Are Turtle Doves only in my dreams?

Saturday 5^th June  Having commented last week in my blog on the terrible Manchester tragedy, it is awful to think of yet another terrorist incident, this time in London. The frequency of these attacks brings things home, especially as Mary and I and our family were in London on that day. 

We spent most of our time around the West End area, so we did not become aware of what had happened until Julian read the news on his i-phone at c7pm on the way home. Michael and his girl friend stayed later than us and they were in the Oxo building on the south bank, a little too close for our comfort, but they were not aware and safe.

From our aspect, it was a hectic day. Mary & I bought and learnt about Oyster cards for the first time, a nostalgia trip for coffee at the Royal Festival hall (In 1962 I was the MC at a large reunion, and compered the dancing with the band of The Scots Guards), Carnaby Street (packed solid with a table running the full length in the middle of the street) Dirty Dicks in Liverpool Street (no floor sawdust as in the Fifties) and finally Rules, the oldest restaurant in London (1798). 

Total = 1 eatery and 5 drinkeries!

Ed: Enough reminiscing, and no Microtibialism..    just get on with the Aviation(??) bit.

Sunday 4^th June    The BWB walk turned out to be nice birding weather, but the list had again to be closed at 22 names. The moral, book early to be sure, but please let Carsington know if you can’t make it.   Birding was not easy, but we got the magic 30 (31 to be exact) with BOD being a Little Ringed Plover. 

July 2^nd, Keith and Gary will not be with us so it will be Lorna and me.

As we reach 150 walks, I felt it was time to see if the walk needs any changes. I concluded that the many that kept coming back must be Ok with the format, and the new people on the walk don’t know what to expect so it will not be repetitious for them

I decided that I would make a couple of changes. Firstly, I have produced what I call The Rules, which is a sheet of notes about what the walk does, when where etc, and contact tel etc, so I do not need to go over it every walk, and when the majority know anyway.  And in its place, I do a short-researched lecture with loads of information about one selected species. Only lasts about 5 minutes, but it IS about a particular species.

For the first one (June 2017) I talked about the Common Swift, and whilst I did not get an ovation, I did get respectful silence! I enjoyed researching it, and learnt quite a bit more about a species that I already know a lot about.     

I asked for suggestions, and the August talk will be about the Cuckoo.

Friday 9^th June  I had planned all week to go birding somewhere, but for one reason or another, mainly the rain, it was Friday before I managed to find the time, so a Red Necked Phalarope was a good enough incentive to go to Frampton Marsh, and was duly in the scope within 10 minutes of getting there. The reported Wood Sandpiper wasn’t, and ONCE AGAIN, no Turtle Dove. One day!

For readers who have not been on BWB, I thought I would reiterate a couple of techniques to get the most out of your bins and scopes.

Binoculars.  I often encounter people new to using binoculars who think that if they jiggle around the focusing wheel, the view will become sharper. Maybe, but there is an established method to make sure the view DOES become clearer.  

It should be remembered, and oculist prescriptions will evidence this, that people seldom have 2 identically focusing eyes, and it is therefore important to focus both eyes individually to get the best visual image when using binoculars. 

This is achieved by focusing each of the eyepieces separately, as follows:-

1.  One of the lenses is rigid (normally the left one). Shut the right eye, and focus with the wheel in the middle of the binoculars, looking through only the left eye.

      

      2.  Now shut the left eye, and focus the right eye lens by adjusting the diopter, the rotatable lens on the right eye.

3    

.     3.   You have now adjusted each lens to suit each eye, and when you look through the binoculars with both eyes, you will have two correctly focused lenses.

The diopter lens normally has + and – marks on the wheel, and if you remember where the pointer sat when you had a clear image, if the lens goes out of focus, you can either reset the pointer position, or repeat the above procedure.

DO check your Binoculars – a clear and sharp image will help you enjoy your birding even more.

Next week – Telescopes.

PS   Sunday June 18^th – 10.30 BWB Markeaton Park.

