Migrants and others

Well some more bits and pieces.....
the migrants are arriving - along with "Yank" waders and others....obviously having taken a ride across the pond along the tail end of the high winds...hopefully there might be enough of some of them that they stay overwinter and stay to breed! ;)

Was very tempted to journey to the far west today! Scillies calling - but my grown up self wrested control and I stayed!
I have some organising and shopping to do with the replacement of my present "patio" with a proper one!Builder is preparing plans and estimates - and I have to find the paving/slabs. Thought this was cracked but turns out need a patio pack!

The Garden is a shambles - so "patio" first then in will come a natural gardener to sort out my postage stamp! I have a wild area - I want to develop that along with the feeders - and that pond needs to be sorted too. The basics are there - just needs sorting!

Shetland looms.....

I have a lot to do workwise this week - and Shetland is around the corner.....

so what year ticks have I picked up on - Baird's and Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Grey Phalarope all in the south.

I saw a Pallid Harrier in Essex on Saturday late afternoon - wonder if it will move on to Kent or Sussex?

Had an interseting event this week when I opened a new cycle/walking path at Crane Park (shared Park with Richmond on one side of the river and us (Hounslow) on the other. Brilliant improvement. Great to be with some kids from Crane Park School whizzing around safely on their bikes!Lovely day for a walk to the Shot Tower and look at posters created by children from 3 local schools. First time I had had the opportunity to go to the top of the Tower - good views and much to the surprise of one of the workers we did see some birds from the top- RN Parakeets (unfortunately!) Wood pigeons- and then a pair of Jays - always a lovely bird to see and the woman was very surprised to see any birds - despite being at the same height as the surrounding trees apparently they rarely see any!

ok

THe inherited cat who rules my life!

So the Montage is in the Dining/kitchen room! Up instead of the LGS painting - and fits perfectly - so the Martial Eagle in the tree is bang opposite my eye line so I can see all the birds!

The LGS painting is going to be hung in the hall were my hand made mirror is - thats going to the top of the stairs after the carpet is changed - cant bear the blue carpet anymore- its been there 15 years!

At the mo tho its in the lounge - on the table under "The White Ship 2" beautifully re framed by a local company who found me the perfect non reflective glass so it can hang opposite my large windows at the front of the house."The Whoite Ship 1" was also in need of reframing- ok so both cost me a fair but a brilliant job done by the Company in St.Margarets.

There is a bit of work going on in the house again- I have to sort everything that came down from the loft- I want to recycle what is not required - ie books to local charity shops and "rubbish sorted!"

Now the garden- spent a bit of today looking at possible slabs/stones for the new patio--Pat had a go at advice and design- found what I wanted at Homebase! Looked all over- trade place and wyevale garden centre!
Just need the guy who will do the work to connect and we can get going on the ordering - hope he can do work when I go to Shetland- especially as I want the concrete outside the back door all replaced!

The Photo Montage

Well my birthday present arrived at my house today - here is a pic - I will publish each of these photos eventually! Remember they are copywrite of Pat Simmons.





Now an interesting id task I wonder if any of you can id all of the birds?
Or even some of the birds.
I shall not say anything yet!

Now I have a tricky problem - where to hang my Montage? Its sitting at the moment on a table in my front room - the Lounge! Now this room is home to my friends paintings
I have 5/6 I own from Laura Gethen Smith (one is in the Dining room)- do I mix - I dont like to hang anything on the wall where the radiator is - so really the only place is above the fireplace where "Drift" lives - now this could be hung in the room as well - but the frame of the montage is very pale and the mantle piece is much darker - and as some of the birds are quite small they need to be somewhere where one can see them properly so it cant go too high!

I will decide over the next day or so!

Just happy to have my record of the trip here!

Best Birthday Present so far?

Cant wait for Saturday and Sunday - for some birding action! Best present so far?

My friend who came to Tanzania with me - the photographer, Pat brought the work so far to show me yesterday.

My top ten birds of the trip (her photos) plus some others she thought I would like as a photo montage....so its birds from the trip...they look cool- she is seeking out a proper mount, which appears tricky- before placing in the frame and then I will get to hang them up somewhere in the house!

I was vaguely thinking of trying something like this with my pics- I bet it has taken hours! Best bit though is she had to id the ten birds from all those photos - so she is getting to be a better birder! lol!

Funny I never even thought it strange when she started asking me questions at the end of the trip as to my top 3 birds- then 10 [funny - I thought I had actually mentioned 20! lol I jest;)]

Cant wait to take a photo of it to share!

