MERRY TWIXMAS

Well it’s nearly New Year’s Eve, so a very happy New Year to you all and may your bird-watching in 2019 be all that you hope for. 

Those of you who keep records, now have your count for 2018, a figure which is now frozen, and off you go for 2019 starting at Zero.  Hopefully you will not only beat your score for 2018, but maybe beat your best and give yourself a new record score. 

Most birders who keep sightings records want to achieve the big 200, so if you are of them…Good Luck!

Meanwhile something to reinvigorate the old grey cells, which will have probably been a bit dormant 

for the past 5 days: -

                                                                             A

                                                              M E R R Y

                                                                  X M A S

                                                            T U R K E Y

Simple Addition -Each letter is represented by the number 0-9. Find the number for the total.

A nice little birdie question…I was playing golf at Allestree and observed that I had just scored a Snowman.  Explain!¬

(Your Answers on my comments page please or wait for next week for my answers!!)

               

As we come to the end of 2018, 30^th December 2018 is the 146^th time in the 3 years I have been writing my blog. Not the full 52*** this year I’m afraid, partly through holidays in Cyprus and Majorca, and a couple of weeks enjoying the services of the NHS at the Derby Royal Hospital.

Without any bird news this week let’s have a bit of a review of the year.

200 Club? It looks as though there are only 2 of my birding colleagues who have made the 200 club this year, Christine and Amanda.  I suspect that once they have made the 200+, they were happy, and anything higher was a bonus. Me, I’m going for it again in 2019.  I did not qualify this year, with the prime-time birding months being unavailable due to *** above.

I managed 3 visits to Frampton Marsh this year and for a change it only took 2 trips before I found the Turtle Dove. That WAS a major highlight this year. I knew the area to look and adopting the approach “I’ll just look a bit further”, I duly heard the evocative Turtle Dove call. And then a bit further another call, - maybe 2? Retracing my steps to the spot where I had the first call, it seemed to come from the other side of a high thick bush. At the end of the hedge trampled grass was a good sign of where to be, and sure enough my perseverance was rewarded.

A new BwB innovation in 2018 was for a group of Carsington BwB birders to have an away day trip  to Frampton Marsh on 27^th May. 7 of us had a very good day, seeing the Glossy Ibis that selfish photographers were trying to flush. Graham arrived at the RSPB reserve the night before, and when we arrived at 10.00am he was telling us what we had missed overnight!!

As we all enjoyed the trip, we did the same thing again! 14^th October we were at Old Moor and Broomhill Flash. Bird of the walk was an elusive Grey Phalarope seen from Wath Ings hide, and although it was very mobile it was due to the birders in the hide calling the changing location that we all managed to get good views.

Although it seems some time ago, most will recall the Hawfinch irruption, and it would have been hard NOT to have seen one somewhere. My first sighting was at Allestree Park on Jan 1, and later in the month at Old Moore there was a single bird in the trees above the car park. Cars going to and frow had no adverse effect.

Highlights for me undoubtedly included the annual pilgrimage on the River Exe in Devon, and the RSPB bird watching cruise up to Topsham.   I’m already booked for February 2019.

And the annual Boston Lincs cruise on the rivers Witham and Welland. This is also already booked for 2019, and I hope to include a night-over so that I can include a visit to Gib Point and/or Frampton Marsh.

I reflected on my sightings for 2018. The Devon and the Exe cruise gave the best year additions of 15, but a total of 66 species on the Boston cruise with 48 hours in Lincs was the most productive.

Just the one lifer in the UK, the Spotted Sandpiper at Holme Pierrepoint.  

It was good to see again some birds that I had not seen for a long time. A Red Breasted Goose - Slimbridge (last seen in 2006); Iceland Gull – Albert Village with Rod Key(1993) {a DOS trip I’m on in January}; Firecrest – Broomhill Flash, Dearne Valley (2007); Montagues Harrier – Blacktoft Sands (2007), and it had been 3 years since I saw a Bittern – well worth going to Old Moore for.

And of course, the other significant event in 2018 was “I quit”, or “I resign”.. No, I’m re

tiring, or as my young grandson once said “Grandpa, I’ve had enough”.

My family of six had Friday in London, dining at Rules the oldest restaurant in London.

