George Bristow's Secret Freezer

Northern Brown Argus

2009-06-28T22:33:00.003+01:00

Lovely day.

It was also a lovely day on Tuesday morning. Had car, driving over flyover onto A90 (better than crashing thru central reservation - police get cross again). Big cloudless blue sky. Perfection in firmament etc bollox. Hold! Flaw in firmament.... bird flying . Barnacle Goose! Weird. not exactly overrun with feral breeding barnies.

Back to Sunday. Common Reed Bunting singing at St Anne's track. Used to say 'Nul points to Norway'. But brutally unfair to triumphant Norway. Juvvy Song Thrush, barely flying. Sedge Warbler carrying food into bracken. Juvvy Sedgies no doubt enjoying whatever muck. World's scruffiest male Grey Wagtail decided to moult in full view of children and tramps. Beach... covered in happy families enjoying sun, avoiding pervert grey wags. Cliff steps. Common Blue butterflies, hundreds of Painted Ladies kicking about, lots of Magpie Moths Silver-Ys. Not a great butterfly expert. But though a couple of the female Common Blues looked a bit weird. No blue, very dark. Are they meant to have those little white dots on the wings? Checked when get home... Northern Brown Argus! bugger me. And there are a few records from this bit of coast. Aha. Patch tick.

A Northern Brown Argus very similar to those on the wing today at N/hill.

Offshore. Auks very busy. Guillemots and Razorbills in all directions. Atlantic Puffin heading to burrows with fish. 8 Manx Shearwaters all heading north, a few Northern Gannets too. And the
first autumn migrant of the year... a Common Sandpiper on the rocks. Roll on autumn.

Back from BOU

2009-06-15T00:04:00.002+01:00

Back from the BOURC meeting in our secret underground bunker somewhere in, or maybe near (don't want to be too specific) Petrograd. We invented a new word (also see here!). Remember a few years ago, maybe about 10 tbh, when Viz magazine (even back then, it wasn't as funny as it used to be), promised it was going to print the rudest word inthe English language on the front page of the comic and still get into the newsstands at WH Smiths.

I'm pretty sure I know what the rudest word in the English language is... in fact it's so rude the only place I ever see it in print is on Tom McKinney's deceased blog. When the big day came, Viz in fact had cheated and invented a new official rudest word in the English language. The word the came up with was 'fitbin'. Maybe they were hoping it would take off and become a new dictionary rudest word. Anyway, it totally failed to take off and in my entire adult life I have not heard anyone use the word fitbin, even in jest.

Still, not learning from the Viz's triumph, BOURC invented a new word, for those pesky annoying crossbills, petrels of all sorts, and any barcoded species that you might end up having to see but doing so only spoils your birding day - the craptic species.

We consider two or more species to be ‘craptic’ if they are, or have been, classified as a single nominal species because they are at least superficially morphologically indistinguishable. Some authors further stipulate that species designated as ‘craptic’ should be recently diverged, separable only with molecular data, occur in sympatry, or be reproductively isolated; however, we do not regard these as essential features of craptic species. We acknowledge that there is no single best species concept and therefore exclude the latter qualification of reproductive isolation to disentangle definition of craptic species from the quagmire surrounding species concepts.

(See here for a less sophisticated earlier argument)

I have a good feeling that this is going to take off. They should go into their own Category of the Britsh List, in my opinion. Something like Category K.

And also, didn't Springwatch go all moody and serious last week?

Criminal negligence.

2009-05-31T15:11:00.008+01:00

Before senility and death take me... I shall try and remember what's been going on recently. Took the family to Loch of the Lowes to see the Ospreys that they've been watching hatch and grow up here. When we got there it was a bit wet and mum was keeping her head down on the nest, so not a lot to see. Peter and Lizzie kept themselves amused by looking at baby ducks. The dad Osprey came in, circled round and caught a fish in front of the hide. The kiddies nearly wet themselves and peter declared it was his 'best day ever'. Bless. I spoilt the beauty of the moment by doing an impression of Spongebob singing the 'Best Day Ever' song. Quietly of course. But Lo! Why be quiet? Diane texted Wendy to say she was in the hide at LotL watching the Ospreys, and Wendy phoned her back! The atmosphere of hushed awe was shattered by a ringtone version 'Sweet Child of Mine' at no little volume and Diane going 'Ah, I don't know how to turn this off.' It was a brilliant moment. I celebrated by taking my entry for this year's Bird Photograph of the Year competition.

What else... I snapped a couple of juvenile White-throated Dippers along the Elsick Burn. They were almost under the bridge, and I was almost over the bridge, hence the funny angle, but at about 3 m away I could really have done with them stepping back a bit.

And a singing Garden Warbler in the bushes down the track to the sea - been there for two weeks now. Exactly where one turned up a couple of years ago. Never quite sure if it's likely to be the same bird, or whether the habitat is just good enough to haul 'em in.

Rather nice Common Whitethroat singing on a twig overhanging the cliff overhanging the sea. Extreme territory. Full of blurry flies too, if you believe the photos.

I've had my fair share of these 10s of millions of Painted Ladies that have been making their way into the county, viz. I had 1 on the last day of may, and then 2 on 7th June. Read it and weep. Maybe that was my share, but I've just been very bad. A Small Copper on 7th June too.

