OK, we will start off with my QI FYI which one of my
followers is forwarding round his Whatsapp chat line. (Well some good is coming
from this blog that I started in 2015!!).
Oh, I like this one.. “who was the first female ruler of
England, on 7th April 1141?
Clue? She was never
crowned. Apparently, her attempt to be crowned at Westminster
failed as a result of bitter opposition from the London crowds. A bit of déjà vu there!!
No? Matilda daughter
of Henry 1.
To Avian matters, Tuesday
April 2nd Christine
and I decide to have a day on the East coast, specifically at Frampton Marsh. I
drove in a bit of trepidation (and precipitation!) as to what we would find, as
it was raining when we left Nottingham, but I clutched at the straw that it
should be OK on the coast.
We had a good
run, but just before we reached the RSPB reserve, an urgent call from Chris
resulted in an emergency stop, reverse gear and a view of this unusual example
of Tree Topography.
ATA at 10.15,
we found an empty car park, and nothing (so far) on the sightings board for the
day. So, it was a hot drink and a look around from the centre windows.
The rain and
low clouds were driving Sand Martins and Swallows low over the water, and we had good views from the visitor centre.
Word was that
the Dowitcher was still at Frampton so we settled down and started searching from
the main hide. We did meet a couple of birders
who had spotted the bird in the rain but for us this was another case of the
one that got away.
We decided to
dine in the dry hide, and Chris kindly volunteered to go back to my car and
pick up our lunches. She returned, not completely soaked through, but with the
take-aways. In view of her sterling work, I felt it was not the time to mention
that I was unable to make my pack-a-soup, as I did not have a cup or a
spoon. ?? Pour the powder in the
thermos and shake vigorously? Soup
cocktail?
Chris to the
rescue. “I have a cup you can use, I can use my Thermos cap. Screw that piece
of silver foil from round your sandwich, very tight, and use as a
stirrer.” Brilliant – all problems
solved.
We settled
down to seeing what we could find amidst the hundreds of Black tailed Godwits
and Ruff.
A couple of Pintails, a single
Snipe and 4 Ringed
Plovers were the pick of the crop.
After lunch
and before we left, we had a walk drive to the second car park, which
allegedly overlooked the Dowitcher area. A dedicated birder had been standing
on the mound for some time without success, until we arrived when he went into
that well-known twitching mode! He was tracking the Dowitcher as it took off and
flew away to the other side of the West hide. Chris .. “Shall we follow it? “
Rhetorical question!
Heater on and
it was homeward bound, 3 new birds for me and 2 for Chris. And the journey
home? Sunshine all the way!!!
Sunday
April 7th, I decided to join the Carsington Water
Birdwatching for Beginners walk for the first time in 2019, no longer as a leader but ably run by
Amanda. She had a good turnout of about
24 people, and with 5 leaders (not including me) for a change she decided to
walk clockwise round the reservoir particularly hoping to see some of the
summer arrivals.
With plenty
of loitering, looking and listening, we only went as far as Shiningford North, and Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, and Blackcap were seen or heard, and every likelihood of a Redstart made this different route well worthwhile today.
A bit of a
quiet week this week, but the migrants are coming!!
Finally, you’ll
allow me a bit of self-indulgence in showing you the latest addition in my
other hobby Microtibialism – leg collecting.
This is a 150
year old Victorian wooden page turner which I bought at an antique fair on
Friday. It takes me to 134 legs compared with the 264 Avian legs that I have seen so far
in 2019!!
Happy Birding
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