The (last-) Monthly Flyer No 5 December 2019

So where are we now?   

Well today is Monday Dec 9 and I’m starting to think positively about birding in 2020. (with twenty-twenty vision I suppose!)   I do seem to have gone right off the boil since my trip to Frampton  and Norfolk in July, when I hit my 2019 peak with No173, a Grey Partridge.    Of course, I did have the enjoyable cruise on the Exe in November and a couple of trips to Attenborough with Chris and Gill in the Summer/Autumn, but nothing seemed to increase the 173.

Which is why 1^st January 2020 is “here we go again” time, and it will be Markeaton Park by 8.30am for the first 25 species of the day, and the hope of adding Hawfinch, Dipper and Great Northern Diver to bag 50 or more for the day.

When I left/retired as a Carsington Volunteer Ranger, John Matkin the Senior Carsington Ranger was generous in recognising my 21 years’ service.

Severn Trent gave me a superb framed photo of an Osprey, they erected Swift nests at the Visitor Centre in recognition of my services, and introduced the David Bennett award, for the Volunteers’ Volunteer.

This award is to be awarded annually to the Volunteer who has made the greatest/a notable contribution to Carsington during the calendar year, with the first award to be for 2019.

All  Volunteer Rangers were asked to cast their vote for 2019 and on Saturday 14^th December I made the first award, to Andy Mckay, a volunteer for some 5 years and the choice of his fellow volunteers.

In many of the bird talks and walks I have organised especially the Osprey talks, I have found myself talking about the Ring-Necked Parakeets (RNP) that are continuing to spread northwards across the country. There are many stories about where they came from and how they came to spread, and the first one that I saw was 25 years ago in August 1994 near the Thames at Walton-on-Thames in Surrey.

At that time, talk was that the RNP’s had escaped from films studios in Shepperton and I saw them frequently in large flocks at dusk, at the Walton leisure centre, and later when they moved to roosting at the tall trees around Walton Rugby Club.

A further suggestion was that a number had been released in Carnaby Street by Jimi Hendrix. 

Over the years I got my annual tick anywhere near Putney, or Leatherhead Crematorium, and down the A30!!

Now the theories have been debunked by scientists, who have opined the view that the eruption was due to a random string of releases, some influenced by public panic when it became known that they could carry a contagious parrot disease. 

The research found a lot of justification for this conclusion and that when people owning a parrot got to know about the risk, rather than find a way of destroying the bird, they just opened the window!!

Followers will (I hope!) have read my November “Special” when I recounted my culinary Coming Out at a London restaurant. I did not mention that it was at the Famous posh and expensive Sky Garden Restaurant at the top of the Fenchurch building. Looking at the building it is clear why it is called The Walkie Talkie!

It was therefore a surprise to see last Wednesday, during the final of the The Apprentice series on BBC1,  Alan Sugar’s preamble had been filmed in the same restaurant, and this is a screen shot of one of the finalist teams making their plans in the restaurant area….. EXACTLY at the table where we dined. I know how much our meal cost – I guess that hiring the restaurant for a film set would have been more than my credit card limit!! 

This is Baroness Brady (Karren) taking notes about her team.

As I write it is Sunday December 22, 3 days to go for food, booze and gifts…. And in my case snoozing!!

I’m sorry my Avian reporting has been so non existent for the last 4/5 months, but from Wednesday January 1st, 2020, it will be all systems go… well that’s the plan!!

And finally, some info to ponder on..   

1.   Our local church has installed a credit/debit card machine on the wall, for worshippers (or visitors) to make donations if they are short of ready money.   I recall the days when religious giving in church was into a bag, and even earlier into a slotted box. Yet now it can be an open dish, and this new giving method will (I assume) provide the church with the amount and the name, of each giver.  Personally, I’m not comfy with this procedure, although it is probably a further precursor of a cashless society.

2.   Two FYI for 31^st December!!

a.    260 years ago, Arthur Guinness began brewing

b.   And just one month before I was born, the first motorist breathalyser was introduced in Indianapolis by a Dr Harger.

So,  Tuesday 31^st December 2019… a very happy New Year to any readers who I have left and who have stuck with me !!!,  and I hope that the title of my blog can continue once again in 2020.   See you next year

Happy Birding

The Monthly Flyer. November 2019 No 4(b)

A clean pair of heels? - well, legs-yes!!

