitor the blog yourself, you would like to know when there is a new post, just enter your e-mail address on the front page. I cannot see any names, it is free, no registration or password da de da , but you will have a visual verification, to ensure a computer cannot be locked on.

You will get a verification/ validation e-mail which you just click, and youwill be ready for the next  release.

I’ve done it for Mary on her i-pad as a birthday present, but she doesn’t know that yet, and I don’t expect she will see it that way.

Happy Birding