Half-arsed Bird Spotting

I needed to nip into work this afternoon for a couple of hours, and thought I'd precede this with a bit of light birding. I had it all planned out - Swithland Wood for a relaxing hour catching up with typical woodland birds and grabbing a few shots. When I got there, the car park was bedlam and every man and his dog, bike and horse seemed to have converged there. Bollocks. So, I resorted to a quick and very half-arsed stop at Swithland Reservoir. There were probably some interesting birds there, but I couldn't be arsed to look. The one bird I did watch was Goldeneye - there was a small group off the dam comprising 5 drakes all displaying and trying to get the attention of a lone female. I like Goldeneyes, and their display is definitely worth making the effort to see. Non-displaying Goldeneye Coot making use of the biggest bird-bath for miles around Before I went into the office, and had another quick look on the adjacent Braunstone estate for Waxwings. For the third time in two days I saw fuck all. On the way out of work at 16:30ish I had another quick look, and this time found 49 perched in a Lombardy Poplar on Hockley Farm Road, just around the corner from the lone berry laden Rowan tree in Avery Hill. Braunstone estate is not the sort of place to park up and get your optics and camera out! 49 Waxwings - trust me High up Waxwing

Sound Advice

The Other Barak

No, not the American-Kenyan-Irishman newly inaugurated Barack Obama. I mean the military dinosaur that is the Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak, seen here on the right with his pal outgoing Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. They may be smiling but I hope the full force of The Hague falls on these fuckers for authorising the use of white phosphorus bombs in civilian areas in Gaza. http://www.amnesty.org.uk/news_details.asp?NewsID=18024

Grand Curry

I had a great curry last night in the company of Adrian Russell, Andy Mackay, Keith Tailby and Graham Finch. Ostensibly, this was the now-annual moth recorders curry night, but this is just a vague excuse for a group of aging blokes talking bollocks about everything and nothing whilst enjoying some great food and a couple of Kingfishers. It is many many years since I last visited The Grand Durbar on Melton Road, but I have to say that my meal was excellent, the place was great and the service was spot on. All in all a great night.

Today, I have mostly been listening to ..

Green Day (stuff from Dookie & American Idiot) and the awesome Songs About Fucking album by Big Black. Fucking great it was too, making a return drive to Sidcup along the two crappest motorways in rain much more bearable.

No more Bittern-ness

If there is one bird more than any other that I have been bothered about for my county list, it is Bittern. I've lost count now of the number of times I've dipped wintering birds at Rutland Water, and I missed the Cossington bird last year. They always managed to fly into reedbeds just before I arrived never to be seen again, or just after I'd given up and left. Bastards! I thought the Eyebrook bird this week would also be consigned to the missed list, mainly because I couldn't get there in time to see it on Sunday when it turned up and I expected it would be a very short stayer during a working week. However as it was still there yesterday, and I had a business meeting in Wisbech, I hoped to finally end the bittern-ness. I arrived at EBR mid-afternoon on the way back, and was immediately struck by the small crowd at the inflow chatting and aimlessly looking around. Bollocks I thought, it's going to be one of those days again. However, eventually a bit of patience paid of and the Bittern came flying over, turned back and landed somewhere on the north side of the inflow bridge. A brief in-flight view but at last I had Bittern for the county. A bit more patience and excellent frame-filling scope views were had as the bird skulked in and out of the bank-side vegetation before it again flew - this time heading out onto the shoreline of the main reservoir on the Rutland side. More great scope views as it made its way purposefully along the shore before it once again flew, this time back to the inflow on the south side of the bridge. By the time I got back there, it was incredibly close and getting near enough to photograph - the only problem being that as it edged ever nearer the light was fading fast. Overall though I was extremely pleased with the views and happy with the shots I managed to get as the bird continued to hunt in the inflow at dusk. You can't see me - right? Bittern - OMFCL!