George Bristow's Secret Freezer

BOURC 39th Report

2010-12-28T15:16:00.002Z

I should point you at this BOURC 39th Report.

This sort of thing is what I've been doing recently. Three British firsts forYorkshire. Yorkshire rules.

Includes the belated acceptance of of White-throated Sparrow from Hull, February 1893, shot in the grounds of Holderness House. Holderness House is now a retirement home for Laydeees, which is about as 'Little Britain' as you can get.

Please be my facebook friend. http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/docmartin2mc
I don't have any real ones... (*sobs*)

Some noises.

2010-10-10T20:09:00.004+01:00

Another Yellow-browed Warbler in Newtonhill this morning, at the Mill Garden - it distracted my attention from a couple of Blackcaps by sneaking up behind me and calling from the tops of the sycamores, then performing like a tart for 20 minutes. Got a few calls thanks to the new improved Remembird II (much better gain). And here they are, just for fun, but showing some of the variation in YbW calls.

Listen here.

And this one

Listen here, if you want :-)

Approach with caution...

2010-09-25T15:05:00.002+01:00

From Birdguides today...

Viscious little b*stards these Empidonax flycatchers.

They go for your flies anyway.

Flight identification of European dolphins

2010-08-01T19:54:00.006+01:00

Oh ho. A quick one hour trip down to the cliffs this evening to look for pirates and cows, 18:15 - 19:20. Immediately I got there, saw a lot of dolphin activity on calm seas. It was a flock of at least 12 White-beaked Dolphins. Some of them were breaching anthropomorphically happily, like these two.

White-beaked Dolphins.

These fantastic photos will form the basis of my forthcoming book 'Flight Identification of European Dolphins'. In all good bookstores and quite a few rubbish ones by December 2027.

A single Harbour Porpoise too.

Birds quiet - 12 Manx Shearwaters north, 39 Common Scoters, 39 Sandwich Terns south. Plenty Atlantic Puffins around still, and a few Razorbills feeding young on the water. Three Great Skuas, including a couple on the water, viz...

Great Skua

When I finished, I realised I'd been sitting with my foot on this dead vole. Or at least it was dead now. Either way, it made me hungry for tea.

Bird Photograph of the Year 2010

2010-05-17T18:56:00.004+01:00

The rest of you may as well throw in the towel now. Follpwing my triumphant effort with the 2008 Girdleness Bluethroat, here, I gave my competitors a chance last year. But inspired to regain my crown, I humbly submit this year's entry, a careful study of the King Eider at the Ythan today.

Believe me, I have a lot more like this.

Not dead, only sleeping

2010-05-16T21:56:00.004+01:00

I'm alive, just busy, honest.

Here's a colour-ringed Common Eider photo'd today at Newtonhill - he's defending that female to his right against the attentions of all the spotty specky geeky other males. Anyway, his white-over-green left leg identifies him as being ringed on the Ythan estuary as a chick in 1984. Hope I'm still alive and mated up when I'm 26.

Excuse the cropped phone-cam thingy.

title tbc

2009-09-21T00:04:00.005+01:00

Cassette tapes, Persimmon woods, ink jet printers, telephone booths, Sony Walkmans, Kodak 110s, analog TVs, Betamaxes, and 120 SbCs

2009-08-26T22:06:00.010+01:00

Weekend... I was down at the British Birdwatching Fair, where no birdwatching was done, but an awful lot of gabbing. So much to report... first thanks to all you blogees who were concerned about my Diamond White intake. You'll be pleased to know that tonight I am drinking nothing but the purest detoxifying JD.

First, a big welcome to the new Editor of British Birds*.

*disclaimer. Person shown is for illustrative purposes only and is not a new editor of British Birds

The very exciting news that a new and improved Remembird upgrade is but weeks away, that promises to sort out some of the glitches with memory, battery life, and usability that some readers will remember have occasionally caused me to comment.

Look at my new t-shirt. The Ivory-billed Woodpecker reigns supreme as the flagship species for conservation of extinct birds. I wonder if some committee meeting at Birdlife International had an agenda item about '?' vs '!'

btw, it cost me £15... so for that they'd better bloody conserve some IBWOs grrrr......

'I've seen 120 Slender-billed Curlews' :-O

For some reason, Anthony McGeehan turned up naked. See here. Fortunately Mark Constantine (who owns 'Lush', for those of you who doubted my A-list credentials) was there to cover up his privates with some filthy rag. I think the moral of the story is... 'Don't bail on the Sound Approach team.'

I took my old Zeiss 7x42s (remember the scratched ones?) to the Zeiss stand to see if anything could be done to recondition them. They said not to bother. Cleaned 'em up, said the scratch was cosmetic. Could anything be done for the coating on the objectives, asked I, pointing out that it was heavily abraded. They said not to bother, it was just cosmetic, made no difference to the optical performance of the binocular. So next time some binocular salesman is trying to wax lyrical about the coating of some binoculars he's trying to sell you, tell him about this.

The BB team of bird-crazy Hazel (would NOT stop talking about subspecific identification of Locustellas), Roger and I were staying at a B&B with one other Birdfair couple. On Sunday morning she says to me that I was looking the worse for wear and had I drank too much last night? As you know, I drink in great moderation and has genuinely had 2 lager shandies the previous evening. 'Worse for wear' is how I normally look, thank you very much. She is from Glasgow, though hasn't lived there for many many years. When she met another couple from Glasgow at her stall in the Art tent, the first thing they asked her was 'what school did you go to?' Some things never change*.

*For people who aren't familiar with the Weejie scum mindset... the question is a way of asking whether you are Protestant or Catholic.

In Kazakhstan, we shoot all the bears.

The t-shirt wasn't my major extravagance of the weekend. For nearly 20 years now I have owned and used a Slik D2. About 5 years ago, it was kinda funny that I was still keeping it going, but the joke has started to wear thin. So I bought myself a new tripod.

Yes, you poor old SlikD2. You were my first love, but time has not been kind to you and you have been replaced by a younger sexier Italian model with fantastic legs, better lubrication and a smoother head action.

There's a lesson for us all there, though I can't quite put my finger on it. Unlike my new Italian model.

Wednesday 26th August 09.
I took my new tripod for a 05:45-06:45 spin, worried that Xenospiza was sat at home worrying about how many Northern Gannets were passing Newtonhill. The answer... 109 north. Happy now? Actually it was still pretty dark when I started, only brightening up and a few Gannets starting to go through as I had to go. Tssk. Other things around... 2 Arctic Skuas N together, a few Common Scoters scooting back and forth (36N 12S). 6 Common Teals S, 5 Red-throated Divers south, 119 Sandwich Terns north, 16 Common Terns, and 6 Common Redshanks.

A big hi to all the people I met for the first time and all those I only see once a year.

Loch Tay - home of the fabled Loch Tay Monster.

2009-08-16T22:24:00.005+01:00

We were meant to be away Friday and Saturday night at an idyllic campsite on the banks of Loch Tay, home of the fabled Loch Tay Monster that I just made up. A severe weather warning on Friday night, so we postponed our departure til Saturday morning, so we only had to enjoy the balmy midge-filled Saturday evening in a tent.

So Saturday, we skidded and slid the car across the mud-slide of a camp site with difficulty, mostly because of the evacuation of soggy campers that went on throughout the day. We decided to pitch just off the road, and by evening, it was just us, a green tent up the hill, and a refugee camp of some extended family of geordies in three enormous tents, in the prime site beside the showers. Loch Tay... geographically, was not far away, but it was a 45 degree descent down a mudslide and operational forest cutting. I kept myself amused and Diane a little annoyed with my persistent Mel & Kim impression... 'Tay tay tay tay t-t-t-t-t tay tay, take or leave us but please believe us we are never going to be respectable' at high volume at regular intervals. It was pissing down all night, apart from a 10 minute spell in the evening when I flew the kite. Then cooked beans crouched down behind the shelter of the car like a gnome. In the morning when I slid across to dump the can, and wondering where the green tent had gone, I found (?)it, flysheet, guy ropes, poles, the whole bang sheboot, dumped in the bin, with the owners nowhere to be seen. I bet there's a story there that kept me giggling all day. Crannog Centre,

where this spider turned up on the car

and (this is the birdy bit), lunch on the banks of the river at Dunkeld where there were enormous numbers of Sand Martins (Bank Swallows ) and Goosanders (Common Mergansers).

It was nice being popular... and Emma Wray naked.

2009-08-14T23:35:00.007+01:00

Normal number of hits per day ~30. At least 20 of which have googled 'Emma Wray naked' (Try it!). Post something about Slender-billed Curlew and the whole world (or about a thousand of them) come to your door.

Alas I have no plans to maintain my new found popularity.

BUT there hasn't been any Ivorybill activity for a while, so I thought I could add my bit. Remember when the paper by Hill et al published 'toot' noises and sonagrams from the Florida woods that they suggested could be IBWOs but I suggested were a better match for baby White-tailed Deer?

Posts here and here.

My problem, at least one of them, is that I have never heard baby deers and a search of YouTube came up with nothing. Well now it doesn't come up with nothing. Check out this one.

I have no idea if these are White-tailed Deer or some other sort of deer (someone please advise), but made sonagrams anyway of the bleats from 1.37 to 1.42 and this is what you get.

Eyeballing them, they are a better match for the Florida 'toots' than they are for the archival IBWO recording (see the second of my postings above). But on the other hand, they don't sound the same as the 'putative kent' noises published by Hill et al here and here. Allwing for differences in microphones, equipment, etc. I have difficulty believing that the 'putative kents' came out of a deer. Not as much difficulty as I have believing they came from an IBWO, but all the same...

Birding too. Is there no limit to my talents? Teatime in the rain. I remember as a young boy birding round Flamborough and one of the older hands (we shall call him 'Andrew' to preserve his anonymity) told me that rare birds don't turn up in the rain, that I should go and have a cup of tea and he would let me know when it was easing off. Well, I learnt my lesson there. So at teatime, in pissing rain and an easterly breeze, I went out birding to hoover up the harvest of flycatchers and warblers that would be waiting for me. 2 hours and 1 Willow Warbler later, I was on the seawatching bench, still in the pissing rain and visibility down to, well, I could see my toes. In 30 minutes... 3 Arctic Skuas (Parasitic Jaegers), 1 Great Skua (Huge F*ckoff Jaegers), 12 (!) Northern Gannets, 7 Manx Shearwaters. However the birds were tanking past so fast in the tailwind, and in such haze and poor light I realised that if, for example, something good came past, I was never going to get enough on it to get a description through. Which is a shame, cos actually something did come through in the half-visibility that looked pretty good, but it got away and we never speak of it again. I mean it.

New Links

2009-08-12T10:22:00.004+01:00

For those who thought the UK was a developed nation

http://raptorpolitics.org.uk/

and for those who thought westward vagrancy of Saker was unlikely (thanks to Chris Kehoe for pointing this out)

http://rarebirdspain.blogspot.com/2009/08/satellite-tracked-hungarian-saker-falco.html

Bit more SbC

2009-08-10T22:57:00.007+01:00

First, a comparison with the Minsmere Curlew (both montages, Moroccan bird left, Druridge Bird middle, the Minsmere 'Slender-billed' Eurasian Curlew at right. Not exact poses but I don't have as much to choose from for Minsmere. Allan Tate at right, I think the lower Minsmere bird is Dick Newell's.

Next, a poor but good enough grab from Trevor Charlton's video showing the Druridge bird in a more erect 'SbC-like' stance.

Finally, an example of how too little resolution and too much contrast can start to turn a rather fine picture of a Eurasian Curlew (Dick Newell again, I think)

into a diamond-spotted putative SbC.

Not many birds, quite a bit of mammal biomass.

2009-08-09T22:37:00.008+01:00

First, note the update to yesterday's post.

I had meant to get up early for a seawatch and a pound round the Mill gardens etc looking for any migrants. However I unaccountably missed my 5.30 alarm call (perceptive readers might link that with yesterday’s Diamond White comment), and in the event I didn’t get out until teatime.

It was very very quiet – occasional Willow Warbler houeet from the bushes, but apart from a flyover Eurasian Sparrowhawk, nothing.

However I did collect this impressive haul of dead shrews. The Pygmy Shrew at left is so old it’s almost a fossil. Common Shrew in middle is nice and fresh, and the Common Shrew at right is nicely middling.

There was a White-throated Dipper on the beach, too. And this mess of a hybrid Hooded x Carrion Crow on the rocks.

Offshore, for a mere 30 min from 17:45-18:15, lots more Black-legged Kittiwakes, a pitiful 2 Northern Gannets and that was it. EXCEPT a flock of 4 White-beaked Dolphins that started breaching. I tried to get a photo, but the problem is that between pressing the shutter and getting the image, the beautiful sight of a dolphin arching gracefully through the air in delight becomes a rather embarrassing, 2.5-scoring and rather sore-looking bellyflop splash.

Mystery photograph, anyone? Clue, the bird is flying off to the right.

The Druridge Curlew (and a seawatch so boring my heart stopped again).

2009-08-08T22:14:00.016+01:00

Back in time to the murky depths of the last century, May 1998, in a tiny uninhabited rump of England called Druridge Bay. Here, primitive man fashioned rudimentary binoculars out of flint chips and animal hides, and saw the bird that was subsequently accepted as Britain's first (and the Western Pal's last?*** Update*** not true, see below) Slender-billed Curlew. It came to BOURC just before my time, so I wasn't involved with the assessment. And I didn't see it either. Anyway, the identification has been doubted by people who didn't see it, and inspired by 660 posts of bickering in a BirdForum thread called Slender-billed Curlew - 10 years on, I compared some images from a video produced by Justin Carr of the Druridge bird with stills from a video on YouTube taken at Merja Zerga in 1994 of the last Moroccan SbCs. The Moroccan video is by Andy Butler.

In each of the following images,the left hand bird is an SBC from Merja Zerga (Andy Butler) and the right-hand bird if the Druridge bird (Justin Carr). I hope they don't mind me doing this. In some of the images I have horizontally flipped one or other bird so thety are looking the same way. Also bear in mind that the Moroccan birds are adults and the Druridge is a 1s hence the moult pattern.

Look at the bill shape and proportions above, and also the exact pattern of black spotting in the upper breast and flanks. Considering how individual feathers canbe displaced in the wind and due to brushing by vegetation, I am surprised how much match there is. The Druridge bird has head and body proportions similar to a real SbC too.

This one below is interesting cos it shows the narrow bill base of SbC and the Druridge bird (the Minsmere Eurasian Curlew by contrast had a broad bill base).

This one below shows the wing length of the Druridge bird and it looks to be in the right ballpark for SbC

The two below are perhaps less informative, but the top one maybe puts the Druridge bird's primary projection as a tad shorter than the Moroccan bird. But it also shows the extent of flank spotting to be pretty much identical

As followers of the shenanigans surrounding the-woodpecker-we-shall-not-name will know, it's not enough to show that your image of a potentially extinct bird is consistent with that species, you also have to show it is not consistent with Pileated Woodpecker. I mean any other commoner species. Sorry. Frankly we now know that Eurasian Curlew can look superficially similar to SbC and the quality of the video images from the Bronze Age are not anywhere near as good as we would have got if the Druridge bird had shown up in these modern communist times. Fortunately, I have some Eurasian Curlews among the video grabs from Justin Carr's video. I should say that I took this videograbs when BBRC and BOURC were looking for photos to illustrate the paper in British Birds, so I didn't keep many shots of the rest of the curlew flock. But I've got these two...

In the top one the Druridge bird is at back, with a Eurasian Curlew at front. The danger is that the apparent black 'diamond' spotting on the flanks of the 'boy' was a video artifact caused by poor resolution and high contrast of the video. That the chevron flanks of a Eurasian Curlew could look diamond spotty under these conditions. I think the grabs of Eurasian Curlew confirm that this is apossible concern, but in both shots the Eurasian flank markings appear less contrasty and more chevron shaped (as they should ) than the bird of interest. (especially top shot with the direct comparison). Not great evidence, but I think there's enough here to suggest that the apparent diamond spotting of the Druridge 'SbC' is real.

I think the similarity between the Druridge bird and SbC is quite impressive. But do you know what the most impressive thing is... that I've been drinking Diamond White all night and can still spell shenanigans.

________________________________________

I also did a seawatch this evening after a barbecue at Newtonhill Church where Lizzie has been praising God for his creation of curlews, woodlice and sweets. It was so boring I only last an hour (the seawatch, not the barbecue). (The barbecue had chickens, which is more than the seawatch did). There were hundreds of Black-legged Kittiwakes, including many many fresh juveniles (at sea, not the barbecue). Now I don't want to disrespect Kittiwakes, they are most marvellous birds with an enterprising juvenile plumage that should win design awards, but frankly, I've seen enough Kittiwakes for this life (but I haven't eaten enough - I bet they'd be good in a bun with tartare sauce). Highlights were 2 Black Guillemots flying south towards Muchalls. They are just about annual here, and Muchalls represents pretty much their southern-most breeding point on the east coast. 9 Northern Gannets going north between 18:00 and 1900, 1 Manx Shearwater and 1 Great Skua were just enough to remind me that I was looking at the sea, but it was pretty desperate stuff. Is it any wonder I drink?

Update - Hungary record 2001 - thanks to members of the WestPal birds email list that supplied me with details of the forthcoming publication of an accepted multiobserver record form Hungary in 2001.

Oláh, J. Jr. & Pigniczki, Cs. (2009): The first XXIst century record of Slender-billed Curlew (Numenius tenuirostris) in Hungary. Aquila, 114, p. ???
A summer plumaged adult male Slender-billed Curlew (Numenius tenuirostris Vieill. 1817) was observed near Apaj in the Kiskunság National Park on the 15th of April in 2001. The observation was accepted by the MME NB (Hungarian Cheklist and Rarities Committee) as the first XXIst century observation of the species in Hungary. To our knowledge this record also represents the first documented and accepted observation anywhere in the World. The identification was made after a very thorough examination and was based mainly on the size, plumage details, colouration, bill, legs and body shape. The identification was also supplemented by a video recording made through the telescope. Detailed description of the this bird is given in this paper as well as describing the status of the species in Hungary. A copy of the documentary video was also deposited in the archive of the MME NB.

