09 becomes 90

Well after posting my New Year's Greeting earlier today, I thought I'd get up and running with the Bird Challenge.

But before that, having had a Song Thrush as my last bird of 2008, this fed up looking Little Egret on a frozen pond near Burnham on Sea, takes honours for the first bird photo of 2009, and weirdly gives me my final bird of the Challenge.

So how did Border Reiver do in the NHU's Bird Cup (and blog challenge of course). Well, I think a respectable 90. I know I've not won as a colleague is on 91. But it's the taking part that counts, and as I boycotted going to any big Nature Reserves such as Slimbridge, or down on the Somerset Levels, I'm very happy with my score.

Highlights: Collard Dove nest building on Christmas day, 38 Turnstones, Red (I think) Throated diver off the coast at Sunderland, kept losing it in the waves, pretty certain though, Blackcap in Garden today as it was at feeders every day until Christmas, then went AWOL. As has been a Little Egret, until today, I see one every day on way to work, but nothing for 8 days, I think they know when to hide.

Lowlights: Loads of commoner birds missed this year, Dipper, Ring Plover, Peregrine, Merlin, all Owls, most Swans and Geese, Raven, Grey Wagtail, quite a few Waders (not even a Grey Plover!!), Kingfisher and so on. Could have got most of these at Slimbridge or down at Shapwick/Meare, but it's much more fun to be standing in an icy cold field, in a gale, freezing my chollocks off trying to find a winter thrush at 200 meters. Character building.

For those of you interested in what I did see, below the instructions for your reports, is a bird list.

Submit your sightings: If you are taking part in the challenge, please leave a comment to this posting. I don't need a species list as this will be on your own blog, but the number of species seen would be helpful and any highlights you'd like me to mention. And then on Sunday night I'll write up a summary of all the blogs, who won, as in most numbers, a summary of where you went birding and most importantly a link back to your own blog so we can all then have a read. And of course if something odd or bizarre happened to you, we want to know.

So until Sunday, I'm away to defrost myself. All the best, Border Reiver, trading as Andrew at Quicksilverbirds.

My List:
Woodpigeon
Blackbird
Coal Tit
Jackdaw
Carrion Crow
Robin
Dunnock
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Collard Dove
Wren
Rook
Goldfinch
Magpie
Wigeon
Black Headed Gull
Teal
Greylag Goose
Herring Gull
Common Gull
Snipe
Moorhen
Greater Black Backed Gull
Grey Heron
Curlew
Pheasant
Tree Sparrow
House Sparrow
Greenfinch
Starling
Feral Pigeon
Lapwing
Mallard
Coot
Turnstone (38)
Sanderling
Eider (on sea)
Golden Plover
Red? Throated Diver (out at sea)
Glaucous Gull
Pied Wagtail
Meadow Pipit
Shag
Shelduck
Tufted Duck
Bullfinch
Chaffinch
Nuthatch
Willow Tit
Siskin
Reed Bunting
Jay
Treecreeper
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Mistle Thrush
Kestrel
Greenshank (on River Wear)
Canada Goose
Sparrowhawk
Long Tailed Tit
Goldcrest
Mute Swan
Mediterranean Gull
Skylark
Linnet
Lesser Redpoll
Stonechat
Buzzard
Fieldfare
Dunlin
Redshank
Oystercatcher
Knot
Pintail
Ruddy Duck
Pochard
Goldeneye
Water Rail (seen)
Shovler
Little Grebe
Cormorant
Great Crested Grebe
Lesser Black Backed Gull
Songthrush
Redwing
Green Woodpecker
Rock Pipit
Blackcap
Gadwall
Little Egret

Happy New Year

Well I've made it..... welcome to 2009 and a Happy New Year to all of you out there, reading my Blogging snippets. I hope 2009 is a year of good fortune and health for you all.

NO No stop, you're embarrassing me, of course I don't look like George Clooney, it's just a trick of the light, honestly !!

And just to see out the old year, this Song Thrush took pride of place as the final bird I photographed in 2008, what a super bird in lovely condition.