I've been running around the place. It's not natural and it's against the laws of nature, but I entered the Stonehaven Half Marathon, and was alarmed to find out the first six miles is uphill. So I've beentrotting up the local hills. The only interestng bird I bumped into was a dead mole. AND a Grasshopper Warbler, singing in the marsh near the logpile farm, whatever it is called (readers who don't actually live in Newtonhill might not be able to place it).

Thanks to Katie for pointing this out. Blows my small mammal finding activity out of the water.

Retreat! Retreat!

2009-05-19T23:27:00.006+01:00

Monday 18th May 09.

A Common Chiffchaff singing at the top of Newtonhill Road this morning. Bet it's gone by tomorrow.

Tuesday 19th May 09
.. it's gone.

I was on a retreat... don't ask. In Old Aberdeen, next to this.

Little known fact... the great ornithologist William Macgillivray (see here), contemporary and friend of Audubon, author of a great 5 volume History of British Birds (Vol I, 1837), lover of long walks through the countryside accompanied by young boys, lived in the University of Aberdeen Conference and Events Office.

MacGillivray has got a bum deal from history - the first person to be really describing birds in detail as they were, on this side of the World. But he was eventually scooped, at least in popular imagination, by the better connected, toned and tanned, William Yarrell, who also published the first volume of his History of British Birds in 1837. Yarrell's book was an easier read, but not as good on the descriptions, of birds OR young boys.

William Macgillivray - sorrowful loser in the Battle of the Bills, we salute you.

More tales from the Crypt - now with added weather.

2009-05-17T22:32:00.008+01:00

Saturday 16th May 09

Very strong easterlies and torrential duck rain overnight. The morning dawned bright with very strong easterlies and more torrential duck rain, brightening to very strong easterlies and torrential duck rain asthe day wore on. I had to run around the patch quickly before the criminal elements in the house woke up. Bit wet, tbf. Not a total washout - a Lesser Whitethroat at the Mill is a one-per-spring bird for me. But that was pretty much it. A White-throated Dipper was carrying food.

Let the cruel North Sea yield Her bounty of migrant birds...

Sunday 17th May 09

Nicer than Saturday...

Still wet early on but it did genuinely stop raining. A Grey Wagtail was feeding two fresh juvvies in a puddle near the railway viaduct. AND there were 2 (count 'em, two) migrant birds in the sycamores at the Mill. A Spotted Flycatcher and a Garden Warbler. Early promise not fulfilled though.... there was nothing in Honeypoy Lane, or down the burn, unless you want me to note that we are crawling with Common Whitethroats so far this year. 6 Sedge Warblers singing down the burn and in fact 30+ today, all over the shop, even in people's gardens in St Michae;l's Road, so there probably were quite a few migrants around.

Dipper carrying food again on the burn, and a couple of Red-throated Divers offshore.

A total 4 hours birding failed to produce a single observation I could be bothered writing down. Except I did see two Dunnocks enjoying congress in the Allotments. 3 minutes of cloacal felching and girlie soliciting, followed by a 2 femtasecond shag. And quite possibly back in the pub by opening time.

Tales from the Crypt.

2009-05-17T22:11:00.003+01:00

Wednesday 6th May 09

Nocturnal mischief produces good birds... a Grasshopper Warlber singing from rape fields just west of the A90 this evening, and a Tawny Owl calling at Porthlethen.

Saturday 9th May 09

Sedge Warblers must have turned up during the week - by this morning they were in the rough vegetation around Cookney and Portlethen.

Sunday 10th May 09

... and this morning the Sedge Warblers were singing along the Elsick Burn at Newtonhill. Also a small passage of Sand Martins (Bank Swallows) with 2 going up the burn and singles dribbling north along the coast during the morning. I noticed this late passage in previous years too.

Not a whole lot of other movement going on. A Blackcap sang briefly along Honeypot Lane, but I bet he's not planning on hanging around long. A Common Chaffinch was carrying a fecal sac out of the Leylandii here, and my Sherlock Holmes-esque nest finding abilities produced a pair of Coal Tits in a wall at East Cammachmore. Some Eurasian Siskins at the Retreat are likely breeding around here too.

10 male Common Eiders in the bay, one of which had a dark olive bill with no trace of yellow - very much in the minority here, and probably on his way somewhere less radical than emo/alt Newtonhill.

Girl Eider sees something interesting.

Brown-headed Cow. So near, yet so far.

Common Yellowthroats >>>> Common Whitethroats.

2009-05-04T19:21:00.003+01:00

...sorry Whitethroats, but it's true. I wonder if I can set up a poll or something. Rate these 4 birds in order....

Yellowthroat
Whitethroat
Bluethroat
Rubythroat.

Anyway, catch up time. On my last day in Nawlins... the only new birds were Monk Parakeet (they really do get everywhere) and 2 Cliff Swallows hanging about over the I10.

Sunday 3rd May.

Back on the patch in Newtonhill, ready to hoover up all the incoming migrants. But although the place was crawling with Willow Warblers, there were no Sedge Warblers to be found anywhere down the Elsick Burn, or on the allotments or down to Muchalls etc. They're late! Lazy lazy sods.

A Common Chiffchaff singing briefly at the top ofthe St Annes track, House Martins and Barn Swallows overhead, also a Redpoll (sp, but Lesser!) calling over. Down to the burn, and a Song Thrush gathering food, & a Common Whitethroat down by the dead willow. It was then that I had the heretical thought about throat ratings.

