Here's the kids having a rest ... and giving us one too ;-)))

Last night’s meeting of birding club was very good.  The visiting speaker was  
Ian Butler, and he gave a talk and slide show on The wildlife of the Malvern’s.  I’ve always though of the Malvern’s as just a line of hills just outside Worcester but actually there’s a lot more to it than that, like the British Fort, a stone age fortress that is part of the area.  Of course, it does mean now that the next time Jan and I go down there I shall a lot more to think about as we walk/hobble around.  The field trip this month is to Rutland Water and Eyebrook Res;.  I wouldn’t mind going but I’m concerned about getting my scooter stuck if it’s at all muddy, so I’m not going to risk it, besides which Jan isn’t feeling very well.  Next Month it’s New Fancy View, Which is the Forest of dean I think.  Jan and I were there a few years ago looking at peregrines form the viewing area.  I may try for that one, not sure but the March trip to Newport Wetlands is a certain bet. 

 

I was hoping to get to Draycote again today but we got up far too late and with Jan not feeling at all well at all, I decided against it.  Hopefully I shall get there again soon before the smew and yellow legged gulls fly off. 

      

Sometime last November I took my 6 year old grandson to Brandon Marsh for his first taste of birding.  He borrowed a small pair of Nikon bins from his Gran and I gave him a small field guide, and off we went.  He was all questions on the drive over there, “What’s that one Granddad (a gull, black-headed I think – remember I was driving at the time); look at the one, is it an eagle (it was a starling actually); oh look Granddad, that’s a nice one, what is it (a magpie); and so. 

We arrived and I got my own bins out and we stood and watched a number of blue and great tits, chaffinch and a few other of the more common birds found there and then went inside.  Jan and I used to volunteer at Brandon a few years ago but ill health put paid to that but we met a number of really nice folk there.  One of them was Angela who was always on duty at weekends.  Sadly she was ill herself that day and I have to admit to being a bit disappointed in not having our usual chat.  Anyway, off Kile (and yes, it is spelt correctly, or at least the way his Mum wants it to be spelt!), and I made our way around the visitor centre and off down to the reserve.

Our first birds were some pied wagies down by the hard standing by the gravel works.  Kile was happy to see them but said of them, “They’re nice and pretty but I want to see some big birds.”  Eventually we got down to the first hide, the Baldwin Hide.  There were quite a few visitors in there, there was a birding party from a Norfolk birding club I think they said but I can’t remember any details.  They made room for us on the benches and we sat down and I showed Kile how to use the bins properly and he soon got the idea and was looking and pointing our birds by himself.  Suddenly he shouted, “Look at that blue flash Granddad!”  Knowing what it was all of us in hide started looking and there say on the edge of a bush was a kingfisher.  Kile was congratulated by all for seeing if before us, even if he didn’t know what it was.  Next time he asked, “What’s that big bird there Granddad?” 

I looked and replied, “That’s a grey heron, there’s another one over there, do you see it?”

“Oh yes, wow, well wicked!”   I think he liked the herons.  Then we went off to the Marsh hides opposite each other he decided that he want to go to the small one first.  There was little to see from the Teal hide apart from a few teal (of which he said, “oh, boring”), rather aptly and he soon wanted to go to the next one.  The east Marsh Hide was just a busy as the Baldwin Hide was.  Again they made room for us and as I was looking around one of the visitors pointed a green woodpecker sat on one of the islands to the right.  He set up his scope and very generously allowed Kile to have look at the woodpecker through it.  “Errr,” called out Kile, “it’s eating a rat!”  Most of the others laughed at that one but the scope owner said he was probably eating ants, not a rat.

Looking at the time I saw we had been there about an hour and being conscious of the boredom threshold of an active six year old I thought that was enough and we headed off home.  As we left the hide I heard one guy say, “Now that is what I’m waiting for, to take my granddad kids birding.”   That comment made the day for me.  As for Kile, he enjoyed it but by the time we got home the ‘rat’ had become a ‘mouse’ and he was ready to go home to Mum.  Now he keeps asked when I will take again.  That day will soon come when the weather picks up some more.

A turnstone found at Rampside, Cumbria.

A gannet at Bempton Cliffs.

