Woooo ! I was just opening the front door after walking "the dog" and looked up .. of course ... and there up in't sky was my first Swift of the year. Ace. Also in the field of view were 2 House Martins. One of my "indicators" of things getting going, springwise, is this ... " Spring properly begins when you get Swallow, House Martin and Swift in the same binocular field of view." So obviously I haven't managed that yet .... I could have if I'd motored to the local hotspots for " that sort of thing" but I haven't. I'm a patient old Hector. But now for the " another birding challenge" I mentioned in the title... You're going to have to think about this ...... What's the greatest number of species you've had in your binocular field of view at the same time? It's a tricky one. I'm thinking wader+ gull flocks, lakes packed with ducks + gulls, winter fields full of thrushes, finches , ornamental duck ponds etc. A lot also depends on your bins ... I've got some ancient Swift Audubons which weigh about 8 tons BUT have a huge field of view. They're really 3D as well... when you bin a nearby tree you feel as if the branches are all around you. On the other end of the scale, I've got a dinky pair of "pocket bins" ... Viking Travellers they are (sounds like a village footy team) 8x21 which are very handy to cart around in your pocket but have a tiny field of view. Plus you can leave them in the car and it doesn't matter if they get nicked. This is a really do-able challenge .... you don't need any rarities, you don't have to drive around the country for miles .... you can have a go at it anywhere. I'll be interested to hear of any results, good or not so good. I'll be showing you a deceptively easy-looking challenge shortly ... you'll need your ancient copy of " The Observer's Book of Birds" for it though. Be ready. I bet you're thinking ... how hard could that be ?" You'll see. Oh yes. Well .. it's music time ... something rather special and sophisticated today ... a tiny bit of "Jazz Club" .....probably the funniest thing you'll see/hear all day....
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AuthorThat's the author up there ... I was young and sprightly then. Archives
October 2022
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