3 Eurasian Siskins in the garden at the Retreat, but nothing except a Grey Wagtail at the Mill Garden, and down the track just another couple of Song Thrushes.

35 Common Eiders in the bay, and while looking at them, 3 Bottle-nosed Dolphins popped up and swam south. Better.

off the breeding cliffs, the water was full of auks and I got some photos of distant Atlantic Puffins, and a few of the Guillemots (Common Murres) on ledges. I know Newtonhill isn't the greatest migrant trap in the world, but I'm kinda happy that I managed to organise a job somewhere where I could have Puffins as a patch breeder.

3 Whimbrels flew over as I was lounging around the clifftops in the sunshine.

Allotments and Muchalls track were uneventful, if you ignore the piles of Greenfinches. A Common Reed Bunting was singing at the top of Water Valley, and a few Yellowhammers around in the gorse. Coastal fields were disappointingly devoid of Crested Larks. Same way they were disappointingly devoid of Black Larks... was it last year, or two years ago? All the years are merging into one big long downhill slide to the grave. Spooky.

I find a better class of dead thing out here.

2009-04-23T01:48:00.002+01:00

Coypu (Nutrea). Proper dead.

The mildly rude sounding Pearl River... home of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker

2009-04-22T00:54:00.012+01:00

I booked myself a trip on a boat up Honey Island Swamp 0n the West Pearl River. It was a blast... Loggerhead Shrike on telephone wires at the roadside on the way there, then an Eastern Bluebird being spectacular in the driveway at the Cajun Encounters HQ.

Onto the boat, which looked suspiciously like a troop carrier, piloted by a veteran of Iraq War 1. The tour wasn't really aimed at birding - mostly looking for Alligators, like these ones. I got piles of this.

But there were some birds too. A Swallow-tailed Kite soared over the trees on the river. Captain Gerry offered the following wisdom: 'That's a Split-tailed Kite. They're also sometimes called the Mississippi Kite... they fly down the Mississippi here to breed, and then fly right back again.' When a real Mississippi Kite flew over, he offered 'I don't know what that is. Some sort of hawk.' An Anhinga went over and he spoke with authority 'That's a cormorant'.

Plenty of birds to be seen, although I missed some of the smaller ones on account of being on a moving boat. But some alligator-munching Great Egrets, and nice views of Great Blue Herons, and several Little Blue Herons.

We were genuinely in the Cypress Swamp. It was like all those photos of where people look for Ivorybills.

A couple of Red-headed Woodpeckers flashing their white secondaries, although I didn't see any Ivorybills, somehow, but blimey, I'm willing to bet some big bastard woodpecker made these suggestive holes.

OK, stop messing abbbaarrrrttttt. Real birds. Constant chsip chsip notes came from constantly yellow Prothonotary Warblers, fresh in from Mexico. Bootiful. And a very irritating buzzing song coming from ohmygod ohmygod ohmygod Northern Parulas. Bootiful-squared, and a tick! Also on the menu, more Yellow-throated Warblers, parties of Carolina Chickadees, Indigo Buntings in the grasses, noisy groups of Red-winged Blackbirds, and a few Boat-tailed and Common Grackles.

Alongside the river in a real Cajun village of houses on stilts that walk around spookily, there were 10s of Purple Martins checking out their Martin-boxes, and lots of Barn Swallows hanging around the vertical lift bridge.

In the air... a few Turkey Vultures and a whirling circle of 5 American Black Vultures. Three Ospreys in a tree together on the roadside as we drove home, and a Killdeer on the interesting side of the NASA rocket-assembly plant. Another Ka-chow morning.

New Orleans City Park - good birding!

2009-04-20T00:42:00.009+01:00

In my crappy hotel room with no window I had to guess when it might be getting light, phoned a cab and got to the City Park in the dark and pissing rain. I stood in the shelter of some bushes for 30 minutes, watching some scary lightning flashes split the sky and trying not to catch the eye of the local loonies. Cheered myself up by wondering if this weather would bring some migrating warblers down. Eventually it got light, and game on, with the roosting Laughing Gulls taking off, and a large lake next to the Museum of Art holding Black-crowned and Yellow-crowned Night Herons, Great and Snowy Egrets, Great Blue Heron, Double-crested Cormorant and Brown Pelican, Canada Goose, and a flock of Black-bellied Whistling Ducks flying around.

With no gen whatsoever, I had to start wandering round at random and hoping to bump into birds. This happened! Recorded 5 Least Terns fishing and calling in the ponds, then collected some Green Herons, Cattle Egrets and 4 White Ibises - those last ones the first ones I've seen on the ground(!). Some Common Grackles, Blue Jays, Northern Mockingbirds and Eastern Kingbirds around, and then a surprise... proper birding... a Solitary Sandpiper feeding in the mud at lake edge.

Followingthe Solitary sandpiper round lead me into a little copse, and it turned out the canopy was alive. With birds, even. A Yellow Warbler, 2 Baltimore Orioles, Summer Tanagers and a male Scarlet Tanager, Red-eyed Vireo and Carolina Chickadees, a stonking Chestnut-sided Warbler, Red-headed Woodpecker and a female Hooded Warbler.