 A black guillimote at Bangor, North Ireland.

Now then, I see the prime minister of Italy is in trouble yet again.  I’m not bothered about the rights and wrong of what he has or hasn’t done, however I am concerned about the difference in the Italian and British legal systems.  Don’t forget that Italy is in the EU as well as us yet their laws are so different.  On the news it said that the prosecutors had released evidence to the media of their case against the prime minister.  Here in Britain that isn’t allowed.  I’m wondering though, if the prosecution is allowed to do that, just how much of a fair trial can you get in Italy.  It is this sort of difference between the various European countries and Britain that make me despair of us being within the EU in the first place.  Mt preference would be to withdraw.  However, this is a democracy and a referendum needs to be held.  If the vote was remain within the EU, I would have to agree to it.  I might not like but there you are, democracy in action.  But hang on a minute, there are ways of wording the question we are asked to vote on that could leave things very ambiguously indeed.  What is needed is a plain and simple question.  Something like “DO YOU WISH THE UK TO REMAIN WITHIN THE EU?” or maybe, “DO YOU WISH THE UK TO LEAVE THE EU?”  In both cases there would be 2 boxes, one for YES, one for NO.  Don’t think we’ll get one though. 

Bill’s come through again ...

It's late fall and the Indians on a remote reservation in Montana asked
their new chief if the coming winter was going to be cold or mild.

Since he was a chief in a modern society, he had never been taught
the old secrets. When he looked at the sky, he couldn't tell what the
winter was going to be like.

Nevertheless, to be on the safe side, he told his tribe that the
winter was indeed going to be cold and that the members of the village
should collect firewood to be prepared.
But, being a practical leader, after several days, he got an idea.
He went to the phone booth, called the National Weather Service and asked,
'Is the coming winter going to be cold?'

'It looks like this winter is going to be quite cold,' the
meteorologist at the weather service responded.

So the chief went back to his people and told them to collect even
more firewood in order to be prepared.

A week later, he called the National Weather Service again. 'Does
it still look like it is going to be a very cold winter?'

'Yes,' the man at National Weather Service again replied, 'it's
going to be a very cold winter.'

The chief again went back to his people and ordered them to collect
every scrap of firewood they could find.

Two weeks later, the chief called the National Weather Service
again. 'Are you absolutely sure that the winter is going to be very
cold?'

'Absolutely,' the man replied. 'It's looking more and more like it
is going to be one of the coldest winters we've ever seen.'

'How can you be so sure?' the chief asked.

The weatherman replied, 'The Indians are collecting shedloads of
firewood!'

Dorktown Birder's Club

The Dorktown Birder's Club meets tonight and I shall be there.  I was hoping to get to Draycote again today but Bella-pup ...

... at last I have a pici of her, started passing blood with her motions last night so we ended up spending most of this morning at the vets.  Thankfully she now seems to be OK but the vet has put her on some anti-biotics to be on the safe side. 

Back to birding then ... I joined the birder club last year and kept forgetting when the meetings were on so I only attended that one time.  The Sunday after the meeting there is a feild trip organised and I was hpoing to go this comeing Sunday but with my Domestic Superviosr not feeling so well (she's managed to strain her diafram would you belive), I'm going to be needed to take her to church.  Anyway, even when I do manage to go I shall be going in my own car and will follow the mini bus they hire for the trip.  I shall be doing that becuase I need to take my scooter and getting it in the bus along with 11 other birders and all their kit would be more than a little difficult.  Next month I shall be going though!

Garden birding can be great fun for most people.  Up until May 2008 we lived in Bed'th and there was a wood behind our bungalow and our bird list there was very good.  Our star birds there were jays and bullfinch.  We had flocks longtail tits moving through on a daily basis, there was a regular crowd of blue and great tits and look at these ...

 ... just two of the shots Jan got of the birds we had visiting every day.  Anyway, in May 2008 we moved to Atherton in Manchester and again set up our feeders.  We were there for only 9 months before we had to move back here to Dorktown.  We did get a good few birds up there though.

