Worm Charming as a hobby.

Tuesday 12^th February, motivated by a rather good bird in the area (more about that later!!), Chris, Gill and I are once again at Attenborough Gravel Pits.  Neither of the ladies are admitting to their year to date bird count so it’s probably only me that is a bit of an anorak. But I’m the sort of person who likes objectives or targets, which is why I am happy to admit to being on 98 species at the start of the day. 

The ladies are more prone towards enjoying the birds, the occasions and the sheer pleasure of seeing birds, especially when they are seen doing something out of the ordinary. As for example my account last week of the Herring Gulls doing worm charming!!

I was surprised when my son told me that he had never heard of worm charming not least because it IS a well-known recreation in the West Country. The rules are simple. Measure a one metre square plot of grass and see how many worms you can bring to the surface in 15 minutes.

There are professional worm charmers, and it is quite common to collect worms for/by fishermen by this method. Over 500 “wormers” attended the Blackawton worm convention last year

The story has it that the “sport” originated after a man found it necessary to water a field on the way home from the local and was amazed at the number of worms that emerged. Was it the alcohol, or what is more likely that the falling water sounded like the patter of rain, which as Gulls have found, entices worms to the surface?

 (Ed: Have we gone a bit astray from birding?)

OK   Attenborough!!

I first see Chris on the road to the gravel pits, hoping to find the Firecrest in the hedge. Not this morning sadly, although there does continue to be irregular sighting reports.

Up the walkway to the centre, and what comes round the edge of the reed bed?  a handsome male Red Crested Pochard.  Not that it was doing it right then, but I think it fascinating the way it compacts its red head feathers when it dives, thus avoiding being unduly waterlogged!!

Kingfisher hide is the next stop, and after only 5 minutes, a fellow birder nudges me, and asks if I have seen the green bird on the grass. NO, I HADN’T but I did!….. It was my 2018 bogey bird….. a Green Woodpecker!!!   SUPERB… No. 100 for 2018. (Ed:…Steady, watch your blood pressure!)

I told you a couple of weeks ago about my abortive visit to the Rifle Range Pits at Long Eaton to see a rare Grebe. Rod Key had told me how to find the site, so after lunch, Chris and I drove through Long Eaton to Cranfleet Lock, parked up and walked to the pits. Straight away we found the superb Black Necked Grebe, on the smaller pit continuously diving and fishing. Not much else on the water, but the Grebe was well worth the journey.

A good day…. 42 species, and 3 on the year list = 101 YTD…………………… and I won’t even mention the invisible Song Thrush near the path next to Wheatear field!!! 

I’m reading a book.                …eh Yes?   It’s called ”And Another Thing” , and when I’ve finished it (next Tuesday) I will start reading another book “How hard can it be?”

These books have an unusual format. Each issue contains a selection of some of the 1,000-word articles that the author has had published in the Times newspaper every Sunday over a 2-year period.

Because I admire the writing style of this well-known author his articles make very amusing bed-time reading and each night when I’m relaxed after reading 2/3 of the articles, it’s time for bye-byes.

I know that the author is not a most popular man, not because of his writing but because of his cavalier attitude to life.  When leading any walks at Carsington, I would invarisably point out a slipway on the starboard side of the Causeway, where the Hamster drove a Lotus car into and under the water, on the BBC’s Top Gear and the indifferent reaction of my audience showed me what some people felt about the programme….. and Jeremy Clarkson. Yes, he is the author of the articles.

Jeremy writes about issues or events that he feels strongly about, and in an idle conversation with my Managing Editor, we agreed that I should have a go at an article in a similar style.

Well, what can I whinge about next week?      Got it…. Bird hides.

Watch this space!!

Happy Birding