Nightjar
Nightjar (photographer not known)
I held a Nightjar tonight!
I can’t believe it!
I’m delirious!
Emotionally overcome!
I’ll talk tomorrow!
First Whinchat for the autumn
No awards for this Whinchat shot!
I strolled from my home to The Scrubs again this morning as the motor is currently on the operating table at BMW Mini. It took 40 minutes. Whilst walking I suddenly realised that I could have caught a tube and been there in a fraction of the time. I guess the walk did me some good, besides I took the train home after.
The sun was shining and there was a bit more movement in the trees with Willow Warblers, Chiffchaff, Whitethroats and Blackcaps heading the cast. Saw a Hobby hunting distantly and found my first Whinchat for the autumn on a thistle amongst a bunch of Goldfinches.
Back at home responded to a multitude of emails and finished my belated Scrubs Report for June/July. I’m going to be off to Istanbul at the end of September hopefully to witness the fabled migrations that they get. It will be another addition to my city visits in Bird Watching Magazine. September’s going to be a good month what with Lisbon and Istanbul.
Tomorrow night I will be off to Thetford Forest to film Nightjars with the BTO for Birdguides. It will be the sequel to my failed attempt at the end of last summer.
Let’s hope that I’m successful.
Everybody needs the sunshine
My day started with my usual trip to Wormwood Scrubs in the hope of finding the next whatever. There was no chance of that happening this morning. The place was deadly quiet under an equally dead looking sky.
I spent the rest of the day either knocking out some tunes on on my twin decks, doing a massive spring clean or hiding being the screen of my recently rehabilitated laptop.
End of story!
Crossed a lot of rivers, seen a lot of land….
‘Life is what happens whilst you’re busy making plans’ is what John Lennon once famously said – or should I say sang. My plans were scuppered when my flamin’ laptop had to be rushed into Apple A&E due to its inability to take electricity.
Whilst it was a way I went to Hull and back as my latest outing for Bird Watching Magazine. My mission was to eek out the urban birdlife in this industrial East Yorkshire city. I was quite surprised to find that there were quite a few sites with the majority being sited just outside of the city.
TUB & the lovely lady at the Wild Bird snack van, North Cave Wetlands, East Yorkshire
I was shown around town and the surrounding countryside by Les Johnson of the Hull RSPB Group which culminated in a tasty sausage butty and a cup of peppermint tea in the spitting rain at North Cave Wetlands. The following day I treated myself to a trip to that famous birding mecca, Spurn which was some 30 miles from Hull. I hired a hairdryer (a basic tiny car) for the purpose.
As typical for this English summer that we’re experiencing, it was a blazing hot day, a complete contrast to the day before. I met warden, Andy Gibson and had a great chat. He told me about some other interesting sites within Hull itself, plus some Spurn birding folklore.
A controlled Garden Warbler at Spurn
The lighthouse at Spurn Head
Since I last wrote anything in this blog I have become a patron of Spitalfields City Farm. I nipped over there today after football to be shown around. I also learnt that my proposed trip to Istanbul in late September to observe the migration through this historic city had been approved by the Turkish tourist board.
Finally, next weekend is Bird Fair – the Glastonbury for British Birders. I will be there all weekend as on Friday I will be participating in ‘Call My Ruff’ and on the Saturday I will be delivering my talk on Wormwood Scrubs in the morning and amongst other things, I will be on the RSPB stand in the afternoon to take some kids pond dipping.
So much to do and so little time.
Plus I have been watching The Scrubs practically every morning with Hobby, Garden and Sedge Warblers seen on an almost daily basis.
Summer
After last night’s heavy downpour, I was really hoping for a nice fall of migrants with a couple of cool scarcities like a Common Redstart or Pied Flycatcher. Three Willow Warblers were all I could muster.
It was a humid though quite dismal day until late afternoon when the sun decided to come out.
Come on. Let’s squeeze a summer out.
Cuckoo!
The Scrubs this morning
This morning’s light drizzle felt good. I had a good feeling – surely I’d find a nice migrant or two. Common Whitethroats were much in evidence at 6.30am this morning whilst I strolled through my realm with at least 25 frequenting the embankment and grassland area. I also found another Sedge Warbler, perhaps the 4th in as many visits. A hobby flashed along the embankment and tried to unsuccessfully ambush a mixed flock of Goldfinches and Starlings.
The cloud cover broke and by this point I was walking across The Scrubs’ football pitches. As I looked up I noticed an adult Cuckoo flying fairly high heading south. It suddenly plummeted and dived into the trees of Martin Bell’s Wood.
This bird constituted the second ever autumn Cuckoo and the first ever autumn adult. I was well happy, especially given that none were recorded during the spring. Mind you, there was no one on The Scrubs to see anything at the time anyway!
Today, I got signed up to give a talk to the Potters Bar RSPB Group in February next year. I’m going to do my “A Year In Wormwood Scrubs’ talk that I will be premiering at Bird Fair. Speaking of which, I was invited onto the ‘Call My Ruff’ team that will be in action on the Friday. My fellow contestants will include my mates, The Dilge and Nick ‘Bug Boy’ Baker.