Sorry...

2009-08-02T23:10:00.004+01:00

Many apologies. My guest blogger from the previous post appears to be a little confused about what is real and what is cult movie. You'll be glad to know that I am alive, though I did have a bit of a brush with a fat-arsed Shh-mutant Wicker man.

After Skye, starting to think that maybe the seawatching season is starting. Soooo... ignoring the offshore winds and apparent absence of birds:

Sunday 26th July 09. 18:36-19:40
6 Manx Shearwaters north
1 Great Skua south, attacking Kittiwakes, and then probably the same one, going back north for another go.
1 Red-throated Diver S
22 Red Knots, South.

AND, my first kill of the autumn. It was me or him. Nasty vicious fangs in my toes. Wouldn't let go.

Pygmy Shrew

Wednesday 29th July 09
Late morning... the house starts to fill up with kids, not all of them mine, so I head out for a bit of mid-day July birding. Unsurprisingly, very few birds (1 Common Whitethroat), but plenty of butterflies, including Dark Green Fritillary and Ringlet (both second patch records) up the cliff steps, with the usual Small Coppers, Common Blues, Meadow Brown and Small Whites.

Offshore for 30 min from 12.00, just 1 Arctic Skua, 10 Eurasian Teals, and a few Atlantic Puffins and Northern Gannets.

As I walked back to the house, 4 Black-tailed Godwits flew over, going south along the coast, itself unusual (have previously seen them once or twice on seawatches). This was about 12.30. Interestingly, at 5.30 pm, 4 were on the lagoons at Musselburgh, according to Birdguides. Reckon it would take a Black-tailed Godwit about 4-5 hours to make the journey. Wonder if they were the same ones.

Sunday 2nd August 09
Seawatch 07:10 - 08:40. S winds still.
Rather boring...
1 Great Skua N, 11 Common Scoters and 1 Velvet Scoter S. Also 3 Eurasian Teals and Common Goldeneye. 25 Annoying Small Waders S, and a Guillemot (Common Murre) on the water with a single chick.,. The first I've seen here this year.

Guest Blogger

2009-08-02T22:53:00.007+01:00

Hi All

After a bit of a delay, the blog today is being written by me, Edward Woodward (you may remember me from such long running TV hits series as 'The Equalizer'). Martin was called away to investigate the disappearance of a young girl on an island off the west coast of Scotland, and after a long and frankly rather implausible series of adventures, was burnt in a large Wicker effigy. I, in contrast, was on Skye from 18th-25th July, at a house on the Braes overlooking Raasay, from where it was possible to scope the Sound and see Black Guillemots at play. Or being played with by Great and Arctic (Parasitic) Skuas. I spent some time floating in the water in my dead fish outfit, until I saw this sight coming towards me.

At which point I reached for my camera and got this single shot of White-tailed Eagle, the male from the Portree nest.

In Portree harbour, this Glaucous Gull was savouring a fish head.

We saw dinosaur footprints fossilised on the beach at Staffin... here

and enhanced here for the hard-of-seeing.

Also, I need someone to identify my moth for me...

Four seasons in one day, or more accurately 3, or more accurately, 1.

2009-07-12T23:58:00.004+01:00

Saturday 11th July 09

The lure of a potential lifer, Stilt Sandpiper, at Loch of Strathbeg, was too much to ignore. So I stopped only at Stonehaven Kwik Fit to have my bald tyres retreaded with a hot scalpel (it was cheaper) before heading off north. I had missed the main rush on Thursday night, so it was nice n' quiet when I got there. The Stilt Sandpiper was showing nicely, if at scope range, and initally, asleep, the git. So while I was waiting for it to wake up, a scan to the left revealed the adult Pectoral Sandpiper feeding sewing machine fashion in the mud among the Black-headed Gulls and resting Common Terns. The Pec was pretty sweet, with a nicely defined breeding-type breast. Then the Stilt Sand woke up and that was pretty spectacliar too. I honoured its memory by whipping off one of my world-renowned biro sketches.

Once again the usual apology, but this is a genuine field (well, visitor centre tbh) drawing done at the time without revision. There were one or two other people trickling through, including those who need the reserve centre staff to get it in the scope for them. I don't like to be uncharitable, I really don't, but if you discount the 100+ Northern Lapwings, which tend not to represent an identification challenge, the only shorebirds on that pool were the Stilt Sand, the Pec and a Ringed Plover, so we weren't exactly pushing the boundaries of birding here. Was a nice bird though. 3 Little Gulls among the Black-headed Gulls too, and a distant Western Marsh Harrier.

Sunday 12th July 09.

Wader passage... autumn is here! Back to the 'pleasures' of Newtonhill seawatching. 06:40 - 08:40, pissing down with in-your-face rain and bloody freezing. My poor teeth were actually chattering. And for.... poor visibility. Between showers, a few birds came through. A single Little Gull was the scarcest. 31 Manx Sheawaters, 4 Great Skuas. 6 Velvet Scoters south, 4 Common Terns north, 2 Sandwich Terns south. 292 Northern Gannets north, 100s of Black-legged Kittiwakes and plenty of Northern Fulmars, Atlantic Puffins, Razorbills and Guillemots (Common Murres). Although everything from terns down is local breeding stuff, there were actually more things out there than I had any right to expect, so crap is my valley.

So when the April showers took a break mid-morning, spring gave way to a dense foggy autumn (the season of 'Season of Mists' quotes) and burnt off to a sweltering summer teatime. I was praying for a hailstorm before bed, but all I got was Pipistrelle Bats.

Northern Brown Argus

2009-06-28T22:33:00.003+01:00

Lovely day.

It was also a lovely day on Tuesday morning. Had car, driving over flyover onto A90 (better than crashing thru central reservation - police get cross again). Big cloudless blue sky. Perfection in firmament etc bollox. Hold! Flaw in firmament.... bird flying . Barnacle Goose! Weird. not exactly overrun with feral breeding barnies.

Back to Sunday. Common Reed Bunting singing at St Anne's track. Used to say 'Nul points to Norway'. But brutally unfair to triumphant Norway. Juvvy Song Thrush, barely flying. Sedge Warbler carrying food into bracken. Juvvy Sedgies no doubt enjoying whatever muck. World's scruffiest male Grey Wagtail decided to moult in full view of children and tramps. Beach... covered in happy families enjoying sun, avoiding pervert grey wags. Cliff steps. Common Blue butterflies, hundreds of Painted Ladies kicking about, lots of Magpie Moths Silver-Ys. Not a great butterfly expert. But though a couple of the female Common Blues looked a bit weird. No blue, very dark. Are they meant to have those little white dots on the wings? Checked when get home... Northern Brown Argus! bugger me. And there are a few records from this bit of coast. Aha. Patch tick.

A Northern Brown Argus very similar to those on the wing today at N/hill.

Offshore. Auks very busy. Guillemots and Razorbills in all directions. Atlantic Puffin heading to burrows with fish. 8 Manx Shearwaters all heading north, a few Northern Gannets too. And the
first autumn migrant of the year... a Common Sandpiper on the rocks. Roll on autumn.

Back from BOU

2009-06-15T00:04:00.002+01:00

Back from the BOURC meeting in our secret underground bunker somewhere in, or maybe near (don't want to be too specific) Petrograd. We invented a new word (also see here!). Remember a few years ago, maybe about 10 tbh, when Viz magazine (even back then, it wasn't as funny as it used to be), promised it was going to print the rudest word inthe English language on the front page of the comic and still get into the newsstands at WH Smiths.

I'm pretty sure I know what the rudest word in the English language is... in fact it's so rude the only place I ever see it in print is on Tom McKinney's deceased blog. When the big day came, Viz in fact had cheated and invented a new official rudest word in the English language. The word the came up with was 'fitbin'. Maybe they were hoping it would take off and become a new dictionary rudest word. Anyway, it totally failed to take off and in my entire adult life I have not heard anyone use the word fitbin, even in jest.

Still, not learning from the Viz's triumph, BOURC invented a new word, for those pesky annoying crossbills, petrels of all sorts, and any barcoded species that you might end up having to see but doing so only spoils your birding day - the craptic species.

We consider two or more species to be ‘craptic’ if they are, or have been, classified as a single nominal species because they are at least superficially morphologically indistinguishable. Some authors further stipulate that species designated as ‘craptic’ should be recently diverged, separable only with molecular data, occur in sympatry, or be reproductively isolated; however, we do not regard these as essential features of craptic species. We acknowledge that there is no single best species concept and therefore exclude the latter qualification of reproductive isolation to disentangle definition of craptic species from the quagmire surrounding species concepts.

(See here for a less sophisticated earlier argument)

I have a good feeling that this is going to take off. They should go into their own Category of the Britsh List, in my opinion. Something like Category K.

And also, didn't Springwatch go all moody and serious last week?

Criminal negligence.

2009-05-31T15:11:00.008+01:00

Before senility and death take me... I shall try and remember what's been going on recently. Took the family to Loch of the Lowes to see the Ospreys that they've been watching hatch and grow up here. When we got there it was a bit wet and mum was keeping her head down on the nest, so not a lot to see. Peter and Lizzie kept themselves amused by looking at baby ducks. The dad Osprey came in, circled round and caught a fish in front of the hide. The kiddies nearly wet themselves and peter declared it was his 'best day ever'. Bless. I spoilt the beauty of the moment by doing an impression of Spongebob singing the 'Best Day Ever' song. Quietly of course. But Lo! Why be quiet? Diane texted Wendy to say she was in the hide at LotL watching the Ospreys, and Wendy phoned her back! The atmosphere of hushed awe was shattered by a ringtone version 'Sweet Child of Mine' at no little volume and Diane going 'Ah, I don't know how to turn this off.' It was a brilliant moment. I celebrated by taking my entry for this year's Bird Photograph of the Year competition.

What else... I snapped a couple of juvenile White-throated Dippers along the Elsick Burn. They were almost under the bridge, and I was almost over the bridge, hence the funny angle, but at about 3 m away I could really have done with them stepping back a bit.

And a singing Garden Warbler in the bushes down the track to the sea - been there for two weeks now. Exactly where one turned up a couple of years ago. Never quite sure if it's likely to be the same bird, or whether the habitat is just good enough to haul 'em in.

Rather nice Common Whitethroat singing on a twig overhanging the cliff overhanging the sea. Extreme territory. Full of blurry flies too, if you believe the photos.

I've had my fair share of these 10s of millions of Painted Ladies that have been making their way into the county, viz. I had 1 on the last day of may, and then 2 on 7th June. Read it and weep. Maybe that was my share, but I've just been very bad. A Small Copper on 7th June too.

I've been running around the place. It's not natural and it's against the laws of nature, but I entered the Stonehaven Half Marathon, and was alarmed to find out the first six miles is uphill. So I've beentrotting up the local hills. The only interestng bird I bumped into was a dead mole. AND a Grasshopper Warbler, singing in the marsh near the logpile farm, whatever it is called (readers who don't actually live in Newtonhill might not be able to place it).

Thanks to Katie for pointing this out. Blows my small mammal finding activity out of the water.

Retreat! Retreat!

2009-05-19T23:27:00.007+01:00

Monday 18th May 09.

A Common Chiffchaff singing at the top of Newtonhill Road this morning. Bet it's gone by tomorrow.

Tuesday 19th May 09
.. it's gone.

I was on a retreat... don't ask. In Old Aberdeen, next to this.

Little known fact... the great ornithologist William Macgillivray (see here), contemporary and friend of Audubon, author of a great 5 volume History of British Birds (Vol I, 1837), lover of long walks through the countryside accompanied by young boys, lived in the University of Aberdeen Conference and Events Office.

MacGillivray has got a poor deal from history - the first person to be really describing birds in detail as they were, on this side of the World. But he was eventually scooped, at least in popular imagination, by the better connected, toned and tanned, William Yarrell, who also published the first volume of his History of British Birds in 1837. Yarrell's book was an easier read, but not as good on the descriptions, of birds.

William Macgillivray - sorrowful loser in the Battle of the Bills, we salute you.

More tales from the Crypt - now with added weather.

2009-05-17T22:32:00.008+01:00

Saturday 16th May 09

Very strong easterlies and torrential duck rain overnight. The morning dawned bright with very strong easterlies and more torrential duck rain, brightening to very strong easterlies and torrential duck rain asthe day wore on. I had to run around the patch quickly before the criminal elements in the house woke up. Bit wet, tbf. Not a total washout - a Lesser Whitethroat at the Mill is a one-per-spring bird for me. But that was pretty much it. A White-throated Dipper was carrying food.

Let the cruel North Sea yield Her bounty of migrant birds...

Sunday 17th May 09

Nicer than Saturday...

Still wet early on but it did genuinely stop raining. A Grey Wagtail was feeding two fresh juvvies in a puddle near the railway viaduct. AND there were 2 (count 'em, two) migrant birds in the sycamores at the Mill. A Spotted Flycatcher and a Garden Warbler. Early promise not fulfilled though.... there was nothing in Honeypoy Lane, or down the burn, unless you want me to note that we are crawling with Common Whitethroats so far this year. 6 Sedge Warblers singing down the burn and in fact 30+ today, all over the shop, even in people's gardens in St Michae;l's Road, so there probably were quite a few migrants around.

Dipper carrying food again on the burn, and a couple of Red-throated Divers offshore.

A total 4 hours birding failed to produce a single observation I could be bothered writing down. Except I did see two Dunnocks enjoying congress in the Allotments. 3 minutes of cloacal felching and girlie soliciting, followed by a 2 femtasecond shag. And quite possibly back in the pub by opening time.

Tales from the Crypt.

2009-05-17T22:11:00.003+01:00

Wednesday 6th May 09

Nocturnal mischief produces good birds... a Grasshopper Warlber singing from rape fields just west of the A90 this evening, and a Tawny Owl calling at Porthlethen.

Saturday 9th May 09

Sedge Warblers must have turned up during the week - by this morning they were in the rough vegetation around Cookney and Portlethen.

Sunday 10th May 09

... and this morning the Sedge Warblers were singing along the Elsick Burn at Newtonhill. Also a small passage of Sand Martins (Bank Swallows) with 2 going up the burn and singles dribbling north along the coast during the morning. I noticed this late passage in previous years too.

Not a whole lot of other movement going on. A Blackcap sang briefly along Honeypot Lane, but I bet he's not planning on hanging around long. A Common Chaffinch was carrying a fecal sac out of the Leylandii here, and my Sherlock Holmes-esque nest finding abilities produced a pair of Coal Tits in a wall at East Cammachmore. Some Eurasian Siskins at the Retreat are likely breeding around here too.

10 male Common Eiders in the bay, one of which had a dark olive bill with no trace of yellow - very much in the minority here, and probably on his way somewhere less radical than emo/alt Newtonhill.

Girl Eider sees something interesting.

Brown-headed Cow. So near, yet so far.

Common Yellowthroats >>>> Common Whitethroats.

2009-05-04T19:21:00.003+01:00

...sorry Whitethroats, but it's true. I wonder if I can set up a poll or something. Rate these 4 birds in order....

Yellowthroat
Whitethroat
Bluethroat
Rubythroat.

Anyway, catch up time. On my last day in Nawlins... the only new birds were Monk Parakeet (they really do get everywhere) and 2 Cliff Swallows hanging about over the I10.

Sunday 3rd May.

Back on the patch in Newtonhill, ready to hoover up all the incoming migrants. But although the place was crawling with Willow Warblers, there were no Sedge Warblers to be found anywhere down the Elsick Burn, or on the allotments or down to Muchalls etc. They're late! Lazy lazy sods.

A Common Chiffchaff singing briefly at the top ofthe St Annes track, House Martins and Barn Swallows overhead, also a Redpoll (sp, but Lesser!) calling over. Down to the burn, and a Song Thrush gathering food, & a Common Whitethroat down by the dead willow. It was then that I had the heretical thought about throat ratings.

3 Eurasian Siskins in the garden at the Retreat, but nothing except a Grey Wagtail at the Mill Garden, and down the track just another couple of Song Thrushes.

35 Common Eiders in the bay, and while looking at them, 3 Bottle-nosed Dolphins popped up and swam south. Better.

off the breeding cliffs, the water was full of auks and I got some photos of distant Atlantic Puffins, and a few of the Guillemots (Common Murres) on ledges. I know Newtonhill isn't the greatest migrant trap in the world, but I'm kinda happy that I managed to organise a job somewhere where I could have Puffins as a patch breeder.

3 Whimbrels flew over as I was lounging around the clifftops in the sunshine.

Allotments and Muchalls track were uneventful, if you ignore the piles of Greenfinches. A Common Reed Bunting was singing at the top of Water Valley, and a few Yellowhammers around in the gorse. Coastal fields were disappointingly devoid of Crested Larks. Same way they were disappointingly devoid of Black Larks... was it last year, or two years ago? All the years are merging into one big long downhill slide to the grave. Spooky.

I find a better class of dead thing out here.

2009-04-23T01:48:00.002+01:00

Coypu (Nutrea). Proper dead.

The mildly rude sounding Pearl River... home of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker

2009-04-22T00:54:00.012+01:00

I booked myself a trip on a boat up Honey Island Swamp 0n the West Pearl River. It was a blast... Loggerhead Shrike on telephone wires at the roadside on the way there, then an Eastern Bluebird being spectacular in the driveway at the Cajun Encounters HQ.

Onto the boat, which looked suspiciously like a troop carrier, piloted by a veteran of Iraq War 1. The tour wasn't really aimed at birding - mostly looking for Alligators, like these ones. I got piles of this.