I don’t know about Brits going abroad for Xmas, but for sure foreigners come to England. Regent St, Carnaby St and Oxford street were heaving!! And I reckon they will still come despite the Brexit outcome. If I tell you a great proportion had Japanese cameras and phones, slit eyes, and smog masks, you can guess where they have flown from….long journey!!  What a major export our tourism is.

So to end a few memorable photos….the 200 year old Churchill Arms is at Notting Hill and the inside is rife with Churchill era memorabilia… we spent ages looking at the things hanging from the ceiling!

Carnaby Street

Regent Street

Churchill Arms, Notting Hill

That’s it., good bye and for the umpteenth time….Happy New Year.

David

Last posting before Christmas!!!!!

The 2018 Penultimate post!

Who’s the most gullible?  Me, for believing the data that an ex-friend sent about the calendar frequency of there being 5 Saturdays, 5 Sundays and 5 Mondays in a year. (Incidentally not 3 times as I wrongly stated.)  No it’s not once in 723 years, but in fact the next one will be in 2029.   A positive correction from Mrs Bridge, thank you.

I have requested my source to check his/her facts more carefully, so that I am not subjected to claims of tautology by one follower which my spell and grammar check failed to pick up!!

By the way, I notice that I did not show you the 2 legs added to my collection in November, so these are them!

                                            

The first leg is a metal bottle opener in a similar style to a footballer and a golfer that I already have 

in my collection. Not valuable, but still a leg.

The second one is a bronze pipe tamper, dated c 1880, and probably at 2 ins small enough to be used by a lady.

Tuesday 18^th December birding was very much an on-off situation, depending on which weather forecast you read. But determination prevailed and once Chris had cleared the eternal problem of the traffic at 8.30am on the west bound Brian Clough way from Nottingham to Derby we set off for Carsington.

Despite poor visibility, we got to Millfields first so we popped in for a quick gander. Almost immediately we noticed a non-Severn Trent feeding station which I had not seen before. There was plenty of seed and fat and it was being well used by Tits and Finches. In the few minutes we watched, a Nuthatch came down the branches, and a female Great Spotted Woodpecker spent a long time pecking the fat balls.

Thanks to the public spirited people who fill the feeders, and to Roger Carrington and Simon Roddis who carry some food to top up these feeders if needed.   

Next stop was Sheepwash where the best place to be was in the hide. An easterly wind was driving the rain through the windows, so we picked which window to open with some thought!! Nothing really to talk about, so we next went to the Wildlife Centre. Pat and Jill were on duty, and with such inclement weather they were pleased to have 2 visitors. Their sightings Board was up to 38 before we left, with many of the usual suspects, but I added a female Goldeneye to the list, and a smart Song Thrush dropped in. 4 VERY well camouflaged Snipe were on Stones Island, but with no Lapwings they were the only Waders.

As the restaurant was in use for a lunch + music event, we warmed up in the courtyard café, before venturing out on Stones Island to the Janet Ede hide. To start with not much, until I picked up the Great Northern Diver not far offshore, a good reward for our dedicated efforts in crossing the ice cold causeway!

37 for the walk, not bad all considered… oh and the water is now 69.5% full

I hope like me, you are looking forward to the festive season and I hope that you and your family will have a relaxed and happy Christmas. Assuming and hoping that Santa will be calling in, I have 3 landmark dates on the horizon.

The first date is Christmas with different family members dropping in on various days. Ed: Relaxing? in the kitchen? I’ll keep you fortified with G & T, darling.

6 days later is my last day as a Volunteer Ranger, and together with the other kind gifts and cards I have received I have that superb painting of an Osprey. That will soon be reframed and on the wall, and I’ll let you see what it looks like when it is done.

And then, 26 days later I cease to be in my seventies (you work it out if you must). My good birding friend Christine together with her husband John, has given me a birthday voucher for 2 birding cruises with which I have booked the Avocet cruise from Exmouth in February, and the Boston (Lincs) cruise in the Wash in May. Ed: One assumes that it was 2 cruises for 1, and not 1 cruise for 2.

Sunday 23^rd December.  To-day was extremely quiet at Carsington, the only news being that the tide is still coming in, with the Reservoir being nearly 70% full. The rain in the last 24 hours has got to have helped, not so much by the reservoir capturing it, but by the need to relieve the Derwent of the volume that will be flowing down from the hills in the north of the county.

Anyway, and once again, a very Happy Xmas to both my readers!!