Posting tomorrow to set up for the Bird Challenge, looking forward to hearing from you all. I'll leave you with this piece of news from the Independent on Tuesday..... I only hope they're not taking part on the Bird Challenge !!!!!!

Twitchers break world record of species spotted

From The Independent - 30/12/2008 (92 words)

BIRDING A British couple have broken the world record for spotting the most species of birds in a year. Alan Davies and Ruth Miller, from North Wales, sold their home in Llandudno to fund their birdwatching trip, which they called The Biggest Twitch. The couple say they have observed 4,327 different species during their year-long tour, which has taken in British back gardens, Asian rainforests and Arctic ice caps. The previous record was 3,662.

Quicksilver's Challenge - 3 days to go

Everyone's doing it......

I have to say, what started out as a bit of a thought along the lines of, wonder if anyone is interested in doing this, is proving to be great fun, for me at least. What am I referring to, but the Quicksilver Christmas Challenge, details of the QCC, here.

Thanks to great support by the likes of Boulmer Birder, ST, Snowgoosey and Jane at Urban Extension (links to left) and so on, it seems to be doing the rounds nicely, and comments are showing this is proving popular, or I hope it is. Just remember above anything else, this is for fun. I expect some will be doing a ton+ of species, but even if you saw a Robin in the back garden, let me know. Because what it's hopefully doing is allowing us to meet new people via comments. Mind you, is there a bit of cheating going on in Dorset...... Urban Extension. Individual species Jane!!

So how do you report your sightings? I'll post something on NY Day. If you can leave me a comment saying your report is now on your own blog, between midnight New Years Day and before noon Sunday 4th January I'll then cobble together a list of who's seen what, with links to your own blog and the report of your weeks birding. That way we can all share in all of our reports. I am really looking forward to reading these, as I hope you all are too.

I won't say what number I'm up to now, but a fruitful hour or so at Chew Valley Lake notched up a few more, including this Goldeneye (which bred at Chew this year) and a flying Water Rail, though saying Rails fly is sort of a misnomer, not the most elegant birds in motion. Yesterday apparently at Chew they caught a Firecrest at the ringing station...drat!

Part 1 Birding Challenge - NE 65 Species

Happy Christmas to all those who have posted comments here. Thank you.

Well I'm now back from my 753 mile Christmas trip and I have to say I enjoyed it immensely, even the drive back last night, over night. Roads were ghostly quiet and did the 320 miles door to door in a modest, erhhum just over 4 hours.

And now on Sunday I awoke to glorious sunshine.... bit dull in the north east yesterday, more depressing than having second helpings of turkey on Boxing Day just to use it up. Didn't get much chance for proper birding and for the first time in living memory didn't make it to friends in Northumberland during a visit, time just didn't allow. I have though begun the birding challenge for work, so far 65 species have hit the log book, 45 on Christmas Day, not bad for all of these being seen within a 5 mile radius of my parents house and all within the Tyneside conurbation. Full report next weekend.

Now I'm back in the, I have to say, absolutely freezing South West, I hope to hurtle this figure onto at least 66..... mate from work is already on 79 - eeek!!

Few highlights, a very obliging Treecreeper feeding off the fat spread

Cousin and wife stayed with my parents for Christmas, I've got her interested in birding, much to his dismay and she spent half an hour photographing stuff in my parents garden!!

and another obliging bird, Great Spotted Woodpecker.

Highlights so far have been 38 Turnstones, single Red Throated Diver, 9 male Tree Sparrows, Mediterranean Gull and possible?? Ring Bill Gull at Boldon Flats NR. The latter I'm not counting as it was a juvenile and these are deadly to id properly, but everything right. However too far away for a photo, so just a dream, though I did see one at Portland in January....Bit of a discussion with another birder, I know a Glaucous Gull when I see one, we'll leave that discussion there I think.

Right, sun is shining, Sand Bay here I come........ keep twitching 4 days to go!!

POSTSCRIPT AT 4.30PM - RETURN FROM SAND BAY AND MIDDLEHOPE

Somebody once said to me it was warmer in the South West. Well it may be sometimes, but this afternoon there was a wind blowing up the Bristol Channel which would have cut a Polar Bear in two. Glorious sunshine though, after yesterdays dark all day weather. So some photos to lighten the soul.