But there were some birds too. A Swallow-tailed Kite soared over the trees on the river. Captain Gerry offered the following wisdom: 'That's a Split-tailed Kite. They're also sometimes called the Mississippi Kite... they fly down the Mississippi here to breed, and then fly right back again.' When a real Mississippi Kite flew over, he offered 'I don't know what that is. Some sort of hawk.' An Anhinga went over and he spoke with authority 'That's a cormorant'.

Plenty of birds to be seen, although I missed some of the smaller ones on account of being on a moving boat. But some alligator-munching Great Egrets, and nice views of Great Blue Herons, and several Little Blue Herons.

We were genuinely in the Cypress Swamp. It was like all those photos of where people look for Ivorybills.

A couple of Red-headed Woodpeckers flashing their white secondaries, although I didn't see any Ivorybills, somehow, but blimey, I'm willing to bet some big bastard woodpecker made these suggestive holes.

OK, stop messing abbbaarrrrttttt. Real birds. Constant chsip chsip notes came from constantly yellow Prothonotary Warblers, fresh in from Mexico. Bootiful. And a very irritating buzzing song coming from ohmygod ohmygod ohmygod Northern Parulas. Bootiful-squared, and a tick! Also on the menu, more Yellow-throated Warblers, parties of Carolina Chickadees, Indigo Buntings in the grasses, noisy groups of Red-winged Blackbirds, and a few Boat-tailed and Common Grackles.

Alongside the river in a real Cajun village of houses on stilts that walk around spookily, there were 10s of Purple Martins checking out their Martin-boxes, and lots of Barn Swallows hanging around the vertical lift bridge.

In the air... a few Turkey Vultures and a whirling circle of 5 American Black Vultures. Three Ospreys in a tree together on the roadside as we drove home, and a Killdeer on the interesting side of the NASA rocket-assembly plant. Another Ka-chow morning.

New Orleans City Park - good birding!

2009-04-20T00:42:00.009+01:00

In my crappy hotel room with no window I had to guess when it might be getting light, phoned a cab and got to the City Park in the dark and pissing rain. I stood in the shelter of some bushes for 30 minutes, watching some scary lightning flashes split the sky and trying not to catch the eye of the local loonies. Cheered myself up by wondering if this weather would bring some migrating warblers down. Eventually it got light, and game on, with the roosting Laughing Gulls taking off, and a large lake next to the Museum of Art holding Black-crowned and Yellow-crowned Night Herons, Great and Snowy Egrets, Great Blue Heron, Double-crested Cormorant and Brown Pelican, Canada Goose, and a flock of Black-bellied Whistling Ducks flying around.

With no gen whatsoever, I had to start wandering round at random and hoping to bump into birds. This happened! Recorded 5 Least Terns fishing and calling in the ponds, then collected some Green Herons, Cattle Egrets and 4 White Ibises - those last ones the first ones I've seen on the ground(!). Some Common Grackles, Blue Jays, Northern Mockingbirds and Eastern Kingbirds around, and then a surprise... proper birding... a Solitary Sandpiper feeding in the mud at lake edge.

Followingthe Solitary sandpiper round lead me into a little copse, and it turned out the canopy was alive. With birds, even. A Yellow Warbler, 2 Baltimore Orioles, Summer Tanagers and a male Scarlet Tanager, Red-eyed Vireo and Carolina Chickadees, a stonking Chestnut-sided Warbler, Red-headed Woodpecker and a female Hooded Warbler.

After this, I stopped trying digibinning in poor light. Female Hooded Warbler.

And I also bumped into another couple of birders whi gave me directions to the 'best part' - Couturie Forest, further up the park. OK, I'll head there, but it was quite a walk and as I headed up the water's edge in the right general direction, I got a male Myrtle Warbler, Downy Woodpecker, Northern (yes Northern) Waterthrush, a male Common Yellowthroat and a male Hooded Warbler. Under the road, still following the trees, and things kept coming - American Robin (my first of the trip), Ruby-crowned Kinglet, 2 Yellow-throated Warblers (phwoargh!) and a female American Redstart - the joy at this one tempered only by the fact it wasn't a male. A tainted tick!

Barn Swallows over the open ground and some Tree Swallows buzzing round like House Martins on steroids. There was an Osprey perched high in a dead tree by some new lake I found, and an Alligator in the water. I resolved to be more careful near the water.

Moving on, a Blue Grosbeak doing bugger all at the top of a tree, and then a Great-crested Flycatcher - wow! What a whopper. Another whopper, a Turkey Vulture overhead.

I stumbled into Couturie Forest, and again started wandering around at random - seeing nothing to start with, but then cheered up by a male Rose-breasted Grosbeak visible from the platform at the top of the hill. Then down the other side - and bumped into the 2 birders I met earlier - they showed me a Kentucky Warbler. Nice. Then wandering around a bit more, there was another birder there too, and saw a day-glo Prairie Warbler, Tenessee Warbler, 2 Blue-winged Warblers, Gray Catbird, White-eyed Vireo, and a Cardinal. I was getting quite pleased with my haul by now. Out of the wood, and a flock of 8 Indigo Buntings flushed with ease :-$ and a Red-shouldered Hawk overhead.

As it warmed up, these lizards came out to eat these dragonflies.

It was now 6 hours since I was dumped inthe rain, and though the weather had cheered up I was starting to think I should maybe turn round and start heading back. But the birds conspired against me - another small copse surrounding the sort of ruined toliet block where bums like to hang out attracted my attention by flashing another Hooded Warbler at me, and then when I went in, found some more Carolina Chickadees, Yellow Warblers, 3 Blue-winged Warblers, 2 Tenessee Warblers and a flock (flock!) of 5 Myrtle Warblers. A movement up in the canopy turned out to be a Black-throated Green Warbler, and another movement turned into a CERULEAN WARBLER - surely the best warbler there is. Except then my tainted tick came back for untainting - a male American Redstart hoved into view, and I knew the world had gone nuts when I was getting irritated by the Myrtle Warbler getting in the way of a clear view of it. There was a House Wren in here too. It really was time to start the long walk back downtown, so I did, though a Cooper's Hawk attached itself to my trip list before I got to the bar, and I flushed a Killdeer as I tried to find a way under the Interstate.

If we can have the Whistling Ducks, can we have the Muscovies too?

Fantastic day's birding.

New Orleans Saturday 18th April

2009-04-19T01:30:00.016+01:00

All photos today sponsored by the failed digi-bnning company of Skegness.

I'm in New Orleans. Told you I would be. With a few hours before my meeting started, I made a spur-of-the-moment decision to hop onto the no. 11 bus and head over to the Audubon Park. Frankly first impressions were not promising. When I got off the bus, all I could see was a packed zoo car park, and a golf course with 1000s (no exaggeration) of joggers going round and around and around. And no birds. In fact I thought I was going to see bugger all here. With no gen except that there was a heronry somewhere, I set off in hope, heading north along the west end of the golf course, picking up a couple of Common Grackles, American Crows and a fly-by Snowy Egret. heheh, so there might be a heronry around. At a pond on the golf course, I saw an American Crow amusingly push a turtle back into the water.

Got to the north end and things started to get better, with 2 female Wood Ducks sleeping on an overhanging branch, and 2 Common Moorhens (i.e. ‘Laughing Moorhens’) on the water – ready to split them now :-) Some Mallards too.

An Anhinga was perched

I wandered round and facing me was this… It wouldn’t turn round to let me see its back, so I was a bit stuck on this one (and this overexposed shot probably won’t help), but after careful consideration… it seems to be a Red-shouldered Hawk, actually very like one of the pale Florida ones.

Some male Wood Ducks here too – I accept it onto Category A of my New Orleans list – and a Green Heron bugging a turtle. Decided it couldn’t hurt to follow this lake round the north and east end.

Poorly digi-binned photos

The little wooded copse by the bridge at the north end turned out to be top notch, being a little bit off the track. Four or five Red-eyed Vireos were high in the trees, and a pair of Summer Tanagers (a tick!), a couple of Blue Jays, a Downy Woodpecker and a Brown Thrasher. Some Common Starlings over on the greens of the golf course, and an Eastern Kingbird. A strange warbling song from the low branches and ka-chow!! A White-eyed Vireo (another tick) and ka-chow-squared! A male Bay-breasted Warbler looking, frankly, gorgeous. I was surprised to find a White-throated Sparrow (this is like birding in Britain) and then a good looking small dumpy flycatcher with a bold eye ring that must have been Least Flycatcher. Unfortunately it flew off.

And then, I bumped into the heronry – turned out it was difficult to miss. Bit of a racket, and it was full. Many Cattle Egrets and Great Egrets, smaller numbers of Snowy Egrets and Black-crowned Night Herons, and a few pairs of (ka-chow again) Tricolored Herons. Sleeping on the island was a (presumably plastic) Black-bellied Whistling Duck: its case wasn’t helped by the motley collection of Muscovy Ducks kicking about.

Had to be getting back… time to do some work, so I walked the 5 miles back to the hotel(!) listening to Chimney Swifts and Northern Mockingbirds, and seeing plenty of House Sparrows, Mourning Doves and a single Collared Dove – they really do get everywhere.

Migrants... some in, some out.

2009-04-11T09:51:00.003+01:00

Just this very second setting off for Edinburgh. Anyway... a few pitiful sightings - some birds in, some out.

Wednesday 1st April
A Eurasian Woodcock flying over my head (better than under it) in Cornhill Rd, Aberdeen.

Saturday 4th April
1st Common Chiffchaff, just outside Portlethen

Saturday 11th April
1 Willow Warbler - Red Moss at Netherley
60 Fieldfares - somewhere along that road.

If all goes to plan, my next reports will be from New Orleans :-O

2009-03-29T17:37:00.006+01:00

I'm not quite as lazy as my absence from this site would imply. Or infer? imply I think. I imply. You infer. Honest truth, I was in hospital with a septic toe. A bad Common Shrew. Came right for me. Latched onto my boot. I tried to shoot it, but just clipped my toe. The shrew scampered off. Next morning my big toes was the size of a tennis ball, without a word of a lie. The doctors thought they would have to amputate, but after an implausible series of comedy japes and witty one-liners, here I am.

If I'd been out birding last weekend, I would have seen bugger all, but photographed some bags of dogcrap hanging decoratively from the bushes along the Muchalls track. I would have intended to upload them but decided against it at the last minute on account of having impeccable taste and high principles.

If I'd been out this morning instead of chasing under-dressed nurses in a benny hill-style conga, complete with music, round the infirmary, I would have noted that it was still pretty chilly (snow flurries - come on!) and there were no migrant about, even though I spent an hour on Cran Hill looking for Northern Wheatears and fly-by Sand Martins.

I would have seen a Peregrine Falcon making several hunting flights over the village, after the pigeons, and noted that the La Cucaracca Yellowhammer was still singing by the viaduct. I would have observed the White-throated Dippers hanging around the old nest site at the Mill, and a sick-looking Eurasian Greenfinch in the willows at the cliff sides. There was a dodgy looking House Sparrow in the garden during the week, and I wonder if there's a wee touch of bird plague on the loose.

Offshore, a Northern Gannet, a few Black-legged Kittiwakes and some Northern Fulmars, would have all been warming up for the off. And these two Eurasian Teals on the water.

The Guillemots and Razorbills would have been hanging around off the breeding cliffs.

And, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, I would have turned this magnificent European Shag into a very disappointing shag.
Anyway, my septic toe is better, the Common Shrew in question has died of food poisoning (my foot), and I have an amusing story about a bicycle pump that will have to wait until the censorship laws are changed in Oregon.

Third Blood!

2009-03-20T18:58:00.001Z

Bananarama!!! This Wood Mouse was coming right for me too.

A Eurasian Woodcock flewacrossthe road in front of us in the middle of Aberdeen on Wednesday morning, then another as I drove home on Thursday evening, also in Aberdeen. Woodcocks on move in Aberdeen, shock.

Second blood

2009-03-16T22:15:00.002Z

This one was coming right for me too. Unsuccessfully phone-cam'd on my way to the bus stop. A Short-tailed Vole.

Delicious and dangerous animals

2009-03-15T11:53:00.003Z

I dragged my sore inflamed foot, in an enterprising palette of colours from black thru blue to vermillion, round the patch. I was making noises like 'ooh' and 'eek' and 'oocha!' all the way round. Strangely this only seemed to make my foot worse. Why did no one warn me???

I'm not kidding, there was a Yellowhammer singing La Cucaracca in the gorse by the railway viaduct. Thanks to Remembird, I got a recording, but Putfile is apparently down (or at least not uploading my stuff) and I dunno where else to host it. But if putfile comes back, i'll put it up (matron). Here's a sonogram though - you can get the jist

and as a matter of public record, THIS was the Yellowhammer in question.

There was a Common Buzzard over Cran Hill, and 2 Eurasian Sparrowhawks in a wide circling display flight, the female following 400 m behind the male, with some slow flapping. It's that time of year. A Rock Pipit was singing at the Beach, and Eurasian Skylarks were in the swing of things too. Went round Cran Hill hoping to bump into Northern Wheatears, but nothing doing there yet. IN fact, although the weather's quirte nice and the Dunnocks are chuntering away nicely, it's still a bit dull, frankly. Even offshore - a few Razorbills and Guillemots, a single Black-legged Kittiwake and a Common Scoter.

But joy! I got my first kill of the year. Thanks to my trusty high performance rifle, I took down this Common Shrew. I had no choice, it was coming straight for me.

This (below) appeared on BirdChat or similar during the week. I'm anticipating that all right-minded people would find it mildly amusing. Strangely, there appears to be some sort of moral minority out there who found it tasteless and inappropriate. Frankly, if you were offended by this, you need to be offended.

NTSB report on Flight 1549

By Alex Hardway, Butterfield Post, 12 Febuary 2009 at 2:30

US Airways violated Federal migratory bird regulations by hunting geese with an A320 Airbus jetliner, claim anonymous government sources. The pilot of flight 1549, Air Force veteran and avid hunter Chesley B. Sullenberger, tried combining both of his interests by bagging a brace of geese over the wetlands near New York's LaGuardia airport after takeoff, on his way to Charlotte, North Carolina.

The imported European $77 million A320 airliner is not certified for either waterfowl or upland bird hunting, so it was not surprising that the aircraft malfunctioned. When he realized that both New York and New Jersey State Game and Fish enforcement officers would soon be approaching, Captain Sullenberger unsuccessfully attempted to hide the plane in the Hudson River. The crew and 150 passengers were chilled and shaken but unhurt. Most were simply grateful to avoid spending the weekend in Charlotte, NC.

National Transportation Safety Board inspectors rushed to the scene, and reportedly found no Duck Stamps on the downed aircraft's fuselage. Captain Sullenberger has not been charged but is being held incommunicado at an undisclosed location. PETA is urging the government to prosecute the pilot for double honkercide and poaching, and the animal rights group is expected to file a civil suit on behalf of the flock. The two victims were undocumented aliens, according to sources close to the investigation, Canada Geese who had over-stayed their visas. Their goose gang scandalized their quiet Queens community by squatting in local cemeteries and golf courses, parking on the grass, cooking strange-smelling food and throwing wild parties late into the night. Neighbors say police dogs were called out on several occasions. Such incidents have triggered a wave of anti-Canada Goose sentiment, but at his time revenge or hate crime motives are not suspected in the US Airways bird bashings.

Forensic examination of the avian corpses continues, and technicians are analyzing the two cadavers under heat with chestnuts, prunes, and Armagnac. NTSB inspectors have contributed a supply of testing fluid, a 2005 Zind-Humbrecht Riesling from Alsace. We will update this story as entrees details become available.

I'm terribly behind.

2009-03-01T20:42:00.007Z

I reallyshould pull my finger out. But then the polder would flood. Today, while dragging my sorry crippled arse between Foresterhill and Old Aberdeen, I bumped into 16 Bohemian Waxwings in their favourite trees next to Hilton Campus. And here's some Ruddy Turnstones I photo'd on the beach at Newtonhill last weekend, and didn't get round to writing about.

Roll up roll up.. it's the 'borealis' time of year.

2009-02-22T22:36:00.009Z

Weather has improved and the birds have moved on... at least last week's interesting Fieldfares, Snow Buntings, and Eurasian Woodcocks etc. are no longer here. But a few Eurasian Siskins overhead, and I took the camera out again hoping to improve on mt former piss-poor performance. I didn't really manage this, but Lo! It must be that time of year when the Common Eiders move back up to the Ythan. For there were at least 60 in and around the bay, predictably including some yellow-billed ones.

Look at these two - back bird is big bright yellow bill, and scapular sails. The other one is yellow, but not as bright, and no sails visible.

Potential borealis Common Eider (back)

Think this one is different bird. Sails possibly visible.

And where do these yellow-billed jobbies come from? Well I also photo'd this one with a white-over green ring combination, ringed on the Ythan in.. 1984. 25th birthday approaches. Just like mine. Errrr....

Class of '84 Ythan Estuary Common Eider. Another yellow bill.

This is all I got time for. Meant to be writing some sort of talk for the International Gull Meeting in Peterhead. Peterhead! Best get my heroin money out of the bank. Here's some more photos.

Had another go at this taking pictures malarky.

2009-02-15T16:38:00.006Z

Some sort of documentary evidence of birds in Newtonhill shocker. Snow melting fast. Five Eurasian Reed Buntings feeding among the stubble at the top of the burn...

...see ?

and a White-throated Dipper on the Elsick Burn

... see?

Still piles of birds around that wouldn't normally bepiling around, e.g. Fieldfares and 2 Mistle Thrushes in Cow Field, and a Eurasian Woodcock flying up the burn. The sky was full of flocks of Pink-footed Geese going back and forth. The beach had 1 Common Redshank, 7 Ruddy Turnstones and some gulls, including these.

Quiet offshore (auks, gulls and Northern Fulmars sat on the water, and a good shag). I ripped my thumb open on the slidy catch on the gate to the allotments, and then didn't see any good birds therein. Mind I was busy swallowing my own blood at the time. However when I went down the costal fields to Muchalls, a flock of 16 Eurasian Skylarks (dull) with 2 Snow Buntings (interesting) flew over.

