Its been another while.......where has the time gone?
One of my favourite comedians is Billy Connolly. Genuinely pant- wettingly funny guy, and one of his rambling monologues has stuck in my mind for years. Why, in vampire movies, do the plucky gang of heroes almost always wait until dark before attacking the vampire's lair? Billy wondered whether they would hang around during the day playing cards or table tennis, before setting off at dusk. This got me thinking about my inability to rouse myself and how much 'empty time' goes by when I should be birding. How much have I missed through my own (in)actions
Since last time very little birding has been achieved. Sure, the bird feeders are full, the garden has been full of bird life, in stark contrast to how autumn leaches life away from the world around us. But actually being out birding? Funny, my nagging feeling is that I've hardly been out. Birdtrack tells me something different, but maybe again I haven't been out enough.....
I've mentioned before about 'twitching' birding sites, and that there are a few places that I think I must go to each year. Tied to this the feeling of guilt if I neglect somewhere, and a feeling that I wish I was more adventurous. so many birds, so little time. Thus, I found myself checking last year's records, and realising that late August was my time for Osprey at RSPB Loch Leven. Due to the distance to travel, the fact I need to cross a road bridge, and my patchy record there, Loch Leven is a duty visit, not something to fill me with awe or wonder.
For reasons best known to herself- and no doubt there'll be a price to pay eventually- Mrs GS gave me use of the car. I decided to make best use of it to reach the parts that public transport doesn't reach. It was time for my duty visit to Loch Leven for Osprey, exactly a year after last duty visit to Loch Leven for Osprey. The car park very busy, with lots of different types of non- birders. Started at the first hide, got greenfinch, chaffinch, siskin, and various tits. Not a huge amount on the water at that hide, a few dragonflies on the wee pond in front, moving too fast for a good look or photo. The noticeboard in the shop had mentioned marsh harrier, and as I squinted at the dragonfly pond, a shadow caught my eye flying overhead. The very brief look I got looked awfully like a marsh harrier silhouette, but I couldn't get back onto it and I'm not sure enough to tick it. Ah well....
Moving round to the next hide, managed to get a common darter sunbathing on the path. Bright red things sitting still in sunlight is clearly my level of skill. From the hide got the obligatory 5 osprey on fenceposts, plus one out fishing. The hide was populated by a family of photographers, mother, father, daughter, and son hefting one of those 'compensating for somethign else' cameras. Not a pair of binocs between them. However, leaving the poor quality company aside, watching osprey is never boring. I scanned the few hundred greylag geese looking for the 2 pinkies that the noticeboard had promised. Naturally, I didn't get them, so resigned myself to relying on Aberlady in the autumn. The last hide held nothing exciting, the walk back to the shop got a singing chiffchaff in a tree, as if to say goodbye to summer.
One year tick, giving me 143, and I know I say this every year, I'd rather tick osprey in some backwoods reserve in the highlands.
I considered going to Scotlandwell for green woodpecker, then decided instead to head for the Torness area for yellow wagtail (ha!) and red-legged partridge. Within about 10 miles I decided to chuck that crazy idea and settle for Musselburgh. I was tired already, and the drive to Torness is an absolute bugger, to tick a RLP that may or may not have been a release.
At Musselburgh I managed to scare off a teenage breeding quartet from the middle hide. Usual suspects on view, ruff, redshank, greenshank, common and green sand, barwit, dunlin all there, some in good numbers. Having seen it mentioned on the internet thing, I tried to work out if the Spotted Redshank was still there. Sadly, I had left my Collins book in the car, and in any event didn't have my reading glasses with me. One of those things. I really preferred being a young birdwatcher.
Decided to have a wander down to the sea wall and take the long walk round to the car park. My finely honed fieldcraft skills immediately spotted a gaggle of birders at the wall, and I made my way there stealthily, wary of frightening them away. A raft of gulls and guillemots were in a feeding frenzy of something just under the surface. One of the other guys suspected it was a dead seal, someone else surmised it was a shoal of fish. Regardless, the birds suddenly took off, and various sets of eyes started scanning for the great skua that had been about earlier. Within about 10 seconds, I got it being mobbed by crows as it flew toward Cockenzie. Year tick 2 for the day, and Great Skua is definitely one I never take for granted.
Scanned the vast and distant flock of scoter. Couldn't pick out anything other than velvets, so had to settle for 1 year tick for the visit. 144 for the year, I was cautiously optimistic about adding pinkies in due course, and hopeful of getting pintail later in the autumn.
Having a day off later in the week I opted again for Musselburgh, hoping to take advantage of the autumn season and the hope of somethign interesting dropping in. A good trip, filled with good birds, the highlight being a little stint. Quite a few birders were searching, and the motley crue showed birders at their best, and worst. The best, when one birder finally got it and made sure everyone else present also did. the worst? The previous 20 minutes where a small group of birders sat sullenly, before leaving. I'm a quiet guy, I'm pretty shy, but these chaps were insular in the extreme. 145 for the year, and another tick I never take for granted.