After this, I stopped trying digibinning in poor light. Female Hooded Warbler.

And I also bumped into another couple of birders whi gave me directions to the 'best part' - Couturie Forest, further up the park. OK, I'll head there, but it was quite a walk and as I headed up the water's edge in the right general direction, I got a male Myrtle Warbler, Downy Woodpecker, Northern (yes Northern) Waterthrush, a male Common Yellowthroat and a male Hooded Warbler. Under the road, still following the trees, and things kept coming - American Robin (my first of the trip), Ruby-crowned Kinglet, 2 Yellow-throated Warblers (phwoargh!) and a female American Redstart - the joy at this one tempered only by the fact it wasn't a male. A tainted tick!

Barn Swallows over the open ground and some Tree Swallows buzzing round like House Martins on steroids. There was an Osprey perched high in a dead tree by some new lake I found, and an Alligator in the water. I resolved to be more careful near the water.

Moving on, a Blue Grosbeak doing bugger all at the top of a tree, and then a Great-crested Flycatcher - wow! What a whopper. Another whopper, a Turkey Vulture overhead.

I stumbled into Couturie Forest, and again started wandering around at random - seeing nothing to start with, but then cheered up by a male Rose-breasted Grosbeak visible from the platform at the top of the hill. Then down the other side - and bumped into the 2 birders I met earlier - they showed me a Kentucky Warbler. Nice. Then wandering around a bit more, there was another birder there too, and saw a day-glo Prairie Warbler, Tenessee Warbler, 2 Blue-winged Warblers, Gray Catbird, White-eyed Vireo, and a Cardinal. I was getting quite pleased with my haul by now. Out of the wood, and a flock of 8 Indigo Buntings flushed with ease :-$ and a Red-shouldered Hawk overhead.

As it warmed up, these lizards came out to eat these dragonflies.

It was now 6 hours since I was dumped inthe rain, and though the weather had cheered up I was starting to think I should maybe turn round and start heading back. But the birds conspired against me - another small copse surrounding the sort of ruined toliet block where bums like to hang out attracted my attention by flashing another Hooded Warbler at me, and then when I went in, found some more Carolina Chickadees, Yellow Warblers, 3 Blue-winged Warblers, 2 Tenessee Warblers and a flock (flock!) of 5 Myrtle Warblers. A movement up in the canopy turned out to be a Black-throated Green Warbler, and another movement turned into a CERULEAN WARBLER - surely the best warbler there is. Except then my tainted tick came back for untainting - a male American Redstart hoved into view, and I knew the world had gone nuts when I was getting irritated by the Myrtle Warbler getting in the way of a clear view of it. There was a House Wren in here too. It really was time to start the long walk back downtown, so I did, though a Cooper's Hawk attached itself to my trip list before I got to the bar, and I flushed a Killdeer as I tried to find a way under the Interstate.

If we can have the Whistling Ducks, can we have the Muscovies too?

Fantastic day's birding.

New Orleans Saturday 18th April

2009-04-19T01:30:00.016+01:00

All photos today sponsored by the failed digi-bnning company of Skegness.

I'm in New Orleans. Told you I would be. With a few hours before my meeting started, I made a spur-of-the-moment decision to hop onto the no. 11 bus and head over to the Audubon Park. Frankly first impressions were not promising. When I got off the bus, all I could see was a packed zoo car park, and a golf course with 1000s (no exaggeration) of joggers going round and around and around. And no birds. In fact I thought I was going to see bugger all here. With no gen except that there was a heronry somewhere, I set off in hope, heading north along the west end of the golf course, picking up a couple of Common Grackles, American Crows and a fly-by Snowy Egret. heheh, so there might be a heronry around. At a pond on the golf course, I saw an American Crow amusingly push a turtle back into the water.

Got to the north end and things started to get better, with 2 female Wood Ducks sleeping on an overhanging branch, and 2 Common Moorhens (i.e. ‘Laughing Moorhens’) on the water – ready to split them now :-) Some Mallards too.

An Anhinga was perched

I wandered round and facing me was this… It wouldn’t turn round to let me see its back, so I was a bit stuck on this one (and this overexposed shot probably won’t help), but after careful consideration… it seems to be a Red-shouldered Hawk, actually very like one of the pale Florida ones.

Some male Wood Ducks here too – I accept it onto Category A of my New Orleans list – and a Green Heron bugging a turtle. Decided it couldn’t hurt to follow this lake round the north and east end.

Poorly digi-binned photos

The little wooded copse by the bridge at the north end turned out to be top notch, being a little bit off the track. Four or five Red-eyed Vireos were high in the trees, and a pair of Summer Tanagers (a tick!), a couple of Blue Jays, a Downy Woodpecker and a Brown Thrasher. Some Common Starlings over on the greens of the golf course, and an Eastern Kingbird. A strange warbling song from the low branches and ka-chow!! A White-eyed Vireo (another tick) and ka-chow-squared! A male Bay-breasted Warbler looking, frankly, gorgeous. I was surprised to find a White-throated Sparrow (this is like birding in Britain) and then a good looking small dumpy flycatcher with a bold eye ring that must have been Least Flycatcher. Unfortunately it flew off.