Some proper winter weather

2009-02-08T14:57:00.004Z

It's just like the old days, when the winters were snowy and the summers were sunny and people of all races and creeds lived together in harmony and peace.

Always interesting to go outside in this and watch the birds starving to death. Except they don't in Newtonhill, on account of the oil (?eh). On Friday, when I was waiting for a non-existent bus to take me to work, a Common Snipe had flown in over the snowy fields, and there were flocks of Fieldfares about, which hasn't been the case of late. So hopes for more birds on the move today. Stepped out of the house into a flock of 20 Fieldfares buzzing around the bushes at the back of St. Michael's Road. A flock of 15 Yellowhammers at the top of the track to St Annes, then 5 Eurasian Reed Buntings too. Ker-choW!! a flock of 10 Snow Buntings flew over at treetop level, going south, calling. And as I scoped the Fieldfares from the path down the burn, saw a single Bohemian Waxwing in the back gardens, and heard Brambling flying over too. It was like a smorgasbord of birds that normally I would see around once a year in the village. And the usual Dipper.

Cran Hill was silent and snosy, with flocks of Eurasian Skylarks (40+) and Common Linnets (errr.. 3) going south, and occasional flocks of Pink-footed Geese south over the sea (a few hundred).

Down on the beach, 2 Common Stonechats were among the piles of lobster pots, catching lobsters I'll wager, and there were 7 Redwings and 2 Song Thrushes up the cliff sides. The sea was quiet really, though a single Long-tailed Duck flew north, and there were a few gulls (Mostly Black-headed, some Common, couple of Great Black-backed) feeding in the surf. Back up throuugh Newtonhill, it was garden feeder birds all the way, including a single Eurasian Sparrowhawk. I love the basd weather. For the first time in a while there's birds on the move and a few things to look at.

Eskimo Curlew... I've seen another more distant (unpublished) photo of one of the Texas 1962 Eskimo Curlews. That one doesn't look like a mount :-) More on that when the birds go quiet again.

Evening update.... went out sledging. I say sledging. The kids went sledging. I became some sort of human ski-lift. 2 more Common Snipes flew over, and there were a few hundred more Pinkfeet about. When the kiddies gave me a hurl on the sledge, they pushed me into the cotoneasters.

When the truth just gets in the way of the way things should be....

2009-01-11T23:02:00.002Z

The weeks are flashing past, I'm not getting out as much as I would like, but there isn't anything in Newtonhill to see anyway. I was down at the beach scoping a Purple Sandpiper among the 20 or so Ruddy Turnstones among the seaweed. A new person there, and the perplexing 'Are you Martin?' was followed by the trepidation-inducing 'I've read your blog' - as I started to wonder who I've libelled recently. So this was Thane (Hi Thane) and brings the number of current N/hill birders to 5 (five! - I always assumed the population of Newtonhill was me and a few rather scabby-looking crabs. Turns out it's full of birders).

2 Common Stonechats and a few Rock Pipits on the beach too, 12 Black-headed Gulls and a Common Gull feeding among the ferocious breakers, and with birds out at sea so I went up to the cliffs for a seawatch, for about half an hour before I gave in. Lots of Northern Fulmars about (well, about 50), mostly going south, and about 50 Common Gulls, feeding and mostly going north. Say what you like about Common Gulls, and I do, they're hard as nails. Also one adult Northern Gannet (they fo hang around just about all winter), but apart from that and a few Razorbills and Guillemots, there's not a lot to be seen. Won't bore you any more.

Remember a couple of years ago I wrote about Richard Meinertzhagen as a Halloween Hero of the Birding Revolution (now there's a series I need to resurrect when I get chance). Well this week, I have mostly been reading The Meinertzhagen Mystery by Brian Garfield, and it rather brutally proves the lie about most of the extraordinary claimed events in Meinertzhagen's life. He never bounced on Darwin's knee; he rewrote his diaries to include his 'predictions' that war with Germany was inevitable; he never shot a German Duke then ate his Christmas dinner; he was never a real spy, and he hung around at the back of the battles he was meant to have participated in; he never crash-landed a plane after the pilot collapsed; he didn't drop the haversack behind Turkish lines (someone else did), and the Haversack Ruse didn't work anyway; he never rescued a Russian princess; he never fought for the Zionists against the Arabs in Haifa; he was never in a secret dual with a mystery spy; he never slaughtered a cell of Spanish Bolsheviks; he never met Hitler and/or had the opportunity to kill him. His wife did still die in strange circumstance, however (she apparently shot herself in the head while Dickie was standing behind her with a loaded revolver, shortly after she realised about his bird thefts). When you take away all the documentary evidence about the notable (non-birdy) events in Dickie's life that were not directly or indirectly derived from Meinertzhagen's own writing or influence, there is nothing left except an incompetent middle-level officer and troublesome low-level military intelligence worker who was gently pushed out of the army and into the harmless pursuit of collecting birds. The good work that he did (he was good at drawing maps in his military career, and was an outstanding traveller and collector in his ornithological career) was overshadowed and indeed blown away, in the end, by the unnecessary lies, thefts and deceit, and fantasy world he created around himself.

2009-01-04T21:45:00.004Z

Wishing Chair, take me to a place where I can get a patch tick. But the mischievous Wishing Chair first took me round on a tour of the local Blue Tits, Common Chaffinches etc. Only 5 Eurasian Reed Buntings in the wet stubble - I needed a huge f***off Labradoodle to help me on that one. Several months after the trauma previously of trying to photograph a Bluethroat using Diane's camera, I finally dared to try once more, and got this cracking shot of one of the Reed Buntings. Clearly I haven't got the hang of the AF still.

Down at the beach, there were 8 yellow-billed male Common Eiders with their best girls, but still my focus was all over the place.

6 Common Scoters flew south in the distance, and this persuaded me to try a short seawatch, which was dull dull dull with only a few auks going north.

The Magical Wishing Chair took me up to Cran Hill, and as I flew alongside a formation of 5 (count 'em) Pink-footed Geese, I spotted a Common Raven circling in the air. Mmmmmm... for N Scotland you would assume that this one would be a fairly regular visitor, and difficult to overlook, but this is a Patch Tick. First of the year. First of several hopefully. Mind, Cran Hill does look suitable for foraging Ravens. I think it's the pile of dead Vikings that would attract them.

2009-01-03T23:16:00.002Z

Monday 29th December.

Sooooo... cold. brrrrr.....Like the wrath of God has descended upon Gotham. I descended into the wrong comic. I'm not a bitter man, but if Santa doesn't hate me, why did he bring Meccano for Peter (grrr.....) and a keyboard for Lizzie? All I wanted for Christmas was a Marsh Tit. But Santa just left me a lump of Coal Tits. In the garden at East Cammachmore - all the other birds the owners had told me were there, were there. Great Spotted Woodpecker, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, plenty other tits, and an influx of Fieldfares. With the mildly amusing addition of a pair of Common Treecreepers on the peanuts. Nothing more interesting, but I resolved to give it one more try on Wednesday.

Wednesday 31st December.

Egad! It's even more boring than before! The same birds as before, minus any woodpeckers but plus a Goldcrest. hmmm... y'know, I think it's most likely there was aCommon Blackcap inthe garden at some point, and they have confused the features with a Coal Tit, in the way that non-birders do.

Between us, me and someone else's abomination of a labradoodle (ffs!) flushed 18 Eurasian Reed Buntings from the wet stubble by St Anne's.

In Newtonhill, an unconfirmed report of...

2008-12-28T22:16:00.002Z

Waited until it got light this morning, but by 9.30 realised it wasn't going to get light. So went out in the half light with drizzle and... dead. Not a tweet. After pottering around the Mill Garden and Honeypot Lane to little effect, I took a whim to go round Cran Hill, where for 9/10 of the way round the highlight was being attacked by a muzzled dog with its owner telling me 'he can't hurt you!' Then as I got back to East Cammachmore, the bushes were alive with 30+ Yellowhammers, 15+ Reed Buntings and a couple of Eurasian Tree Sparrows, among the usual Greenfinches and Common Chaffinches. As I was looking up at the trees, 3 Whooper Swans flew over, and even called. Not quite a patch tick, but not far off (I heard some flying over one bnight a few years ago). I just read that though and I's typed 'Whopper Swans' which is actually a better name. Changed in now.

Then a couple, with a couple of big dogs, came up the lane, asked me if I were a 'bird man'. I replied that yes, I am indeed a bird man. They asked me if we get Marsh Tits around here, and I said, as the authoritative birdman, that no we do not. They told me that they had a couple of Marsh Tits coming to their feeders. We discussed Coal Tits, Blue Tits, Great Tits, House Sparrows and they were very familiar with them and saw them all the time. They knew that Willow Tit was a confusion species and we discussed that. Anyway, there was enough there to convince me to go for a look, and I shivered away an hour seeing lots of Coal Tits at their feeders. The Marsh Tits have apparently been around all the time, including this morning, from 8.00 to about 9.30 am, then move off for the day. So assuming I do't drink any more of this Glenmorangie, I'll be there early doors tomorrow. Will let you know how i do. Thet also get Great Spotted Woodpecker in their garden, and mentioned Green Woodpecker, which would be another patch tick. Just occurred to me that I should have discussed Common Blackcap with them.

You would not believe what happened to me.

2008-12-21T21:49:00.003Z

I was away a bit. And how. Without a breath of a lie. I was investigating a strange humming noise coming from a corner of the wardrobe, and fell through a hole in the space-time continuum. During my varied adventures I saw many strange sights and brought back many things from the future that I may tell you about one day over my secular Christmas. So, no harm done, except on my timescale I was gone around 80 years, and I come back to you now as a decrepit old man, and will probably turn to bones and dust before long. At least this way I fit in better wandering around downtown Newtonhill, which is what I did today.

And at the top of the St Anne's track, my good run of Common Reed Buntings continued, with 5 in the knotweed. Strangely, in the future they are just called 'buntings' and are actually used as bunting, strung between lampposts on the anniversaries of King Charles's abdication and the election of President Peaches.

More Long-tailed Tits (Bushtits) today. Down the burn, and then 6 in willows at the top of the cliff steps, 2 of which were flycatching. Amazing how they've gone from patch rarity to commonality this winter - they are certainly British birds moving around for a change. We even had 6 on the peanuts.

5 Rock Pipits and a Meadow Pipit feeding in cow field - I hope we get back to the glory days of the flock of 60+ Rock Pipits there. Some Ruddy Turnstones on the beach, but not a lot happening offshore. To be honest, the future was much more exciting, and I can't go on. Damn this temperate climate with its 'seasons' and its lack of winter action. In the future there are no seasons - basically it's just warm and wet all the time, but the birding is easier as everywhere under 400 m altitude is under water, so every birder picks a mountaintop, holds out a twig and sees what lands on it. It's how I got Common Fiscal onto the future Oceania list, but that's another story.

Band of Dunnock Brothers

2008-12-02T10:33:00.002Z

Proud to be a Dunnock. I've mentioned this blog before, but you have to go watch their latest video. Possibly the most surreal birding documentary ever produced. Watch out for your web filters. Take a French dictionary with you.

Chinese Democracy

2008-11-30T23:11:00.002Z

Blimey, it's St Andrew's Day, so like any true Scotsman (I am in fact 1/4 Scotch by adoption) I went to the Church of St Andrew in Kiev and celebrated in the traditional way by supping a ancient-recipe cream-of-dioxin soup. Must say it hasn't done a whole lot for my complexion. I'm starting to see why St Andrew's Day never caught on like other famous saints like errr... St Martin. There was a St. Martin apparently. Roman guy, gave his coat away to a beggar or something. I gave my coat to Oxfam* and was never made a saint. There's no justice.

Actually, that's a lie... I never gave my coat to Oxfam. But it's the principle of the thing.

When I got back I engaged in the traditional St Andrew's day pastime of birdspotting. Forgot a biro, so I will have to regress through hypnotism to recall the events of the day. 1, 2, 3... and I'm under. The first thing I remember... I was covered in blood, there was a bright light and then someone smacked me... whoops, regressed too far. Fast forward 39 years. It was -3 C and icy with it, and the track alongside the Elsick Burn was hoaching with frost-addled birds, half mad with hunger and the other half mad with me for flushing them. And unusually, they were buntings - a mixed flock of ~12 Common Reed Buntings and 25 Yellowhammers. With the usual tommy titmice, Winter Wrens, European Robins etc. And a couple of Goldcrests. I don't remember anything else until the last drops of absinthe drained from my system, by which time I was on the clifftops scoping out to sea. The sea was pretty quiet, tbh, with the best action coming when an Atlantic Grey Seal refused to share its fish with an assembled audience of gulls (1 Great Black-backed, 12 Herring, 3 Common (Mew) and 1 Black-headed). Two Peregrine Falcons chased each other south, and a Common Buzzard soared past over the sea. A couple of Red-throated Divers went north, and there were a coupler of Guillemots (Common Murres) on the water with some Common Eiders. 2 Purple Sandpipers on the shore, with a few Eurasian Oystercatchers and Curlews.
After getting Snow Bunting on my patch list last week, they gave themselves up bigtime this week when a flock of 25 went north just offshore - obviously Aberdeenshire isn't cold enough for them.

There was other sundry stuff about, but there you go. Took the family to the Bervie Chipper at lunchtime, and then to the Christmas Fair to see Santa. In summary, it's wintery. Some local movement. I could have told you that without going on about my day.

All the best blogs are dying....

2008-11-24T22:03:00.004Z

It's true. First Tim Allwood decides that it isn't worth the grief. Then Tom McKinney grinds to a halt in an ice-skid of expletives. It just goes to show that if you're got anything worth reading, the strain of writing it starts to tell. Expect this blog to be here a long time - it's no trouble at all :-)

Delicious and dangerous patch ticks.

2008-11-23T15:16:00.008Z

Well what happened? This time last week we were trying to squeeze the last drops of Siberia out of the autumn. And then ka-boom overnight it was Siberia here. Newtonhill was transformed into something almost, but not quite, entirely unlike a winter wonderland.

That said, I love it when the birds are fighting for their lives. And it brought me a garden tick in the form of one of these Long-tailed Tits that has been kicking around. I caught it pecking my fat balls (OOoooooohhhhhhh, matron!). Birding was otherwise disrupted by a) having to build a snowman

and b) having to sloosh out the carpets after Peter had spent the night vomiting copiously over everything I own, including the file of 'family memorobilia', from which I need to salvage as much as I can. Poor Lizzie is so vomitophobic that she came birding with me before lunch rather than sit in the same house as Peter. We didn't see a lot really, except there was a constant stream of Eurasian Skylarks flying over, going south. We met Matt, who said there was a Snow Bunting in the stubble field with a big flock of Skylarks. And wowsers! It was a big flock of Skylarks - about 300 birds, and with another 300 or so flying off, my A-level Further Mathematics suggsts that's about 600 birds in all. Plus all the others going over without stopping. And yes, one of the birds flying south was the, or another Snow Bunting. Patch tick. Gooooodddd. Better... as we walked back home, among the Black-headed Gulls, Starlings and sundry other things going overhead, a Eurasian Woodcock! Another patch tick.

So, I spend most of the afternoon messing about. But I came across some old drawings. In my youth I tried to be an artist. Which was a shame, cos I'm no artist, but I could be a draftsman. Anyway, here's some rare birds I tried to draw.

1991 Waxham Lark Sparrow. Obviously not a stowaway.

1991 St Andrews Chimney Swift, with a Common Swift.

A very unconvincing representation.

1989/90 Holkham Red-breasted Nuthatch.
With the passage of time, this is the only one that works for me.

Note to self...

2008-11-17T23:38:00.004Z

... new notebook. My current one keeps dropping pages out - they don't make them like they used to. And I keep sellotaping pages back in. It's a recipe for disaster. There's no integrity there. I feel a huge Meinertzhagen fantasy revision of my entire note keeping system coming on. Anyway, yesterday

16th November 08
I popped over to Cape Verde and got a nice Razo Lark on the lawn of my hotel. Oooppps, there goes the Meinertzhagen thingy again. Stop it. Really, I was in Newtonhill, seeing... more Long-tailed Tits (5) Coal Tits, and Goldcrests, though tbh not as many Coal Tits and Goldcrests as in the past couple of weeks and I think maybe the autumn is finally coming to an end. Not before I score one more Sibe, hopefully. Whereas on last week's walk round the patch I got maybe 50 Goldcrests, today it was certainly less than 20.

Along Honeypot Lane at the Retreat, which was to be fair quite busy with Chaffinches and Blue Titmice and such, there was a single male Blackcap at the feeders. 3 Redpoll sp. flew over the track to the beach, and at the bottom of the track I met a fellow Newtonhill birder tick - Matt Parsons, who also had seen nothing very interesting today, but who had seen one of 'my' (or quite possibly a totally different one) Pallas's Leaf Warblers on Tuesday. There was a single Common Stonechat up the cliff sides. A quick look offshore (dead, 4 Northern Gannets and a few gulls of 4 spp hanging around the lobster boat) down there. And then to the allotments (also very quiet, save for Common Blackbirds, European Robins, Dunnocks) but meeting 2 other Newtonhill Birders - a very interesting trend - who also saw 'my' Pallas's on Tuesday. I went down to Muchalls, but things just got worse, though there were a few fresh-in looking Redwings

We've got a mouse/mice in the loft. Heard 'em last week, so I dusted a trap off and put it up there armed with peanut butter. For a day or so the mouse was eating the peanut butter without setting off the trap, so I finally put it on an absolute hair trigger and 5.30 am we heard 'ker-snap' and victory ... WAS MINE!!!!! When I went to collect the pathetic corpse later I felt guilty cos it was only a wee teenage mouse - about 2/3 full size - trying to get out of the cold etc. I noticed/presumed that it had nearly got away again, because the peanut butter was gone. But just in case loaded up the trap and left it a few hours. When I noticed the peanut butter gone again. So now I knew what was happening. We have some sort of General Haig-type mouse in the loft, sending the young underage mice over the top to die in the jaws of the trap, then sucking up the spoils and the glory of victory (OK, the peanut butter) for himself. So I rammed some chocolate and more peanut butter onto the trap, the idea being that they would have to tug real hard to get the choccy and ka-boom for them. A bit later... heard the ker-snap again... went up to get my prize but lo! and blimey! Not only was there nothing in the trap, but they'd taken the choccy and peanut butter and, believe me dear reader... DISMANTLED the trap! My mouse had taken out the hinges that held the spring loaded and rendered it useless. I can see I am up against a worthy opponent. And I have no more traps. So extras have been ordered, via the miracle of ebay, and I'll have another go. There may have been a point to this story but it has temporarily escaped my mind.