After my unusual bonus blog a couple of weeks ago, here we go back to (sort of -) normal. I did have a couple of positive comments on my culinary delights, so maybe I should try my hand at fiction!!

Good bits of news from Carsington.  On 2^nd November a Great Northern Diver was reported by Carsington Bird Club.    Much earlier than in recent years, but the experts id’d this one as a juvenile, so maybe we have yet to see a/the returning adult which is normally in the first half of December.

I popped in for a while on Sunday when Amanda and Mac were on duty, and we located the Diver in the area they often frequent, in the middle of the reservoir near the line of red buoys.

The other Carsington news is that for almost the first time since May 2016, with the water this week at 97.2% full the level is so high that you can see from the Wildlife Centre that it actually IS a horseshoe Island.   Whilst this good level stops people encroaching on the islands, it is not exactly conducive to waters edge waders.

As you know my 2019 UK target of 200 species has well fizzled out, so it was good to hear that Amanda is currently on the magic 200, and she still has time to spare to get even higher. In 2018 she scored 207, so a higher figure in 2019 is still a possibility.

In the last 7 days I have twice read a news item from the Dubai air show which made me ponder.

The Airbus company observed that migrating birds, geese in particular, have a tendency to fly in a  V-formation so that the birds that are behind the leader, by flying in it’s wake, use less effort in propelling themselves forward.

OK, that’s a given, well understood by birders. Now, Airbus are advocating that aircraft should emulate this technique by flying close behind each other. Really?  How can you have that situation?   

I can think of only 2 circumstances when this technique could be applied in reality.

The Red Arrows flying in formation

A Royal fly past down the Mall!

I mean, let’s face it, can you see 6 Thomson holiday flights all taking off from East Midlands airport at 6.00am within 5 minutes of each, loitering until they are all assembled in a V and heading off SSE to the Middle of France.  Then “Douglas Bader” despatches Tail-end Charlie to Faro, next to Majorca, number 3 to Milan. The remaining 3 re-group, down the Adriatic, when No 4 veers off for Naples, 5 lands in Athens and “leader” goes solo to Pathos. 

With a stretch of the imagination that could work, but I couldn’t see different airlines coordinating the timetables. Mike O’Leary would always want the best deal for Ryanair and would therefore always want to avoid being the leader.

And what about coming back?  Should all flights have a “meeting area” above  say Corsica, where they would circle until all 6 had re-grouped. Now THAT would waste some juice.

Sorry, can’t see this being a goer.

What else in the news?   I’ll bring you up to speed on some recent leg purchases.

For a long time I have wanted a walking cane with a handle in the shape of a leg, but until recently they have eluded me. Then I came across one, and then a second, and those are the 2 metal handled examples in the picture. The third one is, I think, a nicer one because it is carved, and whilst I am not used to walking with a stick (yet!) in a short trial run, I found the handle nicely fitted in the palm of the hand.

The other photos include something that I had never seen before. I have seen many examples of trench-art, particularly those ostensibly made by soldiers in the trenches from discarded pieces of brass etc, from military shells. So when I came across one in the shape of a shoehorn, whilst we at an antique fair near Exeter last week, it had to be added to my collection.

…. And the same with the weeny leg shaped piece of mother-of-pearl which s shown on the shoe-horn to compare the size.

Whilst we were away in Exmouth last week, I went on another of the bird watching trips up the Exe to Topsham and back.    Not very different from the February trip and nothing to add to my static 2019 count. A Rock Pipit was a nice sighting on a marina wall, a Peregrine was visible on one of the spires on Holy Trinity Church, and there were lots of Oos and Ahhs for the Avocets.

Just wish the “spotter” had been the competent David Smallshire; our spotter lost his bearings in using a clock face basis (North 12.00; East 3.00 etc.) Let’s hope it is DS when I go next February.

I had a call from Gill, who was thrilled to have a Jay drop in for a brief landing in her garden. She has seen them doing a fly-through to a nearby oak, but this one was obviously getting more sociable…or hungry!!

Finally……………  147 years ago - on the 30^th November 1872 - the first ever International football match -  watched by 4,000 spectators - Scotland v England.  Result 0-0  

Merry Xmas!!   (well, if all goes to plan, the next blog will be around Hogmanay!!)