PS.  Any Waxwings around??

A VERY unique December !!??!!

And now the post penultimate entry!!! And some bird news for a change!

But first, I expect like me you get unsolicited e-mails which make you reach for the delete button, but I got one this week, from someone I know so it was kosher, with an amazing statistic.

This month, now, December, 2018 has a structure that will not happen again for 723 years. Yes, YEARS.     December has 5 Saturdays, 5 Sundays and 5 Mondays.  Anyone alive today, will never encounter that again in their life, and it will be about 30-34 generations before it happens again.

How about that for a conversation stopper over Xmas!!

Tuesday December 11^th   a nice clear day for Chris and me to visit Rutland Water. Mind you, I got off to a bad start by driving down the M1 from junction 25 to 24, and not seeing the new exit arrangement at J24, I missed the turn off. Shows how long it must have been since I went that way, so I was left with no option but to continue on down the M1. The Satnav took me round the north of Leicester and at least I missed Melton Mowbray en route to Oakham. Needless to say, Chris was already there, but I was only 20 minutes late.

The view of the water from the Egleton centre straight away found the great White Egret and in fact the Great and a Little were viewable through my scope at the same time – a useful comparison of size, and particularly the large yellow beak of the Great.  The lovely Pintails were in abundance, and a pair of Redhead (female) Smew were spotted, but no White Nun.

The feeding station produced one of those eternal bird id problems. Being in and out so quickly, was it a Willow or a Marsh Tit????  I suppose because we always have Willow at Carsington, that was my first reaction, until the Volunteer in the centre said, “We only get Marsh Tits”.  Oh, for the opportunity to see both, side by side!!

Our packed lunch was digested in the Mallard hide (not very far from the visitor centre… we were hungry), but our vigilance was rewarded by what was, apart from Lapwings, the only wader we saw, a Green Sandpiper. But a meandering Marsh Harrier was what flushed the Lapwings, and not the Fox that we saw creeping along the edge of the water.

It’s too long a story to explain how I got to this point, but I purchased a very nice framed oil painting of an Osprey landing in a tree, which was for sale at Rutland visitor centre. I took it home and then to Carsington where it was presented to me at the Volunteers Christmas lunch, as a memento of my 21 

years as a Volunteer.

It was a wonderful gift, which will go well in our bird themed dining room at home. I will need to put it in a smaller frame, but it will look great on the wall, and a lovely memory of my days at Carsington, and the Osprey project that I masterminded from 2011

On the subject of Willow Tits, a National survey is being undertaken in 2019/20 to locate all the diminishing but remaining population. I have mentioned that Carsington is making it’s contribution by erecting more boxes to try and increase the population in a location which IS good for Willows.

An amusing comment on different perspectives.    In England, particularly in the South East, Ring Necked Parakeets are proliferating and recognised as a pest. I find very few people like this bird, which admittedly did not come to England naturally but started from escapees or released birds (depending on which version you believe!!)

Whereas, in Barcelona you can see the most diverse array of introduced Parakeets.

What else?   Water is still being pumped into Carsington, now at 68% full.

Saturday December 15^th   Carsington Volunteers enjoyed their annual Xmas lunch, and I had the nice surprise(!!!) of the Osprey painting (as above) before we dined.   I had a number of cards and presents, and also a nice hand-written note from the CEO of Severn Trent, Liv Garfield.

When such a senior person takes time out to send a hand-written note of appreciation, it means more than a voucher, or cash. It is a true recognition, and a pity it does not happen more. John Timpson of the Timpson shoe repair chain is a great believer in hand written notes and knows that a recipient is more likely to pin that to the wall than a £10 note.

It was a good Xmas lunch which 20 of us enjoyed, at the same time struggling with my 30 question quiz papers to find names of sweets. OK, some had not heard of Five Boys, Blackjacks, or Fruit Salad, and even Tictacs, but I thought “Southern underwear” (Snickers) and “It’s all about Brexit” (Topic) were not that difficult.

Sunday December 16^th   and now to another farewell, although I have to say that judging by the ferocious weather on Saturday, it was a surprise to wake up and find it was sunny and dry, albeit cold. 

That’s fine…. soon solved with 6 layers.

To-day was my last BwB in Markeaton Park for FOMP, the Friends of Markeaton Park. I had been doing the walk for three years, and it will continue seamlessly into 2019 when it will be led for the first 6 months by Malcolm Hopton, the Treasurer of the DOS.