I love my job

2008-11-13T22:11:00.003Z

No really, I do. Especially when i have to walk into Old Aberdeen to do some tutorials and over the sound of Nightwish* being pumped directly into my head, I hear and then see a flock of 90-100 Bohemian Waxwings in the treetops at Hilton Street.

*'For the [schrrrr] heeeaaaarrrrttttt, I once [schrrrrrr] haaaaaadddd etc'.

Strangely, in the most bizarre bit of immigration-related legislation I have heard of for a while, there is a good chance that all University employees are in future going to have to account for where they are at all times. So where were you at 9.45 on Thursday morning?' 'I was between assignments, watching some immigrants in the treetops on Hilton Street... is that good enough?'

The Waxwings had gone when I returned at 12.15. Probably caught a bus:

Waxwings: 'We'd like -'
Bus Driver: 'Shut it. You're barred!'

I love you, you love me...

2008-11-12T23:45:00.002Z

...let's go out and kill Barney
with a baseball bat and a 4 x 4
no more purple dinosaur.

There's a small resident population of Barn Owls around here that you see very occasionally, maybe once a year - usually flashing by on the A90 at night. Well there's one less of them now, as it was dead by the side of the road on the way into work this morning. That was me on the way to work, not the Barn Owl. No wait, i've told that joke before...
Barn Owl: 'I'd like a ticket to a place with lots of voles please'
Bus driver: 'Not you as well. Just f*** ***!'

Bluuuuueeeee Cow. Blue Blue Cow

2008-11-11T23:21:00.002Z

6 Bohemian Waxwings in Newtonhill this morning, waiting for the bus to work. That's me waiting for the bus, not the Waxwings. Can you imagine...
Waxwings: 'Prrrp - we'd like a ticket to a place with lots of red berries please'
Bus driver: 'P*ss off, this isn't an episode of Blue Cow, you know.'

Full of Eastern Promise

2008-11-09T14:26:00.008Z

Friday 7th November 08

With some good weather... actually quite appalling weather, but from the east - I sacked the papers, as the Punkbirder parlance would have it and went out for a walk in the wind at Newtonhill. A pretty stiff southeasterly, as it happened. And immediately a brownish Common Chiffchaff hanging around with 2 Goldcrests in the bushes at the top of the track spoke to me of promises of eastern delights with a hint of Ukhtinskaya gulags. Unfortunately the other birds I saw subsequently spoke to me of back garden peanuts and wasted afternoons. Highlights were a party (presumably the same party as last week) of at leasrt 6 Long-tailed Tits in the bushes down the track, and another Common Chiffchaff. Both Chiffies called and neither was Siberian sounding, tbh. So in spite of Pallas's Warblers at Blackdog and Bridge of Don, there was nothing new here today.

Sunday 9th November 08.

Torrential rain and wind from the south last night. The weather is playing my song. Initially very quiet, with small numbers of Coal Tits, Goldcrests, Blue Tits in the gorse etc along the burn. I wandered up what from now on I am compelled to call 'Honeypot Lane', the path between the Mill and the playpark. This is where the Wood Warbler and Yellow-browed Warblers were earlier this autumn. And now... Pallas's Leaf Warbler. Above my head initially, as soon as I saw the dumpy shape and the silky white underparts I knew what it was going to be, and then watched it for 20 minutes as it fed among the sycamores and coming down into the bracken to within 3 m of me, much as the Y-bW had done. Cripple cripple. It flew down into the Mill garden to allow me to make notes then it flew back up with a couple of Goldcrests for round two. Quite a lemony bird - green up top with a fresh clean yellow super etc and white covert bars. When it flew between branches or hovered in front of sycamore leaves it was showing off its creamy yellow band-rump. It went off down the bank and I thought it was worth my while walking 5 m further to check the bushes at the bird table in the Retreat garden. There was a Goldcrest and a Coal Tit and then who should pop its head out than the Pallas's Warbler, but it couldn't be the same one and this was actually a slightly different colour, with a kind of creme brulee face - warmer super and even darker green on top. There were two birds, and I kept on this one for 5 minutes before checking that bird one - lemoney cricket - was still present down the bank. Top hole.

Bird 1

So I phoned them in to BirdGuides, and continued down the track to the beach. There had been a few new arrivals and the place was hoaching with Common Chaffinches, Blackbirds and European Robins. And the party of Long-tailed Tits, 10 of them today. When I checked the BirdGuides website to savour the Pallas's glory(!) I noticed that also mentioned was a Hume's Leaf Warbler and Firecrest from Muchalls, yesterday afternoon! wtf!!! I mean wtf!!!!!! Nothing like getting the news out is there? :-) Anyway, worth a look, so I went down to Muchalls, calling in at the allotments, though it remains stubbornly Radde's free there. 'In the gully between the railwayy viaduct and the sea', said the BirdGuides news on Humey & Firey ltd., which should be quite easy as thereare only two trees, one willow and 1 alder, both head high, in there. No birds at all, and very few (Robins, tits) in the valley above the viaduct. No birders either.

Still, not to worry. Pallas's Warbler regains its place as commoner than Common Treecreeper in Newtonhill, and I got some cracking views of the bird so good an international committee of the UN actually named this blog after it. But that's a story for another day.

btw don'tcha just love it when this happens.

And finally...

Clobbered...

2008-11-02T22:35:00.003Z

Friday 31st October 08

Clobbered I was... ooh yes, by hailstones the size of gobstoppers. Gobstoppers, I say! Ow ow ow owwwwww!!!! And all I was trying to do was enjoy as pleasant seawatch and pick up on some of this diver/phalarope/fly-by Pallas's Warbler action that became a feature of the past couple of days.

I came home from work early... headed out. Chilly, but a flock of 15 Long-tailed Tits, less than annual here, working their way up through the back gardens in St. Michael's Road spoke of migrant promise. Goldcrests were everywhere - at least 9 in Mill Garden alone, and constant peeping - kept the old Pallas's radar online, but without success. I was pishing away at the bushes down the track to the beach and a Great-spotted Woodpecker (just about annual here) popped his head out.

16 Ruddy Turnstones on the beach, then out for a seawatch and I set up my scope to see the hailstorm from hell (a cold icy hell, I guess) approaching fast and hard from the north, and I heard the hailstones pinging off my tripod and off me, and they got bigger and bigger until I hid under my coat and waited for it to ease. When it did, I looked out and my feet were encased in a drift of slushy ice. Out to sea it was a bit crap - a few Northern Gannets bravely ploughing through, and a cowardly Red-throated Diver going south.

After a bit of that, I set off home. Back in St Michael's Road, I heard a familiar call and, looking up, a Bohemian Waxwing was flying over. First of the year, and when I got home and checked BirdGuides it turns out they were pouring in that afternoon. Also when I got home I looked like I'd been playing dodgeball with air pistol pellets.

Sunday 2nd November 08.

Nice day, zero chance of hail. 'Very good' chance of Pallas's but although there were still a few Goldcrests and Coal Tits around, there seemed to be a lot less than a couple of days ago, and it seems as though many birds have scarpered. Mildly amusing things included a Common Reed Bunting in the Knotweed by the burn, and a (the same?) male Common Blackcap inthe elder bushes at Mill Garden. The sea was once again empty, apart from a few gulls messing about. Two Great Spotted Woodpeckers flew up from the Community Park towards Enchanted Garden, and later another one in St.Michael's Road. Pretty swish. As I was walking along the coastal fields (5 Eurasian Skylarks, 2 Meadow Pipits) a female Common Stonechat that popped out unexpectedly onto the wire fence was stubbornly hibernicus rather than maurus, and she smugly introduced me to her mate - a rather saturated hibernicus adult male. No stringy Siberians for me today.

Little Auks are coming....

2008-10-26T22:17:00.002Z

... is the title of the midget porn spin-off of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. You heard it here first. Looks like being a chilly week. But autumn perhaps not quite over yet, judging by the number of Goldcrests (too many to count) still wandering round Newtonhill this morning. There were a feew Fieldfares passing through during the week, and today at the Mill Garden a single Common Blackcap in 'Blackcap bushes' - a clump of elders where they always turn up eventually. Come to think of it, this has been a very poor year for Blackcaps.

The only other 'migrant' was a single Common Treecreeper along honeypot lane between the Mill and the Retreat. Probably a local bird, but they are less than annual in the village.

Out at sea, no Little Auks, but a few Northern Gannets making their way north, and a stream of Common Gulls going south. Last week's GN Diver has scarpered. Nothing really happening at all, though by 11 am there was a constant trickle of Eurasian Skylarks heading south. They know what's coming.

It's me. At least, i think it's me.

2008-10-19T22:55:00.007+01:00

Guest blogger today... the Tophill Low Amur Falcon.

Hi everyone. It's me. At least, I think it's me. Maybe if I hang around here for a month I might be retrospectively identified from photos. I'm moulting my underwing coverts. It's OK, you can still tick me.

So, I'm another species that was moving through Beijing when Martin was there that was vagrant in the UK at the same time.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Thursday 16th October
The day I was heading off from my holiday among the Yorkshiremen... y'know, they're like Geordies but without the brains. Martin was off work and went round Newtonhill, which was hoaching with newly arrived Goldcrests (30+) and also Coal Tits (many), both of which are signs that it's time to start looking for Pallas's Leaf Warblers. The promise of goldcrest-peeping bushes wasn't backed up with hoards of other migrants, though a Common Chiffchaff at the top of the track from St Annes counts.

Friday 17th October.
Saw the first sizable push of Redwings heading inland at dawn. And a fresh horde of Goldcrests.

The theme was continued on...
Saturday 18th October
when I was surprised to find, while I was breakfasting on dragonflies in Martin's kitchen - a tired and greasy room that need the McKinney touch, that Martin had gone out for a run. I hope he catches a cold. When Martin got back he was trying to explain breathlessly to me what he had seen in the early morning chill. And as they took him away in the ambulance he finally explained - he'd heard a small flock of Long-tailed Tits in the bushes by the A90 (less than annual in Newtonhill), and also a couple of Redpoll sp in willows at Cran Hill.

Later, Martin had a total field* day, photographing things even I wouldn't eat. I was going to say a field mouse day with my witty communist-bloc humour, until Martin pointed out they were wood mice. He wood!! Heh heh heh. Sometimes I crack myself up. Ooops, I laughed so hard I just moulted a bit.

Sunday 19th October
was my last day as Martin's guest, and frankly I'm glad. Those kids of his... I'd rather die in mysterious circumstances in Dumfries and Galloway and then be forgotten about and left in the loft. That's what happened to my great grandfather. At least, I think so. I was doing one of those 'trace my family' tv programmes, hence the trip to Yorkshire, and also I mistook Tophill for Thornhill, where grandpa died. That's why I hung around so long, waiting for Google Maps to open. I thought I wasn't going to be able to fly today though - one of those days that never quite gets light, and Martin was wandering around in the gloom and the wind with very little prospect of seeing anything. Still plenty of Goldcrests and Coal Tits everywhere, White-throated Dipper on the burn and Peregrine Falcon (I'm a bit scared of those) over Cran Hill. Offshore, Martin saw an adult and a juvvy Red-throated Diver just off the breakers, and a herring-gull-dwarfing adult Great Northern Diver (Common Loon) with them. Another sp that is less than annual here, apparently a cause of some satisfaction to Martin, the saddo.

As he was looking at that, a Merlin flew south, harrassed briefly by a Common Gull. Not scared of either of them. It all added to the wintery feel. Also offshore, a Great Skua, but little else. A tour of the village garden while I was waiting for my taxi to the airport produced the obligatory Common Chiffchaff for Martin, which surprised him by bursting into a few seconds of song!! I have that effect on all the girls!! Ha hah hahhh!!! Then Martin suggested it was probably a boy. How I hate him.

Even the allotments had nothing but Goldcrests, Dunnocks, Common Chaffinches and European Robins. Look at the place...

Allotments, with sea beyond and next stop Denmark. It really should have more migrants.

Anyway, that's all from me. How you English say... byeeeeeee!!!!!! Martin is on the toilet with an attack of explosive diarrhoea. How surprised and delighted he will be when he sees I have written his wonderful blog for him. And much better than he ever could.

Back birding the patch

2008-10-12T13:56:00.010+01:00

Blessings of Comrade Chairman Mao on Remembird - I remembered (remembird) to put a new battery in this morning before heading out, and aren't I glad I did...

It seemed like a perfect, not too cold, October morning with a hint of southerly breeze - ideal for hoovering up all those Yellow-browed Warblers that would be flycatching in the sunshine, or so I thought. Was frankly, though, a bit wintery to start with, with several hundred Pink-footed Geese heading south, and apart from the usual peeping of tit flocks, chatting European Robins and the usual residents, not a lot happening. Until I checked the path running up to the swingpark (where the Wood Warbler was last month) when I heard a Yellow-browed Warbler calling from the sycamores at the top. Ran up the slope, turning Remembird on, and saw the bird pretty well and got a few recordings - some snippets below - try and ignore the persistent rumble of the A90.

You can listen to it here and here

The first file

The second...

Note the high pitched squeaks and them the 'classic' tseooiiiu' calls. But also the variation in the calls (second file) - easy to see on the sonogram, not so easy to hear.

Compare to this bird that I recorded at Yeyahu Lake outside Beijing on 26 Sep 08

Which you can listen to here

the Y-bW headed down the slope, and so did I. It came closer when I gave it some blasts of YbW from my phone, and I saw it pretty much the best I ever saw one, down at bracken level.

Other things going on this morning... apart from generally busy tit flocks including several Coal Tits, always a sign that birds are on the move, a couple of small flocks of Mistle Thrushes heading south, a constant trickle of Meadow Pipits and Eurasian Skylarks, and also a surprising number, 20+, of Barn Swallows lingering.

At the Allotments, which really looked like it should be overrun with Red-breasted Flycatchers and Dusky Warblers, there was a single Common Chiffchaff. I reallycould not see any green or yellow in the supercilium or upperparts of this bird, and actually it looked quite Siberian, but the call was unequivocally Common.

At the Secret Garden* a Eurasian Siskin, and 2 redpoll spp flew over, calling.

*'Secret Garden' is the wrong term... it's not very secret, being right next to the path and visible through large iron gates. However although it is outside the village, walled, apparently attached to no house, and you never see anyone in there, it is always immaculately cut and groomed. Spooky. From now on I will call it the 'Enchanted Garden.' Also, there are pixies living there - that's always a bit of a giveaway.

Birding in China pt 2 - the listy bit

2008-10-05T23:25:00.000+01:00

Birds what I saw in China, Chengdu and Beijing, 21^st – 29^th September 2008.

The list sequence follows MacKinnon and Phillips, which was based on Sibley and Monroe (oooh, bad choice!). Species level taxonomy follows my personal whim.

Daurian Partridge Perdix dauurica

A couple of coveys of 3-4 birds at Yeyahu Wetland Reserve.

Golden Pheasant Chrysolophus pictus

Two males at the Chengdu Panda Research Base may have been plastic.

Green Peafowl Pavo muticus

Wandering birds at the Chengdu Panda Research Base will almost certainly have been plastic.

Bewick’s Swan Cygnus columbianus bewickii

Several birds at Yeyahu Wetland reserve.

Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea

Four birds in flight at Yeyahu Wetland reserve.

Mallard Anas platyrhynchos

Flocks at Yeyahu Wetland reserve and Sahe Reservoir

Falcated Duck Anas falcata

One at Yeyahu Wetland reserve.

Rufous-bellied Woodpecker Dendrocopus hyperythrus.

One juvvy for several days in the park opposite Beijing Grand Continental Hotel.

Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopus major.

At least one for several days in the park opposite Beijing Grand Continental Hotel.

Common Hoopoe Upupa epops

One in trees at Sahe reservoir.

Feral Pigeon Columba livia

Occasional birds on rooftops in Beijing.

Speckled Wood Pigeon Columba hodgsonii

One at Chengdu Panda Research Base.

Spotted Dove Streptopelia chinensis

Not that common, but a few birds around Sahe Reservoir and suburban Beijing.

Eurasian Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto

Not uncommon in and around the outskirts of Beijing.

Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus

Individuals at Yeyahu, Sahe and Summer Palace.

Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus

One bird at Sahe Reservoir.

Oriental Honey-buzzard Pernis ptilorhynchus

Two birds soaring over Yeyahu Wetland Reserve.

Black-eared Kite Milvus migrans lineatus

2-3 birds over Yeyahu Wetland Reserve

Hen Harrier Circus cyaneus

One ringtail hunting Yeyahu Wetland Reserve.

Pied Harrier Circus melanoleucos

One cracking male hunting over Yeyahu Wetland Reserve.

Eurasian Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus

One bird over the outskirts of Beijing on way to Ming Tombs.

Common Buzzard Buteo buteo

At least three birds, all of which I think were this species, over Yeyahu Wetland Reserve.

Greater Spotted Eagle Aquila clanga

One bird over Yeyahu Wetland Reserve.

Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni

Bit of a surprise was an adult male over Yeyahu Wetland Reserve

Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus

One over the Grand Hotel, Beijing, and another at Sahe Reservoir.