And then, I bumped into the heronry – turned out it was difficult to miss. Bit of a racket, and it was full. Many Cattle Egrets and Great Egrets, smaller numbers of Snowy Egrets and Black-crowned Night Herons, and a few pairs of (ka-chow again) Tricolored Herons. Sleeping on the island was a (presumably plastic) Black-bellied Whistling Duck: its case wasn’t helped by the motley collection of Muscovy Ducks kicking about.

Had to be getting back… time to do some work, so I walked the 5 miles back to the hotel(!) listening to Chimney Swifts and Northern Mockingbirds, and seeing plenty of House Sparrows, Mourning Doves and a single Collared Dove – they really do get everywhere.

Migrants... some in, some out.

2009-04-11T09:51:00.003+01:00

Just this very second setting off for Edinburgh. Anyway... a few pitiful sightings - some birds in, some out.

Wednesday 1st April
A Eurasian Woodcock flying over my head (better than under it) in Cornhill Rd, Aberdeen.

Saturday 4th April
1st Common Chiffchaff, just outside Portlethen

Saturday 11th April
1 Willow Warbler - Red Moss at Netherley
60 Fieldfares - somewhere along that road.

If all goes to plan, my next reports will be from New Orleans :-O

2009-03-29T17:37:00.006+01:00

I'm not quite as lazy as my absence from this site would imply. Or infer? imply I think. I imply. You infer. Honest truth, I was in hospital with a septic toe. A bad Common Shrew. Came right for me. Latched onto my boot. I tried to shoot it, but just clipped my toe. The shrew scampered off. Next morning my big toes was the size of a tennis ball, without a word of a lie. The doctors thought they would have to amputate, but after an implausible series of comedy japes and witty one-liners, here I am.

If I'd been out birding last weekend, I would have seen bugger all, but photographed some bags of dogcrap hanging decoratively from the bushes along the Muchalls track. I would have intended to upload them but decided against it at the last minute on account of having impeccable taste and high principles.

If I'd been out this morning instead of chasing under-dressed nurses in a benny hill-style conga, complete with music, round the infirmary, I would have noted that it was still pretty chilly (snow flurries - come on!) and there were no migrant about, even though I spent an hour on Cran Hill looking for Northern Wheatears and fly-by Sand Martins.

I would have seen a Peregrine Falcon making several hunting flights over the village, after the pigeons, and noted that the La Cucaracca Yellowhammer was still singing by the viaduct. I would have observed the White-throated Dippers hanging around the old nest site at the Mill, and a sick-looking Eurasian Greenfinch in the willows at the cliff sides. There was a dodgy looking House Sparrow in the garden during the week, and I wonder if there's a wee touch of bird plague on the loose.

Offshore, a Northern Gannet, a few Black-legged Kittiwakes and some Northern Fulmars, would have all been warming up for the off. And these two Eurasian Teals on the water.

The Guillemots and Razorbills would have been hanging around off the breeding cliffs.

And, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, I would have turned this magnificent European Shag into a very disappointing shag.
Anyway, my septic toe is better, the Common Shrew in question has died of food poisoning (my foot), and I have an amusing story about a bicycle pump that will have to wait until the censorship laws are changed in Oregon.

Third Blood!

2009-03-20T18:58:00.001Z

Bananarama!!! This Wood Mouse was coming right for me too.

A Eurasian Woodcock flewacrossthe road in front of us in the middle of Aberdeen on Wednesday morning, then another as I drove home on Thursday evening, also in Aberdeen. Woodcocks on move in Aberdeen, shock.

Second blood

2009-03-16T22:15:00.002Z

This one was coming right for me too. Unsuccessfully phone-cam'd on my way to the bus stop. A Short-tailed Vole.

Delicious and dangerous animals

2009-03-15T11:53:00.003Z

I dragged my sore inflamed foot, in an enterprising palette of colours from black thru blue to vermillion, round the patch. I was making noises like 'ooh' and 'eek' and 'oocha!' all the way round. Strangely this only seemed to make my foot worse. Why did no one warn me???

I'm not kidding, there was a Yellowhammer singing La Cucaracca in the gorse by the railway viaduct. Thanks to Remembird, I got a recording, but Putfile is apparently down (or at least not uploading my stuff) and I dunno where else to host it. But if putfile comes back, i'll put it up (matron). Here's a sonogram though - you can get the jist

and as a matter of public record, THIS was the Yellowhammer in question.

There was a Common Buzzard over Cran Hill, and 2 Eurasian Sparrowhawks in a wide circling display flight, the female following 400 m behind the male, with some slow flapping. It's that time of year. A Rock Pipit was singing at the Beach, and Eurasian Skylarks were in the swing of things too. Went round Cran Hill hoping to bump into Northern Wheatears, but nothing doing there yet. IN fact, although the weather's quirte nice and the Dunnocks are chuntering away nicely, it's still a bit dull, frankly. Even offshore - a few Razorbills and Guillemots, a single Black-legged Kittiwake and a Common Scoter.

But joy! I got my first kill of the year. Thanks to my trusty high performance rifle, I took down this Common Shrew. I had no choice, it was coming straight for me.

This (below) appeared on BirdChat or similar during the week. I'm anticipating that all right-minded people would find it mildly amusing. Strangely, there appears to be some sort of moral minority out there who found it tasteless and inappropriate. Frankly, if you were offended by this, you need to be offended.

