Spring we are ready for you now...

I really am done with winter for this year. I think Britain has really entered into the spirit of winter what with all the snow/sleet/rain/freezing temperatures, and that is to be commended. Well done, good effort weather systems. But it's all getting a bit boring... Can it be Spring now please?

I don't want to be a plot spoiler or anything, but I had a look at the weather forecast this weekend in the hope that I might be able to actually GO SOMEWHERE interesting this weekend (possibly further than the cafe at Rainham Marshes, as nice as their paninis are). It looks like the weather gods may well be planning against this, so don't hold your breath...

While we are all waiting for some seasonal progression, have an unrelated but very cute photograph of a baby okapi, with fluffy ears and everything. Think she was born at the end of November, but she's only just started going out and about. Dawww....

I has had a holiday :)

I've had a nice week in the sun with my family, trying to catch up on a ridiculous amount of sleep, and generally try to relax after the crappyness of last year. Yes that is a word.

Specifically, I spent the last week in Taba Heights, Egypt. It's very nice, as long as you are happy not doing too much, which seemed to fit our needs. Would have liked to have seen the pyramids etc and the nile but it's a long way from Taba, so will have to add that to the long list of hypothetical holidays I'd like to have...


All very nice, but I'm sure you're wondering WHAT BIRDS DID I SEE? Well, there is a severe lack of vegetation of any kind, so the place was hardly abundant with a variety of birds, but the palm trees etc around where we stayed ensured an impressive population of sparrows, some house crows, white spectacled bulbuls, one very pretty dark blue sunbird, and some really cute laughing doves.


I want some of these, they do laugh (sounds like a chuckle), they like to eat chips and they're pocket sized. What's not to like?




Of course, the birds weren't really the main attraction, as it turns out the Red Sea is pretty much full of fish, and our hotel was right on top of a coral reef. We went out on a boat trip one day to go snorkeling (with an underwater camera- try to contain your excitement for a later post), but did a fair bit from the beach, and saw quite a lot just by walking along the jetty on calm days. Here are a few attempts at capturing the scene...

octopus

butterfly fish of some kind, I'm not sure which as there are loads.

cornetfish, and a marbled parrotfish I think. These are both pretty big, hard to tell though from this...

The dreaded lion fish, one of which caught me by surprise. As one of the most venomous fish, I wouldn't want to pick a fight with one...

All in all I had a nice holiday, and will try to be a bit more descriptive once I've got the underwater pics. Some more local trips are pending...

Rainham Can Be Good Sometimes (and Other Stories)

As the boy has probably already told you, we finally got round to a proper Rainham trip this weekend, and very nice it was too. Despite the cold, it was clear and fairly pleasant, and I managed to see some stuff that I would have seen earlier had it not been for the snow, like snipe, pintail and cetti's warbler. More exciting things included water rail squeeling from the reeds, picking out one golden plover amongst a sea of lapwings, and finally getting those bean geese just before we were about to leave the site. I always complain about going to the serin mound, because contrary to it's name, I don't think it has any serins. Or dartford warblers. Or whatever it is we ever go there to find. However today was an exception, offering up a big old flock of linnets, then revealing a previously-concealed slavonian grebe and a finale of a barn owl quartering over the fields in front. They're always my favourites, a site can always win me over with a bit of strigiformes... short eared owls would be nice too.

I would add some photos but the boy still has the camera, and although I copied some photos, they're not really too impressive...

This all puts the year list at a rather respectable 92 for the year so far, with Norfolk and Mull trips both looking more likely over the next few months. I think I'm getting better at this birding thing too, it's good to find your own stuff rather than wait for things to be pointed out (although my bird call knowledge is woefully inadequate).

In other news, I have some new additions to my tank... Topped up my corys with three very cute julii, and got some grassy type plants for the guppys to hang around in and look mysterious.


Some even more exciting additions didn't cost any money though...


AWESOME.

My garden and other exciting habitats...

Today I upgraded my feeders in my garden, with tree hooks and peanuts and everything. The birds are emptying the feeders about twice a week at the moment, so thought it was worth increasing my tree's food-holding capacity (yes due to tree-related we only have one tree).

(here is where I would have put a photo of my new feeders, but the boy still has my camera, so you'll have to wait until my next post.)