Amur Falcon Falco amurensis

4 birds hunting at dusk at Sahe Reservoir.

Eurasian Hobby Falco subbuteo

One bird flew through Yeyahu Wetland Reserve.

Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis

One bird at Yeyahu, up to 250 at Sahe Res, and another singleton at the Summer Palace.

Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus

One bird at Sahe Res.

Little Egret Egretta garzetta

Maybe 5 birds at Sahe Res.

Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax

One adult in flight at Sahe Res.

Brown Shrike Lanius cristatus

One bird in the park opposite the Grand Continental Hotel, Beijing, for one day.

Chinese Grey Shrike Lanius sphenocercus

A cracking monster of a bird at Yeyahu Wetland Reserve.

Azure-winged Magpie Cyanopica cyanus

Common throughout Beijing in groups, also at Yeyahu, Sahe, Summer Palace.

Black-billed Magpie Pica pica

Common throughout Beijing in groups, also at Yeyahu, Sahe, Summer Palace.

Large-billed Crow Corvus macrorhynchus

Small groups at the Palace Museum, Beijing, also at the Great Wall.

Siberian Rubythroat Luscinia calliope

A cracking male in the park opposite the Grand Continental Hotel, Beijing.

Siberian Stonechat Saxicola rubicula maurus/stejnegeri

Potential family groups in the park opposite the Grand Continental Hotel, Beijing, and at Yeyahu Wetland Reserve.

White-cheeked Starling Sturnus cineraceus

One group of around 20 birds at the Palace Museum were the only ones I saw.

Great Tit Parus major

In scrub alongside the Great Wall, and also Yeyahu Wetland Reserve.

Long-tailed Tit Aegithalos caudatus

In scrub alongside the Great Wall.

Black-throated Tit Aegithalos concinnus

Common in Chengdu, even in city centre.

Sand Martin Riparia riparia

One bird (?sp.) at Yeyahu Wetland Reserve.

Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica

Flocks not uncommon over Beijing, at the park, Summer Palace, and suburban areas.

Red-whiskered Bulbul Pyconotus jocusus

One bird in Chengdu Panda Research Base.

Light-vented Bulbul Pyconotus sinensis

Very common in Chengdu.

Asian Stubtail Urosphena squamiceps

One bird in reedy edges and trees at Summer Palace.

Black-browed Reed Warbler Acrocephalus bistrigiceps

One bird in the park opposite Beijing Grand Continental Hotel, and another apparently recently fledged juvvy in reeds at the Summer Palace.

Pallas’s Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus progregulus

Two migrants in the park opposite Beijing Grand Continental Hotel.

Yellow-browed Warbler Phylloscopus inornatus

These were very common, and in most places when it appeared there were no birds about, eventually a Y=b W call would ring out from the treetops. In the park opposite Beijing Grand Continental Hotel every day, Ming Tombs, several birds at Yeyahu, Sahe – reliable.

Two-barred Greenish Warbler Phylloscopus trochiloides plumbeitarsus.

One bird in the park opposite Beijing Grand Continental Hotel.

Radde’s Warbler Phylloscopus schwarzi

Very common in suitable ground-based habitat, and often quite vocal. In the park opposite Beijing Grand Continental Hotel, and also several at the Summer Palace.

Eurasian Skylark Alauda arvensis

Several flying south over Yeyahu Wetland Reserve.

Japanese White-eye Zosterops japonicus

One with a flock of Black-throated Tits ina park in Chengdu.

Eurasian Tree Sparrow Passer montanus

What can I say. Absolutely everywhere throughout Beijing, flocks of 200+ at times.

White Wagtail Motacilla alba

One alboides at Chengdu Panda Research Base, and a flock of 4-5 ocularis at Sahe Reservoirs.

Red-throated Pipit Anthus cervinus

One flew over calling at Yeyahu Wetland Reserve.

Yellow-billed Grosbeak Eophona migratoria

A small party at Longevity Hill in the Summer Palace area.

Little Bunting Emberiza pusilla

Very common at Yeyahu Wetland Reserve. Not seen elsewhere.

Birding in China - part 1 - the wordy bit.

2008-10-05T13:27:00.021+01:00

This is the first part… a kind of poorly written narrative. Have included some photos but the full albums are available here and here. Part 2 will follow – the full bird list.

22^nd September 2008.

Found myself in China… Chengdu even… after a series of spectacularly uncomfortable flights. Birding opportunities in Chengdu were limited, though by a stroke of luck there was a fetid little park, complete with twisted trees, puddles of sewage and piles of rotting vegetables, just across the road from the hotel. So for those of us (i.e. me) prepared to buy travel insurance and try to cross the road, there were the delights of small flocks of Black-throated Tits, Pale-vented Bulbuls, and a single Japanese White-eye.

A couple of hours at the superb panda Research Base, just to the north, would have repaid ignoring the pandas and going for bush-bashing, but casually I also got a single Red-whiskered Bulbul and a Speckled Pigeon. I’m assuming the Green Peafowl wandering about were ornamental, but I’m not sure about the 2 Golden Pheasants I flushed from a bamboo stand. The best real bird, by far was a cracking alboides White Wagtail. First drew attention to itself by giving a call that was loud and shrill – immediately different from familiar alba and yarrellii birds – then showing itself to be a personata-lookalike, though with a black back and shiny, extensively white wing coverts.

23^rd September 2008.

To Beijing. I must admit that my expectations of birding Beijing were pretty low. Basically I was told ‘Tree Sparrows’. And that although there may be a few hotspots where I might catch up with a few more species, not to get my hopes up. The only trip report I had was one by Keith Martin from November 1997 (you can see it here http://www.isg.rhul.ac.uk/~martin/beijing.htm), which did however give a bit more cause for optimism, without going overboard.

By happy chance, there was once again another park just opposite my hotel next to the Olympic Stadium. Only this time the road was crossable without risking near-certain death. The park had a security guard and a sign saying ‘Residents – permits only’ or similar, but I assumed an air of self-confidence and walked right in. Immediately it was obvious that although Beijing may be crap for resident birds… this was autumn and migrants were coming through. In the tiniest possible clumps of trees and scattered rosebush ground cover I winkled out 2 Yellow-browed Warblers, a juvenile Brown Shrike, 3 Radde’s Warblers, Rufous-bellied and Great Spotted Woodpeckers and then a male Siberian Rubythroat popped out from a low hedge and started feeding in front of me. All genuine migrants – it was just like your average autumn day in Newtonhill. Nearly. There were also groups of Azure-winged Magpies (and Black-billed) kicking about noisily, and hordes (50+) of Tree Sparrows. Mao was quite right to suppress the Tree Sparrows – counter-revolutionaries, the lot of ‘em. I resolved to return to this park.

Makes you wonder about the decline of House Sparrows in British cities, and how everything we think we know about them must be wrong, Basically, if flocks of 200+ Tree Sparrows can thrive in central Beijing, the only thing wrong with House Sparrows in Kensington is that they are lazy.

24^th September 2008.

I have to echo something that Keith Martin alluded to in his trip report. If you only have a couple of days in Beijing, and you waste them birding, you are a petit-bourgeouis intellectual who can and should be put to work cleaning out the public toilets in a hostel of leprous tramps for a couple of years, before you are shot. There is absolutely no excuse for it. There is so much to see here, and today was my day for Tian Anmen Square, Forbiddien city etc. But first I spent the dawn in ‘my’ local park, seeing Yellow-broweds and Radde’s etc as yesterday, but also a party of 3 Siberian Stonechats working their way over the tops of the rosebushes. One of them was an ‘obvious’ pale, supercilium-ed one with white throat and creamy underparts and a pale ground colour to the streaked mantle, but the other two were much more subtly different from European Stonechats – in fact they had dark heads and deeper orangey breasts and frankly I would have overlooked them in UK.

A word on Field Guides. The AC Black one is not published yet, so I was using MacKinnon and Phillips ‘A Field Guide to the Birds of China’ (OUP). Before I set off, I looked at the pictures of birds where I already knew what they looked like, and wasn’t too impressed. In fact I got the impression I’d have trouble identifying my granny using that book. In the end though, it was OK. At least, I managed to identify everything I saw well. Some of those warblers could have been trouble though, if I’d spent longer in the south.

So I spent today in Tian Anmen Square and proclaimed the Peoples’ Republic. Forbidden City (Palace Museum) was impressive for all sorts of reasons that weren’t birds. Apart from Tree Sparrows, there were some parties of Azure-winged Magpies, Large-billed Crows and a single flock of White-cheeked Starlings, which turned outto be the only ones I saw.

The wording says: 'On this site, on 4th June 1989, nothing happened'.

25^th September 2008.

If the urban centre of Beijing was not a birding paradise, the Great Wall at Qinglongqiao was worse. I expected maybe, up in the hills, there’d be funky buntings and warblers scrounging sandwiches in the car park and lurking in the bushes, but my experience was very like Keith Martin’s – some discrete peeping noises from unseen birds in bushes below the wall may have been White-browed Chinese Warbler (Chinese Hill Warbler), but the only passerines I saw was a distant flock of tits that contained Great Tit and Long-tailed Tit, and possibly others. Nor was it a raptor-fest. Only a few Large-billed Crows breaking the skyline.

26^th September 2008. Beijing Xinhua Tours

Today was my full day’s birding. Via the magic of the internet I found a company Beijing Xinhua Tours who for $120 would give you a car and a driver for the day and visit a couple of birding spots outside Beijing for the whole day. I decided to give it a go. At 6 am my guide turned up at the hotel as promised – ‘Nancy’ – and off we went. Nancy was great – very helpful, chatty, spoke perfect English, knew exactly where to go – but she didn’t know anything really about birds, as will become obvious. We went up to Yeyahu Lake, to the northwest (‘Wild Duck Lake’). Sounded promising. And there… some ducks - a small number of Bewick’s Swans, flocks of Mallards, and a motley collection of domestic geese. Nancy asked if a passing flock of birds were pigeons, but I said know they were ducks, Mallards. And Nancy was astonished and not a little amused… ‘So can ducks fly??’. Aaaaahhhhhhha… we’re starting to find our level here. Nancy didn’t have binoculars either, so she borrowed mine and I did the bird guiding bit. To her credit, Nancy was interested in finding out what birds were around, so she could help people out a bit more next time. I’m going to post my day list to the company, just so they know.

Actually I got the impression that we were a bit early in the Fall for a wildfowl spectacular, but there was still, in the end, plenty to be looking at. There was a single Falcated Duck, and there may have been Spot-billed Ducks out there, but they were just too far away. We took a walk round the Lake, me showing Nancy the birds. Mostly it was wet rushy vegetation, with a bit of open water. Funky buntings – very shy, but in the end we got excellent views of Little Buntings, flushes a covey of Daurian Partridges, and a cracking HUGE Chinese Grey Shrike, flushed from the bushes and perched for several minutes on a bush in the middle of the marsh. Eurasian Skylarks were flying over south, calling, and a single Sand Martin.

While this was happening, there was a bit of a raptor-fest going on, or at least there were a few about. Several Black-eared Kites, Oriental Honey-buzzards, some apparently japonicus Common Buzzards (on size they were not Upland). The size comparison occurred when one of them started mobbing a Greater Spotted Eagle. A ringtail (clearly) Hen Harrier was hunting, as was a male Pied Harrier, a Eurasian Hobby and surprisingly, a male Lesser Kestrel, a little bit out of range perhaps. I felt a big distant falcon was probably a Saker, but it never reappeared.

Yeyahu

Nancy borrows my binoculars as a Red-throated Pipit flies by...

After a visit to the Yeyahu Wetland Museum -‘The museum contains a great number of sample birds and animals which once lived in this area’… I kid you not – we drove to Sahe Reservoirs.

I think the specimens died of shame

Sahe Reservoirs looked good, but from the causeway the flocks of wildfowl were a bit distant – need a scope. What was within binocular distance were groups of Little Grebes, over 250 of them in total. Also a bit distant, but in the trees and on the shoreline were 5 egrets. On range, I was expecting these to be Great Egrets, but au contraire they were Little Egrets – no doubt, with the black bill, black legs and yellow feet, as well as looking small. According to MacKinnon and Phillips, these are vagrant to Beijing, but this must be nonsense – I assume Little Egrets have expanded north in the Eastern Pal as well as the Western. A Black-crowned Night Heron flew past too. Real birding – a group of 4 ocularis White Wagtails, migrants, on the dam, and a Common Kestrel and 4 Amur Falcons hunting as the sun started to head down. Plenty of birds around by now, including a Common Hoopoe perched openly in a tree. Nancy liked that one.

Beijing Xinhua Tours then let themselves down a bit by taking me to a silk factory and outlet store where I got the opportunity to purchase duvets and ties. Not really my thing.

27^th September 2008

Back at my Beijing Park early morning, where a funny-sounding presumed Radde’s Warbler skulking in the low undergrowth turned out, when it showed, to be a Black-browed Reed Warbler. A surprisingly obvious identification. Also new for the trip was a brief front-on view of of what was either Dark-Sided or Asian Brown Fly. It’s starting to feel a bit like Shetland. Excellent views of a real Radde’s Warbler among the rosebushes, and a very vocal Yellow-browed. The I bumped into a Pallas’s Leaf Warbler feeding among the willows, and it flitted off round to the next bush where it introduced me to its mate, another Pallas’s, also a Yellow-browed and a Two-barred Greenish Warbler feeding together. Ker-ching!

28^th September 2008

My casual birding list was doing OK, but I was tempted by Keith Martin’s promise of Blue Magpies and Vinous-throated Parrotbills at the Summer Palace, so I got on the subway and headed thataway. I don’t think Keith Martin went on a Sunday morning though, and by the time I got lost and wandered round suburban Beijing for an hour before finding the place, it was nearly nine o’ clock and people were pouring in – 25000 visitors a day. I tried to bomb round the back and find a ‘quiet’ place, but it soon became obvious that there wasn’t going to be a quiet place and if I didn’t slow down and start in earnest I wasn’t going to get any birding done at all here. When I did that, there were some things to be seen, albeit not much. The tall trees around Longevity Hill held the usual Azure-winged and Black-billed Magpies, also some Yellow-billed Grosbeaks, and a Mynah in flight that I guess was likely to be an introduced Hill Mynah. Round the west end of Kumming Lake, there were some reedbeds and lotus beds with a bit of habitat, and a large number of Tree Sparrows. I bumped into 4-5 Radde’s Warblers, and while trying to get views of one of these flushed a dinky little Asian Stubtail, which paraded in front of me on low branches. Stonking super. Of Blue Magpies and Parrotbills, alas, none.

Habitat OK at Summer Palace...

... but from a birding perspective you can see the problem.

If you are birding the Summer Palace, I recommend getting there at 7, queuing until it opens and then bombing to Longevity Hill ASAP.

29^th September 2008.

Last look round my park before heading home – nothing new. Black-browed Reedies, Yellow-browed and Radde’s Warblers. I tried to stuff a few in my bag to bring home, but it was already writhing with baby Pandas and there wasn’t room.

Overall I got the impression that Beijing would indeed be pretty shit for birding, outside migration season. However at the end of September every patch of bushes and puddle of sewage gave a chance of migrants. The birds weren’t exactly throwing themselves at me, but a visit that didn’t involve having to attend a conference would pay off better.

'My' Park

The Doctor is OUT

2008-09-19T21:45:00.005+01:00

Two Coal Tits this morning in our back garden are clearly on the move somewhere.

As am I - to China for 9 days!

Work :-(

but with some birding planned :-)

Anyway, I think it's safe to suggest that my internet access is not guaranteed.

The same. But more so.

2008-09-19T21:45:00.003+01:00

I just had time for a quick dash up and down the Elsick Burn between nursery drop-off and nursery pickup. As I walked down St Anne's Road a buzzard going over was a Common Buzzard (daaaamnnnn!), and in the bushes at the top of St Anne's track, there was a Spotted Flycatcher, a rather grey Common Chiffchaff and a Sedge Warbler. So the migrants are still around... encouragement.

And encouragement indeed, when at Elsick Mill, the Wood Warbler was still present, this time in company with at least 3 Common Chiffchaffs and 2 Willow Warblers, as well as 4 Goldcrests and a couple each of Blue Tit and Great Tit. While I was there, who should turn up but Ken Hall, he of the wondrous photographs, and a birding companion whose name I shamefully forgot to ask. Together we enjoyed the less-than-regular Newtonhill experience of there being so much movement in the bushes that you didn't know where to look next. It is not like that all the time.

Further down the burn, there wasn't so much to look at, but it turned into a nice autumn's day with a Small Copper up the cliff steps and several Red Admirals. And as I walked down past the Wood Warbler again, one of each of the Chiffchaffs and Willow Warblers were in song. That's how crazy it all was. Today would have really repayed being able to spend all day kicking trees.

Wood Warbler. You would, you know.

2008-09-18T19:25:00.002+01:00

Called in for a circuit of the burn at the patch for 45 min on the way home. I'd done that after the Face-only-a-mother-could-love Sand Plover on Tuesday, for a reward of a total two (not one, but tw0) Willow Warblers.

And it looked like I was going to sub-cede that total today, with not two, but 1 Willow Warblers under my belt when I left the Mill Garden to walk up to the swing park. Then there was a movement in the trees at pathside and thump! A Wood Warbler jumped up onto a twig, nearly breaking it! Patch tick! it was feeding actively at low level - lovely primrose super, face and throat giving way to silky white underparts. I'm not saying they're my favourite European birds... but they're in the top two. See it's not only Tim who can borrow Cloughie's lines. They're not as carnal-sexy as Roseate Terns, but they make a nicer noise.

As I was watching it, a flitting in the branches above, and there was a Spotted Flycatcher too. That's just too much.

