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Life versus Birding - place your bets here (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Helenelizabeth2
- Start date
Helenelizabeth2
What?!?
I think you will find that this thread quite clearly says in the title that it is about both Life AND Birding. I see how that might be galling for those of you who only have one or the other but that is still its theme.
edenwatcher
Well-known member
Don't worry, I notice the esteemed Dr. W. still hasn't finished his Australia trip report ...
Rob (who hasn't started his)
Rob (who hasn't started his)
Life versus writing up trip reports. Or work versus it. Or indolence.
halftwo
Wird Batcher
Bit like a batmobile, eh?
Helenelizabeth2
What?!?
Twitching Doesn't Pay
Just to prove I still care - I got mildly excited by the news of the Eastern Crowned Warbler at South Shields. Especially, since the weekend after first sighting I would be heading up to the old folks to collect a car. Unfortunately, this meant that my first journey past SouthShields on the Saturday would be by train and not easily broken. So, I decided to keep my fingers crossed and hope for luck on the car drive South the next day.
The early news from Will's pager - ta, Will - was not good. Will and party had apparently given up heading North before 9 and veered off for the Bluetail. Euan and I reached Washington at 11.30 and decided to have a wander round the Wetlands centre for half an hour just in case there was breaking news. There wasn't so we dejectedly set off down the A1 again after coffee and Nenes. Disappointed at my missed rarity, I decided it would be a good idea to make a wee detour to Bridlington on the way. Wee, it was not. What looked like a short distance on the map, turned into hours chuntering along slow roads behind slow traffic. Much f-ing and blind-ing later, we arrived at the site at about 3.30 with failing light and dropping temperatures only to hear that the bird had flown off, and not been seen since, over an hour ago.
But there was a Red-Backed Shrike in the next field.
No, there wasn't.
That had gone too and no amount of traipsing the fields allowed me to relocate it.
So having doubled the normal time of my journey home from 5 hours to 10, I continued to my final destination with still a few more hours to meditate on the sinfulness of my ways.
Just to prove I still care - I got mildly excited by the news of the Eastern Crowned Warbler at South Shields. Especially, since the weekend after first sighting I would be heading up to the old folks to collect a car. Unfortunately, this meant that my first journey past SouthShields on the Saturday would be by train and not easily broken. So, I decided to keep my fingers crossed and hope for luck on the car drive South the next day.
The early news from Will's pager - ta, Will - was not good. Will and party had apparently given up heading North before 9 and veered off for the Bluetail. Euan and I reached Washington at 11.30 and decided to have a wander round the Wetlands centre for half an hour just in case there was breaking news. There wasn't so we dejectedly set off down the A1 again after coffee and Nenes. Disappointed at my missed rarity, I decided it would be a good idea to make a wee detour to Bridlington on the way. Wee, it was not. What looked like a short distance on the map, turned into hours chuntering along slow roads behind slow traffic. Much f-ing and blind-ing later, we arrived at the site at about 3.30 with failing light and dropping temperatures only to hear that the bird had flown off, and not been seen since, over an hour ago.
But there was a Red-Backed Shrike in the next field.
No, there wasn't.
That had gone too and no amount of traipsing the fields allowed me to relocate it.
So having doubled the normal time of my journey home from 5 hours to 10, I continued to my final destination with still a few more hours to meditate on the sinfulness of my ways.
And if you'd have gone straight back to Peterborough you'd have had plenty of time for the gull roost at Dogsthorpe. I hope that's a lesson learnt .
.
Helenelizabeth2
What?!?
And if you'd have gone straight back to Peterborough you'd have had plenty of time for the gull roost at Dogsthorpe. I hope that's a lesson learnt
But there was nothing of interest at the gull roost in Peterborough either. :-(
For the hardened patch watcher, there's always something of interest in the gull roost.
markgrubb
Leading a life of quiet desperation
For someone who's spent possibly more time on a plane than on his local patch in the last 2 years, the words pot and kettle seem to spring to mind
And, Helen, I think there's been some divine retribution in the fact most local rares have turned up at Torry over the last 18 months when a certain partisan advocate of local patching has been away....eh....working
Hmm, dropping in on a few rares on the way home vs travelling 1000 miles in Brazil to twitch an endangered species...
Helenelizabeth2
What?!?
Some of you may know that I had a long weekend in Prague last weekend. Whilst the principle purpose of this trip was the consumption of beer, cake, sausage interspersed with a bit of tourist site inspection, I couldn't help but notice a few birdies too.
Most of these were blooming dull - Crow, Jackdaw, Magpie, B-H Gull, Feral Pigeon, etc.
