DO Turtle Doves really exist?

Monday 3^rd July and I’m off on one of those nautical trips that readers know I really enjoy.

This one is a 4-hour cruise organised by the Lincs RSPB, leaving from Boston at 12.15pm, so it gives me nice time to drive over from Derby, and without rush hour problems.   

With 50 people on board (plus crew, which includes the Bacon Buttie maker!!), the Boston Belle heads North East down the Witham to The Wash, then turns to SSW and up the river Welland, almost to the A17.  It was calm journey and from the Wash we could see clearly the white cliffs of Hunstanton.

I had my doubts as to whether I would get any additions to my year list on the trip, so to add a pair of very visible Corn Buntings was very satisfactory. 

The group were very friendly and chatty, and apart from the admitted poor quality of the jokes from Chris Andrews the spotter, I was pleased my c50 species. The boat sightings total was about 65, but heard species were included, and I did miss a couple. On the return journey, as we turned back into the Witham, a single Arctic Tern was seen and then both Peregrines were seen on the Boston Stump.

2 unexpected list additions ensures I will be back on this excellent trip again in 2018.

As it was c5pm by the time I was back on dry land, Frampton was out so I drove straight to the Ivydene guest house in Skegness where I had booked for the night. Having parted with £5 to book a hearty breakfast, I decided to pop down to Gibraltar Point to see what was around and to eat my salad tea, in a hide overlooking Tennyson sands. Worthwhile because I added Green Sandpiper, taking me on to 190 year to date. 

Phew..only 10 to go for the 200, or 5% which sounds even better!

I’ve stayed at the Ivydene before, and £45 for a nice comfy double bed and a good breakfast ( fruit juice, grapefruit and fresh fruit salad, large breakfast, rack of toast, ticks all the boxes for me.)

Odd things?  Breakfast starts at 8.20am?? Cooked breakfast served from 8.20 > 8.45. One couple were not down by 8.50… would it be a cold fry-up?  And why did the electricity go off at 9.05? Power cut? Timer? Time to go said Zebedee!

Tuesday 4^th July , I decide I’d better check if anything had been reported at Gib Point (everything was closed when I went down yesterday), but sorry to say information on recent sightings was a big fat Zero. There was a list of what had been ringed, but not what birders would like to know – what’s around. I did also think that there had been a great deal of plant and reed growth on the site, which limited visibility from 2 of the hides.  However, a pair of Spoonbills was a definite + point.

So I used the loo (I’d paid my £2 parking fee!!) and headed for Frampton….. would I see those Turtle Doves??

NO.. again.  I sat for an hour at the location from which Turtle Doves are allegedly seen, ate my snap, tolerated the drizzle, and finally drove home. 

  

Just before I leave you, and as a PS, I checked the stats for people who have read any of the 75 posts on my blog as at 7^th July.  There have been 5,520 views, of which 3,539 from the UK; 799 from Russia and 431 France. The most popular post is still my initial one in December 2015, with 80.  But as a number of my readers do not “log in” because they get each posting mailed to them, these miss the viewing counter. Not that the stats matter – I just enjoy doing them.

Next week, another (shorter) travel account from Ronald!!

Happy Birding

The Beauty and The Numpty.

Having got out of my pattern of posting news each Sunday, this is only 3 days after the last, but it gets me back to the routine.

So, The Beauty and The Numpty!

Sunday July 2nd     ..and 20 people joined my July BWB. Volunteer Lorna was with me today, and we had 5 people who had not been on the walk before.  We did quite well with waders, with a Little Ringed Plover and a Dunlin flying about in formation (useful visual comparison) and then less active was a single Ringed Plover, thereby giving us time to focus scopes for all to see. 

The Ranger base feeder had nothing, zippo, zilch, so I must conclude no one fills the feeder now Jim has left. (must check that). Couple of Barnacle Geese were showing a juvenile around, and a pair of Redshanks were on Horseshoe Island.

I managed to find a couple of hours to go and join the masses who had gone to see the 7 little beauties, the European Bee-Eaters at East Leake quarry, off the A6006 in Notts. 

The public were well organised, and well behaved, and the £5 per car was a cheap price to see what is hoped will be breeding birds. At one point I was eyeballing 3 of them in my scope at the same time.

Because they are so rare in the UK, the correct name is Bee-eaters. Beeeaters would be “beaters” and with 3 consecutive e’s!

I’m off to a cruise on Monday, starting in Boston, down to the Wash and then up the Witham. I’ve been a few times before and always find it enjoyable. Combining that with a visit on Tuesday to Gibraltar point, I hope to have some good stories for my post on Sunday 9^th.

So, with room to spare I thought I would recount an amusing experience sent to me by a friend in Portugal.

Ronald (name changed to protect the innocent), who I have known for over 53 years, and I used to tenpin bowl in a league at Hove in 1963. We bowled  every Friday night at 9.00pm, and used to arrive at the bowl at 8.58, always just at the end of the Navy lark. Except Friday 22^nd November 1963, when the programme was replaced by the news of the assassination of President Kennedy. Don’t we get some strange situations that assist our powers of recall.

About 15 years ago, I used to write a weekly diary about “the Animal Life of Braithwell Close”, and I had about 20 regular readers. Ronald “ghosted” for me for a couple of weeks, and people said they could tell who was writing!

So, that’s the chap.. this is his story.. (and he is prone to a little embellishment!!)

Coming back the other day I was going through security at Southampton Airport and joined the queue for the dreaded screening. The flight was busy and we jostled for the trays to put our stuff in. My not very tight fitting jeans were in a precarious position having relinquished my belt to the tray. My turn came and I entered holding my jeans up with one hand which I had to temporarily release of course.

As I stepped forward. Beep, beep, beep went the detector.

.

Of course everyone took a step back. Shock, horror. Mummy's little darlings were shoved behind Daddy and things looked grim. I was asked to try again. Beep, beep, beep went the thing again. I was asked to step forward and frisked. By now Mummy had removed her little snowflakes and rejoined another queue but at the back. Nothing untoward was discovered and they tried again. By now my jeans had travelled further south and hung in a precarious position. Beep beep beep it went again.

For .... sake I said. It was decided to take me to another machine. A sort of a mini vacuum machine appeared and I was 'hoovered all over! Went back to the walk-through machine now holding jeans up with both hands. Beep beep beep went the machine again. By now I could see signs of panic in the faces of those that may or may not be my future fellow passengers. Out came yet another device which scanned my skin. Buzz buzz buzz it went as it passed over my hands. Red lights flashed and God knows what else.

I was taken to a small room (I think it was a cell) and a security guard came in and asked me loads of questions about my habits; (which I said were sadly few these days).They then discovered the answer. My vapor (which was in my hand luggage (by now confiscated and being gone through with a fine tooth comb) had leaked its chemicals onto my hands which caused the machine to instantly recognize a foreign substance. Nevertheless I still had remove further clothing (which was easy cos most fell off naturally) and fill in a rather large report. Having done all that I was the last one on the plane. and was eyed with great suspicion as I walked to my seat. 

I 'm sure the seated passengers started pointing as I walked past.

Every journey for Ronald has a story!!There is a short sequel which I can print if anyone adds a comment at the bottom of this post!!

Happy Birding