However, back here in Dorktown, my brother Dave had the back garden slabed sometime ago, which is great for garden maintainace but pure for birds.  I can't moan about Dave for having it done becuase like me he hated gardening!  It is the job I do when I can't find anything else to do, let's face it, there might be re-run of Morse on telly I could watch instead ;-)))  But we do get some birds and we do put feed and water our for them.  Our current garden list is very impressive indeed ... wood pigeon, collard dove, house sparrow, dunnock, robin, blackbird, starling and one solitary goldfinch ... see, I said it was impressive ;-)))

I joined the army in 1967 and served for just over 12 years.  I bought myself out in 1979 just before the battalion I was stationed with was due to go to Cyprus for another 2 years.  (It actually ended up being 3 years becasue the replacement battalion for them was sent to Falklands instead.)  Having spent 15 months in Cyprus before that I didn't see the point pof going back to do the same job again so I asked for a posting to another infantry unit in Germany.  They refused it saying that I needed that battalion and that the battalion needed me.  By that they didn't mean that I was essencial to them that couldn't do without me, no, they thought that if I was posted then it would take them around six months get a replacement.  So I bought myself out and they still had to wait for a replactment!  The point of all this is that during all that time I went to West Germany, Holland, Cyprus twice, Kenya and all over the UK and guess what?  I wasn't interested in birds!  I remember seeing vultures over the coastal areas of Western Cyprus and the number of different birds of all shapes and colours in Kenya was amazing.  The only one I can remember clear though was a couple of ostriches.  Ah well ...

From Bill again ...

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN  GUILTY OF LOOKING AT OTHERS YOUR OWN AGE  AND 
THINKING,  SURELY I CAN'T LOOK THAT OLD?  WELL...YOU'LL LOVE THIS ONE!



 MY NAME IS  ALICE SMITH AND I WAS SITTING IN THE WAITING ROOM FOR  MY

 FIRST APPOINTMENT WITH A NEW  DENTIST.   I NOTICED HIS DENTAL  DIPLOMA,

 WHICH BORE HIS FULL  NAME.




 SUDDENLY, I  REMEMBERED A TALL, HANDSOME, DARK HAIRED BOY WITH  THE

 SAME NAME HAD BEEN IN MY  SECONDARY SCHOOL CLASS SOME 30-ODD YEARS  AGO



 COULD HE BE  THE SAME GUY THAT I HAD A SECRET CRUSH ON, WAY BACK  THEN?


 UPON SEEING  HIM, HOWEVER, I QUICKLY DISCARDED ANY SUCH  THOUGHT.


 THIS BALDING,  GRAY HAIRED MAN WITH THE DEEPLY LINED FACE WAS FAR  TOO

 OLD TO HAVE BEEN MY CLASSMATE.   AFTER HE EXAMINED MY TEETH,  I  ASKED

 HIM IF HE HAD ATTENDED MORGAN   PARK SECONDARY SCHOOL ..


 'YES, YES I  DID. I'M A MORGANNER! 'HE BEAMED WITH  PRIDE.


 'WHEN DID YOU  LEAVE TO GO TO COLLEGE?' I  ASKED


 HE ANSWERED,  IN 1965.  WHY DO YOU  ASK?


 'YOU WERE IN  MY CLASS!' I EXCLAIMED.


 HE LOOKED AT  ME CLOSELY.

 THEN  THAT

 UGLY,

 OLD,

 BALD,

 WRINKLED,

 FAT  ARSED,

 GREY  HAIRED,

 DECREPIT,

 BASTARD  ASKED....

 'WHAT DID YOU  TEACH?      

At long last I have managed to get to the rec, however, it was around 3pm and there were few birds about.  I’d left home to go and pick up some pills I was owed and then to the GP to make an appointment.  Just across the road from the doctors is Riversley Park so I went a ride around there before heading off to town to do a bit of shopping.  While I was there I managed to add jackdaw and fieldfare and another 12 species as well, not bad for about 30 minutes birding in an urban area.  After that a ride through town and with most of the shopping done, I headed to the rec.  I didn’t actually do the full rec cos I had got very cold again but I did add a redwing to my list.  There was a lot of gulls circulating around but I didn’t stop to see them land but from I did see they were mostly black-headed and herring gulls.  So I finally managed to get there, next time it will be in the morning and hopefully there will be more about.