I put the Wood Warbler on ABZ Rare Birds to heads-up to others that there are some migrants about, and was surprised to see it appear on BirdGuides 30 min later. Great, now I'm going to have car loads of 'twitchers' coming off Scilly for my Wood Warbler. :-)

Sand Plovers and other animals

2008-09-17T00:23:00.002+01:00

Tuesday 16th September

The Ythan had moved me greatly ;-$ on Sunday, so thought it worth my while going back there this morning for a proper poke round. Arrived in the pre-dawn, somehow, and wandered out onto the beach at the south side of the estuary to where the Sand Plover had been flushed on Sunday. It was low tide, and the beach was hoaching with birds. I perched on a small concrete tuffet in the pissing rain, eating my curds and whey, and got down to business - 100s of Dunlins, 50+ Ringed Plovers, 25 Red Knot, a couple of Sanderlings, 15 Bar-tailed Godwits, and plenty of Eurasian Curlews and Ruddy Turnstones and a few Eurasian Oystercatchers. So far so good, but then also the Greater Sand Plover popped out from behind an unnecessarily large dollop of seaweed, and started feeding actively along the hid tide mark.

Bit bigger than the Ringed Plovers, with a bill that at times looked huge, this b****** product of an unholy alliance between a Caspian Plover and a Crab Plover, the Ugly Sister to Lesser Sand Plover's Cinderella, is not one of Nature's masterpieces. But it sure knew how to move. Not really associating with anything, but on occasions was aggressive to the Ringer Plovers. I sat there for an hour and a half looking at it and, this being Northern Scotland, there was no one else about. A Slavonian Grebe just out to see struck me as being a bit unusual here as well.

When hypothermia threatened, I got back in the car and went to the other side of the estuary to that ploughed field, where there was still a juvenile Little Stint and three Ruff.

Barry's predictive water

2008-09-14T21:59:00.004+01:00

Barry's water is never completely wrong. Today was perhaps not epic on the cosmic scale, but in the scale of Newtonhill passerines, it was pretty good. Observant reader will have noticed me complaining recently about checking bushes and seeing *nothing*. Well I wasn't lying. So when I put on my lederhosen and opera glasses and went out this morning, and immediately saw a Garden Warbler in one of the rowan trees with the House Sparrows and European Goldfinches, I knew something was up. And me so when I hit the track from St Anne's, saw a movement in the aspens and boing! A Common Redstart bounced up onto a branch - these are less than annual here. The heard a Willow Warbler in the gorse by the burn, and as I was looking for it another small bird - looked Phylloscy - started flitting out calling repeatedly 'shree', but wouldn't settle and I have the dubious pleasure of hearing its 'shree's getting further and further away until it was lost in the gardens of the village somewhere. Can't help thinking that something interesting got away there.

Mill Garden had another Garden Warbler (by this time I knew something was up), and hello, and unstreaked Acro - but I couldn't really get anything on it as it flitted away. Probably Reed Warbler. All these birds were very flighty and obviously fresh in. In fact I know for certain they weren't here yesterday.

Down the track, and I I came to the willows at the very bottom of the Mill Garden, the ground shook as a Barred Warbler flew up the burn and straight into cover. Outsize. I saw enough on it as it skulked away - particularly the back end(!) but it was soon gone for good, and even a blat of Barred Warbler call from my phone couldn't entice it out. Anyway, as any fule know, Barred Warblers never call.

After this level of excitement, gardens in Newtonhill were disappointingly quiet, but when I made it up to the allotments (no gardeners - c'mon!) they at last started to show a bit of their potential, with another Garden Warbler, 2 Common Whitethroats, and a juvenile Willow Warbler that disappeared behind a branch and metamorphed on the other side into a Common Chiffchaff. wtf? but then the WW came back. OK I'll have one of each.

Had to get back by 10 so Diane could go jogging, but I saw on BirdGuides that a European Honey-buzzard was heading over the Bridge of Don, and went out into the back garden to 'helpfully' hang the washing out, with my bins and an eye on the sky. There was a family of Goldfinces in the trees at the back of the garden and... eh up, a Lesser Whitethroat. Must be a Sylvia day. N/hill getting its years supply of passerine migrants in a single morning. Suits me fine.

Afternoon, and Lizzie, bless her, wants to go and see the rare bird (Greater Sand Plover) at the Ythan! What, Lizzie? I checked her temperature, and she was fine, so I buckled and we went. Lizzie has never been birding before, so why not start at the top? Got to the Ythan, and she started whinging immediately about having to walk.. until we got to the beach, which was covered in dead jellyfish, and amused us immensely. Turning the corner... ooh, waders, so I set up the scope and showed her Ringed Plovers and Dunlins, and hmmm a Red Knot and hold on, a dog! Noooooooooo!!!!!! It flushed everything and I saw the Sand Plover scooting off across the estuary. Now I didn't really know what to do - din't want to grip Lizzie off on her first trip, in fact didn't know how she would take this at all, so I kept shtum and was reasonably confident that we would be able to catch up with it on the north side. Although to be honest, I don't think she was taking it too seriously, which is how it should be.

We drove round to the north side, to the ploughed field where there were a few people watching without success. But frankly, who cares - the field was stowed and Lizzie was having a fantastic time - she loved the Northern Lapwings in the scope, and the 100s of Eurasian Golden Plovers, spotting the ones with black tummies. There were 3 Ruff, v close and with a male still quite bright. I told her they're called Ruff because they hurt your hand if you touch them. 'What, really?' 'Yes'. (looks doubtful) 'What, really really?' 'No, Lizzie'. We saw some Grey Plovers (Black-bellied) too, and I saw a Sanderling (bit subtle for Lizzie that one) and a Little Stint (asking a bit much for her this time. Next time maybe). Chuck in some Common Redshanks and we were having a ball. 'Is this what you do every weekend Daddy?' I mean, I hope she likes it, but not every weekend! Also she needed to get back for athletics at 5, so we couldn't really search the place to see where the Sand Plover had gone.

Sticking to my guns...

2008-09-13T22:56:00.006+01:00

Blimey, with these south easterlies continuing it must be about time for some migrants. So I ignored temptation to the north, and stuck with it here. Still very disappointing, but at least a bit more lively (if you include an arrival of 5 + Willow Warblers), and with a late Common Swift heading high south along the coast.

Offshore... 07:05 - 08:10 - the obligatory Sooty Shearwater eventually went north, and10 Manx Shearwaters. The southerly passage of Red-throated Divers (13), Eurasian Teal (7) and Eurasian Wigeon (9 ) continues just. 3 Great Skuas and 2 Arctic Skuas south, and 1 Arctic north.
16 Common Scoters south, 9 Sandwich Terns, 1 Arctic Tern. 284 Northern Gannets north, 114 S, and 123 Black-legged Kittiwakes south, Didn't count Northern Fulmar or auks, but there were plenty of both.

Sorry bit boring today, but tomorrow is going to be epic. I can feel it in my Swedish au pair's water.

Look what I found while cleaning out my sock drawer (I threw away everything that had a hole in the heel, and all I had left was 1 pair of Christmas socks, unopened, and a single red sock that I'm sure isn't mine. Diane had to buy me some more). Anyway, i found this photo (young people may not remember that in the old days images had to be printed out on special light sensitive paper. I'm not making this up). Dunno who took it, but it wasn't me.

Snowy Owl (well duh!), Wainfleet, Lincs. ?1990.

More birdspotting

2008-09-11T23:16:00.003+01:00

Still not exactly cooking with gas here, but I've lowered my expectations to a level where they match my experience, and as such I'm reasonably satisfied with today's haul of birds. Left work an hour early, in the secure knowledge that no one would ever know, unless I opened my big mouth, and sat on the clifftops from 16:35 - 17:50 before falling through the front door and begging for pity: 'Hi Honey, I'm hooommmmeeee!!! You would not believe the day I had...' etc.

There was a fresh southerly force 4-5 - witness the majority of the Northern Gannets going the wrong way - 55 N and an impressive 445 S, and big flocks of Black-legged Kittiwakes that i couldn't be arsed counting, and about 100 Guillemots and Razorbills, mostly sat on the water.

Two Little Gulls were the cute boys - both moulting 1st summer/2nd winter birds, going south among the feeding flocks of Kittiwakes. These Kittiwakes also pulled in 2 hungry Great Skuas, 23 Sandwich Terns south, 2 Common Terns and 1 Arctic Tern. I had 14 Red-throated Divers heading south, 8 Manx Shearwaters and 3 Sooty Shearwaters. Ducks... 20 Eurasian Wigeon going south, 2 Eurasian Teals inclugding another one that went to sit among the auks, and best of all... wait for it.... my last look at a flock of Wigeon as I was giving up to go home, had.. could it be.. come a little closer my dear... a female Pintail among them. Oh Glorious Patch tick!!

Not a bad illicit undercover birding haul, in all. And totally undetectable, until I got home and Diane mentioned that there were lots of Herring Gulls flying down towards the bay and I went: Oh, yeh, there were a couple of hundred down there earlier when... errr.. I was... errr... working...'

To insanity, and beyond!

2008-09-10T23:44:00.003+01:00

Lying in my bed at 5.45, occurred to me that I'd been woken by a passing train and the rain pattering against the window, which can only mean one thing... nasty weather from the south-east and time to get up. Walked down to the beach along the Elsick Burn, but *still* with no migrants and desperately green over other people's good falls. Btw, I *really* thing Sky News isn't taking its weather reports seriously just now.

With all the rain, the burn was very full and I wasn't too surprised to find two White-throated Dippers on the beach, feeding among the breakers. Also 12 Ruddy Turnstones here, a couple of ruddy adults among them. As always when the bushes are crap, I stared out to sea, and although there weren't large numbers, the mix of species was just enough to keep my interest for 45 min, 07:15 - 08:00 - i.e. 2 Sooty Shearwaters and 3 Manx Shearwaters, 8 Red-throated Divers south, and 1 N, an unusual 9 Dunlins south, and a patch scarcity 1 Ringed Plover. 3 Great Skuas north, and 2 Arctic Skuas, attacking Black-legged Kittiwakes of which there were 86 moving south. Also 8 Eurasian Teal south, 4 of which landed to sit incongruously among a small flock of Guillemots on the water - btw there were 100+ auks back and forth, which there hasn't been recently.
Northern Gannets - bit confused 113N and 80S, Northern Fulmars 3N and 10 S. I also heard the Herring Gulls making a racket about something and looked up just in time to see a Peregrine Falcon flying off with prey - an auk sp.

One that got away

2008-09-08T22:36:00.002+01:00

After tea, I was sitting in front of the telly, burping occasionally. OK, frequently. Diane was out in the back garden, mixing cement for the patio... hard for her, I know, but I need somewhere new to bury the bodies of my enemies. Anyway, something flew over that struck her as odd, so she called out to me 'Master, master! What's that flying over the house?' Now whereas Diane wouldn't claim to be a top birder, she does know something a bit different when it flies past (e.g. Spotted Flycatcher recently, grrrr....), so I roused myself to upright a bit faster than my normal Jabba-the-Hutt-type progression and saw what she was getting at, moving away from the house at speed and sending the House Martins into a panic. Flapflapflap gllliiideee flapflapflap and everything about it was Hobby! I ran for my nockies, but knew I wasn't going to be quick enough (I *knew* I shouldn't have covered them with tar, locked them in an underground filing cabinet and fed the keys to the cat. Then buried the cat.) By the time I got them out and me out the door, the bird was gone. Alas and bum!

Fannie Mac ate my hamster

2008-09-07T22:08:00.002+01:00

Sleeping the sleep of the just... woken by the rain hammering against the bedroom window. Are Sooty Shearwaters really worth getting that wet for? You betcha. Go go go. And to the clifftop, but it really is wet, and visibility is down to a kilometre. I didn't think I was going to see much, and by and large I was right, i.e. 06:55 - 08:00, 208 Northern Gannets, 44 Northern Fulmars and just 29 Black-legged Kittiwakes, all north, perhaps tells you how little there was to see. But I did get 3 Sooty Shearwaters, at the edge of visibility, which in fact was quite close in, and best of all, a Black Tern - only my second patch record. There was a small movement of Eurasian Teal (11N), 2 Great Skuas N, and 2 Red-throated Divers south.

I also went round Newtonhill, pishing into all the sheltered gardens I could find in the hope that Boulmer Birder and Alastair weren't hogging all the migrants, but they were - there was nothing here at all. Deid. But still raining. When I eventually got home I had to burn all my clothes. The jeans were the worst as a Spaniel had licked them. Diane even threw a few pairs of my old pants onto the pyre, to make sure they died.

During the day, I saw there had been a small passage of Sooties at Girdle Ness, so with visibility back to normal and the water stopped falling from the sky, I went out for another seawatch 17:45-19:00. By this time, after that dog had licked my morning jeans and the good clean sky had p*ssed on them, and Peter had vomited copiously over my afternoon jeans, I was on my third pair of keks for the day. But now there were some things to see. Mostly Black-legged Kittiwakes actually - there was a feeding flock of 500+, almost at the horizon, and I could see 2 Arctic Skuas acrobatically harassing them. Closer in, there was a decent passage of Kittiwakes too - 527 north, and another 4 Arctic Skuas passing through, with 5 Great Skuas. At about 18:00 a Long-tailed Skua came through, about 800 m out - dark juvenile. An uncharacteristically easy one too: tiny weedy thing with a wasted rear end and little stick wings and hardly any white in the wings.

I was hoping for a passage of Sooties, but got 34 Manx Shearwaters heading north and no other species. Bearing in mind Sooites were obviously going through at lunchtime, the only word to describe them is 'capricious' Maybe not the only word. But it is a good one.

There were at least 30 Sandwich Terns, 2 Common Terns north, and 8 Arctic Terns (2N 6S), but as rare as Long-tailed Skua in a Newtonhill context was the single Tufted Duck that flew north, reminding me that Greater Scaup remains a hole on the Newtonhill list that by rights should have been filled before Tufty.

229 Northern Gannets north and 2 south, 59 Northern Fulmars north. Sadly nothing amusing happened. Just birds today.

The Swimming Cows

2008-09-06T23:30:00.003+01:00

I only have myself to blame. It was a perfect opportunity to share my knowledge and experience with enthusiastic kids. To explain about the miracle of migration, about how Sooty Shearwaters visit Newtonhill from the South Atlantic. Maybe recruit a couple of extra soldiers for the war against total environmental meltdown. And I blew it. Still, I am what I am. It went a bit like this... 6.30 pm, and I am seawatching with scope and bins from the bench at the clifftops. Two kids come along, girls, maybe 9, 10 years old, with their Mum, or Dad (I honestly wouldn't like to be drawn on that point) trailing behind. This is the conversation, verbatim as I remember it. I'm not proud, but what can you do?

Girls: Whatcha doing?
Me: Just looking... for things.
Girls: [look at scope] Are you making a video?
Me: Something like that, yeh.
Girl1: [stands right in front of scope] Can you see me?
Me: No, you're too far away.
Girl: Can I look through?
Me: No. Move along.
Girls: Whatcha looking for?
Me: Cows.
Girls: Cowards?
Me: No. Cows.
Girls: [look out to sea!] Can you see any?
Me: Not yet.
Girls: Will there be any here.
Me: Might be; might come swimming past.
Girls: How long have you been here?
Me: Since 1983
Girl 1: Since 3?
Me: No. 1983.
Girl 2: No. How long have you been here today?
Me: Since 1983! [Looks at watch] - yep, about 25 years i think.
Girls: [puzzled,'can't be bothered with this' look] Bye.

I have actually used the 'cows' line before. Last year, I was stood scoping for pipits in a field full of cows. That time it was 2 boys.
Boys: Whatcha looking for
Me: Cows.
Boys ?[puzzled]
Me: Will you tell me if you see any.
Boys: The field's full of them
Me: ? [Looks at field] [Doubletake] Argh!!

Still not proud. But in general it's not a good idea to try and strike up a conversation with me in the field. And that's another thing. Why is it that everyone I met this morning told me 'It's breezy today!'. Yes, I know. Can you tell by my horizontal hair full of yesterday's gel... *I know* it's breezy, and that in fact is why I'm out birdspotting. Now get your stupid dog off my jeans.

Which is me getting ahead of myself again. As many of you will have noticed, there was a bit of an easterly or north-easterly blow going on overnight and this morning (why did no one tell me it was a breezy day?!), potentially good for migrants. Indeed, in the end, it looks like the northeast of Ingerland got lucky. Not Newtonhill. But it could have been us, on another day. So I was out. Started with the sea at 06:15 to 07:20, not sparkling, but 5 Sooty Shearwaters, 3 Manx Shearwaters, all north, 5 Arctic Skuas (1N, 4S). One of the Arctic Skuas was, on shape and size, likely to have been Long-tailed, but just that bit far out. 1 Great Skua north presented no id. problems, nor did 4 Red-throated Divers (3S), 10 Sandwich Terns south, 2 Atlantic Puffins north. For ?fun, I counted Northern Gannets (235N, 4 S), Northern Fulmars (99N) and Black-legged Kittiwakes (33N). I didn't stay too long as I wanted to bash bushes, but in hindsight that was a mistake, with no proper migrants whatsoever around the patch. Very disappointing. However with the wind staying in the NE all day, I nipped out for another seawatch around teatime, 17:45 - 18:45. Another 2 Sooty Shearwaters, and a Great Skua, but very slow. I counted 185 Northern Gannets north, and 38S. Couldn't be bothered counting Kittiwakes but actually they picked up and by the time I finished I reckoned there must have been a few hundred through. And of course a herd of cows swimming majestically in on their annual transmigration of the North Sea. So you can see that my conversation with confused children was the highlight. That's why I put it first. If tomorrow doesn't improve, I'll tell you about my new salt-and-saturated-fat-laden unhealthy snack, going to market in the next few months, I call it 'I can't believe it's not lettuce'.

Actually that reminds me... a final perusal of yesterday's Cage and Aviary Birds, before I used it to line the kids' litter tray, revealed another seller offering 'Calorina Ducks'. I think they're like Carolina Ducks (Wood Ducks), but with more fat and sugar.