Busy week

Well today I finally managed to download all the photographers photos from our trip to Tanzania. I had to buy some dvd's to burn the photos on a I couldn't download from the external hard drive to my hard drive.

So I have all the photos - all the sunsets and there are lots as Pat spent each evening we were at Manta Resort taking pics!

What a day - Bolt not doing what we expected - seems like rather too many athletes being disqualified the starter doesn't appear to be that good as he holds them a lot and is a bit picky - I would have immediately asked for an appeal on Bolts part rather than the drama that ensured - just claimed all the cliclking of the cameras made me do it - cant see anyone not agreeing!

Grand Prix with Hamilton crashing out - whose fault I wonder? Button coming good....
that charming German winning again!

Well and then I had several houses to visit to feed cats and spend time with them- so I timed it to be when Five live did the commentary on ManUtd v Arse.
So I left Tillie happy with the begining and then Alf was happy after the usual moans and the cat that gained most was Poppy! As I was there for the second half.
But where was the home loving Rosie?

Looking forward to seeing the gamne on Sky tonight or going round to Pats and watching it on MUTV!

My lot have just been tempted by Duck breast- not that they got anything except the last bits !

So now I have to start the blog about Tanzania!

Before that though - the seawatching wasn't all that I had hoped but Dunge delivered a Balearic shearwater and a Whinchat ( yearticks) and a Kent Tick finally of Raven!

So Friday was the trip to attempt the Warblers- Bonnellis for the year and Greenish for a lifer! Greenish has been a blocker for some time - usually turning up- in England when I am on Shetland or abroad!

So it was emense relief when not only the Bomnnelli flicked and twitched and turn just enough to see it and the Greenish finally sang from the top of a tree in full sight!

I also added a Red-backed Shrike as a bonus!


Now my mate Bob was a tiny bit jealous and shot off there on Saturday - fortunately he too spotted the pair!

We had Monday down for a trip if anything turned up or what? Not sure anything new has (apart from Seaforth) but thats flown orsomerset for a crake- can I be arsed?

I must do some seawatching!

Well its time to think about some sea watching- I have to think where? when? and look at the weather!
Apparently there may be winds from the east this next week so migrants and other birds may arrive from the Continent
But I do need to spend some time staring at the sea!

East coast sounds good - I wonder if Reculver might be a good idea? or Shellness?

Where ever it will have to be later in the week as I have a couple of committments to fulfill.

I have also to make contact with Kempton Nature Reserve and organise a visit to Hounslow Heath in the company of Chris one of the rangers for a biodiversity visit.

Catch up with year list.

What an interesting August! I return to see I have missed a couple of nice year ticks.

White-rumped Sandpiper at Snettisham and another white bird - a WWBT at Grafham Water and then a trip across Essex to see the Sub-alpine Warbler a pretty littlebird!

But finally a bird I have dipped more times than I care to recall - I even missed one in Canada in 2004 (I was looking in one direction on a pelagic and it flew in another and it wasn't called out - I found out much later!)a Sabine's Gull - great.

I cant link - the Christchurch Harbour Ornithologist Group has some superb images....

I shall post one here which shows the lovely gull in flight with thanks to Jimmy Main.I shall attempt to get permission as I find their photographs really show the details of this bird who appears to be aged as a 1st Winter - altho it was reported as an adult.
More importantly for me - this is my 400th UK species (BOU).

Giraffe and a Bird

These have come out in the wrong order - the long distant Martial Eagle is the one we watched catch a Helmeted Guineafowl and then walk along with it attached to one foot before taking off and landing in a nearby tree where somekind of change of talons occured.(30/7)
The close ups were of a bird in a tree towards the end of the day on the 1st of August. Both birds were in the Serengeti.
Martial Eagle is a magnificent bird!

Lions

These are mainly from the Serengeti - one Lioness from the Ngorongoro Crater - she is the one with the big paw!

A view of Mount Mara the other high mountain nr Mt Kilimanjaro Airport - its the nearest mountain to Arusha and dominates the skyline.



On the journey to Serengeti we saw Masai and their cattle in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.

Tanzania - more pics!

The holiday started with an upgrade(free) from World Travellers(economy) to World Travellers Plus - as you can see the ace photographer Pat looking pleased with herself!
Whether they were over booked (we couldn't get our boarding card online due to the tickets we had) or because Pat has an airmiles card for BA.
Very nice to travel so far in a bit of luxury!

Some mammals.
There is also a "Twitch" Serengeti style.
Black Rhino's are in Ngorongoro Crater
All other pics are from the Serengeti.

