Here's my write-up ..or rather "palimpsested type-up/sketch-up" of one of our "expotitions" from years ago. I've made it small because it just goes blurry when biggered. I typed this using a tripetapper .... in those days it's all we had ....still, it was a step forwards from John Bull Printing Outfits. A Quantum Leap .... politicians used to talk about "quantum leaps" but then someone with a brain told them that quantum leaps were [a] very very very very tiny and [b] often fell back to where they came from very very quickly.So now they call them " step changes." Bloody gormless bunch they are. Straw-Boaterists I reckon. So that you can savour the full story, I'm going to tripe it out all over again, just about 27 years later. Ouch ! I've also interjected ( oooh-er missus) a few additional comments and made a few wise adjustments ... WELSH TWITCH 24th MARCH 1991 The day for me began at about 3:30 am when I got up and started to get myself ready to CYCLE ( I've warned you about that a few posts ago.. #32 actually) the 10 or so miles to "Gnagrats", home town of "Mr. G". I had to meet " Mr G" at 4:45. Our plan was to go to Holyhead first, get the White-Billed Diver , then go to Clocaenog for the Crossbills.. so an earlyish start was required. I set off to the sound of a Robin singing in Cornwall Road, and soon discovered that it was a very cool night indeed ! On the way to G's I also ticked Rooks, Mallards, blackbirds and Song Thrushes. In no time at all ( not..it seemed like an eternity) I turned into the palatial drive of " Wetfield" and a short time later we met up with Big Mo and Boris. It was a merry journey indeed as we bowled ( wobbled would be better word) along telling stories about " The Boss" aka Bruce, Ed Starling et al, and also getting on with the day list.... [ don't get too excited here] Canada goose was binned by Big Mo, Tufted Ducks, Kestrel, Lapwing, Starling , b'h and Herring Gulls, Feral Pigeon, Collared dove, Wood Pigeon, a flock of 99% certain Fieldfares, Magpies, Jackdaws, Crows ... even a Fulmar off the coast ...but before that we had a brief but productive interlude at sunny Halkyn-by-the-Sea. Here we had to overcome the profound gloom of "Mr "Eeyore" G" as he told tales of locals, gamekeepers, dogs.. not to mention no sign of the famous Lady Amherst's Pheasants ! Despite this, Roy "they're all asleep" Higgs led a successful expedition past the gravestones to the very spot he had seen them before. Nuthatch, Blue tit, Great Tit, Ordinary Pheasant, all were duly ticked to a background of " You're definitely trespassing Roy" Big Mo spotted a m-m-male L.A.P legging it into the foliage.A brave away team led by Roy ( 1st Officer ... Boris) trespassed even more to gently encourage the target bird back onto the path where good views were had by all. No dogs, no locals, no enraged landowners were to be seen. Big Mo and Boris had ticks, Eeyore had ½-a-tick, but Roy had none. So off we shot to Holyhead. And when we got there, the cupboard was bare. Oh dear ! [Luke, ch 13, v 28 ] Pulling up alongside a lot of scopy-types we found that the target bird ( White-Billed diver in case you've forgotten) was not, repeat not, in the harbour and had not been found. Oh woe! At this point it must be mentioned that Roy, alone amongst our "party", remained optimistic and sure that the beast would be seen. We went round to back of the harbour where there were more scopy-types but all they had was the Red-Necked Grebe. Soon we had it too. The whole harbour was remarkably deserted birdwise, with a R-b merganser, turnstones, redshanks, house sparrows and a few manky cormorants, so we made a quick decision to go to the bay before Holyhead which Mr.G and Roy knew to be a good spot. [ Well readers, that's a good place to leave a cliff-hanger... the rest will appear next time ... or at least, fairly soon. -ish. Will we spot the WBD ? And if so, which jammy sod will find it? Do any of you care ? What's the music going to be ? ] Well, I said I'd bung Joanna Newsom's fine song '81 on here ... and here it is, words and all .... it's all very allegorical of course ....
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