Happy Birding

Bird Watching for Beginners goes International!

Ola!   Well I’ve been saying it constantly for 14 days so of it’s difficult to get out of the habit!

Additions to my list?    Gracias,  Por Favour and  Polio Menta.   (that’s my Spanish list of course)

Yep it was a good holiday. 

Downsides?   The 2-year-old who spent the entire outward bound 2 hour flight crying “I want to get off”… a sentiment we all agreed. Sitting in a coach for 45 minutes (without any announcements) waiting for 2 passengers joining the coach from a delayed flight, and an unplanned diversionary visit to Pollensa (never been there before – maybe a plus point!) en route to Porte Pollensa to drop off just 2 out of 50 passengers, before a further 30 minute drive to our hotel (ultimately). 

A total of 2 hours from exiting Palma airport to walk into the Picafort Park (PP for short), a journey that should have been 60 minutes. Lesson?   Next time, it’s a taxi!

This was our 4^th visit to the PP so it was nice to meet some guests we had met before. Changed our room thanks to Leslie, the room coordinator, the member of staff with the worst job… she will never satisfy everyone! Jose the GM welcomed us back (2 kisses for Mary), as did Pedro (Maître Die) and Benito (very important pool/bar waiter!). We won a Thompson T shirt for winning a quiz and more friends arrived as the 14 days progressed. Won the quiz again, so Dave had the prize this time, a Thomson Bag For Life… Wow!

Chrissy led a morning walk to the Albufera nature work on the first Monday, and I joined her with 9 others. When I was seen as the only person with Binoculars, I was nominated to lead the walk! Chris did the natural history bit and I did the birds. 

20 species were quite good considering it was a short and limited walk, but with a previous walk on my own, enabled me to tick off 39 species for the holiday. 15 new species took my 2017 world list to 196!! Hi-lites included Glossy Ibis, Eleanora’s Falcon, Purple Heron, Stone Curlew, Great Reed Warbler, and a lovely view of a powerful singing Nightingale. Oh, and some turtles!

As it was possible that Chrissy would not be able to do the second week, I offered to do the walk, and 7 of us did the route again, with some variations in what we saw. Whilst explaining the difference between Little Egrets, Cattle Egrets, Night Herons and Great White Egrets, a tourist at the back called “Can you translate that into Norwegian?”

Even in the hotel grounds, there was avian enjoyment unwitnessed by many other guests. House Sparrows feeding young, a pair of Blackbirds constantly flying in and out of a Bougainvillea bush with worms, the odd Hoopoe flying through the grounds, and Mediterranean Flycatchers* avidly doing their diagnostic routine of catching food, then flying back to the same perch. I’ll forget the Woodpigeons that c**p on the sunbeds!”  

*This Flycatcher is considered a separate sub-species from our Spotted Flycatcher, and whilst very similar in appearance, they are far less shy, only found in The Balearics, and wintering in South Africa.

Got on my hobbyhorse about pronouncing Hoopoe. I have heard Hoopoo and Hoopea, but I was able to hopefully clarify Hoo as in Hoop, and Poe as in Edgar Alan Poe!

So a good holiday, with the plan to go again in September, with ”Spanish bird guide” added to my birding CV, along with “Norwegian interpretation services!”

The news about the suicide bomber in Manchester reached us very quickly, and all the guests around the pool stood with many other people around the world, for the one minute silence at 11 o’clock on Thursday, followed by a very stirring round of applause.

Whilst I was away, I sadly missed the opening of the new hide on Stones Island at Carsington which was paid for by the bequest from Janet Ede, volunteer funds, and generous contributions from friends and birders who have and do come on my bird walks. Many grateful thanks.  

The pictures below were taken during the official opening by Liv Garfield, the CEO of Severn Trent, attended by members of Janet’s family. You will no doubt notice the similarity between the hide name board, and the 200 club awards in January!

So normal service resumes, I have my Markeaton Park Bird walk on Sunday 18^th June at 10.30, and I can resume my quest for the magic 200.

Happy Birding