Only 3 people to-day, but they were rewarded with 25 species, the best count in 2018, so it was nice to leave on a high. 2 Little Egrets on the main lake (I’d only ever seen a singleton there previously), 10 Goosanders plus Tree Creeper and Great Spotted Woodpecker were the pick of the crop.

And thanks to one of my regular birders, who also makes blog comments, for her home-made and embroidered farewell card bearing a Robin. 

I hope you are all well in hand with your Xmas planning. Just 15 days to go and it will be birding 2019… here we go!!!

Happy Birding.

And now for something completely different.... something else!!

As I write my post, post penultimate 2018 blog entry, it is an emotional time, knowing that in 23 days I will no longer be a Volunteer Ranger. So please forgive me for finding something that I hope will make you chuckle as much as I will. The lack of activity on the bird front does drive me in another direction, but rest assured the posting of Jan 5 will be bursting with news!! (There is a bit of Avian data at the end!)

Having referred previously in my blog to my nomadic long-time friend Roy (or Royston John when his Mum was cross with him!!), he found the old grey cells started twitching when I wrote recently about the memorable date when John Kennedy was shot.  As I’ve said that was one of those life time events about which people say, “I know where I was at the time”.

Roy recalled the 1960’s when he and I used to bowl in a Tenpin Bowling league on the South coast at Hove. Roy lived in Claygate in Surrey, in a house called Little Squirrels, and so our tenpin bowling team was also called “Little Squirrels”. 

Every Friday night the ritual was for him to collect me at c6.30pm at Surbiton station in his Ford Anglia, WHW288, pick up our third team member Jim in Guildford, drive via Horsham where we stopped for take-away F & C and then head for the sea, in time for bowling at 8.30pm.

But on that 22^nd November in 1963 things did not proceed as expected, and we both still remember what a strange evening that was.   When we turned on the radio at 8.00pm for our regular injection of The Navy Lark, there was no Jon Pertwee, Leslie Phillips or Ronnie Barker, in fact it was all news. It soon became clear that all the news was about the assassination of President Kennedy.

Naturally my thoughts turned to how Mary would have been coping at the Overseas department of the BBC, and, as I told you a couple of weeks ago, the answer was… panicking. Mobile phones did not exist then, and the only option we may have had would be to stop at a phone. But I was never allowed to ring Mary at work, so I had no telephone number anyway.  She did get home OK, albeit somewhat later than usual.

In 1955 when I was 26, tenpin was in its infancy, but my Father worked for the Rank Organisation which was the first company to open UK bowling alleys. His work included the privilege of cheaper bowling, and he introduced me to tenpin at Golders Green bowl. (Incidentally I bowled on one occasion on the lane next to Jimmy Young!)

I therefore qualified to bowl in Roy’s team, by the shear fact that I knew which holes to put my fingers in.   And so regular weekly league bowling began at Brighton.

Those Friday nights were also particularly memorable for our weekly late-night interviews by the boys in blue (BIB) in Guildford, usually at c1.00am. As part of their training, new police recruits were sent out in the small hours to wheedle out any ne’er-do-wells in Guildford who seemed to have questionable intentions, and 3 men in their twenties, in a black Ford Anglia must have appeared to be rIch pickings.

As we wound our way through the back streets of Guildford towards Jim’s house, he in the back seat would soon be pointing out a blue light. First reaction would be, of course, pull over and let it pass, but unable to shake off the law by that strategy, we pulled over and waited to be invited for a chat.

Interviews usually moved from officious to formal to friendly to amusing, and we always left with a happy wave.  Roy came close to a problem when in response to the question what do you have in your boot, he replies “Balls”, followed VERY QUICKLY by “Bowling Balls”, and even more promptly opened the boot to prove the point.

Whilst our friendship (with the law) flourished as long as we were encountering the same BIB Roy in particular did chance his arm at times. He asked on one occasion if we could get a season ticket – wrong question.

Some final birdy newsy bits:-

Carsington Bird Club and Severn Trent have erected a significant number of additional nest boxes, which have been put up at various locations around the Reservoir. Willow Tit is one of the target birds, as well as more Tree Sparrows.

Even before the rain, but even more so now, water is being actively pumped up from the Derwent, which should help reverse the 35% deficiency.  It will take a time though.

