Seasons Greetings and that

In the absence of anything interesting/ amusing/ informative to tell you, enjoy some christmas biscuits :)

Of mulled wine, dinosaurs and traffic jams...

This is a bit if a disjointed blog post, so I've attempted to pull it together with a title. I don't think it worked but oh well :)

This weekend I went to Tollesbury with the boy, and despite only being a short walk we saw quite a lot. There were ridiculous numbers of waders flying past in huge flocks (for essex at least), including dunlin, knot, golden plover, grey plover, ringed plover, curlew, oystercatchers.. probably many more I can't remember. We got there pretty much at high tide (more by luck and by careful planning), so we were hoping for some interesting seabirds and weren't disappointed. I found myself a pair of scoter (read: two black blobs which vaguely resembled cold looking ducks- tick) and a diver which I'm assured is a great northern diver. It certainly had a stripey rump and a big head, so I'm happy with that. A seal popped up and had a good look at us looking at him. Of course I didn't have my camera, but didn't worry as the boy captured the moment with yet another stunning display of professional-standard photography.
For a much more in depth and useful summary, you might want to check his blog instead :)

Sunday was spent trying to find a decent German christmas market in London with a uni friend of mine who spent a year in Germany. The market on the Southbank was pretty poor, and the one in Hyde Park was even worse, unless you want a funfair and then it's good. A cup of mulled wine, some caramelised almonds and some overpriced chips later, and we found outselves in Kensington with more time on our hands than we expected. What else is in Kensington? Dinosaurs of course.





Love the use of shadows by the way. Oooooh scary teeeeeth.....

What? They're related to birds at least, and you can't really resist popping in when you're walking right past the building. We went into the new Darwin wing too, with the Cocoon. Very impressive and good use of interactive interpretation, but possibly a bit too gimmicky and not enough good old fashioned labels for my liking. Still, worth a look round if you have a spare half hour or so. As I was being a tourist for the day, we also had a wander round the foodhall in Harrods, which is always good to see how the other half live. They have GIANT fruit there.

Today was spent much in the same way as the last few weeks- trudging to and from work through Regent's Park in the pouring rain. Really, I think it would be nice to have at least a couple of dry, crisp winter days please. At the tail end of my commute home, I was sitting in a traffic jam leading up to my good friend the a128 when a big pale bird with broad wings flew slow and low right past my car. Of course I didn't get a photo as I was being a responsible driver, so you'll have to use your imagination here. I am never that great at identifying birds on my own when I am going out looking for them, so it's particularly unusual for me to find something interesting when I'm not expecting it. So I have to say, I'm quite proud of this one :) A barn owl! (Nearly) In Thurrock! Owls are always great to see, and it's nice to know there's more than I knew about near where I live. That means there's now a tawny owl in my road, at least two little owls at my nan's house, and a barn owl up the road. Roll on the short-eared owls... :)

New Things

This weekend I didn't manage to do anything exciting like go to Norfolk, so instead I cheered myself up by restocking my fish tank following a bit of neglect of late.

First up were a pair of corydoras to keep my panda company. Marvel at my amazing photography skills..


With the gradual decline of my minnows (finally) and my platys (theyre rubbish fish), I decided on trying out some guppies, for the main reason that they're supposed to be really easy to breed and that might be quite fun.


Will keep you posted as to the extent of their success, but so far I've kept the full compliment alive for 2 whole days. Hoorah!


Ram is still my favourite though, he's like the fish equivalent of a portugese friend of mine- small, cocky but entertaining.

Oh and while I was out I picked up one of these...

Should be much more reliable for all those far-flung birding trips than the blue beast :) It's much bigger than I thought, but I suppose most cars are big compared to a Ka. It's pleasingly grown-up and doesn't make any doom-filled noises as you drive along, which as far as I'm concerned is a big plus.

Update 2: Dorset

I can't be bothered to write up a proper post about our trip to Dorset a couple of weeks ago with the Boy, so have some nice pictures...

When it wasn't raining we managed to find some time to go to Portland Bill, Abbotsbury and to the interesting side of Brownsea Island.








But kids, don't forget. Nature is dangerous. Mind the sharp edges...


Or this guy will get you.

Might look cute but has been singing like a car alarm all day...

Update 1: Brighton-Marwell...

Last week was spent at various places in the South, and managed to have a proper break away and catch up on sleep.

First we spent a couple of days in Brighton, where I caught up with a friend from university and visited some old favourite places (including a particularly good sunday roast in a pub near my old house). I miss Brighton, so was good to have a wander round. We went to see Up while we were there- which I highly recommend (don't bother with the 3-D version though, can't say it overwhelmed me). We watched the starling flocks gather over the (wrong) pier as the sun went down, on a ridiculously warm evening.

Monday was spent at Marwell Zoo, which has to be my new favourite zoo. They have a great collection of animals, including plenty that you don't normally see in zoos (snow leopard, bat-eared foxes, fossa, and various smaller cat species). Definitely worth a visit if you're in the area, particularly for their huge African Plain exhibit. I'm always a sucker for penguins though :)

Penguin chasing my hand, complete with bubbles...

Pygmy marmoset being small

Amazonian milk frogs being awesome

Cheetah having a rest after chasing the land train

Further update to follow on stuff wot we saw in Dorset...

Quick catch up...

After over 7 weeks with no internet I am finally able to update my blog. Not that I've really been up to much that's very exciting. Me and the boy are heading south for the next week, hoping to have a well-needed rest and get outside a bit more.

Meanwhile, I'll leave you with some photos I just found from a trip to Oare Marshes at the end of September...