Xmas Cornucopia

This is the 98^th weekly entry that I have published since my first publication, coincidentally also on the 24^th December.

And with my activities this week more or less confined to non-birding activities, it’s a struggle to decide what to include in this cornucopia of happenings.

Sunday 17^th December was a wet walk, with just 2 people braving the elements. Pick of the (small-) bunch was a group of about 7 Greenfinches, and once again several frantically foraging Goldcrests. The latter always get a good scan, as I still look for a Firecrest, only ever having seen one once before, that time at Old Moor.

Greenfinches still seem to be suffering from trichomonosis, the infection that damages the throat such that the birds cannot swallow, and thus starve to death, so to see even a small flock is very satisfying. 

I do recall the days when they were quite common on my garden feeders. Keeping the feeders and the area as clean as possible does help them.  I remember Old Moor changing the feeders and feeding areas for just that reason.

On the walk, as promised we did find another of the house carvings on a dead tree stump, this one near the old tennis courts sight.

This was the last walk of 2017 for the new Bird Watching for Beginners at Markeaton Park. The 11 walks took 43 bookings, and were enjoyed by 25 different people. 49 species were logged for the first year, with the Markeaton BOD going to a wide range of species, but Kingfisher, Green Woodpecker, 

Tree Creeper, Little Egret and Goldcrest got the most votes.

Having read a brief report in Bird Watching, there is a relatively new phone app that may be of interest to beginners. It is called Merlin, and from a photo taken on your phone plus a couple of bits of related information, the app will come up with suggestions for what the bird might be. My information, including from a birder who has the app, is that the first suggestion offered is quite often the correct one, but obviously it depends on the quality of the picture.

Thinking back to my earlier birding days, id’ing a wader was an issue, like Dunlin? Knot? Grey Plover? Sanderling,  or Redshank? Spotted Redshank. Think how useful this app would have been, not only to get the answer, but getting it at the time I needed the answer, a great way to learn.   When there is any doubt, this is a very useful tool to have to hand and with an answer, to be able to look closely at plumage etc knowing that you now know what the bird is, this really helps imprint the knowledge in your brain.

My good friend in Portugal has done a test, and the word “brilliant” came to mind very quickly. Partly why…… the app free!!

I had a tip a couple of weeks ago that a strange dark, thrush like bird had been seen in the Mickleover area of Derby. No one seemed to know what the bird was, but the few people who had seen it said it was bigger than a Thrush or a Fieldfare (which is not dark anyway) but they also said the beak was quite big.    Nothing on any websites, so that will be one that got away, whatever it was.

Samantha Herbert is a wildlife expert who has the occasional short column on the back page of the Daily Telegraph, in fact almost the very last news item in the paper. But she does cover Fauna.

An article this week, was about returning Bewick Swans at Slimbridge, from the Russian arctic. The article referred to a 26 year old Swan who had raised 29 cygnets, but returned (so far) without his mate.

But what tickled me, were the names. The WWT give names to new Cygnets, and the article referred to a couple called Croupier (the cob) and Dealer (pen). Croupiers grandfather was Nijinsky, and his mother was Casino. I know there is one named Derek after a very dedicated volunteer, and I don’t doubt that there are many more interesting stories and explanations that could be told.

So,…………………… no I didn’t say it, but my grumble last week did bring one very supportive e-mail, suggesting the word “so” is the modern alternative to “ahem”, in other words time to think before the answer. Well it’s a theory!!

Ergo?...No!    … anyway I’m ending to-day with a photo of 3 generations of the Bennett clan, all joining together and sending you all their best wishes for a very happy Xmas, and a happy and successful bird watching 2018.

That’s Julian (on camera remote control) with Sarah, Sharon with Michael, the Matriarch and Patriarch, and our  Grandson Leo, 11 years old, and taller than the 2 Grandparents!!.

C’es la vie