A few days later saw me on a late afternoon jaunt to Fin Me Oot. A brief trip, highlight being a GS woodpecker, and left with a vague sense of frustration that I'd only been able to stay a short while.
The following Saturday and Mrs GS had again taken leave of her senses, meaning I had use of the car again. The downside, was that in payment I had Dad duties in the morning, and arriving in Musselburgh only at half past 3. The highlights were a female wheatear on the sea wall, and greenshank on the scrapes. The nagging sense that the day could and should have been a bigger day stayed with me on the journey home, though.
By any objective measure I've been having a pretty good year. Good birds, good days out, I have been lucky. It folows that my luck had to give out at some point. It just so happened that it gave out in spectacular fashion. I traded in a lot of Brownie points to get the car on Glasgow's September bank holiday Monday. This was my chance to re- visit last year's Big Fife Day Out with Bill. I scanned sightings lists, I scanned maps, I scanned sat nav routes. I forgot to scan the weather forecast.
Upon arriving in Fife a gale of biblical proportions met me. I gave up on Fife Ness, and headed to Kilminning Coast SWT reserve. The highlights here were yellowhammer having a bath in a pothole, and a stonechat posing. Red Admiral butterflies were the non- birding highlights. Very quiet otherwise, and I headed to Kinghorn for some seawatching. The wind blew sand into my eyes for 5 minutes before I gave up, luckily before it managed to scratch my scope or binos. An absolute dud of a day, and an excruciatingly long journey home to wallow in my self- pity. Apart from a couple of hours spent locally this past weekend, the disastrous Fife trip was my last time birding.
____________
Thoughts.
I really haven't been making the most of the time available to me. Summer daylight hours offered the opportunity for early starts and late finishes, that I didn't take advantage of. It offered the chance to see familiar places in unfamiliar conditions- the Sma Glen at dawn or dusk would be spectacular, for example. Even a couple of hours spent locally early morning, with family stuff to follow, would have been a productive use of time. Would have been......
Other birders, including Stonefaction (whose blogs are always worth a read), seem to have the knack of maximising the time they have. I've kind of lost that recently. I've lost the sense of urgency of getting out, being out, staying out. Must do better, must make the most of whatever time there is available. The good days so far have shown what can be done, with the right approach.
Every moment is precious, if you love the natural world. We're losing so much of it, so quickly, that to waste time by dawdling seems rather criminal.
Anyway, stay healthy, stay safe, lets keep looking out for each other.
John
One of my favourite comedians is Billy Connolly. Genuinely pant- wettingly funny guy, and one of his rambling monologues has stuck in my mind for years. Why, in vampire movies, do the plucky gang of heroes almost always wait until dark before attacking the vampire's lair? Billy wondered whether they would hang around during the day playing cards or table tennis, before setting off at dusk. This got me thinking about my inability to rouse myself and how much 'empty time' goes by when I should be birding. How much have I missed through my own (in)actions
Since last time very little birding has been achieved. Sure, the bird feeders are full, the garden has been full of bird life, in stark contrast to how autumn leaches life away from the world around us. But actually being out birding? Funny, my nagging feeling is that I've hardly been out. Birdtrack tells me something different, but maybe again I haven't been out enough.....
I've mentioned before about 'twitching' birding sites, and that there are a few places that I think I must go to each year. Tied to this the feeling of guilt if I neglect somewhere, and a feeling that I wish I was more adventurous. so many birds, so little time. Thus, I found myself checking last year's records, and realising that late August was my time for Osprey at RSPB Loch Leven. Due to the distance to travel, the fact I need to cross a road bridge, and my patchy record there, Loch Leven is a duty visit, not something to fill me with awe or wonder.
For reasons best known to herself- and no doubt there'll be a price to pay eventually- Mrs GS gave me use of the car. I decided to make best use of it to reach the parts that public transport doesn't reach. It was time for my duty visit to Loch Leven for Osprey, exactly a year after last duty visit to Loch Leven for Osprey. The car park very busy, with lots of different types of non- birders. Started at the first hide, got greenfinch, chaffinch, siskin, and various tits. Not a huge amount on the water at that hide, a few dragonflies on the wee pond in front, moving too fast for a good look or photo. The noticeboard in the shop had mentioned marsh harrier, and as I squinted at the dragonfly pond, a shadow caught my eye flying overhead. The very brief look I got looked awfully like a marsh harrier silhouette, but I couldn't get back onto it and I'm not sure enough to tick it. Ah well....
Moving round to the next hide, managed to get a common darter sunbathing on the path. Bright red things sitting still in sunlight is clearly my level of skill. From the hide got the obligatory 5 osprey on fenceposts, plus one out fishing. The hide was populated by a family of photographers, mother, father, daughter, and son hefting one of those 'compensating for somethign else' cameras. Not a pair of binocs between them. However, leaving the poor quality company aside, watching osprey is never boring. I scanned the few hundred greylag geese looking for the 2 pinkies that the noticeboard had promised. Naturally, I didn't get them, so resigned myself to relying on Aberlady in the autumn. The last hide held nothing exciting, the walk back to the shop got a singing chiffchaff in a tree, as if to say goodbye to summer.