The Monthly Flyer Bonus issue - November 2019

My given title is absolutely appropriate for this bonus post.  Read on -

THE MONTHLY FLYER   No 4(a).    November 2019

Saturday 2^nd November 2019, the day when my family witnessed my “coming out” in an area that they had always thought I was 100% true to my beliefs!!    Yes - they were to witness a happening the likes of which they had never seen before.

I had told them about my witnessing a similar activity in c1953 in Navarino Road, Hackney but both then and since that time I had always been true to my beliefs and never wavered from them.

This time we were “en famile” in London at a restaurant on the North bank of the Thames, celebrating a significant 50^th birthday so it was not an occasion when they expected to hear about my weakness of (or even “for”..) the flesh. Whilst the group felt they knew all there was to know about me, it was to be an incredible surprise (and a privilege for them!!) to watch this unprecedented moment.

There have been a number of similar and difficult decisions to make in my life, when I could not decide which one to choose, and here once again I was faced with a dilemma to resolve. Mary was heard to say “you go first” a common remark from her, which put the pressure on me… no more time to think or ponder….I had to make the landmark choice.  It wasn’t but it could have been, on my bucket list.

It was unprecedented, and only on one occasion in Spain some 30 years ago had I found myself with a similar sort of dining landmark decision. On that occasion, my choice was overtaken by a “Hobsons Choice” situation which was forced upon me, thereby removing my options. 

This 2019 momentous decision, admittedly mine, has made me ponder extensively whether or not I have previously encountered such a situation and whether in fact I should be said to be a hypocrite and therefore no need to “come out” as I am “out” already.

“Coming out” is the moment when you publicly acknowledge that you have an opinion, a view, a way of life, or a secret aptitude or leaning towards something that you have previously preferred to keep quiet.

At this point as I reflect on previous weak moments in my life, and decide whether I am indeed a hypocrite, I must confess that the event of the 2^nd November was equally a surprise to me (and to others, and my readers), and was very close to being precedented twice before.  

And, yet I don’t know.    Where was the precedent?  It certainly was not (1-a) Chrysolophus Pictus but more probably  (1-b)Phasianus Colchicus, both memorable in their different ways. It could also have been (2) Gallus Gallus Domesticus.    Do they both breach my ethical view? They both fall in the same categories in one way, but not in another.  In the case of the first, it has a running speed of c30mph, but in the latter a record flight of only 13 seconds.

And another factor, which is the appropriate adjective? Wild, Feral or Tame? Does it make a difference?

I HAVE REACHED A CONCLUSION and decided that I do not need to come out, because I am already “out”.  I am not a vegan or a vegetarian, but an outright carnivore. Which is why my starter at the excellent meal at The Sky Garden Restaurant in the Fenchurch building (also known as The Walkie Talkie) in the city of London was ....... Feral Pigeon!!

The Feral bit still bothers me. I can recall occasions at Carsington Water when I have suggested that Severn Trent should institute a self-service scheme to pick your goose for Xmas. This would be a) a money earner; and b) help keep the Canada Goose stock down.

I cannot therefore help but wonder whether, when the Chef at our restaurant has an order in the kitchen for Feral Pigeon, does he pop down Fenchurch Street and select one of the plumpest resident pigeons. 

ANYWAY, I must admit that for a first-time experience, I did enjoy Pigeon. The meat was firm, red and very tasty and there was not a scrap left on my plate.

By way of nostalgia, this is picture of a Derby relative of my now deceased City of London Pigeon.

This one's name is Graham.

And what does Mary dish up last Sunday lunch?.......... Duck in a Cantonese style plum sauce – equally delicious.

I feel somewhat hypocritical to end with my usual post with “Happy Birding”… so instead "Bon Appetit."

THE MONTHLY FLYER No.3. October 2019

I suppose I can understand why some species go into hibernation at this time of year. With my current non-success rate bird-wise, maybe I should do the same. I have been known to “drop off” at the drop of a hat, particularly pm, but I do benefit from a very good human wake-up system, the magic words at c3pm…” do you want a cake with your cup of Hornimans?”  (please note the change of brand over recent months!!).

Wednesday 2^nd October I was doing my weekly duty at Crich Tram museum and found myself chatting to the Museum Chaplain.  I mentioned the bird hide along the woodland walk, and he told me it was quite new. 

I mentioned that whilst the hide was in a good place in the woods, a feeding station or at least a less overgrown view could be more interesting and conducive to attracting some birds. As this volunteer appeared to have the ear of people in higher places(!!!) I think he may take my comments on.

