Coo-eeee!

I have been to Norfolk this week, and haven't even had the time to write about it before disappearing elsewhere. Such are the demands of running a zoo.


Spent a very pleasant couple of days around Norwich/the broads with the boy, and managed to grab a couple of life ticks in between various zoo-based commitments (lesser-spotted woodpecker, common crane, tree pipit, eider and stone curlew).

For today though, I am in the Lake District en-route to Mull, and very nice it is too...

Birding quandry...

To tick or not to tick?

Somewhere in here is probably a dartford warbler...

The other week at Minsmere me and the boy saw a dark passerine with a long tail fly between three different gorse bushes along the seafront before hiding in that bush. After circling at it and staring for about 15 minutes we had to give up and walk away from the magical disappearing bird.

The problem is, if it WAS dartford warbler this would be a lifetime first for me, despite spending many an hour looking for the things before. So where you'd be happy to year tick a blue tit etc by it's call alone, or by a glimpse flying in front of you, for a first record this doesn't feel like enough.

We have since looked at the "recent sightings" leaflet given to us at Minsmere, and it included a dartford warbler along the seafront, so this is most likely what we saw. Still doesn't sit comfortably and throws up the question of what contitutes a good enough view to be sure what you've seen. Does anybody have any suggestions what else it could have been?

I think I might put a light mark on this one in pencil, and make it my mission to see a better one before the year's out. Dartford warblers are still annoying in 2010 it seems.

All was not lost though, I got a life first in the form of a very entertaining group of marsh tits. The boy took the photos as I was putting all my effort into carrying the scope and that. As such there is only one identifiable photo in circulation. Enjoy...

Out in the big wide tank...

You may remember I had some baby fish a while ago. You probably don't and if you do, you probably didn't really care that much when I told you, but I found it quite exciting. The four babies quickly turned into two, but they've both survived for nearly a month now. They're still pretty small, but figured they were slightly bigger than the mouth of a Gourami, so it was time to let them spread their fins and see how they got on with the rest of my fish.

They've lasted about 15 minutes so far, and now they seemed to have worked out the current in the tank, they seem to be doing okay at the moment. Well, one is hiding behind the thermometer looking shit scared, but the other one is doing some good investigation... I'll keep you posted of course, whether you're interested or not. I tried to take some nice photos just in case I underestimated the size of a Gourami's mouth, but it turns out a tank in a tank is hard to focus on. I've posted them anyway for your viewing pleasure :)

the baby fish when they were stupidly small (I particularly enjoy the one at the top eyeballing the lens here)

baby fish before being released to the big tank (with helpful minnow for scale)

Scope Initiation

After last weekend I think I can consider my scope broken in now. After buying a shiny (and too expensive) tripod in Rainham on the Saturday to complete my kit, me and the boy headed to Minsmere on the sunday, for our first proper big trip of the year. Having never been to Minsmere before, this trip is probably a bit overdue, but I don't think we really saw it at it's best. Bit late for winter stuff, bit early for spring stuff. Oh well.

The scope successfully passed it's initiation ceremony though. Bushes dropped in- 2, puddles stood in- 12, hide roofs smashed into- 3, birds seen- 5ish, Sea spray covering- thorough.


I might tell you more about this trip later, if I get the time...

Just When You Never Thought This Day Would Come...

Birding Upgrade 2.0 in progress. Oh Yes.

Birding Upgrade

I feel like I have been somewhat betrayed by the weather forecasters this weekend. They lied to me, promising monsoon-like conditions, so as a result I spent most of this morning sleeping/lying around in pyjamas drinking tea and eating croissants, resigned to the fact that my planned exciting weekend walk would be pointless. But this rain never really materialised... I think the best we got all day was a light shower, and most of the time it was little more than a drizzle. Poor effort really...

All in all this was a bit of a shame, as I'm generally stuck behind a desk/on a train during the week, so I look forwards to getting out and about on the weekend, regardless of whether I see very much. I'll just have to make sure I go somewhere particularly awesome next week to make up for it.

Anyway, all was not lost this weekend- I have upgraded my birding potential this weekend. In preparation for a trip to Scotland later this year, I decided it was time to buy myself a scope. I've always scoffed at the idea of getting a scope, and never really fancied the idea of having to lug one around with me, plus I'm generally always out with the other half who lets me steal his if there's anything interesting worth looking at. However, with sites like Hanningfield and Abberton it would be a definite advantage, and seeing as how I'm going out more regularly now, it's not like I wouldn't get my moneys worth out of the "investment".

So after some deliberation I went for the angled mighty midget m2, with a 12-36x zoom lens. I opted for this scope for the obvious reason of being a tiny woman, who would crumple under the weight of a "proper" scope, and knew that I'd be less likely to use it regularly if it turned my outings into a weight-lifting exercise. I just need to find a tripod that's light enough and short enough for me and I'm sorted. Photos will be included when I have the time and the inclination...

PS- Don't think that this means I'll start going out seawatching or anything silly, I haven't changed that much.

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....