Archives
Expand All
- March 2010 (12)
- February 2010 (30)
- 27: Portbury Wharf, Portishead (0)
- 25: Today, the Weston & Somerset Mercury… (0)
- 25: The Modern Slave Trade (0)
- 24: Slow Recipe for Earnings (0)
- 23: 1999: Ravens, Cotswold Water Park (0)
- 22: Cetti’s Warbler, Chew Valley Lake (0)
- 21: 2008: Narrogin, Western Australia (0)
- 21: Mystery Grebe, Portbury Wharf (0)
- 20: Registering with Technorati (0)
- 19: Thank You Anyway, Prize Cow (0)
- 17: Hawfinch, Parkend Church (0)
- 14: 1999: Winter Farmland Survey (0)
- 14: Bittern, Backwell Pond (0)
- 13: Portishead Crows & Pigeons (0)
- 13: Brown Pelicans, California (0)
- 12: Portishead Birds (0)
- 11: Good News, Bad News (0)
- 10: Birders 1 Anglers 0 (0)
- 10: 1999: Little Egret, Clevedon (0)
- 09: Mediterranean Gull, Portishead (1)
- 07: Reservoir Cats (0)
- 07: Colorado, Grand Teton & California (0)
- 06: Chuckling Chaffinch (0)
- 05: Black Redstart & Stock Doves (1)
- 04: Glossy Ibis, Catcott Lows (0)
- 04: Ten Years After: California (2)
- 03: Bird-Friendly Wind Farm (0)
- 03: Lost In Translation (0)
- 02: Lesser Black-backed Gull (0)
- 01: Pochard, Portishead (0)
- January 2010 (20)
- December 2009 (15)
- November 2009 (25)
- 30: Publish and Be Damned (0)
- 29: Scotland the… (0)
- 29: 1999: Whinchat & Knot, Severn Beach (0)
- 28: A Disclaimer (0)
- 28: A British Thanksgiving (0)
- 27: Robins Fly to Malta (0)
- 26: White-Headed Magpie (0)
- 25: Cut those Birding Car Miles (0)
- 24: The Lesson of the Cucumber (4)
- 22: A Meaning for Bird Conservation, Redux (0)
- 21: The Winding Road to Black Cockatoos (0)
- 21: Reasons to Be Cheerful, Part II (0)
- 20: Thank You for Luck (0)
- 16: Herring Gull, Redditch (0)
- 16: 1999: Curlew Sandpipers & Little Stint, Titchfield Haven (0)
- 14: Add Senegal to the Wishlist (0)
- 13: Bewick’s Swans, Slimbridge (0)
- 12: March: Shearwaters to Tiritiri Matangi (4)
- 11: We’re All Doomed, Doomed!* (1)
- 10: Free Maps (0)
- 08: Goosander, Upton Warren (0)
- 07: Oh. My. God. (0)
- 06: Promoting Sparrers & Geese (0)
- 04: Lesser Yellowlegs, Aberlady (0)
- 01: Turnstones, Morecambe (2)
- October 2009 (14)
|
Birds change throughout the year. They move around; they behave differently; they even alter their looks. Their surroundings change too. I’m collecting, possibly for a book, a series of personal vignettes to illustrate some of the key points in each month. This one, from September 15, looks fine for an autumn sketch (and it [...]
The Private Eye of birding blogs has come up with a couple of classics lately – one about sheep farmers and a later post sensitively sympathising with my favourite bête noir, the fucking Maltese.
Well, nearly. From March 10, 2000, I became a serial poster to South Bay Birders, whose site still exists and maybe their list-server too. Here’s my first offering, which demonstrates how tough the Yankee sparrows are for the newbie:
“I have been in the area for a few weeks and have got fairly confident with [...]
After a week of inactivity, the car got a spin today. The dead certs of Bewick’s swan and white-fronted goose at Slimbridge got the destination vote. At thirty straightforward miles the place is a no-brainer anyway. It was packed, which is good. Although at eight quid a throw I’m amazed non-members can afford it. [...]
It just keeps getting better and better. By the tortuous route of joining the North Somerset Library, checking out their free online offers, finding the Bristol Ornithological Club, wondering if there was similar round here… well, I meandered through cyberspace and ended up at Clevedon & Portishead Birds, whose Latest Sightings page listed a [...]
Riches beyond compare greeted me when I eventually wandered out yesterday and this morning it got even headier. In the afternoon, before light failed completely, which around here is precious early in the day, I braved the ice down to the Tweed. I think the continual snow is keeping the pavements quite slip-free and [...]
Just two days after I posted about the persecution of red kites and golden eagles, the good old Beeb reported on a proposal by the Scottish Environment Minister to allow the eagles some space. Bravo, Roseanna Cunningham!
And bravo, Scotland. Do we even have the same sort of Ministry down south? Well, yes and it’s [...]
Well, not so brave. It seems to be the only bit of the UK with regular red kite poisoning. And I bet it’s the only country in the world that continues to persecute its (unofficial, I admit) national bird, the golden eagle. I do know it’s probably down to a few hundred landowners up [...]
|
And if you're feeling especially generous you can keep me in beer and sweeties. Otherwise, I'll have to go out to work. (And the dog gets it.)
|