Here’s to embarrassing myself!
Tomorrow’s another day
I just seem to be getting busier and busier these days. I’m spending hours in front of a computer screen knocking out word after word. Some days I almost miss the days when I didn’t write a thing and spent more time dreaming.
Speaking of dreaming, I didn’t make The Scrubs this morning but that was due to work pressures rather than laziness. I’m actually programmed to wake up at 5.30am every morning which is great timing for the impending migration season.
Roll on the dawn.
The Smell
When will my first Northern Wheatear show up?
The autumnal scent is now wafting into the air. After visiting The Scrubs on Friday morning and this morning I noticed that there was a discernible change in the avian atmosphere. Over the two mornings I counted at least 22 Common Whitethroat many of which feeding large fledglings as were the Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs. This morning was good with a returning foraging Willow Warbler, a brief glimpse of a Garden Warbler and five Sand Martin headed north east over the embankment – a scarce bird here.
I’m glad that I have refound my mojo when it comes to The Scrubs and I intend to go every morning weather and commitment permitting.
Sum totals
Another wet and horrible morning (despite the above picture). The weather guys truly had us going, what with their barbeque summer crap.
This morning into the early afternoon was spent shooting with a production company in the streets of Soho and in Regents Park. Luckily the rain held off for us.
That was the sum total of today.
Trumpets
.JPG)
Great Burnett (Dave Renham)
I’ve just realised that July is rolling to a close and there is little chance of me hitting The Scrubs for a proper birding session until August. I feel utterly ashamed. It’s like I have abandoned a child or eaten the last biscuit in the tin. Okay, during June there were large periods of ultimate laziness on my part that kept me away, but in fairness I was out of town a bit. Tomorrow morning I will be shooting in central London (though I will shoot briefly at The Scrubs in the late morning) and on Thursday morning I will be journeying to Bristol. That leaves Friday and will probably be pouring with rain!
Over the last couple of days I wrote a book review for Anthony McGeehan’s book ‘Birding From The Hip’, became the patron for an inner city farm, got invited to attend the British Birds magazine Bird Photographer of the Year presentation and The Great Bustard Group’s celebration of the hatching of some chicks – both at The British Bird Fair. Also, the latest issues of both Bird Watching Magazine and BBC Wildlife are both carrying articles written by me and the latest London Wildlife Trust’s magazine has a piece on The Urban Birder.
Enough trumpet blowing!
London Natural History
The morning of my London Natural History Society walk to Barn Hill/Fyrent Country Park dawned and for a change I got up early to recce the country park. I wanted to make sure that the walk wouldn’t be too long for any disabled, elderly or extremely young participants. My pre-walk resulted in a fleeting view of a Hobby flying off with prey in talons.
Come 9.30am the majority of the eventual 27 people had turned up and we had a very enjoyable walk.
A Smooth Newt found under a log in Barn Hill
Me & my mum
Speckled Wood
Seven-spot Ladybird
TUB chatting about Fryent Country Park
Both these areas are totally underwatched, so it would be nice if someone was inspired enough to cover them.
Sweet victory
.JPG)
European Robin (Chris Adlem)
At last I tasted victory. The loosing tide was halted and we recorded a resounding victory against the old adversary – an adversary whose nucleus I have played against every Saturday for the past six years. Celtic v Rangers every weekend.
After our post match breakfast instead of indulging in a well earned siesta, I traveled to Barn Hill to recce for tomorrow’s walk that I’m leading. For your information, Barn Hill and Fryent Country Park are in north west London partially situated in Wembley. The former site a wood that I used to be forced to do cross-country around as a school kid. The latter site is an area of grassland with ancient hedgerows dating back to the middle ages.
Bird-wise there was not much of note. Hopefully, there will something to look at in the morning.
Coming along
Goldfinch (Dean Eades)
At last there is a small light at the end of the tunnel, although it is still but a pinprick. I finally put together the visuals for my Bird Fair talk with the help of photographer, Dean Eades. The concept of putting together and submitting the visuals so far in advance is a bit alien to me, but I do understand the logic.
Earlier this afternoon I was the chief judge in the photographic competition that I was telling you about yesterday. It all went smoothly with some pretty good photographs talking the top prizes.
I spent the earlier part of the day slaving behind a computer screen, desperately trying to catch up, whilst listening to nearby adult Greenfinches trying to coax their youngsters out of the nest. By the way, I know that I have depicted a Goldfinch and I’m chatting about Greenfinch but I really like the picture.
We’re all entitled to bit of poetic license now and again!
Slight panic
A Puffin
I had a productive day apart from the fact that I’ve not completed the slideshow for my talk at Bird Fair. It has to be with them by Friday – which basically means posting it tomorrow, which means putting it together tonight which equates to PANIC!!!!
I’m presenting the prizes at the RSPB/Transport for London ‘Mind The Bird’ Photographic Competition tomorrow night and I was informed earlier that I have to prepare a short speech.
Time to go and write!
Graft
+copy.JPG)
The Scrubs, looking east
An interesting day today.
