Where indeed ! So far I've spotted ... 1 ( one) Redwing 2 male Blackcaps (in my garden)(for several weeks and still there)(v. nice) 1 Chiffchaff ( yesterday) 1 Brambling ( about a month ago) And that is about all. I've scoured all the local Waxwing Hotspots to no avail. And I've gone all round my local bird reserve, nicknamed Grumbling Stumps for some reason that is buried in the distant past, and there was nowt there either, wintering-birds-wise. And today I have been been summoned by TSO, my "companion" in "life" to get upstairs and fix the sink. Later ... the whole blocked-up-sink thing has been a complete disaster, with acrimonious consequences ... but such is life. And by the time that had all been " addressed" it is now nearly dark. And it is rainy, and to add to the drama, mighty windy. So.. what about the music .... the rather relevant " It's not happening" ......
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In yesterday's " Observer" there was a half-page article encouraging birders to stay local to see birds. Here's a summary ...... " A new challenge urges enthusiasts to stop travelling in packs and find species on their own patch." " A new breed of climate-conscious birder is trying to persuade fellow enthusiasts to keep it local instead." The "Green Patch Challenge", created by Joe Parham, a 22-year-old from the Midlands, invites under-25s to attempt to travel only on foot or by bike to see birds. Birdwatch magazine has set its readers a " LocalBigYear" challenge for 2022, inviting birders to find species within 10km of their home. Javier Caletrio, a researcher in North-West England, set up the "Low Carbon Birding blog in 2018 to try to persuade birders to travel less. Chris Packham has said he's never going to do any long-distance trips again. But there are places like Costa Rica, the Gambia, Trinidad and Tobago, or Kenya, where vast amounts if its economy comes from wildlife tourism. We need to find the right balance between the local and the global. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As you all know, I have my very own,unique-to-me 3K local patch. But you're probably fed up of my wittering about it. So.. here's some music .... a stunning and brilliant song ....... See the boys they go out walking
The boys, they look so fine Dressed up in green velvet Their silver buckles shine Soon they'll be bleary eyed Under a keg of wine Down where the drunkards roll Down where the drunkards roll See that lover standing Staring at the ground He's looking for the real thing Lies were all he found You can get the real thing It will only cost a pound Down where the drunkards roll Down where the drunkards roll There goes a troubled woman She dreams a troubled dream She lives out on the highway She keeps her money clean Soon she'll be returning To the place where she's the queen Down where the drunkards roll Down where the drunkards roll You can be a gambler Who never drew a hand You can be a sailor Who never left dry land You can be Lord Jesus All the world will understand Down where the drunkards roll Down where the drunkards roll Whilst idly looking through some British Birds, I found this letter on page 330 of Volume 91, Number 8, August 1998 ....... The lead story in " News and comment" on the increasing average age of ornithologists involved in bird-monitoring projects in Sweden (Brit. Birds 91:203) is interesting, but may not be bad news. If the same is true in this country, perhaps we can hope that the long, shallow declines in so many bird populations are due, at least in part, to the long, shallow declines in the faculties of the ageing birdwatchers who monitor them. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Well, I expect that at the right old age of 72, I'm one of those old dodderers. And I have to admit that my 1st Jan big day was, for me, a rather duff affair, what with a long, rather fruitless walk which only gleaned 17sp, and an afternoon outing in the car which only managed to get me another 9. This was because TSO ( my companion in "life") decided to take me to another duff place, and then it got rather rapidly dark. And cold. And wet. Long gone are all those " up before dawn, out all day covering miles and miles of hopefully top spotting spots" Jan 1sts . Another marker of getting old is that lots of your birding pals have died. Or simply got just too knackered to do it any more. Here's some people birding ..... they seem to be getting on OK .... |
AuthorThat's the author up there ... I was young and sprightly then. Archives
October 2022
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