Everything of greater interest, stayed pretty much unidentified in the absence of optics:
There was a cute flock of Long-tailed Tits at the castle gardens though as far as I could tell they were of the common or garden variety.
Cruising high over the city in the distance, there was a pair of Buzzard sp. Could I secretly hope they weren't commoners?
A pair of Woodpeckers flew over the trees at the top of Petrin Hill. From the call, they weren't Great Spots but that's all I can say.
A Falcon flew over the rooftops and landed on a chimney before flying about a bit more and settling again. Brown on top with a distinctly reddish underside, broad wings, long tail and on the slight side. But surely no Lesser Kestrels hanging around these parts in early November?
Most of these were blooming dull - Crow, Jackdaw, Magpie, B-H Gull, Feral Pigeon, etc.
Everything of greater interest, stayed pretty much unidentified in the absence of optics:
There was a cute flock of Long-tailed Tits at the castle gardens though as far as I could tell they were of the common or garden variety.
Cruising high over the city in the distance, there was a pair of Buzzard sp. Could I secretly hope they weren't commoners?
A pair of Woodpeckers flew over the trees at the top of Petrin Hill. From the call, they weren't Great Spots but that's all I can say.
A Falcon flew over the rooftops and landed on a chimney before flying about a bit more and settling again. Brown on top with a distinctly reddish underside, broad wings, long tail and on the slight side. But surely no Lesser Kestrels hanging around these parts in early November?
Well done on your Common Buzzard, Green Woodpecker and Common Kestrel sightings in Prague . At least that's what I think they probably were (and it's what I saw there a couple of months ago!).
. At least that's what I think they probably were (and it's what I saw there a couple of months ago!).
Helenelizabeth2
What?!?
Well done on your Common Buzzard, Green Woodpecker and Common Kestrel sightings in Prague
LOL. I accept the Buzzards but the Woodies weren't Green. Too small and completely wrong sound. I'm undecided on the Kestrel. I've seen a few Kestrels in my time and it looked and behaved different. However, I realise that timing is all wrong so your call is the likeliest. Not giving in on those Woodies, though.
Allen S. Moore
Well-known member
Life versus birding
I was in Prague with a few friends, some birding, some not, in February 2004. Yeah, I saw a common buzzard on the way in from the airport. Although I only saw great spotted woodpeckers myself, on a day that I was, erm, a bit unwell the rest of the birding contingent saw a middle spotted woodpecker from a window in the Castle. I also saw a kingfisher fly from a little island in the river and jays in a little park just round the corner from St Cyril & Methodius.
P.S. I wouldn't worry about not hanging around gull roosts!
Allen
LOL. I accept the Buzzards but the Woodies weren't Green. Too small and completely wrong sound. I'm undecided on the Kestrel. I've seen a few Kestrels in my time and it looked and behaved different. However, I realise that timing is all wrong so your call is the likeliest. Not giving in on those Woodies, though.
I was in Prague with a few friends, some birding, some not, in February 2004. Yeah, I saw a common buzzard on the way in from the airport. Although I only saw great spotted woodpeckers myself, on a day that I was, erm, a bit unwell the rest of the birding contingent saw a middle spotted woodpecker from a window in the Castle. I also saw a kingfisher fly from a little island in the river and jays in a little park just round the corner from St Cyril & Methodius.
P.S. I wouldn't worry about not hanging around gull roosts!
Allen
Helenelizabeth2
What?!?
Thanks, Allen. Now that I have your permission not to hang around gull roosts, I am finally free!
We saw lots of Jays in the woods on Petrin Hill. Including one that was sat in plain view in a denuded tree, utterly motionless for ages. No Kingfishers, though. Lucky you. Funny how often visitors to Prague end up 'erm, a bit unwell', isn't it?
Helenelizabeth2
What?!?
It's a Christmas Fairy, Peter. Don't worry, it'll be gone in a few days.
So, 199. I believe no-one predicted that it would be quite that appalling so we all lose. Life won. I can't be that sorry as life is very nice at the moment but I really miss the birding and the wide-open spaces. Roll on that lottery win so that I have the time in my life to have everything.
Merry Christmas, everyone. More snow here overnight. Yay!
Peter C.
...just zis guy, you know?
Well, this can't be a bad thing, surely?
Ah, I see you've got that covered in the next sentence.
Well, when the lottery win does come in (even a small one would do - all you need is airfare to Toronto), pop over next spring and I'll show you some real warblers.
bkrownd
Well-known member
What kind of Life can there be without wide-open spaces?! :eek!:
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