Wader paradise in the Bristol Channel at low tide - can't see it here but about 2000 Dunlin out there on the waterline, plus assorted waders, including 2 Greenshank.

This very pale Buzzard has been about for years, fools many in the summer who think its an Osprey. There are a lot of pale Buzzards around here.

An Arty shot on the way home.............

Spring into Christmas....

I didn't think I'd have any time for a posting until after Christmas, but work is a bit quiet today, so in my tea break a quickie, because this morning I was amazed to see lambsies-a-gambolling in a field near the M5 at Clevedon (North Somerset).

Coupled with the Celandine in flower on the 21st in my garden, a bat flying around the garden last night, spring bulbs about 2 inches high in the pots, a Robin singing last night by the Cathedral and a Raven displaying over the garden at the weekend, it's all springing into Christmas nicely.....

....... I'm definitely going now, have a wonderful Christmas all, and I hope some of you at least will take up the birding challenge in my last posting (20 Dec). Whether it's only one species seen from the car, or major finds, it'll be fun to read. I'll leave you with this very cute photo from a Kiwi reintroduction organisation in New Zealand.

A Christmas Message

As this is my art (in all permutations) blog, I thought in the spirit of those dratted round robins we all receive, I'd post my own RR, as an antidote to the Credit Crunch.

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Well I can safely say this will be the last Christmas message from me for 2008. Is it really only a year since one of my Round Robins floated effortlessly onto your doormat? Well actually it’s three years. So much has happened in those 3 years I’m at a loss to know what to put down on paper, therefore I won’t. But to outline the whirlwind lifestyle of Border Reiver, that well known socialite, the following diary excerpts will add warmth to any cold winters day.

Monday:
The books (not to mention the glossy magazines) say Christmas is a time to reflect, sit back, unwind a bottle and send someone a friend. But is it me? Christmas is getting just far too hectic. What Credit Crunch? The shopping Malls are heaving. Today I found myself having to queue for at least a minute while buying some Sellotape to wrap my presents. It’s a tradition of mine to wrap and send myself a present. Always better to receive than give. After that dramatic episode which saw me seething at this monstrous delay as the woman in front of me bought 3 stamps, using cash of all things, I had to return home.

Actually I had to return home as the 4pm curfew came around quicker than I’d planned. If I’m not home by then the tag I am now required to wear doesn’t half set up a din, and at a frequency which seems to attract cats. Never again will I believe a Polish immigrant that the Afghan he had with him was allowed to remain in the country. It looked such a lovely dog to me as well, or at least that’s what I told the authorities as they entered the transit van at Clacket Lane Services. Mind you being indoors all winter has its advantages, as I’ve done all my Christmas shopping on-line this year. Don’t expect anything though, as the one day I did leave the house (to buy Sellotape) the post arrived. Not being at home the card which was left for me said I have to collect my purchases from the sorting office which is only open..... you can probably see where this is going?

Tuesday:
Decided to deck the halls with holly. Given I don’t actually have any holly, or a hall, I made do with some driftwood and tinsel around the shed. I have to say it looks tremendous. Later I headed out into the front garden to wrap my new outdoor lights around a tree. These 150w fox-lights have the ability to light a runway and with 200 on the string, a long runway at that. So I was especially keen to get them in situ soonest and then all my neighbours could enjoy the spectacle. It didn’t quite work. On the box it said a 6m cable from plug to first bulb. Smashing I thought, more than enough for my needs. What the box failed to say was that at the 6m mark lurked the “interface” box (which allows various animated illuminated light displays) which must not be left outdoors. Is it me, but surely outdoor lights are not meant to begin indoors. Anyway I muddled through and now sit watching Emmerdale wearing sunglasses, until that is the next phase of the light show plunges the house into darkness momentarily. Fantastic.