In your Super Soaraway Cage and Aviary Birds this week.

2008-09-05T22:52:00.002+01:00

Mmmmmm... a bit of interest in C&AB this time. Top of the list..

Purple-backed Stalings [sic] £250 pr. Do they mean Daurian Starlings? They surely do. From Birdways of Stowmarket, if you're interested in releasing one for the autumn.

Still cheaper than Azure-winged Magpies, £425 pr, also from Birdways.

Not your scene? the try
Egg-laying pair of American Kestrels, £350

The ol'd favourite
European Eagle Owl, £75..

for the man who has everything...
4 year old Red Kite female, a bargain at £2500 (wouldn't it be easier to pop down the M40 and collect one?

and without a shadow of a lie... *exactly* as advertised (typos retained for educational interest)
Female Peregrin x saker, 5 years old, no vices, £650.

and
Wanted Golden Eagle, male preferred Entered.
wtf?

The Mystery of the Vanished Prince

2008-08-31T22:06:00.011+01:00

Saturday 30th August

Heck. For the first time in 17 years I'm not using Zeiss bins. I feel as naked as those dreams where you're stainding in the buff in the school corridor and all the girls are looking at you. I'm currently trying out a review pair of Opticron Aurora 8x42. Will let you know how I got on. Of course, it might be coincidence, but since I started using them all the birds seem to have flown away. Not quite true. Walked down to the beach at Newtonhill with the family, and saw a Common Stonechat. Also 3 Ruddy Turnstones on the beach, a procession of Northern Fulmars and a young Guillemot whistling for its fish. Normally I wouldn't even mention that trip out except that we hada near-legendary haul of dead mammal on the track on the way back AND we were nearly crushed by a Range Rover. First this:

Bank Vole?

then this dried up specimenCommon Shrew

and then this

Pygmy Shrew

Sunday 31st August 08
Woke up to fog, with visibility out to sea less than 100 m. I wandered round thepatch and tried some phone-scoping - my new phone seems to manage marginally better than the old one. Only migrant-ish bird was a Great Spotted Woodpecker in the trees at the back gardens of St Michaels Rd. Ooh, and 3 Coal Tits. And a Goldcrest.

Juvenile Grey Heron, in the fog.

Hybrid Hoodie x Carrion Crow

Arty shot of stones on beach. if this were Stonehaven, they'd have been carted off for someone's rockery.

Santa, drunk in a ditch - a Newtonhill tradition.

A song for Boulmer Birder

2008-08-27T23:05:00.005+01:00

I made this up myself. I thought of it. In my head.

Nobody loves me
Everybody hates me
Think I'm gonna go and eat Glaucs
Big fat juicy ones
Slightly smaller female ones
See how they wriggle and squawk.

Well I'll bite of their heads
And suck out the juice
And throw the skins away.
You will see how I will thrive
On Glaucs three times a day.

Thank you. Thank you, everyone. No really. You rock. No photos please.

Went birding this morning before work. But first, this. Flushed with success at finding Newtonhill's best migrant of the year yesterday, Diane doubled up by noticing AND photographing a garden tick - Spotted Flycatcher, on our whirly all afternoon. To Peter's relentless delight, it flew away for good before I got home, but the evidence is here.
Diane apologises for the fetid piss-poor pitiful quality of the photo :-) , but points out that it was through the double glazing with 4 under-5s clinging to her at the time. She's a childminder. I'm irresistible, but not that irresistible. I know on this photo it looks a bit like a Pied Fly, but the description was very clear - it had a streaked slightly cresty head a cross little face (such a girly description!!!) and thin white edgings to all its coverts and secondaries + tertials.

IF I'd seen it, it would have been only the 4th or 5th one I'd seen in Newtonhill, since 2002, so a decent migrant. And with two decent migrants in the garden in 2 days, I thunk that maybe there may be more decent migrants about, and went birdspotting this morning round the patch.

Predictably, it was all pitifully, painfully quiet. A Common Whitethroat in bracken down the Elsick Burn reminded me that I forgot to mention there was one under the viaduct on Sunday carrying food - getting a bit late in the year for that. There was also a flighty juv, bright yellow (yellow seems to be the new black) Willow Warbler in the garden at the White Houses, that was conceivably migrant. More obvious migrants were the flocks of 30+ Barn Swallows heading south along the coast in regular streams, carrying with them a few Sand Martins. Newtonhill may be a bit boring, but even I can see the passerines are game-on.

A half hour seawatch (Dedication, that's all you need, if you wanna be a record breeaaakker!) in a mild southerly, 07:15 - 07:45 scooped another single Sooty Shearwater heading south with 3 Manx Shearwaters, a Great Skua north, 46 Northern Gannets north and 13 south, 1 Common Redshank, 1 Ruddy Turnstone, both south, some flocks of Black-legged Kittiwakes feeding, a single fully grown but juvenile Guillemot whistling for its breakfast, and a White-throated Dipper on the rocks. And that's all.

I would give my entire Primeval sticker collection to have been on Cape Clear today.

I'm not joking... there are invisible bugs crawling all over me...

2008-08-25T22:34:00.006+01:00

... but I don't let it get me down. Except for those snappy bitey ones.

Sunday 24th August 08.

Bit of a southerly breeze going on, maybe good for migrants, but probably crap for seawatching. So I went for a seawatch first. Sheltering in the bay, on the water, was a tight flock of 45 European Shags - probably the biggest flock I've seen here. Then 06:15 - 07:50, a choppy seawatch unrelieved by interest, except borderline - a single Sooty Shearwater going north at distance. 5 Great Skuas (2N, 2S) included one that whiled away an hour dismemebering a Black-legged Kittiwake on the water, and 3 Arctic Skuas (2S, 1N) harrassed the unfortunate survivors.

There was a trickle of Eurasian Teal, with 29 going south in bits and bobs, and 2 Mallards north, 4 Common Scoters north and 13 south. 37 Sandwich Terns, 25 Common Terns, 254 Northern Gannets north and 394 south. Actually looking at it now, it seems like a lot more interesting than it felt at the time. Blessed relief when the light got too in my face to continue, and I went bush-bashing. My blasts of Greenish Warbler calls pulled in a couple of Great Tits and an inquisitive European Robin. A couple of White-throated Dippers on the burn, and a Common Swift with the House Martins over Cow Field may turn out to be the last of the autumn.

Cran Hill was not much better, with the only definite migrant being a Sand Martin (Bank Swallow) with the Barn Swallows at Backburn Farm. although in the vegetation where glorious Mount Doom used to stand I saw a couple of Reed Buntings, and a Common Whitethroat, and as I scanned round from there I saw 2 Common Kestrels (m & f), a Eurasian Sparrowhawk being mobbed by 2 hybrid crows, a Common Buzzard being mobbed by 2 other crows and a juvenile Peregrine circling in the air with a small crown of Herring Gulls. I had a good mind to write a letter to the Scotsman:

'Dear Sir - if the RSPB and other so-called 'conservation' bodies want to know the cause of the decline of songbirds, they need look no further than the uncontrolled proliferation of hookbills in our countryside. When will these people wake up and see that the only good predator is a keeper with a bottle of carbofuran. And there were no 'homosexuals' in my day, either. Yours etc. Colonel Digby-Vane-Trumpington (retired).'

But then I saw a flock of 50 Common Linnets - 25 of them were holding down a Sparrowhawk while the other 25 were kicking it in the head, and that pleased me greatly.

Isn't autumn wonderful?

Fishermen's huts.

Monday 25th August 2008

Got home as usual with the cry of 'Where's my tea, wench!?', and was told it was sitting outside on the wall of the house. Wtf? Went out for a look, expecting a migrant chicken nugget to be stuck to the wall, and saw this monster!!

Convolvulus Hawk-moth

And with its 10 cm wingspan, who was going to argue with it. Stay as long as you like, mate. I don't really know much about moths, but from what I can glean on the internet, it's a decent migrant- a bit like finding a Barred Warbler stuck on the side of your house.

This is it as night fell and it was getting restless and ready to go.

Tasted good, too. With chips and mayonnaise.

Greenish Warbler blank

2008-08-21T22:53:00.002+01:00

I got up early hoping to jam in on some of this Greenish Warbler action and find my own in Newtonhill. It was very disappointing, and not a little wet. No migrants at all really, unless you count a couple of Goldcrests that I suspect had moved about 100 m from their natal site down to the bushes by the Elsick Burn. There was a White-throated Dipper on the burn, and anoter one on the beach.

And this Pygmy Shrew. It was out of focus in real life as well. Strange but true.

British Birdwatching Fair 2008 - includes Ivory-billed Woodpecker sighting, and monstrous hybrid. And now... sweetie porn!

2008-08-17T16:52:00.022+01:00

It was too good to be true. I should have known. I was packed and loaded into my armoured limo for the journey back to my rightful position as comrade/chairman/dictator of my Central American soviet republic. Fawning henchmen dressed me in my full ceremonial regalia - in truth the alarm bells should have rung when I noticed it was a blue polo shirt. I did ask, but they had a very good explanation. At least it seemed very good at the time, although I was drunk on power and Diamond White. Again. They gave me a nice drink that made me sleep through the entire flight. I thought there was a flight. Then into a blackout truck, I arrived back at what they told me was Victory Square in our glorious liberated country's capital. I stepped out into the light and realisation hit. F****** h***!!! I was back at the bloody British Birdwatching Fair for another year. It had all been a cunning ruse. Sometime I wonder if the doctors are right, and I don't actually own a Central American republic.

So back at the Bird Fair, where I met everyone the same as last year, though we're all a year older. And also some new people. People who read the Secret Freezer!!! Hello to you all. Shamefully I didn't get all your names and addresses so I could send the begging letters. But you're all wonderful, and fantastically good looking, I may add. Which is another point. Don't get me started, but birders... where do you get all that hair???? As usual, I had a very nice time and some fantastic chats. I ticked Stephen Menzie, and then he won the raffle AND I didn't have to fix it.

Some random Bird Fair photos...

Mud

Top artist Clive Byers wearing the world's best shirt. It must be the artistic temperament.

But what's this... sighting of Ivory-billed Woodpecker in the 'preventing extinctions' tableau!! Bit late for that, old boy. :-O

Art

Prevent bird crime. And stop heavy petting by dead Redfoots.

British Birds stand. In this photo... Richard Chandler, Robin Prytherch's bum, and Hazel Jenner's legs.

British Birds Jelly Babies. Higher quality than normal jelly babies on account of full peer review.

You can tell I was not happy about this.

Stand of popular glossy women's magazine, Birdwatching.

Eugh... a monstrous hybrid. That Ivory-billed Woodpecker has been mating with the cygnets. No one except possibly Gary Glitter would approve.

Secret filming at the British Bird Fair, revealing unequivocal evidence of gratuitous art, Ivory-billed Woodpecker, Chris Packham not knowing anything about Hawk Owls, and me cutting out just before bumping into Bill Oddie cos I didn't want to make him grumpy.

and this is for Hazel. Another boring brown bird - Garden Warbler Sylvia borin. See, it has 'boring' woven right into the name!!

Original here.

When I got home, as usual everyone had been letting the dead ?mice? go to waste. Gain a grip, you guys!!

And btw, have you ever been frustrated by not being able to combine your interest in refreshing chewy sweeties with your interest in sexually provocative cartoon fruits?? Let's face it... we've all been there. Well frustrate no more! Ladies and Jellyspoons, I bring you sweets that are flaunting themselves openly on the shelves at ASDA. It's a disgrace. I mean.. look!

And if that wasn't bad enough, this is disgusting.

And the lesson for today is...

2008-08-13T23:47:00.002+01:00

... don't f*** with Russia.

So I didn't. An hour's seawatch before work, 06:00-07:00 in a reasonable northerly 4, wasn't heaving. 7 Great Skuas (5N 2S) were decent, also a jumping fish! Things were a bit slow. But there was a small passage of Eurasian Teal going north (15 in total), also 86(!) Northern Gannets north, 7 sooth, 1 Red-throated Diver south, 2 Annoying Small Waders north, and another 2 that would have been annoying small waders except they were Ruddy Turnstones, so not annoying. but easy. Also a Dipper on the shore.

Anyway, I have to go. Apparently this birdwatching thing was all a sham. According to me little spaceman friend, I'm really the chairman-dictator of a small Marxist Central American country (don't look for it on the map, the CIA removed it from all the maps), and it's time for me to go home. My people need me.

If you see someone like me at the British Birdwatching Fair, it is but a shade of a shadow of a memory.

2008-08-10T09:36:00.005+01:00

Saturday 9th August:
Foolishly went out for an early seawatch, though I suspected as I left the hoosie that knocking out another couple of levels in PS2 Indiana Jones Lego game would have been a better use of my time. I was almost right, as there wasn't a whole lot happening on the sea. Started at 06:00 with a single Arctic Skua going south in a fresh southeasterly, and downhill from there. 3 Common Scoters and 3 Eurasian Teal north, 1 Red-throated Diver, 142 Northern Gannets north and 61 south, a few Sandwich Terns. 7 Annoying Small Waders going south were probably Red Knot.

Interestingly, in light of the 20th July posting on Hugh Harrop's refreshingly unmodest blog, about 20-25% of the Black-legged Kittiwakes I was seeing (hundreds milling about) were juveniles, so not everyone is starving in the North Sea this year.

So I decided that Indiana Jones was a better use of my time, and quit after an hour to go home. As I got back the the car the Common Starlings started to kick up a fuss, and Merlin flew over my head and continued over to cran Hill They're less than annual here. So it was worth coming out, just.

I turned the volume right down on the TV, and kept the living room door shut, and didn't even turn the lights on, but the aura of PS2 electromagnetic fields were enough to get Peter scampering into the room wanting to spoil my game. grrr....

Sunday 10th August.
Back out again, with a determined... chin. With sweat from my pores as I work for my cau- cau-cau-cau caussssee. Flat calm and with rain rain RAIN!! Wet. 06:15 -07:50. A bit better than yesterday, with a single Pomarine Skua heading south, also a single Arctic Skua and 3 Great Skuas (2 N and 1S being mobbed by a foolhardy Sandwich Tern). 7 Manx Shearwaters north (it's not much, but it's something, as I told the nurse at the clinic). Best bird, in the objective 'scarcity status in Newtonhill' rankings was a single Ringed Plover going south.

Some Dolphin action! First for a while. First a pod of 4 Bottle-nosed Dolphins (2 adults and 2 dolphinlets) close in, and then much further out a flock (even) of 16+ dolphin-sp - I presume they were most likely to be Bottle-nosed, knowing they're out there today, but actually they were more White-beaked jizzy. A single Harbour Porpoise.

In other news, 118 Northern Gannets north, 44 south, 6 Arctic Terns north and a reasonable showing of 20 Common Terns N, 2 Atlantic Puffins north (in contrast only a few moulty Razorbills on the water), and 2 Red-throated Divers south.

A quick stomp around the patch was unrelieved by any hot bird action, in spite of my phone blasting out random migrant calls at intervals. I did find this though, which is a welcome change from the usual diet of dead shrews, voles and mice. ...

... a juvenile Oystercatcher. Note how the bill is still growing.

No dead voles etc. for you today.
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Oh go on then....

I know you want it, don't you sir... a Common Shrew. Looking how I felt.
Update Monday morning - looking at it again, I think it's a Pygmy Shrew.

Trumpet lessons

2008-08-09T00:13:00.004+01:00

Yoinks! Look what's popped up in this week's Cage and Aviary Birds (available from all good newsagents and some really crap ones).

And don't get me wrong (i'm never wrong), but I can't imagine anything more irritating than a pet Trumpeter Finch buzzing in my earhole all day.

nearly forgot this

2008-08-05T00:04:00.002+01:00

a secondary from a Common Buzzard, found at Crathes Castle.

Bug hunt

2008-08-03T17:18:00.005+01:00

Who forgot to turn my alarm off?! Seawatch at 06:00, in hindsight not the most exciting way to start the day. Becalmed... but a good day for watching cetaceans, except there aren't any. I'm starting to think there aren't a lot of fish. There were only 2 Razorbills on the sea, and 1 more flew past. These were going to be the only ones I saw, except just as I was getting up to go, I heard the whistle of a juvvy Guillemot (Common Murre) and saw it on the sea with its parent, with a huge fish tail sticking out of its mouth, and Dad sat there with another huge fish sticking out of his mouth. So there are fish out there, but I wonder if they were too big for the baby auks. Didn't look like pipefish. Of the Black-legged Kittiwakes, about 1/5 were juveniles, so they found something to eat OK. Anyway, 06:00 - 07:05, very boring (or maybe this is normal, and we were just spoilt last year 205 Northern Gannets north, 41 south, 2 Great Skuas north, 2 Common Scoters south, no Manx Shearwaters but then at 06:45 the first Sooty Shearwater of the autumn sauntered past - haven't heard of many being around in the North Sea yet, but they must be on the way. Looked like it was loosely in a feeding flock of Kittiwakes. About 15 min later, another, or the same one, came past again at a distance.

So not totally boring, but I went off and spent another hour playing Greenish Warbler calls at high volume at the bushes along the track to the beach. Nae luck (but effectively dragged in a family of juvvy Willow Warblers). A few Common Swifts over the valley, and a White-throated Dipper on the burn (unringed) was the first for a few months.

PM - a visit en famille, or at least en voiture to Fetteresso forest, with the butterfly nets and some sharp eyed kids who insisted on re-enacting scenes from the LEGO Indiana Jones PS2 game along the way - you see what I have to put up with? Or at least I would have to put up with it, if I wasn'tthe ringleader. We only caught 1 butterfly ( a Ringlet) but had cracking views of a couple of stonking Golden-ringed Dragonflies that even impressed Lizzie, and that's not an easy thing to do. Anyway, they enjoyed the bugs and big toadstools ... such as this

and these beauties

And I think this is Sericomyia silentis. Vernacular name 'Fat-arsed Hoverfly'