In my duties so far, I have seen little more than corvids, although I did spot a Jay during my tram driving experience. With the proximity of the derelict quarry, I would not be surprised to see Ravens, and possibly Peregrines. It is not a location that birders are likely to visit, so it may well be down to me!!! I will be pursuing the possibilities here

Saturday 5^th October,  Yes, Saturday. I was at a Derby hospital to have a biopsy excision for a cancerous spot on my left elbow. Tanya (my usual lovely specialist) appeared to have morphed into a less attractive male Doctor, and the female tender touch was not in evidence.

Sure, everything was done meticulously, with one stitch to hold things together. Except that it was one running stitch with 9 loops, so for the 10 days until unstitching any wrong elbow movement was quite painful.

Anyway, we took my mind off the inconvenience (can’t mow the lawn; can’t put the plants in etc) by booking a spring holiday in Lanzarote, to go with the already booked Summer holiday in Majorca. No idea whether or how Brexit will influence things, but we are strongly influenced to go abroad whilst we are still young ( Ed; Dreaming again?) and before our annual travel insurance requires a bank loan!!

Sunday 6^th October  I did not make Amanda’s Carsington bird walk due to the aftermath of my minor op,(and the same can be said for our planned visit to Idle Valley on the 8^th) but I gather that just 10 people had excellent views of the Slavonian Grebe; the Phalarope seen earlier in the week had moved on and was just a short stayer.

My SIL Julian got a bit bird snappy whilst staying in Dartmouth and captured a couple of good pictures of a hunting Little Egret.

This first one is a good example of a Little Egret, especially the bold yellow feet. The feet are absolutely diagnostic of the Little, whereas the Great White Egret has black feet.  This differentiation can be important, because some Little Egrets are quite small and in comparison a more mature bird looks like a Great.   So, check the feet!

And this was the result of the patient hunting by the Little Egret…

At the end of the month Mary and I fulfilled one of Mary’s bucket list items, a day in London visiting the Tower of London. Not her first visit there , but one she wanted to do again.

Despite the atrocious weather (necessitating my having to spend £15 on a fold-up brolly complete with Tower of London motif), we kept reasonably dry by dodging from one tower to another, thereby avoiding the worst.

Not long after we entered the curtilage of The Tower, we could hear the distinctive cronking of the resident Ravens. It was to be a call that we seemed to hear wherever we walked.

The legend is that the kingdom and The Tower will fall if the 6 resident Ravens ever leave The Tower,  and by way of insurance and a reduction in numbers due to an unexpected death, there are 7 birds currently resident in the Tower. They are looked after by a resident Ravenmaster. Ravens are recorded as having been in the Tower for 500 years, since the reign of Charles II.

Diet? They dine well!! Each bird has 6 oz of raw meat per day, a raw egg once a week, the  occasional rabbit, and they also have bird biscuits soaked in red blood….oh and fried bread.  Not miles away from my full English that Mary continues to provide daily. (excluding the rabbit!!)

Tuesday 29^th October.  Birding Attenborough?.....abandoned!! again!!

As we say farewell to October, Bercow, Summertime, Amber Rudd and Patrick McLoughlin, we have another visit planned for a day in London. When Mary and I went there last week, we had an excellent meal in the Skylon restaurant in the Royal Festival Hall; this time dining at the hitherto unknown restaurant in the Oxo building, also on the South bank and another of our bucket shop destinations.

1^st November 1922?  97 years ago, the first radio licence introduced…ten bob!!!

Happy Birding……I wish!

THE MONTHLY FLYER No 2. October 2019

Woooosh…. and that was September gone!   I suppose the fact that I was not in England for half the month had a bearing on the situation.

The good news at the start of the September was that the Carsington reservoir was 94.8% full. Not much more and horseshoe island may get back to looking like a horseshoe. In the meantime, the waters edge and hopefully waders, are much closer for birding

Sunday 1^st September,

I joined Amanda’s BwB walk, spurred on by the news that there had been 3 or 4 Osprey sightings in the previous week (a sure sign that they were starting their long journey back to the Gambia), as well as one early on the morning of the walk!! Despite diligent sky watching we all dipped, and the consolation were the tumbling ravens over Hall Wood.

