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.

Good Riddance 2009

I never profess to be a "proper" birder and am rubbish at keeping track of what I have actually seen, but what with the other half going on about falling short of 200 this year, I thought I'd sit down and work out my bird list for 2009.

2009 total: 173

life list: 182

Not too bad really considering the general lack of outings in the second half of this year, and that I missed out on my big autumn holiday. Generally 2009 has been totally shit, so 2010 doesn't have to try too hard to be an improvement really.
Highlights for 2009 include a pair of montagu's harrier, barn owls, penduline tits, a bittern flying right over our heads, and spoonbills (which are always awesome). Oh, and the robin in Hanningfield attacking Parus. My favourite birds of 2009 had to be the white storks in France, but due to their frenchness don't count to my total. They are just ridiculously big...
Birds missing from my list that really shouldn't be include whooper/berwicks swans, eider, garganey, any exciting herons, golden eagle, osprey, red kite, dipper, lesser spotted woodpecker, dartford warbler, tree sparrow.... loads basically.
The aim for 2010 will be to make the big 200, and if the trip to Mull goes ahead this should be easily achieveable. I would also like to get a decent sight of a kingfisher, to make more of an effort with seabirds, and to finally work out whether or not brambling are a myth. More importantly, I would like to see this "smart looking black and red bird" that my mum claims to have seen in our garden. If we have a bullfinch here i want evidence!

The target zoo-wise will be to try to get away from my desk a bit more and take some photos of all the awesome stuff that lives there. We have a new male gorilla that is shaping up to be a handsome chap, and have had plenty of very cute babies of late. Personally I have my fingers crossed for mini aardvarks.


So here is to a better 2010...

In Which I Actually Went Outside And Saw Some Birds...

Conscious of the fact that I haven't really had much to blog about of late, I figured it's about time I posted something a little more topical (as nice as christmas biscuits are of course).

I saw some birds today. More specifically I saw a really big, dark and mean-looking gull sitting on the Thames in Rainham...


Tempted by the offer of lots of tea and a panini, me and the boy headed to Rainham for lunch, and got some pretty good views of a great skua floating downriver and flying back up a few times while we were there. Having very little patience for things like sea watching, seeing birds like this is always nice for me. Especially when I'm inside a nice heated visitor centre with a cup of tea. Awesome :) I don't think I'd pick a fight with this bird, he looks pretty mean and I'm told that they like to pick on gannets for fun.

It was cold and miserable, and I currently have a cold and was feeling a bit miserable, so didn't bother going onto the reserve but it looked good and wintery. Plenty of ducks, gulls and waders everywhere including at least 6 pintail on Purfleet pools. This is where you think I'd put a photograph of said pintail, but what with all of the cups of tea and the panini I forgot to take one. Instead, have a photo taken of a blue tit at Abberton in October which I don't think I bothered to write about because this person beat me to it. Also I was upset about the squirrel.


I went to Swanage for a couple of days after Christmas with the family, but hardly left the flat really so no news there. It was lovely and sunny the whole time though, so had a nice walk along the seafront. Just need to figure out a way of making money then I'm moving to the sea...


I'll try to make more of an effort to tell you more about birds and zoos in the new year. A trip to Thrigby Hall and Norfolk in January will help with this...

oh well...

Looks like my christmas present to me didn't go as hoped,
albeit unsurprisingly...

Greetings from Amazon.co.uk.

Unfortunately, the release date for the item(s) listed below
was changed by the supplier, and we need to provide you with
a new estimated delivery date based on the new release date:

Lars Svensson, et al "Collins Bird Guide"
Estimated arrival date: March 10 2010 - March 12 2010