Daft sayings time again ... , The BBC News has just finished and the hand over from the national to the local news had the current 'in thing' saying, “And now, over to the news where you are.”  But hang on, BBC Midlands is in Brum, 25 miles up the road.  So it’s hardly ‘where I am’ is it?

Inflation is up again, did you see it on the News?  But what do you expect with a Tory lead government?  It was exactly the same when Mad Maggie was in #10.  Their whole ethos is to keep the working man down and build up the managers and leaders and so far Daft David id doing the same.  How any working class man in his  right mind would ever consider voting Tory is beyond me!  But they do and then they moan about the results that come after.  Last year Tom Wilson the then Mayor of Dorktown resigned from the local Tory party.  I was laughing my head off over it and thinking, “The Mayor is nearly converted, the Mayor is nearly converted.”  So what is the answer then?

There’s not a lot to choose between any of them really.  Love him or hate Terribly Tony was good for the UK and I’m sure Labour would have got in again if he had still been leader.  Goopy Gordon was a real nightmare.  At some time or other we’ve said about our Bosses, “He’s useless, I could do the job better than him!”  But then some of us do get the Boss’s job and find out it’s not quite so easy as we thought.  That’s what happened to Brown.  My main worry now is that he may have damaged the Labour party so much it won’t recover for a long, long time, if ever.

So then we have Nutty Nick and the orange machine.  Oh dear ... what can I say?  Moving in with Daft David just for a taste of the top table fare has put me even further against them.

There's UKIP, BNP, EDL, Communists (are they still about peddling their crap?), Greens, Monster Raving Looines (mind they're needed to intsill a bit of fun politics), and loads of others.  

So there we have it then.  Britain is on its way down the plug hole yet again.  What a nightmare.  I always said that when I became one of the idle rich I would move to Cyprus to live.  I’ve got the idle bit now all I need is rich bit ;-)))

From Bill again ...

I'll try agian ...

So then ... I’ve been remiss in posting another to this.  I have actually done one but when I tried to up-load it the internet link had crashed and I lost the lot.  Hopefully I’ve learned from that now and with this one I shall do a draft in Word and then cut and paste it over.  We’ll see ... ... ... ...

The whole idea of this blog was to be a record of my birding activities over 2011 but things are not going to be as heavily ‘birding’ as I first wanted.  Yet again yesterday lunch time I was taken in to the local hospital with chest pains, and not for the first time either although it has been some time since it last happened.  However, I was given the all clear and released after a couple of hours with orders to rest.  That means no birding for a few days at least.  And no, I still haven’t been down to the rec yet!

Last Tuesday we went off to Winsford to collect Bella pup.  The route from here is the A444 and the M6 to Junction 18 and then local roads to the breeder’s house.  As per usual there are road works on the M6.  Currently the ones I know of are from just south of Junction 7 north to around Junction 12.  OK, fine.  This area is having the variable speed limit system installed.  As with most road work areas there’s a speed limit, 50mph on this stretch and also there are some of the average speed cameras installed there. 

So there I was plodding along at around the 45mph and guess what ... artics were going passed us so fast it made us feel that we were standing still.  Indeed, as we came out of the road works one truck had overtake us and sped up to go past him.  I stayed behind him for about half a mile at one point shaking my head in disbelief.  This nutter was hammering down the M6 at just short of 70mph!  Yes, I know, they are supposed to be limited to 56mph but this one was doing nearly 70mph.  But hang on a minute ...

Surely he should have got himself a speeding ticket through the road works.  OK, so he probably did and I have no sympathy for anyone who does get one.  The argument about speed cameras and council making money from them doesn’t wash with me.  All drivers know the speed limits and they have a responsibility to abide by them.  None of us has a special dispensation that allows us to speed and get away with it.  The current penalty is £60 and 3 penalty points on your licence.  So then, that trucker paid his £60 and had his 3 points added, yes?  NO!!! 

