December 2021...Here we go birding again!!

Hello

If you happen to still have your automatic link with any of my postings on my old birding blog then this message will come as a bit of a surprise.

 

It was in May 2020 when Covid was starting to get a grip that not only did I stop birding, but I stopped doing my birding blog. My pocket book of sightings just dried up in mid 2020 and my Mojo did the same.

In the summer, life was not too bad. Restricted as where one could go, we had plenty to do in the garden, and were really pleased with the result of our efforts.  Going through the 2020/2021 months, I did an incredible amount of writing, well over 107,000 words with 22 different chapters.  Getting frustrated without any writing projects, in March 2021 I started a new blog, so it moved from Allesbirdtree blog to Alleslegtree blog!!  That has continued for 24 postings up to this month the majority of which have no record of any web browser making a “hit”.  Doesn’t matter, I still enjoy writing.

The memoirs continued to a lesser degree, but we enjoyed the summer by swinging on our new garden swing on No 3 patio!! This was a site development well worth while.

ANYWAY!!  Whilst we had enjoyed the bird life in and through our garden, Mary’s bird knowledge has certainly improved.

A pair of Goldfinches popped in together regularly, usually going to the bird bath for a drink.

A Sparrowhawk did a temporary pause on the fence when we had some distancing visitors in the garden and Woodpigeons and Dunnocks were clearly co-habiting. The Robin was an infrequent visitor but when he did come it seemed to be to the same spot on the fence from whence he serenaded us.

In October I decided it was time to get back to birding. Birders, like me, like to count birds in a calendar year, and just once I have hit the magical 200. November 7^th Amanda told me that the Glossy Ibis was her number 200 UK bird for 2021… with almost 2 months still to go.

As I can see no reason why a year should be a calendar year, I decided to start on Wednesday 3^rd November and go 365 days from there.. and why not?   Just got the seasons in a confused order!

So I got going with three walks in Markeaton Park, and the November Bird walk with Amanda and in two weeks I was on 42 species.  

The big psychological boost was the 7 days staying at Exmouth, and, of course, including the 3 hour birding cruise up the Exe to Topsham. Derek Carter was the good leader for the cruise and I ticked 31 species. Nothing unexpected and a couple that I thought we would see, we dipped.

We listed a number of others birds during our holiday, which included on a trip to Berry Head. 3 birds competed for Bird of the Holiday. At the second attempt I found 5 Purple sandpipers on the rocky foreshore at Exmouth (with 7 Turnstones both times)), and we needed a return visit to Labrador Bay south of Teignmouth before we spotted a lovely Cirl Bunting. And Mary is now au fait with the call of a Raven over Exmouth marina. (Pity about dipping for the Black Restart).

Anyway, of 56 species, 28 were new moving my total on to 70 YTD.

Started December well, with a Jay in Regents Park, 5 Red Kites seen from the train to London near Oxford – and on the Carsington walk for December, Siskin and Redpoll and a lovely male Ruff.  (YTD = 78).

So, whilst it will only be monthly, I’ve decided to reactivate posts on my bird blog and this is number one.

Next news will be in January 2022 and my progress to date is very encouraging.

So a very Happy Xmas (that bird on the table does not count!!) and a I'll talk again next year

David

 Hello anyone who is still locked in.

Some time ago, I was told and I wrote to inform you that the widget that distributed new posts to registered followers, was to be withdrawn at the nd of June 2021,  From what I am fining in my other blog, this does not appear to have happened. Posts on the newer blog ARE going out, and I get a copy as does Mary.

If what I am writing is confirmed you will get a copy of this post.

The only thing to say is that I am not creating any more posts on Allesbirdtree.blogspot.

BUT Alleslegtree.blogspot is still working, and last week I posted my 14th bulletin. So f you want to see what I have talked about so far, just log in to this blog, or go via The Microtibialist.

Good luck

David

The Last Post!!!

 You are reading this final post under the heading "Bird Man of Allestree" because you are on an automatic notification e-mail system each time I add a new post on that blog.

I had told you things are changing, and although I tried to tweak the existing blog to dedicate it to leg news despite Julian's sterling help, the new version was tatty and confusing, and not up to the standard I felt Legs should get!!

Again with Julian's help, we have created a new blog to be called "The Derby Microtibialist", and that is in place now.  The 4 posts that I had created on the old bird blog I have already transferred to the new leg blog, and you will have read them. However, I have also issued, yesterday, No 5 on the legs blog, which you will not yet have read..

This message is the last post on the birds blog and all future posts will be on the leg blog and about legs only. 

If you wish to enjoy my new legs blog, you have 2 choices.

    1. You can log into the new blog at "Alleslegtree.blogspot.com" whenever you feel inclined.

    2.  You can go into the new blog and register for an e-mail notification each time I put up a new post. 

    3.  You can also add any comments you wish to make, at the end of any post.

If you want to be sure you don't miss any news posts you will have to do option 2, but you can deregister any time if you wish to stop that service.

I will shortly be deleting the most recent 4 leg posts that I put on the birding blog.

I hope this clarifies matters OK, and I hope if you are interested you will follow my leg mania!! I have already had one comment on the leg blog, and always welcome any comments with news, ideas, thoughts or observations. 

Incidentally the system is such that I am not able to identify the identity of any readers, followers or those making comments, except in the case of the last only IF they declare a recognisable name!!

It is a unique hobby and I welcome any information about similar collectors, if in fact they exist!!

Just for clarity, the blog address is   Alleslegtree.blogspot.com.    The old one was Allesbirdtree.blogspot.com.   Subtle difference , eh?

Thank you for following the birds.... I hope you follow the legs!!

David

From Birds to Legs... life moves on

 

Last May, 2020 I put my final entry on “The Bird Man of Allestree” blog (Allestree.blogspot.com) after 4 and a half years. I did not close it down, just in case, but I have now decided that apart from the fact that most of the posts are well out of date, I want to move on.    

So I have decided to retitle the blog “The Microtibialist of Derby”, and I plan to use the new blog (name) for a periodic post about different aspects of my leg collection. Those of you who were with me before will I’m sure recall that the birding news sometimes included references to my leg collection, but it is not intended that the new title will include birds!!.  If you did not cancel the automated mail from my blog to your computer then you will receive this communication explaining these planned changes. If you do not want to receive future blog postings on the new subject, there is a facility on the blog site or at the end of this post, to cancel future news.

I have never had any definitive information about people who read my blog, and only if a reader put a comment on the blog, or told me in some other way did I know them.     I did get statistics about the number of hits, with world numbers, but no names!! So any previous followers who are now leaving me….. goodbye!!

I do get irritated when I surf a subject to find that the sites I find are historic or discontinued, so it is my intention to take down my 200 old posts which are now historic …. In due course!!

The word Microtibialist is my creation and therefore not well known, if atall.  I have no idea how many people, if any, will be interested in the subject of my small-leg collection, but I will do whatever I can to publicise and promote the new name. My plan is to probably do one post a month, c 700 words, with photographs. 

I will have to use my son in law’s computer skills to make sure that I move to a new name and contact that works OK. So bare with me in the interim.. things may hiccup.

                       

These are a couple of examples of legs that I will be writing about, to wet your appetite.

Regards

David Bennett      The Microtibialist