NTSB report on Flight 1549

By Alex Hardway, Butterfield Post, 12 Febuary 2009 at 2:30

US Airways violated Federal migratory bird regulations by hunting geese with an A320 Airbus jetliner, claim anonymous government sources. The pilot of flight 1549, Air Force veteran and avid hunter Chesley B. Sullenberger, tried combining both of his interests by bagging a brace of geese over the wetlands near New York's LaGuardia airport after takeoff, on his way to Charlotte, North Carolina.

The imported European $77 million A320 airliner is not certified for either waterfowl or upland bird hunting, so it was not surprising that the aircraft malfunctioned. When he realized that both New York and New Jersey State Game and Fish enforcement officers would soon be approaching, Captain Sullenberger unsuccessfully attempted to hide the plane in the Hudson River. The crew and 150 passengers were chilled and shaken but unhurt. Most were simply grateful to avoid spending the weekend in Charlotte, NC.

National Transportation Safety Board inspectors rushed to the scene, and reportedly found no Duck Stamps on the downed aircraft's fuselage. Captain Sullenberger has not been charged but is being held incommunicado at an undisclosed location. PETA is urging the government to prosecute the pilot for double honkercide and poaching, and the animal rights group is expected to file a civil suit on behalf of the flock. The two victims were undocumented aliens, according to sources close to the investigation, Canada Geese who had over-stayed their visas. Their goose gang scandalized their quiet Queens community by squatting in local cemeteries and golf courses, parking on the grass, cooking strange-smelling food and throwing wild parties late into the night. Neighbors say police dogs were called out on several occasions. Such incidents have triggered a wave of anti-Canada Goose sentiment, but at his time revenge or hate crime motives are not suspected in the US Airways bird bashings.

Forensic examination of the avian corpses continues, and technicians are analyzing the two cadavers under heat with chestnuts, prunes, and Armagnac. NTSB inspectors have contributed a supply of testing fluid, a 2005 Zind-Humbrecht Riesling from Alsace. We will update this story as entrees details become available.

I'm terribly behind.

2009-03-01T20:42:00.007Z

I reallyshould pull my finger out. But then the polder would flood. Today, while dragging my sorry crippled arse between Foresterhill and Old Aberdeen, I bumped into 16 Bohemian Waxwings in their favourite trees next to Hilton Campus. And here's some Ruddy Turnstones I photo'd on the beach at Newtonhill last weekend, and didn't get round to writing about.

Roll up roll up.. it's the 'borealis' time of year.

2009-02-22T22:36:00.009Z

Weather has improved and the birds have moved on... at least last week's interesting Fieldfares, Snow Buntings, and Eurasian Woodcocks etc. are no longer here. But a few Eurasian Siskins overhead, and I took the camera out again hoping to improve on mt former piss-poor performance. I didn't really manage this, but Lo! It must be that time of year when the Common Eiders move back up to the Ythan. For there were at least 60 in and around the bay, predictably including some yellow-billed ones.

Look at these two - back bird is big bright yellow bill, and scapular sails. The other one is yellow, but not as bright, and no sails visible.

Potential borealis Common Eider (back)

Think this one is different bird. Sails possibly visible.

And where do these yellow-billed jobbies come from? Well I also photo'd this one with a white-over green ring combination, ringed on the Ythan in.. 1984. 25th birthday approaches. Just like mine. Errrr....

Class of '84 Ythan Estuary Common Eider. Another yellow bill.

This is all I got time for. Meant to be writing some sort of talk for the International Gull Meeting in Peterhead. Peterhead! Best get my heroin money out of the bank. Here's some more photos.

Had another go at this taking pictures malarky.

2009-02-15T16:38:00.006Z

Some sort of documentary evidence of birds in Newtonhill shocker. Snow melting fast. Five Eurasian Reed Buntings feeding among the stubble at the top of the burn...

...see ?

and a White-throated Dipper on the Elsick Burn

... see?

Still piles of birds around that wouldn't normally bepiling around, e.g. Fieldfares and 2 Mistle Thrushes in Cow Field, and a Eurasian Woodcock flying up the burn. The sky was full of flocks of Pink-footed Geese going back and forth. The beach had 1 Common Redshank, 7 Ruddy Turnstones and some gulls, including these.

Quiet offshore (auks, gulls and Northern Fulmars sat on the water, and a good shag). I ripped my thumb open on the slidy catch on the gate to the allotments, and then didn't see any good birds therein. Mind I was busy swallowing my own blood at the time. However when I went down the costal fields to Muchalls, a flock of 16 Eurasian Skylarks (dull) with 2 Snow Buntings (interesting) flew over.

Some proper winter weather

2009-02-08T14:57:00.004Z

It's just like the old days, when the winters were snowy and the summers were sunny and people of all races and creeds lived together in harmony and peace.

Always interesting to go outside in this and watch the birds starving to death. Except they don't in Newtonhill, on account of the oil (?eh). On Friday, when I was waiting for a non-existent bus to take me to work, a Common Snipe had flown in over the snowy fields, and there were flocks of Fieldfares about, which hasn't been the case of late. So hopes for more birds on the move today. Stepped out of the house into a flock of 20 Fieldfares buzzing around the bushes at the back of St. Michael's Road. A flock of 15 Yellowhammers at the top of the track to St Annes, then 5 Eurasian Reed Buntings too. Ker-choW!! a flock of 10 Snow Buntings flew over at treetop level, going south, calling. And as I scoped the Fieldfares from the path down the burn, saw a single Bohemian Waxwing in the back gardens, and heard Brambling flying over too. It was like a smorgasbord of birds that normally I would see around once a year in the village. And the usual Dipper.