In the evening Mary and I spent the evening, with thousands of others,  enjoying an outdoor concert in Darley Park. The music, of a light classical nature celebrated various golden anniversaries and culminated in a good firework display performed to the music by Franz van Suppe, The Light Cavalry Overture. Stirring stuff at full forte in the open air.

The only early departures I noticed were 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers leaving for a quieter area!!

September 11 > 25 we were once again in Cyprus at the Atlantica Bay hotel  in Amathus, East of Limassol.   We have been there before, and perhaps, influenced by my begging letter, we were rewarded with a luxurious Junior Suite complete with a Jacuzzi on the balcony .….. and a bottle of bubbly as a further reward for our loyalty.

Apart from a 3-hour thunderstorm, we had good hot weather, and I was able to do a smidgeon of birding.

By way of a trip out, we took a bus to Limassol from outside the hotel to a huge but grossly underused shopping centre at the end of the line, called My Mal. (45 minute journey £1.35… that’s good value, especially as we heard of a guest who got ripped off on a 15 minute taxi journey for 100 euros!!)

My Mal is close to Akrotiri, the English military base and a good birding area, with reeds, salt beds and water. The walk from the shopping centre was a bit far, especially as it was very hot, but we soon found a useful tower hide with good views over the reeds. An English couple resident in Cyprus came in while we were there, so we had a useful chat about birding in the area.

Our first bird, squealing like a piglet, was a Water Rail skulking in the reeds. In our short visit the most frequent sightings were of Bee eaters, many of them dashing about above the reed tops. A Crested lark was a nice sighting, a bird I recall seeing many times in Holland a good few years ago, but which is an absolute rarity in England… they obviously do not like crossing water!!

As we did not have transport, we could only salivate on the information about the locations and birds that could be seen in the Akrotiri marshes such as  Flamingos a-plenty, groups of Hoopoes, and what our fellow birders had come to find, Honey Buzzards. 

Recalling our early days of visiting the Atlantica Bay hotel, when the hotel stood alone with just rough land around (but not now, especially since Abramovich** spent his Roubles coastal building and disrupting the view), I did manage a couple of short hill walks, and despite the paucity of birds at 5pm (probably influenced by the large population of feral cats) my efforts were rewarded by a Lifer!!!

What was quite clearly a dove of sorts, I was able to identify as a pair of Laughing Doves feeding on one of the few green bushes. If you don’t know this species, and they are mainly confined to the extreme South East of Europe, have a look at Collins (or Google!!). Doesn’t help my 2019 UK list, but it was a nice addition to my somewhat meagre European Life list.

Anything else? No, apart from Hooded Crows; I gather that is the only Crow they have in Cyprus – No Carrion C’s.

This is meant to be my September report, but I will cheat a bit and include Tuesday 1^st October at Idle Valley with Chris and Gill!!

STOP PRESS………… With heavy precipitation in sight, and Idle Valley having no hides, our planned October 1 bird walk is now the 8^th October.

…. And a convenient link(!!) to a message from Carsington that the water level has “dropped from 95.9% to 92.7% this week in readiness for the large amounts of heavy rain we’re expecting over this next period.”    Which one can anticipate will put a heavy volume on the Derwent

…and this led to a flashback 40+ years ago.    When I worked at Lehane Mackenzie and Shand (later to become known as just Shand) we had a subsidiary called Lemand (see the red letters!!) Motor centre, with outlets at Bakewell and Matlock. And the small Matlock branch backed on to the river Derwent.   With impending high water, and our car show room very liable to flooding, I found myself urgently repeatedly driving our two chauffeurs to Matlock, so that with trade plates, they could move all the cars to the safe haven of our Head Office at Darley Dale.

Quite how I got involved as an Accountant (Special Projects) - I suppose it was all hands to the pump!!!!

Finally, a further NHS experience.  When I started work visits to the Middle East in the 70’s, I had a programme of the requisite tropical injections which were administered over a relatively short period.   I was reminded of this last Saturday when I fully used the NHS system at my GP surgery, by having at the same time an injection of Vitamin B12, a flu vaccine injection, and as  compensation an extraction of 3 phials of blood. Sadly, they had no smiley-face plasters for the 3 wounds!!

In my QI section, the most significant thing I could find happened 60 years ago on 3^rd October1959. Post codes were introduced. Remember the blue dots that used to be on envelopes, and people worrying they could lead to contamination!!!?  And who could have predicted how this would lead to sat navs? We just thought it was to help sort letters for the post-man! 