Oh and the G N Diver is still around after 7 days, so he looks like staying

The Carsington volunteers have organised the overhaul of the Lane End Osprey nest, carried out by the nest team from Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, and the volunteers make a donation to the trust in appreciation of the work they do. …and that donation is facilitated by the generous donations I have collected from birders who have been on the Carsington Birdwatching for Beginners walks. Thank you.   Some work will also be undertaken on the other nests, in some cases possibly moving the nest posts.

Good news this week. For the first time for about 2 months (4 Dec 2.15pm), I have seen the Derby Peregrines back on the Jury Inn hotel sign, two is the best count.

Forthcoming walks…. My absolutely last organised one!!!

              Sunday 16^th December 10.30am.   Markeaton park BwB.

For now………………. Happy Birding.

BwB Carsington .....under New Management 1st January 2019!!!

I notice that Slim Bridge added a comment on one of my posts, suggesting that in the absence of bird news, I should work on a Travelogue. If that’s what my readers want…..try this Poser of the week.

 

Where and what is it?

A clue?     It’s quite quiet round here….. at the moment!

To more serious matters, Sunday 2^nd December 2018 was my final guided walk for the Carsington Birdwatching for Beginners course and it was indeed a day with a bit of a lump in my throat. Today was unfortunately a dull day weather wise, with poor visibility and one short sharp shower (say those 3 words quickly 5 times!!) whilst we were on Stones Island, making bird watching difficult.

There was a good turn out for December, with 23 people on the walk, including a young couple doing Birding for their Duke of Edinburgh Award.   

Amanda, Gary and Keith were coincidentally all away for this walk, so I had the pleasure of Volunteer Lorna (complete with scope!!) to help me.

Simon Roddis greeted me at 9.45 with the comment “The Great Northern Diver is back, just in time for your final walk” which was nice, but unfortunately despite 3 telescopes searching hard he could not be found during the 2-hour walk. Volunteer Mac, watching from the relatively comfortable wildlife centre, was pretty sure he had seen it flying North up the reservoir, so it could well have been at the more protected Hopton End.

Coots in the sailing club bay were in surprising short supply but they were replaced by a large number of Teal.

The adverse weather accelerated our walking, and we were at the Wildlife Centre by 11.45, almost an unprecedented speed record!   HOWEVER, the last 15 minutes spent there, added some nice goodies, including Ruff, Redshank, Gadwall, Tree Sparrow, Snipe, the Kestrel on the TV camera post, and Coal Tit, finishing the morning on 33, which regulars will know entitles me to the Roast lunch… a bit prophetic, it was Turkey!!!

Bird of the day (BOD) received a range of nominations, from Bullfinch (a pair on Stones Island), a single Wigeon in Sailing Club Bay, to the one nominated by young Peter Cavell (he of the sponsored hair cut I told you about last month) and me… a Weasel!  4 of us were heading the group towards the visitor centre, and where the path forks, a weasel ran left to right across the left path, and as we stood there talking about it, it across the right-hand fork. Brilliant.

When we reached the Wildlife Centre I had the very nice surprise of gifts from appreciative regulars on the BwB walks. A very welcome bottle of Glenfiddich, a box of shortbread (my favourite) and a Waterstones book voucher. (I had seen 2 interesting books in Waterstones in Trafalgar Square only this week – most apposite.) … and a card signed by many regulars. Thank you all very much.

So (!!) to all those people who have enjoyed some of the 13 years that I have been doing the walk, thank you for coming on the walks, thank you for your donations to the Osprey nest maintenance fund, thank you for my retirement gifts and I hope I have helped you to get more enjoyment and bird knowledge from your walks.

To my fellow Volunteers thank you for supporting me and thank you for replacing me on a few unplanned occasions. I know that birders will be well looked after by Amanda with the continuing support of Keith and Gary.

Sunday 13^th January 2019 is in my diary for my annual 3-hour New Year walk at Attenborough – if you wish to join me, just turn up.

Finally,   did you notice Teal above?   Not bird news - that was the 100,000th word I have written in my blog since 24^th December 2015!   (Statistics, right to the end!!)

And the Poser of the week?   Big Ben.. shrouded in scaffolding for the major overhaul, and with a silenced bell for a while.

And finally a few memorable photos.

 Happy Birding