Wednesday:
Christmas is always the time for having the house lit by candles. There is something magical in the warm glow candlelight provides, and the seasonal treats of stubbing one’s toe or maybe ricochet a shin off a coffee table while trying to find the remote control in the gloom make this time of year so pleasurable. This year’s Advent Candle is providing much needed entertainment. In my youth such a candle would burn quietly through the relevant days, no bother. What on earth is this one made of? In glorious red, it is the shape of an elongated pyramid but just refusing to budge past day 12. I had it lit for 48 hours last weekend and only half of number 6 succumbed to the flame. However the table it is on now looks like an extra from a Sweeney Todd play. Considering the candle is getting no lower, where on earth is this wax coming from? Fetching brown paper and an iron to remove the wax from the carpet, I tripped on the flex went a right old perler into conservatory. Olympic gymnasts would not provide such an acrobatic spectacle. Words were said while I staunched the flow of blood from my nose. I’ve decided to leave wax on the carpet as a Christmas decoration. I’ll stick a sprig of holly in it, no one will notice.

Thursday:
I’ve been neglecting my wildlife blog; such has been the excitement of this week. Today saw the 1st anniversary of my blog, which seemed to pass-by the newspaper headlines. After posting a journalistic tour d force, I waited with baited breath for my legions of fans to post comments and best wishes. There was obviously some sort of internet problem, no other way to explain the lack of replies, so I brewed myself a cup of tea. What is it about tea, we English cannot survive without it? The slightest mishap and out comes the caddy, kettle boiled and away we go, all the problems of the World solved in one cup. I’m always amazed where the stuff I write comes from. I seem to have a very fertile imagination, and certainly most of the comments I receive seem to confirm it is mostly unbelievable. Sent myself a comment anonymously, this may start the ball rolling.

Friday:
Still no comments on the blog. They must all be out Christmas shopping. Following a walk along the beach to blow off a cobweb or two, returned to write my Christmas cards. Before this can happen I had to print them off. Simple job, select a photograph, print it onto card, sign card, pop into post box. I bought a new printer in the autumn, which is singly unable to print anything sensibly. All looks stupendous on the screen, press print and some other highly amended version of the article emerges. It’s all too much, I can feel my blood pressure rising. I may pop to Lidl and buy my cards instead. One version in particular was, very artistic. Somehow orientating itself NE/SW on a card it managed to avoid the entire photograph, printed the text on the back, twice, and somehow added some characters from clip-art. Mind you having said that, it looked far better than the original.

Weekend:
Is finally upon us. Time for a rest and put my feet up. First though I had to nip to the recycling centre to remove the mountain of scrap paper I seemed to have developed since yesterday. Piled alongside the candles, it was a bit of a fire hazard. It was while at the tip, I fancied a poached egg on toast. Returning home a friend popped in so we unleashed the free range into the pan. Lo and behold, a double yoker, it’s years since I’ve had one. This must be a symbol for the coming festive season. The symbolism of this egg wasn’t lost on me, went down a treat, with some tomato sauce. Great Stuff!!

I feel much better now, so with that I’ll wish you adieu Mon Ami, all health and happiness for 2009, a wonderfully happy Christmas and of course leave the washing up to Santa and the little elves!

And don't forget to watch Santa on his travels from this website. But only on Christmas Eve

Merry Christmas and birding notes

This will be my last posting until after Christmas. Couple more days at work, then up to the North East, before coming back in time for the New Year, and more blogging.

But before I go, a couple of parish notices:

The BREATHING PLACES campaign continues to encourage thousands of people to “Do One Thing” for nature. It has a brilliant Christmas viral video - do take a look, great fun.

I mentioned in my last posting possibly doing a Birding Blog Event, just for fun. So here's my suggestion; work off those Christmas pounds, get out there and then during the weekend of the 3rd & 4th January we all post on our own blogs what we've seen and the number of bird species (or wildlife) over Christmas and the New Year. It should be great fun to read what's happening around the world, be it a single entry from a garden or a full blown twitch.

If you're up for this, leave me a comment when you've done your posting and I'll do a bit of a summary and spread the word.

Therefore until my next posting I'd like to therefore wish you all a very Happy Christmas, and a personal thank you for all the comments and encouragement over the last 12 months of blogging.

Finally : I've posted a bit spoof diary on my Art Blog, my antidote to Round Robins, if you need a bit of a diversion.