Happy Birding

** Oh by the way, the home built by Abramovich is on the market for 16 million euros!!

THE MONTHLY FLYER September 2019

1^st September 2019….   The first of the new Era!!  Monthly, not Weekly.

The last 2 weeks have been strange with no longer having to sit down on a Sunday night pondering what the heck I am going to write!!   As it turns out since making the decision on August 11 to “go monthly”, the longer capture spell has disclosed a greater choice of newsy items.

AA (Avian activities) have been minimal, so I’ll start with informative matters.

I mentioned earlier this year that I had embarked on a new volunteering activity at the Allestree community library, as a volunteer librarian. Volunteering in libraries has evolved as Derbyshire Council reduces costs by not employing librarians but utilising the services of community minded volunteers to keep the libraries open for the good of the ratepayers (slight dig!). One good aspect is that affected libraries are intended to become more of a community centre  and not just lending books. That’s a plus.

At Allestree library we have c25 volunteers covering eight ½ day shifts (Tuesday – Friday). As we need 3 volunteers per shift  you can calculate there is not much leeway for absenteeism. Ergo we need  volunteers!!

The  library book computer system holds personal information about borrowers which volunteers (rightly-) have not been able to access.  But from Monday ( and after I have undertaken my short training course) we will use a system which, presumably with appropriate passwords,  will permit volunteers to use book data without accessing customer data.    Then we should be MOTORING!!

Meanwhile until we are all computer trained, we fill our time pulling book request s for other libraries and replacing returned books and hone our skills in knowing whether Mac comes before Mc, and whether a crime novel in large print goes in Crime or Large Print etc etc!

(The recent decision is that we do not differentiate twixt Mc and Mac ..and in the M section, the letter after the c decides the alpha order. Got it?...good!!) 

I’ve probably told you that Mary was a librarian for the BBC  in London, her library duties covering handling tapes and recordings for the BBC World Service.  She was at work the day that President Kennedy was assassinated and recalls the panic and demands for obituaries so that tributes could be broadcasted. The library held many readily prepared obituaries, but at a relatively young age there was very little Kennedy data ready and available for broadcasting. 

As a contrast to book handling I have also enrolled at Crich Tram Museum as a greeter!  It would appear to stem from my enjoyment of spending a brilliant day driving a Liverpool Tram in April thanks to the superb 80^th birthday gift from my family.

This is a 116 years old London Tram, and it is NOT me driving…I’m told I’m too old to drive. (That hurts!) Greeter volunteers (there are different volunteers throughout the museum, from driving to engineering and  catering to retail) usually work a full day, for which a hot meal is provided (that’s a bonus!!). Apart from any ad hoc tasks, as a greeter I stand near the Museum entrance alongside a large map, my visual aid, to help and explain what happens when and where, and the best route to enjoy the whole experience.

The 3 most popular questions?   … Toilets?  Cup of Tetley’s? Trams? 

There are several guided tours in the museum area, and a pleasant one-mile scenic walk from the end of the line back to the terminus. I’ve spotted a bird hide en route with nothing to look at and no bird table – that will need more investigating and could be a responsibility I could get into.

And now to the Avian world!!

As promised another cracking photograph courtesy of Julian, which he took in the garden of his house. As he watched a Sparrowhawk sitting on a stone circle it suddenly disappeared into the bushes and emerged to land at the same spot with a Dunnock in its claws. Feathers flew everywhere and the stripped carcass was finally carried away by the Hawk.    However sad, always dramatic to watch.

Tuesday August 13 Chris, Gill and I had the first day for ages doing some bird watching together, where??   at Attenborough of course!! Catching up was probably why we spent the first 45 minutes just batting the breeze.

Gill was recovering from a (successful) cataract op, Christine from International travels to and climbing in the Andes, to Bird Watching in the Galapagos Islands in the Pacific, and me from Gout and apathy, so it was good to get some of the old routine back.

We started at the Sand Martin nest bank where I spotted a Kingfisher near the old Sand Martin bank, an absolute thrill for Chris, because she had not seen one in 2019.   Just to be sure, we saw yet another Kingfisher flash horizontally past the Kingfisher hide spotted more by its jizz rather than an actual id.

Although the Attenborough cafe had run out of Jacket spuds we were rewarded with a prominent Linnet, 3 Little Egrets and plenty of hirundines.