One year tick, giving me 143, and I know I say this every year, I'd rather tick osprey in some backwoods reserve in the highlands.
I considered going to Scotlandwell for green woodpecker, then decided instead to head for the Torness area for yellow wagtail (ha!) and red-legged partridge. Within about 10 miles I decided to chuck that crazy idea and settle for Musselburgh. I was tired already, and the drive to Torness is an absolute bugger, to tick a RLP that may or may not have been a release.
At Musselburgh I managed to scare off a teenage breeding quartet from the middle hide. Usual suspects on view, ruff, redshank, greenshank, common and green sand, barwit, dunlin all there, some in good numbers. Having seen it mentioned on the internet thing, I tried to work out if the Spotted Redshank was still there. Sadly, I had left my Collins book in the car, and in any event didn't have my reading glasses with me. One of those things. I really preferred being a young birdwatcher.
Decided to have a wander down to the sea wall and take the long walk round to the car park. My finely honed fieldcraft skills immediately spotted a gaggle of birders at the wall, and I made my way there stealthily, wary of frightening them away. A raft of gulls and guillemots were in a feeding frenzy of something just under the surface. One of the other guys suspected it was a dead seal, someone else surmised it was a shoal of fish. Regardless, the birds suddenly took off, and various sets of eyes started scanning for the great skua that had been about earlier. Within about 10 seconds, I got it being mobbed by crows as it flew toward Cockenzie. Year tick 2 for the day, and Great Skua is definitely one I never take for granted.
Scanned the vast and distant flock of scoter. Couldn't pick out anything other than velvets, so had to settle for 1 year tick for the visit. 144 for the year, I was cautiously optimistic about adding pinkies in due course, and hopeful of getting pintail later in the autumn.
Having a day off later in the week I opted again for Musselburgh, hoping to take advantage of the autumn season and the hope of somethign interesting dropping in. A good trip, filled with good birds, the highlight being a little stint. Quite a few birders were searching, and the motley crue showed birders at their best, and worst. The best, when one birder finally got it and made sure everyone else present also did. the worst? The previous 20 minutes where a small group of birders sat sullenly, before leaving. I'm a quiet guy, I'm pretty shy, but these chaps were insular in the extreme. 145 for the year, and another tick I never take for granted.
A few days later saw me on a late afternoon jaunt to Fin Me Oot. A brief trip, highlight being a GS woodpecker, and left with a vague sense of frustration that I'd only been able to stay a short while.
The following Saturday and Mrs GS had again taken leave of her senses, meaning I had use of the car again. The downside, was that in payment I had Dad duties in the morning, and arriving in Musselburgh only at half past 3. The highlights were a female wheatear on the sea wall, and greenshank on the scrapes. The nagging sense that the day could and should have been a bigger day stayed with me on the journey home, though.
By any objective measure I've been having a pretty good year. Good birds, good days out, I have been lucky. It folows that my luck had to give out at some point. It just so happened that it gave out in spectacular fashion. I traded in a lot of Brownie points to get the car on Glasgow's September bank holiday Monday. This was my chance to re- visit last year's Big Fife Day Out with Bill. I scanned sightings lists, I scanned maps, I scanned sat nav routes. I forgot to scan the weather forecast.
Upon arriving in Fife a gale of biblical proportions met me. I gave up on Fife Ness, and headed to Kilminning Coast SWT reserve. The highlights here were yellowhammer having a bath in a pothole, and a stonechat posing. Red Admiral butterflies were the non- birding highlights. Very quiet otherwise, and I headed to Kinghorn for some seawatching. The wind blew sand into my eyes for 5 minutes before I gave up, luckily before it managed to scratch my scope or binos. An absolute dud of a day, and an excruciatingly long journey home to wallow in my self- pity. Apart from a couple of hours spent locally this past weekend, the disastrous Fife trip was my last time birding.
____________
Thoughts.
I really haven't been making the most of the time available to me. Summer daylight hours offered the opportunity for early starts and late finishes, that I didn't take advantage of. It offered the chance to see familiar places in unfamiliar conditions- the Sma Glen at dawn or dusk would be spectacular, for example. Even a couple of hours spent locally early morning, with family stuff to follow, would have been a productive use of time. Would have been......
Other birders, including Stonefaction (whose blogs are always worth a read), seem to have the knack of maximising the time they have. I've kind of lost that recently. I've lost the sense of urgency of getting out, being out, staying out. Must do better, must make the most of whatever time there is available. The good days so far have shown what can be done, with the right approach.
Every moment is precious, if you love the natural world. We're losing so much of it, so quickly, that to waste time by dawdling seems rather criminal.
Anyway, stay healthy, stay safe, lets keep looking out for each other.
John
