Pole Dancing - For Naturalists Only

For Adults Only

Places I Have Visited In The Last Couple of Weeks

At last I have got around to putting a few videos together of various places

I have visited in the last couple of weeks.  I like to keep a record of things

I see but not just on a "List" or just in "Record Shots" but a video is the

thing for me, so here are they are

A Few More Snaps From The Weekend

I did get around a bit this weekend but without John on Saturday who was

suffering a bit from ............ (fill the blank spaces yourself) but even without

his advice (open up a couple of stops, look at the histogram, change to Portrait) 

I still managed to press the button occasionally so here are a few from my 

"Time Alone"

A Peppered Moth in the garden, quite common but a bit of a stunner

Going for the Artistic Shot

Then I came across a few Swallows

Saw 3 Hares today but this chap was the most obliging

I Luv the punkish hairdo

This Plant is just so gorgeous and always has something on it

(What is it and is it OK to plant in a pot in the garden)

Ahhhh Big Waters, don't you just love it

Then I hit the Farnes

You are lucky people, I have just noticed the time and have to go to work otherwise I would have got round to the 121 short movies I took over the weekend but haven't got round to yet

Enjoy your birding especially all you heading to Gosforth for the Little Bittern

Bridled Tern - Farne Islands

Started off the day at Cresswell with several great sightings but this little 

beauty took the biscuit.  It reeled several times but only once did it show

itself, but I was ready for it (I was actually deleting bad shots when it started

and my camera was literally pointing at it and all I had to do was press

the button).  I am pleased it turned out so well so that AJJ can enjoy another

video of mine, especially one of a bird we have failed to spot on the patch

for the last 2 years

I then decided to head for the Farne Islands "just on the off chance" after the Bridled 

Tern was seen yesterday for a little while.  Had a great day with Andrew on 

Serenity II in the company of a few knowledgable people, especially Eric Barnes,

but with just 5 mins before getting on the boat for the return to Seahouses 

"Eagle Eye Eric" spotted it drifting in.  It was too far for the DSLR so the Lumix

 went to work.  All I managed was a couple of shots but just went for the video instead.

 

A Few Things I Saw in the last 7 Days

Due to my absence working and family commitments I haven't published a lot so here are a few snaps from the last weeks or so that I particularly liked.

My first Water Rail at Big Waters for a while

Can someone point me the way to the water feature please

One of a pair of early morning Barn Owls

and Carole went aaahhhhhh aren't they lovely.... as we had an early morning drive around
the moors on the way to Langdon Beck

My first Common Blue of the year at Hauxley last Thursday

Then you flip it over and it is still a stunning thing

Elegance Personified

There were 20 swimming around with 1 adult and about 6 Grey Herons with Carole
whispering warnings to the Grey Herons what she would do to them if they came near
Its amazing how she reacts when young uns are around

Great White Egret at Hauxley with, I think, a fish stuck in its neck which was there for a while

Still quite a few around if you persevere

Some great views of Snipe near Cow Green

Yes John, I know I should have opened it a couple of stops

The Parent........

watching over their young 

Sat in the car for 10 mins with bins on the back seat (but couldn't reach) and the
scope in the boot, then I decided to exit the car (quietly) to get the scope but 
away it went, so no ring number

Small Magpie at Cresswell

Didn't ID the beastie in this Willow Warblers beak though, at Cresswell also

Its amazing what you can find without much looking.

On Friday we had a rare visitor to Big Waters, a Green Sandpiper popped in twice (or is it two popped in once each).  Alan J shouted "Wader" and being the professional I am I was on it like a shot (a blurry shot but I was on it) Pictures and video are much better than me blabbing on so here you are

The Bus Trip

When I was at Hauxley on Thursday I might have been mistaken but I am sure

I spotted a  12 Seater Minibus in the Car Park which could have had a

WWT Washington logo on the side.  Now of course I could have been wrong

and as all of you know I have had the odd bird identity crisis in the past and even

typing the wrong name in although I have seen the right bird (if that makes sense,

well it does to my poor addled brain).  So whilst proceeding around Hauxley I did

notice the odd exotica bird or 2, these included (BAD PHOTO WARNING - if you 

react to these please turn away now):

7 Bar-headed Geese (all the way from Central Asia)

 Egyptian Goose (all the way from, I am not actually sure, but suspect the clue is in the name)

Swan Goose (Mongalian/Chinese)

Red-breasted Goose (Hails from Russia/Black Sea area) (my favourite)

There was also a White-fronted Goose there but although I saw it I didn't get a picture as

my camera was busy doing other things at the time (Black-winged Pratincole).  Now if my

maths are correct (must be as I work in Funding and Databases in Education, just like that

nice man Michael Gove) that would be 7 Bar-headed, an Egyptian, the Swannie and the

stunning red-head + the driver and that would be a 12 seater Minibus.  So even if my 

Sherlock Holmes reasoning is wrong (but I doubt it) I would just like to thank WWT

Washington for keeping Hauxley ticking along in the quite months of June and July

(when a lot of birders heads are being turned by Odanata and timorous beasties) with

some gorgeous looking birds.

Now being serious for a change as someone yesterday reminded me that lists are a personal

thing, all of the above (with the exception of one) are now on my Year List along with this

little beauty (well I say beauty but if you look at the Red Head above there is no comparison)

and if this one can get from its home to Geordie Land why cant the Red Head as they both

hail from the same area and tweet with the same accent (just like them nice guys from South

of the Tyne do).

Well, its time to go and look at my Moth Trap and see if I can recognise more than I don't recognise (not much chance there so will have to go to Howick on National Moth Day to see Stewart and the professionals do it) then off to Howdon Wetlands and then to the proper patch (Big Waters in case you don't know) and see if the Green Sandpiper has returned (or the Greenshank as I wrote in the book in another of my dizzy moments

(GB will give me a right roasting for that error, or a nice talk, he is such a gentleman))

Well thats the end of another meandering session BYE

ps.  Go on Alan, you know you want to, there is a Red Head waiting at Hauxley for you