...Since writing this I think next doors cat got one of our collared doves. They're stupid birds, but I quite like them. They try and fail to nest on the skydish next door every year, with great amusement for me. I went and threw a load of water on the cat and chased it away, but I can't find the bird, just loads of feathers. Bastard stupid hybrid cat thing...

On an unrelated but still important note, you should go and sign this. It's a campaign to protect the Chagos Archipelago (one of the world's largest coral atolls) by making it a marine protected area. It's a group of 55 tropical islands owned by the UK, and is all very interesting stuff. Theres some really interesting videos to watch too, so go have a look.

Happy Birthday Blog

Yes that's right, for some reason I have been writing this thing for a year now. I don't know why people read it but you do, all both of you. So thanks and everything.

I would have done a nice shiny pretty birthday post with awesome photos, but the boy still has my camera. Never fear, my phone shall provide...


Remember my fish tank? It's still there, minus my ram and plus thousands of snails. I've spent most of this evening harvesting a load of snails, but while writing this I can seeReal 10 more that have appeared since. Oh well... I really should get around to getting a few more fish, but need to make up my mind what I want first. Got a nice new book on fish for christmas, which is both useful and highly confusing at the same time.

In birdy news, I got myself a couple of year ticks and a life tick in the form of two tundra bean geese at Rainham over a panini. The differences between them and the greylags were much more pronounced than I expected, with very stripey sides and generally smaller. The other was a yellow-legged gull pointed out by the boy on the way to our band rehearsal, but I can't say gulls really fill me with excitement.

In the absence of any other related photos, have some from last July which I never got round to posting. Both are from my nan's garden, lucky thing.



Wish I could go back to then really. I'll try to make this blog better this year, promise.

Birds in Essex- the Far-Away Bits

Me and the boy skipped off across the county this weekend in an effort to go see some birds, and were pretty successful (albeit not as much as he might have hoped).

Considering the hangover and general sneering attitude towards my identification skills, I was glad to spot the pair of smew and a goosander on Abberton Reservoir while the company failed miserably. Hah. Was a bit miffed that after having being sold on a nice trip to Abberton and then to see the sea, I was then informed that the reserve was actually closed... So no barn owls for me but I at least managed to catch up on most of my waterfowl for the year.

After a quick pub lunch we then moved on to Mersea, which I've never been to before but thought was quite nice (despite the millions of dog walkers). Not a great amount on the sea other than piles of wigeon and the occasional bunch of knots. About 20 common scoter, 2 red-breasted mergansers and some brent geese were among the highlights. Well that and the incredibly rubbish and unfeasibly small dog which ran onto my lap with a "please help me it hurts to live" look in it's eyes while the owner giggled uncontrollably. Stop laughing and pick up your ratdog! Breeding animals that crap is just cruel, you could see it knew it was an embarassment to it's lupine cousins.

Not sure what the year list is after this trip, I'll update you when I can be bothered to count.

Nice Weather For... Penguins?

I seem to be somewhat chained to my desk at work now, so it's easy to forget that I work in a zoo. Seeing as this white stuff seems to be sticking around for a while, I figured it might be about time I got out and had a look at how the animals are getting on. In a purely scientific way of course. Here are my initial findings....

Otters like the snow. They also like people dressed in big green zoo coats, but I think that has more to do with the association of FOOD. Sadly I didn't have food, just a camera. They sussed me out pretty quick.

Foods?!?!

Meerkats don't really like snow. But they do like heat lamps. Fortunately they had this one sorted.


Some penguins like the snow, but I think penguins that are supposed to be in Africa might like snow less than others. I will have to look further into this one.

Not sure if like snow...

This would have been a more extensive study, but I needed to get back in the warm, plus I had lots of random phone calls to answer. I know one thing for sure though- I don't like the snow, it's seriously getting really really boring now. The odd snow day is nice, but this has been more than three weeks of pretty much constant snow, and I'm running out of jumpers... I wouldn't mind as much if it wasn't for the two hour early morning commute every day and the distinct lack of gritting in Havering. Fingers crossed for a thaw tomorrow in time for band rehearsal, and I might even be able to go out this weekend and see something other than a big blanket of white and some angry robins.