Good news from Carsington. Volunteer Pat has been pressing for some sort of image or logo on the outside wall of the Wildlife Centre so that passers by see it as more than just a brown wooden building, with grass on the roof. Her perseverance has produced results, and Donna, a relatively new F/T ranger has created an excellent Swan image on the outside wall. Not a rare bird but it’s big, it’s well known, and it will draw attention. Well done all round.

            

Just in passing, some 20+ years ago, Severn Trent made a big thing of cutting the grass on the wildlife centre roof. The building has no screws or bolts, the whole building being held together by very tight joints, plus the weight of earth and grass. In about 1999  they organised a small flock of sheep to be placed on the roof to graze the grass, and a volunteer dressed as Mary (Mary had a little lamb!) was in attendance. Publicity was of course the objective, and it did make the local press.

Friday August 16^th  Mary and I had a short break at WSM (better known as Weston on the Mud). Total avian species…6.  Had a room upgrade, a free bottle of the driest bottle of Rose we have ever had, and £18 undercharge for parking.    Oh well, some you win, some you lose.

(News break this week…. A police car patrolling the beach at WSM got stuck in  the mud and had to be towed out.  Boys in Blue? Boys with red faces!!)

The visit became quite nostalgic when we encountered a group of aged Rockers singing and dancing down the shopping precinct.   As this montage shows, they were dressed the part, long jackets (men) very full long skirts (with net petticoats – ladies), and many with elaborate hair styles to suit the Rocker era. Apparently there was a Rocker night at a promenade hotel that evening, and they were all well in the mood. Mary and I found ourselves singing (not dancing) with the crowd.

Returning home, had a pleasant bird walk at Idle Valley with Christine and Gill on Tuesday August 20^th. 2 hi-lites… the number  of Hirundines over the main lake was just incredible. Mainly Swallows and Sand Martins, and although I thought they had gone by now, there were a good number of Swifts.

After lunch we drove to Chain Bridge lane, and nothing much to see on the wet area. But at the bridge over the river Idle a very helpful birder took us a little way along the river bank until we looked over the wetland area called Tin Holt and he pointed out a couple of young Water Rails which kept emerging from the reeds, then scurrying back to safety. We were some way away, so it was not us that spooked them, maybe just timid.

The helpful birder talked about the better areas to visit in migration time, so we three have scheduled in October 1 to visit the Idle Valley again.

The Friends of Markeaton Park had their Annual garden Festival on the bank holiday weekend and asked me to lead 3 free bird walks.   Result?  In fairness it was record breaking temperatures, and I had no bookings. Frankly I would not have gone birding in that heat!! 

Continuing my “on this day” item, well yesterday anyway, 31^st August 1900 (119 years ago!) Coca-Cola first went on sale in the UK.

So endeth the first Monthly Flyer.    Observations or comments welcomed.

Happy Birding

A time for change... less quantity..more quality!!!

This may or may not come as a surprise, and you may have perceptively seen the writing on the wall.

I have decided that because this blog is now controlling me, rather than the other way round, it is time for a change.

“The Allestree Bird man” or Allesbirdtree.blogspot.co.uk” has run continuously (apart from a couple of NHS confinements… oh and foreign holidays) for over three and a half years since  the first post  on the 24^th December 2015.   

I’ve had a lot of fun writing the 176 weekly posts incorporating some 128,000 + words, and latterly more photographs than the early days.  The statistics reveal that there have been c17,000 page views by my public so not exactly viral!  45% were from the UK, 18% from Russia and 11% from the USA.  (I have long suspected that the Russia hits are probably automated searches!)

The statistics show that in 1316 days, 13 people a day read my blog, of which 6 are UK residents. I wonder who they are? The stats also reveal that assuming a follower only checks once a week, an average of 90 people somewhere in the world read my blog in any week. In the last month, I have had 464 hits from the USA and 2 from Japan.

Of all the posts, the most read appeared to be:-

….   81.  December 2015        The diary of a dedicated amateur birdwatcher.

68.  February 2017           Devon-Glorious Devon

67. March 2016                High 5…. Goshawks

66. May 2018                    Montagu’s Harrier… and Spotted Flycatchers.

As I have long realised the title of each post is very important in getting attention. Just one or two catchy words can catch a viewer who has googled those words. One including a "refurbished freehold property" got a good number of hits,  until readers found that it related to the Carsington Osprey nest and its recent DWT make-over!!

