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November 2017 at Gramborough (1 Viewer)

firstreesjohn

Well-known member
THREE MONTHS (approaching 3½) OF ALMOST UNREMITTING WESTERLIES

Here endeth the worst ever autumn in my almost twenty years of watching The Hill. A couple of highlights could hardly make up for the dearth – for some species, complete absence – of common migrants. In addition, despite countless hours listening ‘up’ and looking deliberately at the sky, no Whores of Finches flaunted themselves to anyone of my cognisance W of The Quags – they must have been sucked into some vortex.

Never again, in the field of human birding . . . ! Looking at the forecast, nothing from the East will ever come and worship . . . And we don't have a stable.

I really can’t be bothered to recount all the dross and could hardly work up the energy needed to draft this post.

There was a GREAT SNIPE on 4th.

A Swallow on 3rd. And various seagulls, variously.
 
Quiet was it John ?????

Birds of any sort scarce up here on Orkney. No falls - apart from the thrushes - days of winds from the East in both Spring and Autumn with nothing turning up. And that includes sp like Pied Fly, Redstart, Whitethroat etc etc., saw one of each all year !!

Have bird populations dropped or are migration routes shifting ????????

There's always next year . . . . . . . .
 
Birds of any sort scarce up here on Orkney. No falls - apart from the thrushes - days of winds from the East in both Spring and Autumn with nothing turning up. And that includes sp like Pied Fly, Redstart, Whitethroat etc etc., saw one of each all year !!

Have bird populations dropped or are migration routes shifting ????????

There's always next year . . . . . . . .

I hope !

There were thrushes - but I saw no Rousels.

Spring was, if anything, marginally better.

I leave the answer to your question to those of different academic expertise than I.
 
how was December?

I’m afraid ‘enjoyment’ wasn’t the order of the month. But, thanks for being so kind.

Not a single bird photo was saved for December. Bird ‘events’ were notable by their absence and I’m discontinuing these accounts until there is something worthwhile to write about.

If we continue to have westerlies, this is unlikely. They continue - giving rise to the fear that, were there ever again to be a strong easterly, this change would snap off trunks and stems, as they’d grown (literally) used to an opposing direction of physical stress.

Even worse, there were several over-toppings/floods and all of my knees had to endure lengthy trudging over too much shingle, since the quick way was too deep for ‘moisture-free’ wading.

Many birders seem to be unaware that birds like to perch in vegetation and stride past the brambles and trees, giving the large thrush flock* a miss.

They are aiming for Stonehenge, which has been recreated E of The Hill (although the concept of ‘standing’ stones seems to be beyond 21st century technology) and attracts innumerable toggers. This is about Snow Buntings, which flock varies wildly from 1 (can you have a flock of one ?) to well over 100.

These are delightful: particularly when they fly somewhere else (and I can, once more, have The Hill to myself) - curmudgeon that I am. All that bl**din’ twittering: noisy blighters.



*(It’s a very big Blackbird !)
 

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