Tanzania 2011 part1

View from our plane of Mount Kilimanjaro!

What an amazing country, such lovely friendly and gentle people and a fantastic adventure. Thanks to Roy Safaris(especially Nancy) and our driver/guide Richard who was full of knowledge, helped me id many birds and got the Jeep into great positions for Pat's photographs. Richard has a lovely sense of humour and an understanding of irony!

Really difficult to know where to start so a few pics (mine)- you will have to wait for the decent photos to be on here- as Pat has to download rather a lot and sort them out - there are some brilliant photographs to be posted!

I took a limited number as my memory card was full very quickly- I discovered why on my return home when I downloaded the pics using windows and founs all the video clips still on the card! Cant be seen through the camera.
I didn't mind!

I will mention the dust and the long bumpy roads because its true there were a lot of both!

I dont like Cricket ....I love it!

I missed the Second Test while I was away in Africa. A mate text me the result and the words "India were rubbish". Obviously I was happy we had gone 2-0 up - but winning by over 300 runs and that comment made me sad. The No 1 team in the world - the most talented batting team and they are rubbish.
Something has gone wrong - no dis credit to our team who are playing at the top of their game- all of them! The preparation must have been wrong.

I watch the 4th day of the Third Test and the teams are really mismatched.

I only hope "the little master" Tendulker can show some fight - he does look solid this morning.

Yes course I want England to win this match but I still want to see those glorious stroke making of Sachin!

Anderson is bowling so well....

Well thats it 3-0 and we are No 1 Team in the World!

Tanzania here we come!

Well the blog is now behaving but I dont have time to catch up on the comings and goings I have missed here!

We are off on the holidays.

This time is does not matter whether my piccies are in focus or not as I am taking a photographer with me!LOL! Pat will be the official photographer and I will have to be the id expert( even funnier!) well I will do my best and any birds I cant id - I will at least hopefully have a photo of them! So friends in SA may have a better chance of id than me!

We are travelling with Roy's Safaris as it is a Tanzanian Company with an ecological and educational outlook. They have been great as far as catering to our wishes so far.

Along the way we hope to see Tree climbing Lions in Lake Manyara NP , then there is the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater and then its Pemba Island. I am not going to say what is/are on my target list but will be keeping a diary and list as I go!

The photos are c/o google!

Lesser White Fronted Goose in UK accepted

Bill Baston's image of the superb Roller in Suffolk!
now for an armchair tick!

Well its happened this wild bird we saw in December 2010 has been accepted by the powers that be!

I mentally had it on my UK lifer list at 395 - and during 2011 I have since seen 4 new UK lifers including two Lifers.
This is where counting birds gets complicated - yes I saw the bird - will it be accepted?
Atleast with all these birds I am fairly sure they will be but the Goose? That was somewhat of a concern....it arrived with other wildbirds and left with them but was it a wild bird!
Fortunately for me ....it has!

So the next UK lifer will be 400 for me, interesting - not because I will be awaiting a certificate signed by anyone but just because I have reached a significant milestone!

More importantly for me will be what will it be? Where will it be and will it be me that finds it?

Last year I thought the milestone would most likely be reached on Shetland in the autumn 2011 - but it might just occur before the end of September!
Excitement builds!
Now to see an LEO for a year tick!

The everlasting catching up!

Chris Bonds photo taken on the day I saw this bird. From the great to the tiny!



Terry Laws beautiful capture of a Dainty Damelsfly on the Isle of Sheppey. I am seeking permission to use this image.
June has been busy!
But I was able to do some birding!
The Roller was the first to make me drop the emails and work and go and see it .
Suffolk not being that far away and it would be a uk lifer!

Then it was to catch up with Honey Buzzard/Puffin great! So glad they were in the same area of the Country!

Norfolk has been callng for a while and those Golden beauties were an increased desire with a Pec Sand and a Red footed falcon in the County - I do like Norfolk!

In between a Squacco appeared at Dungeness!

All good but the problem of the Robin oop north when i was unwell was a downer!
And as to the birds in Aberdeenshire -thats when i wished I wasn't on the Council! Retired I may be but with those responsibilities impossible to get away!

Hope3less blogging!

Well its been a long time since my last blog!
I have some photo's to post and some adventures to report but but most important is no pic but a new bird for the UK - an adult Roller! Yes indeed!

I may have some other year ticks to report soon and some maybe UK ticks or even lifers and one might be a tick for the future! (I think they are called armchair ticks when they are potential splits !)

More of that later!

Chiswick House 4

Chiswick house 3

Chiswick House 2