this blog is ours

Martin is working at his computer again. Nicole Kidman and the two annoying kids from 'The Others' are bugging him at the desk. They had originally been contracted to ghostwrite a blog entry on Thursday night, but Martin cancelled everything after the disaster with Captain Cutler. So in revenge they are running round him, throwing his papers in the air and shouting things like 'We're not dead!' and 'This blog is ours'. Martin heeds them not... he presses 'Send' and with a sigh, collapses forward onto the keyboard. He had FINISHED the Iberian Chiffchaff paper, and 14 hours before the deadline too, a record. When he wakes up he will celebrate with a family-feast bag of assorted Indian curries from ASDA (feeds six), a cup of tea and whatever cheap wine he can find lying around the house. Obviously he'll have to find it before Diane does.

Birding did happen this morning, though it might as well not have. Lovely day too - calm, mild, bright, Song Thrush singing and all that crap, except Newtonhill was stinking with the recently spread poisonous core of Mount Doom over the fields. Really felt like I was going to bump into a Black Redstart, though of course I didn't. Peregrine Falcons, a pair again, were active, and I tried to use RememBird to capture their calls but they were just a little too distant to be any good.

15 Common Eiders on the water included 7 males, all of which had largely yellow bills (mental note on subject of 'borealis' to NES Bird Report). 13 Ruddy Turnstones on the rocks. Looking out to sea, not much except more of the same, and about 25 Black-headed Gulls feeding on the water. I was joined by two gentlemen from the Sea Angling Club - I knew that cos they had their logo'd anoraks on. The first rule of Sea Angling Club... we don't talk about Sea Angling Club. I'd seen some Harbour Porpoises, and 5 Common Scoters flew north. etc.

Having just finished my Ibe Chiffy paper, where else to go but Iberia. 16th -23rd I'll be away, at the University of Granada (nice!). I tried to convince Diane it was a work trip, but spoiled the effect by being in Boots at the time buying suncream.