I’ve lived in Lanarkshire all of my 38 years, and in that time I have seen my local area change beyond all recognition, and definitely not for the better. From the appearance of massive identikit housing estates where rolling fields once rang to the song of yellowhammers, the inexorable process of urbanisation goes on as the local authorities undertake a concerted effort to eradicate every sign of nature- or so it seems. The nature- filled halcyon days of my childhood are a swiftly receding memory, replaced by the creeping horror of what is replacing them. Its important, I think, to highlight what we, as nature lovers in general and bird lovers in particular, still have, for the moment at least.
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With three kids and an unnatural fondness for sleep, I miss out on a lot of birding opportunities. Between the need for 'family days' out, gardening, DIY, being a taxi Dad, and the multitude of other demands my wife places on me, birding really is stolen moments.
I decided, though, that rather than sit moaning about it, I actually had the power to take action.
I woke up at some ungodly hour (for me) on Saturday morning and travelled to one of my favourite places, CAthkin...
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Anyone who has read my posts before will know I'm a good old fashioned birdeer, who loves nothing more than being out in the field, immersing himself in nature, learning fieldcraft, doing all the fun things with limited technology.
Recently, I've discovered the wonders of a digital camera, and discovered how addictive bird photography actually is. Not that I'm any good at it, mind, but its damned good fun.
Anyway, last week I heard of a flock of 20 arctic terns found...
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The signs of spring are clear- the rain is warmer than before....
Sorry, well- worn SCottish joke about the weather.
But, the sgns of spring are all around- both in what we're seeing and what we're no longer seeing. Got my first sand martins and swallows today, at my favourite RSPB reserve. Also got a common sandpiper, a good bird, but the swallow and sand martin are more clearly a sign of the changing season. Got wonderful views of a singing chiffchaff as well,...
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Can't believe its been a month since I last posted, and looking back, its been a month of surprises and improvements. After a slow start to the year, with more lowpoints than highlights, March saw me regain some of the luck that had deserted me, and more importantly regain some of my appreciation of the simpler things.
Bird life should always be more important than bird lists, and I've been guilty of letting my slow start to the year affect my love and wonder of birds in general....
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Its been a strange year. I haven't been out as much as I would have liked, or as much as I had intended. I've also had a couple of crushing disappointments with 2 of my favourite sites. Both had seen the benefit of 'aggressive habitat management' which had decimated undergrowth, trees, basically anything green which birds would use to sit, eat or sleep. Such was the impact on one of these sites- my nearest RSPB reserve- that I really couldn't see myself going back.
However, I...
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