The ticket is sent to the registered keeper of the truck and not the driver.  That not-so worthy person will not hear anything about it at all unless they get a warning from their Boss to make sure they don’t get any more.  The question is, how and why do they get away with it?  The reason is that the truckers Boss finds it easier and cheaper to pay the fine than have the driver do it.  They claim that they don’t know which driver was in which trucker at one time on one day.  TOTAL COBBLERS!!!  I used to drive for Interlink Express and I to pay the one speeding ticket I got then.  While I was there I was allocated to a vehicle and remained with it until it was renewed 2 years when they bought 2 new ones.  My brother is a trucker and also is allocated to a truck and it remains his until he leaves or the company or they given him a new one.  And let’s face it,  a lot of these truckers leave their depots early on Monday morning and don’t get back until the Friday of that same week.  They can’t possibly keep swopping trucks during the week.  But that’s not all ...

Trucks all have a tachograph machine installed in their cabs.  For those of you who don’t know, these machines hold a paper disc and record the number of hours the driver has been driving and also how much non-driving work they do.  There are limits to how much of both they are allowed to do in any one day or work-period with additional limits over a week.  The discs also record the speed of the truck while being driven AND the drivers full name.  The truck operator is required by Law to keep these discs for a certain period of time in case any investigation has to be held, for whatever reason. 

 

So when a ticket does come in why can’t they give the authorities the details they have to hand?  Maybe it’s because so many of the truckers are caught speeding that to pass on those details and have the fine paid and the points added to the licences of the drivers it wouldn’t be too long before they started losing their licences.  So what?  Now the argument of Law and avoiding it is lost, they turn to the usual blackmail, “If we lose all our drivers who will deliver your good s to the shops and fuel to the garages?” they bleat.  What they don’t think about is to change the loading and routing of their trucks and the requirement for their drivers to keep to very tight schedules so that they don’t need to speed.  If they do it’s always with more blackmail in mind.  “OK, we can do that, but if will add to our costs and that will have to be passed on to our customers and then on to you the public.”  See?  You can’t win these people!

                 

Well, that’s enough ranting from me for today.  Silent Witness is coming on telly soon and I want to sit and watch it without distraction. 

Oh yes ... Bill sent me another one ...

A young lad is asked by the school teacher to explain the meaning of the words " potentially" and " realistically" , The boy ,bemused, replied that he didn't know the meaning.
The teacher told him not to worry, to go home and use the questions as part of his homework so he could give the answer at the next school day. Once home ,the boy intrigued by Those words asks his dad. " ok " said his father, " first go and ask your mother if she would go to bed with Brad Pitt for a couple of million quids". Boy comes back and confirms that his mother said that she definetely would. " ok" ,said his father, " now go and ask your sister if she would go to bed with with Brad Pitt for a couple of million quids. Boy asks and comes back to tell his father that his sister would jump at the chance.
.." there you go son" ( his father said) " POTENTIALLY " we could be millionaires but " REALISTICALLY" we are living with a couple of whores.

        

Still not been to Mount Street rec ...

Today we went off to see Jan's sister in her pub, the Crown in Marcham in Osfordshire.  Nice pub too.  Trish is a brilliant chaf and has a really nice looking menu there and hubby Keith looks after the beer and they sell some very good real ale.

Anyway, on the way down we did manage to see a few birds but only three for thsi years list, buzzard, kestrel and sparrowhawk.  Better than nowt eh?  Tomrrow is GP and blood test day so I don't think I shall be able to get birding again then ... ah well.

My mate in Rochdale has sent me another one ...

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

British humour…

These are classified ads, which were actually placed in a U.K. newspaper:
FREE YORKSHIRE TERRIER.
8 years old.
Hateful little bastard.
Bites!


FREE PUPPIES.
1/2 Cocker Spaniel, 1/2 sneaky neighbour's dog.


FREE PUPPIES.
Mother is a Kennel Club registered German Shepherd.
Father is a Super Dog, able to leap tall fences in a single bound.


COWS, CALVES: NEVER BRED.
Also 1 gay bull for sale.


JOINING NUDIST COLONY!
Must sell washer and dryer £100.


WEDDING DRESS FOR SALE.
Worn once by mistake.
Call Stephanie.


**** And the WINNER is... ****

FOR SALE BY OWNER.
Complete set of Encyclopaedia Britannica, 45 volumes.
Excellent condition, £200 or best offer. No longer needed, got married, wife knows everything.


And Last But Not Least The Statement of the Century
A Thought from the Greatest Living Scottish Thinker.