Cran Hill was silent and snosy, with flocks of Eurasian Skylarks (40+) and Common Linnets (errr.. 3) going south, and occasional flocks of Pink-footed Geese south over the sea (a few hundred).

Down on the beach, 2 Common Stonechats were among the piles of lobster pots, catching lobsters I'll wager, and there were 7 Redwings and 2 Song Thrushes up the cliff sides. The sea was quiet really, though a single Long-tailed Duck flew north, and there were a few gulls (Mostly Black-headed, some Common, couple of Great Black-backed) feeding in the surf. Back up throuugh Newtonhill, it was garden feeder birds all the way, including a single Eurasian Sparrowhawk. I love the basd weather. For the first time in a while there's birds on the move and a few things to look at.

Eskimo Curlew... I've seen another more distant (unpublished) photo of one of the Texas 1962 Eskimo Curlews. That one doesn't look like a mount :-) More on that when the birds go quiet again.

Evening update.... went out sledging. I say sledging. The kids went sledging. I became some sort of human ski-lift. 2 more Common Snipes flew over, and there were a few hundred more Pinkfeet about. When the kiddies gave me a hurl on the sledge, they pushed me into the cotoneasters.

2009-01-25T16:06:00.007Z

I have to thank cyberthrush for pointing out this blog post
http://tinyurl.com/bcydvk (and links) to me which shows that questions about the 1962 Eskimo Curlew photos have been asked before, and largely answered. It looks as though the color photo was assembled for aesthetic purposes. Other have asked whether the birds are mounts. I would have to agree that they would be the most lifelike and naturally posed mounts I ever saw. But I can see why people might think that. Take the 2 photos of the second bird... here

(c) Don Bleitz - it says the photographs can be reproduced for educational purposes, so please learn something or I'm in the crap

and here

(c) Don Bleitz - it says the photographs can be reproduced for educational purposes, so please learn something or I'm in the crap - if a joke's funny the first time, it's funny every time, don'tcha think?

Again, one has been printed in reverse wrt to the other, but the bird is in what looks to be an identical pose in both shots, in very similar vegetation with the light at the same angle (backlit), even with the little feathery tuft at the shoulder staying in the sampe place. Just dirty rotten look for the photographer, I guess, but it does look like the bird has stayed immobile in the ground and the photographer has just moved round it.

I've had this on the back burner for a while and like everyone else I came to the conclusion that these had to be real living birds photographed, as in fact the real living birds did exist and were seen by several top birders. Clearly others have gone to some trouble over it though. On my travels through the web I came across this photo of an Eskimo mount that was done as a prank - sorry I don't know who took this, so if you do, please let me know.

I think you'd tell by its unnatural bulgy eye and dishevelled coverts etc that this wasn't the real deal. I tried making it b+w and adding a bit of blur and noise in Photoshop, but it did only a little bit of good.

hey ho. Maybe 8 years on BOURC has poisoned my mind :-O :-O :-)) but I do seem to be indulging in giant conspiracy theories in my old age. In this case the fantasy conspiracy would be that someone wasn't happy with Don Bleitz's photos of the Eskimo Curlews, so reconstructed the event with a couple of top quality mounts. I personally don't believe that, but I can see why other have, over the years.

In Newtonhill today - weather, and lots of it.

The weather, the waves, the sea spray, the tattered Saltire. Welcome to Burns' Night! The only thing that could make this more Scottish would be a wee man pishing up against his own shed.

A few birds, but I think we both know that they were the usuals. The Elsick Burn was in full spate, and there was a White-bellied Dipper flying up and down making weird zippy noises, looking for somewhere to eat.

belated

2009-01-24T18:59:00.005Z

Sunday 18th January

Bird levels critical. All the Reed Buntings in the stubble at the end of St Anne's have died of boredom, or gone away. 16 Rock Pipits in Cow Field might be the start of another mid winter flock. I think 50 was my record.

A few Long-tailed Titties hanging on persistently in the bushes down the track to the beach, but on the beach the waves were crashing in and there wasn't a lot around. Offshore, it was crawling with Northern Fulmars - about 50 bird going back and forth feeding. A single Common Scoter went south, a few auks back n forth. Not sure how I spotted 'em among the waves, but there was also a Harbour Porpoise sploshing about, and an Atlantic Grey Seal eating a whopper of a fish.

Many of you will have seen this before, but it's worth repeating here for lack of any extant birds. have you ever seen how this photo

(c) Don Bleitz - it says the photographs can be reproduced for educational purposes, so please learn something or I'm in the crap.

one of the Eskimo Curlews photographed by Don Bleitz in April 1962 in Texas , is obviously a reconstructed montage done by printing this image

(c) Don Bleitz - it says the photographs can be reproduced for educational purposes, so please learn something or I'm in the crap.

(sorry only have b+w for that one) as a mirror reverse and sticking it onto a prettier background. The highlight in the eye has been painted on too. What a bizarre thing to do. Do any of you US birders have any idea about the story of why or how this would have happened??