It started with the obligatory lie in bed until 8am. To be fair, it was pretty dismal outside with the usual rain. I wouldn’t have gone to The Scrubs if I’d gotten up early anyway.
Later, I had a fairly successful meeting alongside my agent with a big production company. They seemed impressed by The Urban Birder ethos and keen to move things on. We shall see.
I am feeling slightly swamped at the moment due to the inordinate amount of tasks that I have to complete – like pronto. First and foremost is the presentation for my Bird Fair talk – which needs to be with them by Friday. Also high on my priorities is my 2007 London Bird Report records for Wormwood Scrubs.
That should take all of 10 years to compile!
Results
The usual story prevailed this morning with an imaged 5.30am start ended up as 8am. I did the final tickles on my Firth of Forth piece for the RSPB and pressed the send button. It’s very difficult to condense a cruise down the Firth, the birds and the people in just 500 words. The moment you start you have to rein yourself in and finish up. I found writing that piece pretty tricky, but I got an email later during the day from the editor of RSPB’s Birds Magazine saying that they thought it was ‘just the job’. Result.
Today I also received the itinerary for my reconvened Portugal trip that’s planned for September. Among the places that I’d be heading to will be the Tagus and Sado Estuaries. In the autumn they will promise to be amazing birding destinations.
Finally, still on a travel tip, I had a meeting with a South African organisation who want to ship me out to a game lodge out there in October to sample the wildlife and do a spot of filming.
Double result.
I’m only sleeping
It should have been easy and pleasurable. Instead it was arduous and laborious. Yes, I was talking about getting out of bed early to go to The Scrubs this morning. The alarm chimed at 5.30am and after dreaming that I was out of bed and observing a first for Britain at my patch, I finally woke up and hauled myself out of bed at 7.15am.
Some 20 minutes later I was stalking the realms of my patch feeling unusually energy sapped. I even had to sit down on a bench for a short while. This was my first visit for several weeks, so it was nice to see the grassland in such a healthy state with an abundance of thistle that I haven’t seen for several years. Indeed, there were in excess of 150 mostly juvenile Goldfinches (accompanied by a handful of Linnets) feeding on them. Along the embankment were family parties of Whitethroat and Blackcap and I noticed a male Lesser Whitethroat chasing a juvenile Goldfinch.
Of course, I shouldn’t have been at The Scrubs at all this morning. I should have been 3 miles away not in bed but exploring Barn Hill & Fyrent Country Park. I’m leading a London Natural History Society walk there next Sunday and I really do need to get my act together and do a recce.
Both sites are contiguous and situated north east of The Scrubs in Wembley Park/Kingsbury quite close to the more famous Brent Reservoir. I know both sites very well having birded in them since I was a kid. Barn Hill is essentially a wooded hill that certainly in the past held Lesser Spotted Woodpecker and the country park is an area of grassland segmented by hedgerows, some of which date back to medieval times. It’s a totally underwatched area and one I definitely would have been covering more had I not discovered Wormwood Scrubs.
Looks like I have some homework to do next week.
Trading
It was a terrible morning on the football pitch. We lost miserably 8-3. This loosing business is becoming a bit of a habit. I must add though, that my team are not terrible players. It’s just that we keep on loosing!
After my customary post brunch with the lads siesta, I ventured to the local trendy deli situated near the Portobello Road for a hot chocolate. I couldn’t find a parking space so I parked on a yellow line outside the store. The best hot chocolate maker in the shop was outside selling slices of pizzas from a stall. I sent him back into the shop to knock out my beverage whilst I took over manning his stand. In 10 minutes, I sold 15 slices of pizza, got an invite to a barbeque and discussed the poor value for money that Oystercards represent with some tourists from Marseilles (the oldest city in France, I’ll have you know!).
Fresh back from my trading I spent the rest of the evening at The Urban Birder Towers plotting and planning and watching a bit of TV (including a seeing fascinating documentary on Cheetahs on Discovery).
Nature – human and otherwise – is so fascinating.
Dizzy rascal
A bad move involving the consumption of chocolate raisins last night resulting in me feeling pretty unwell the following morning with another episode of my weird headache-less migraines. I was pretty dizzy for most of the day.
I finished my RSPB article on my recent trip to the Firth of Forth only to decide not to press the send button and re-look at what I had written. Hopefully, I will be happy enough to ship it out over the weekend. I received the PDF of my BBC Wildlife Magazine piece on wildlife sites in London and was pleasantly surprised. It will be sale in a week or so – the same time as my Bird Watching Magazine piece on Manchester.
I ended today behind my computer screen in front of the TV with half an eye on Family Guy. What a fun way to finish the day!
Slowly getting there
Forth Bridge, Edinburgh, Bonny Scotland
Once you stop doing a blog for a while it takes time to get back into the swing again. I find myself wanting to give you all a blow by blow account of my recent trip to Finland and show all one thousand pictures of bears in various poses. But I suppose time has moved on.
Last weekend I was in Edinburgh to board a cruise along the Firth of Forth for the RSPB to observe Puffins and seals – which I did. You’ll have to read about it in the November issue of Birds Magazine.
Tomorrow I will return to my usual informative blogging mode.
I promise.