Billy Connolly -

"If women are so bloody perfect at multi-tasking, how come they can't have a headache and sex at the same time?"

Slowing down already

Today I was hoping to get out to Mount Street rec for a look around at what birds there might be.  However, life has got in the way again with the Boss deciding that she needed to do a few bits in the back yard and I to sit a look after Rusty-pup.  We're getting another one a coupl;e pof weeks time so I have no idea how we will mange then!  It's not a total los though in that from my study window I saw a few collarded doves and loads of house sparrows, anad a few great tits.  That was within the last few minutes which isn't bad seeing as how dark it's getting out there.

 Another of my passion is photgraphy and for that I use a Sony Alpha 350 and a couple of Sony lenses.  The last one I bought was 75-300 lense that I got from Jessops in Bolton and its not a bad lense at all.  Here's two shots I got with it the day I bought it.  Both were taken at Pennington Flash, Leigh.  

Have you heard about the two priest who went on holiday?  Well ...


Two priests decided to go to Hawaii on vacation.

They were determined to make this a real vacation by not wearing anything that would identify them as clergy.

As soon as the plane landed they headed for a store and bought some really outrageous shorts, shirts, sandals, sunglasses, etc. The next morning they went to the beach dressed in their "tourist" garb.

They were sitting on beach chairs, enjoying a drink, the sunshine and the scenery when a
"drop dead gorgeous" blonde in a topless bikini came walking straight towards them...

They couldn't help but stare. 

As the blonde passed them she smiled and said, "Good morning, Father ~ good morning, Father," nodding and addressing each of them individually, then she wiggled her bum and passed on by. They were both stunned.

How in the world did she know they were priests? So the next day, they went back to the store and bought even more outrageous outfits These were so loud you could hear them before you even saw them!

Once again, in their new attire, they settled down in their chairs to enjoy the sunshine. 

After a little while, the same gorgeous blonde, wearing a different coloured topless bikini, taking her sweet time, came walking toward them. Again she nodded at each of them and said, "Good morning, Father ~ good morning, Father," and started to walk away. 

One of the priests couldn't stand it any longer and said, "Just a minute, young lady." 

"Yes, Father?"

"We are priests and proud of it, but I have to know, how in the world do you know we are priests, dressed as we are?" 

She replied, "Father, it's me...., Sister Mary!"


(with thanks to Bill Lord a friend of mine in Rochdale)

Draycote, getting wet and cold ...

I was a little late in leaving to head off for Draycote this morning and when I arrived it had started to rain, a light drizzle really but enough to soak you right through.  That's three visits and three time its rained while I was there ... is it trying to tell me something do you think?  It's a five mile route all around the site but only has one hide.  Both times I've used it I have been alone there, doesn't seem to be popular really, but understandable considering there was nothing about near it today. 

Viewing was difficult becuase my specs kept on getting wet and I had to stop and dry them regularly and when I got in the hide they and my bins kept steaming up ... can't win eh ;-)))

Anyway, I was on scooter and by the time I got back to the car I was wet, cold and shivering very badly.  A nice hot cop of tea from the mobile cafe beside the visitor centre (which is closed and seems it will remain so for the foreseeable future), soon sorted me out.  However, I did get a total of 27 birds today ...

Mallard;  Barnacle goose;  Black-headed gull;  Crow;  Rook;  Goosander;  Tufted duck;  Canada Goose;
Coot;  Greater Black-backed gull;  Lesser black-backed gull; Great crested grebe;  Woodpigeon; Great tit;  Blue tit;  Teal;  Magpie;  Chaffinch;  Herring gull;  Blackbird;  Moorhen;  Shoveler;  Little grebe;  Golden eye;  Grey heron;  Pied wagtail;  Starlings;

On the 28th of last month there was supposed to be a smew and a yellow-leged gull and a Caspian gull there in the gull roost.  Hmmm ... I wonder which gull roost, I counted at least 6 of them.  Anyway, if they were there I didn't see them or at least I couldn't I D them if I did see them, and I am not going to try to claim something that I can't ID.



Anyway, 27 to start the year off enna bad really considering the conditions.  I pop down to rec tomorrow and see what's about there.


Sorry, no pics today either - I wasn't going to get my camera soaked too.