The comments (thank you) have given me a lot of fun to read. You will know the handle you used (if it was you!!).. but some of Commentators are inexplicable and will remain anonymous!! Out of 166 comments….

Slimbridge              An enthusiastic writer who has posted over 100 comments

Onyx Opteryx(9)    I know as a keen young birder in Derby

Pray.net.pk (2)       I wonder if he was from Pakistan?

After discussion with the family, who have witnessed my sad attempts to find any interesting bird news from June to August this year, I have decided to reduce the frequency to a monthly post, hereinafter to be provisionally called the “The Monthly Flyer” and to be posted on the 1^st day of the month, commencing with September 1. Any suggestions for a more apposite title would be appreciated!!

So that’s the future. I’ll just end with a birding observation in our garden.

As you will know we do have a public bidet near the patio which is very visible from my study window. I am of course referring to the fountain, which is only activated when the sun is out. At that point, the solar panel starts the motor and water gently bubbles upwards about 2 inches, from the rubber tube in the middle of the solar panel. When I see a Woodpigeon standing on the fountain edge, with his back (!!) to the water I watch in eager anticipation for the moment when the sun activated the mechanism…… and the consequences are obvious. I just want to see the Woodpigs reaction!!

If you are registered for an automated posting of each of my blog posts, this will continue but only monthly. If you do not wish to receive these mailed messages, you can deregister by going to the end of the blog site…… but I hope you won’t!!.

Those of you with the link to received each new post, do not get included in the above statistics as you have not searched for these messages. So you dear readers, whoever and wherever you are remain anonymous but are still most welcome viewers. 

I wish you happy birding, a happy summer and a happy holiday. I have just been sent a cracking raptor picture to start my new era in September, so I’ll be in touch then.

Happy Birding

The Bird Man; The Microtibialist (and as known in Tui hotels, The Hat!)  

Lost for Words!

Sorry, 176 posts and 1/8^th of a million words later, and I’m lost for words.

See you next Sunday…. Inshallah.

(Anyone who wants to add a comment, please do.)

Regards,   Sleepy.

Arran - a great place for birding.

Wow!!  Some week that was if you are into politics. 

Doris  is now the PM and I’m looking forward to the 100-day event - yes, 31st October - Halloween! If all goes according to plan, we will be coming out of the common market, and our neighbouring kids will be coming out too!....... from their front door to rattle on our front door to announce trick or treat…. with a large bag for donations. (Sounds familiar!)  

meanwhile, until this year, I had never heard of the special day 30th July, next Tuesday known as the International Friendship day.  Not quite sure what I should be doing. Mary has a special lunch for the Church Luncheon club workers, paid for by kind donations from their customers over the year. Yep, I can see how Friendship fits with that event.

Me? Trying to be friendly with some birding news I’ve set you a short quiz. Can you identify which 3 well know bird species have been known by some of these archaic and regional variations.

1

        Bum Barrel; Oven Bird;  Bag & hedge Judge

2      Whip; Hawk Swallow; Shriek Owl

        Harry Redcap; Thistle Finch; Goldie

I’ll give you the answers next week!!

My daughter Sarah and her husband Julian have just returned from a short break on Arran, and on their return, Julian sent me a nice collection of wildlife photographs (he knows my weakness). With grateful thanks to him and his skill, (and in the hope he will continue to send bird photos) I have added some of the more interesting bird photos for your enjoyment.

Gannets and their speed when fishing really tested his camera skills and these pictures reflect their agility and power, and the classic dives with the folded wings clearly show the determination and power.

Searching……

Pinpointing……

On Target…

     

Seconds before contact!!!

There was so much to see on the edge of the shore.

The inevitable Oystercatchers continuously preening……….

A nice female Merganser…

A so colourful juvenile Starling, not a regularly photographed bird…..

A cracking pair of birds that Julian would not have realised were very attractive to birders, a pair of Black Guillemots……… (Memories of a visit to Oban a few years ago, when these birds could be seen flying into their nests UNDERNEATH the wall of the promenade!)

The angle was right for this upward view of a Swallow having a break….

And finally a nice close up of a (one-legged-) Common Sandpiper.

Thanks again to Julian. As I had little of avian interest I was going to tell you about my latest volunteering activities, but that can wait – maybe next week.

Happy Birding