When the truth just gets in the way of the way things should be....

2009-01-11T23:02:00.002Z

The weeks are flashing past, I'm not getting out as much as I would like, but there isn't anything in Newtonhill to see anyway. I was down at the beach scoping a Purple Sandpiper among the 20 or so Ruddy Turnstones among the seaweed. A new person there, and the perplexing 'Are you Martin?' was followed by the trepidation-inducing 'I've read your blog' - as I started to wonder who I've libelled recently. So this was Thane (Hi Thane) and brings the number of current N/hill birders to 5 (five! - I always assumed the population of Newtonhill was me and a few rather scabby-looking crabs. Turns out it's full of birders).

2 Common Stonechats and a few Rock Pipits on the beach too, 12 Black-headed Gulls and a Common Gull feeding among the ferocious breakers, and with birds out at sea so I went up to the cliffs for a seawatch, for about half an hour before I gave in. Lots of Northern Fulmars about (well, about 50), mostly going south, and about 50 Common Gulls, feeding and mostly going north. Say what you like about Common Gulls, and I do, they're hard as nails. Also one adult Northern Gannet (they fo hang around just about all winter), but apart from that and a few Razorbills and Guillemots, there's not a lot to be seen. Won't bore you any more.

Remember a couple of years ago I wrote about Richard Meinertzhagen as a Halloween Hero of the Birding Revolution (now there's a series I need to resurrect when I get chance). Well this week, I have mostly been reading The Meinertzhagen Mystery by Brian Garfield, and it rather brutally proves the lie about most of the extraordinary claimed events in Meinertzhagen's life. He never bounced on Darwin's knee; he rewrote his diaries to include his 'predictions' that war with Germany was inevitable; he never shot a German Duke then ate his Christmas dinner; he was never a real spy, and he hung around at the back of the battles he was meant to have participated in; he never crash-landed a plane after the pilot collapsed; he didn't drop the haversack behind Turkish lines (someone else did), and the Haversack Ruse didn't work anyway; he never rescued a Russian princess; he never fought for the Zionists against the Arabs in Haifa; he was never in a secret dual with a mystery spy; he never slaughtered a cell of Spanish Bolsheviks; he never met Hitler and/or had the opportunity to kill him. His wife did still die in strange circumstance, however (she apparently shot herself in the head while Dickie was standing behind her with a loaded revolver, shortly after she realised about his bird thefts). When you take away all the documentary evidence about the notable (non-birdy) events in Dickie's life that were not directly or indirectly derived from Meinertzhagen's own writing or influence, there is nothing left except an incompetent middle-level officer and troublesome low-level military intelligence worker who was gently pushed out of the army and into the harmless pursuit of collecting birds. The good work that he did (he was good at drawing maps in his military career, and was an outstanding traveller and collector in his ornithological career) was overshadowed and indeed blown away, in the end, by the unnecessary lies, thefts and deceit, and fantasy world he created around himself.

2009-01-04T21:45:00.004Z

Wishing Chair, take me to a place where I can get a patch tick. But the mischievous Wishing Chair first took me round on a tour of the local Blue Tits, Common Chaffinches etc. Only 5 Eurasian Reed Buntings in the wet stubble - I needed a huge f***off Labradoodle to help me on that one. Several months after the trauma previously of trying to photograph a Bluethroat using Diane's camera, I finally dared to try once more, and got this cracking shot of one of the Reed Buntings. Clearly I haven't got the hang of the AF still.

Down at the beach, there were 8 yellow-billed male Common Eiders with their best girls, but still my focus was all over the place.

6 Common Scoters flew south in the distance, and this persuaded me to try a short seawatch, which was dull dull dull with only a few auks going north.

The Magical Wishing Chair took me up to Cran Hill, and as I flew alongside a formation of 5 (count 'em) Pink-footed Geese, I spotted a Common Raven circling in the air. Mmmmmm... for N Scotland you would assume that this one would be a fairly regular visitor, and difficult to overlook, but this is a Patch Tick. First of the year. First of several hopefully. Mind, Cran Hill does look suitable for foraging Ravens. I think it's the pile of dead Vikings that would attract them.

2009-01-03T23:16:00.002Z

Monday 29th December.

Sooooo... cold. brrrrr.....Like the wrath of God has descended upon Gotham. I descended into the wrong comic. I'm not a bitter man, but if Santa doesn't hate me, why did he bring Meccano for Peter (grrr.....) and a keyboard for Lizzie? All I wanted for Christmas was a Marsh Tit. But Santa just left me a lump of Coal Tits. In the garden at East Cammachmore - all the other birds the owners had told me were there, were there. Great Spotted Woodpecker, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, plenty other tits, and an influx of Fieldfares. With the mildly amusing addition of a pair of Common Treecreepers on the peanuts. Nothing more interesting, but I resolved to give it one more try on Wednesday.

Wednesday 31st December.

Egad! It's even more boring than before! The same birds as before, minus any woodpeckers but plus a Goldcrest. hmmm... y'know, I think it's most likely there was aCommon Blackcap inthe garden at some point, and they have confused the features with a Coal Tit, in the way that non-birders do.

Between us, me and someone else's abomination of a labradoodle (ffs!) flushed 18 Eurasian Reed Buntings from the wet stubble by St Anne's.