MONSTER !!!

No I am not talking about Ducatis !!

Gotta give a presentation next week..... so this afternoon I was sat in the office trawling the Internet for a half decent picture of a lesser redpoll that I could half inch and slot into my powerpoint.....

I typed redpoll into google images and it came back with this......

MONSTER GROZZER !!

It made me laugh out loud, so I thought I'd share it with you........ imagine opening your curtains one morning and seeing that thing sitting on your birdtable !!

Low Newton, 24th Jan 2009

Today I did a quick visit to Low Newton, and it gave me a chance to try out a new camera....

I needed to get a decent camera for work, so on the advice of a couple of mates I hunted down a Panasonic lumix FZ50..... Then in true "bloke with a new toy" fashion I ignored all of the instructions, stuck it on the automatic settings and went out pressing the button.....

Results were mixed, I think maybe I need to read the instructions this week !

Spot the purp...

Waders

On the beach at Low Newton a large flock of waders included 37 purple sands, 10 dunlin and a grey plover. Offshore there was a red-throated diver, 2 scaup, 3 mergs and 3 common scoter...

The ring on this mipit looks quite big to me...

Could this be one of them chunky European "A" rings, or have I just got an over active imagination ? Probably the latter....

Around at Newton Pool there were just a few ducks..... 1 female merg, 7 goldeneye, 2 gadwall, 2 shoveler and a about 50 teal.... I took a few snaps but they were all too distant for this new camera really...

Ducks !!

Finally I visited the walled garden...... Here there were a number of blackbirds and song thrushes feeding on windfall apples, also 2 bullfinches..... I fumbled about trying to get the camera out and get a snap of them, but I wasn't quick enough, so I took this instead....

Blackbird with a ring....

I was surprised to read a report in the hide of green-winged teal on the 7th Jan... WTF !!!

Because this report was right next to a report of "a frog" !!...... plus I never heard about this bird...... plus I failed to see this bird.... plus I haven't seen any supporting photos.... plus I still need this for my "Newton list", etc etc..... The Newton Stringer self appointed one man rarity committee declares this record.... REJECTED !! ....... well until I've seen it anyway !!

The beach at Low Newton by the Sea

Long Nanny, 18th Jan 2008

This is why you really shouldn't digi-scope with a non flourite scope !!

Cosmic lookin reed bunt !!

Its official, my scope is crap !!

Yep..... my leica APO 62 that I use for digiscoping has gone back to the factory for repairs, the lens coating has slowly come off this year and its now in Germany getting sorted (I hope). Leica have sent me a standard televid 62 to keep me going, its ok to look through, but if you try and digiscope it sends you cross eyed and gives everything a healthy pink glow !

So.......due to my general laziness, a crappy scope, heavy workloads and heavier drinking sessions, I've not been out as much as usual......

My motivation has been seriously lacking......I'm having a mid winter lull....... the weathers been horrible..... its the middle of winter and all the birds seem pretty settled...... I keep telling myself there could be a king eider or ivory gull just around the corner at Newton....... but who am I kidding...... If I find either of those at Newton this winter then I will eat my motorbike !!

I went out to the Nanny on Sunday and I'm only just bothering to write a post now..... that's how slack I am right now !!

Anyway......I went to the Nanny and saw not a lot really...... highlights were 1 female long tailed duck, 3 red throated divers, 17 common scoter and 3 kittiwakes !! No twite, no snobs, no raptors.....etc !

During the afternoon I threw my energy into the ringing site again, a bit more coppicing, more net ride work and some planting too.... One of my next jobs is to dig a shallow drinking pool amongst the scrub for all those lovely migrants........

Oh...... and there was a barn owl floating about the ringing site too... which was nice !

Low Newton, 10th Jan 2009

Just a quick one today.......

No birding this weekend, but I spent Saturday doing some much needed management work in my ringing site.... Extended my favourite net ride and coppiced a few old willows to get them in good order for that dusky warbler I'm gonna catch there in a couple of years.... can't wait !!

I was in the site for 3 hours and had 1 robin, 3 bullfinches, 2 blackbirds, 2 blue tits and a goldcrest for company......

More about turds... and I don't mean vagrant thrushes...

As some of you may have noticed, I'm not too scared of free speech, especially if its my voice that's loudest !!

Anyway I had an interesting e-mail today from a reader of the blog regarding all that disgusting shit on the patch, thought it would be interesting to publish someone elses opinion here for once..... so here it is....


"I'm a regular (almost daily) reader of your blog ... as I am with most of the Northumberland birder's blogs ... and it's fantastic to keep in touch with God's own country that way.

I'm also a northerner (Durham, not Northumberland) in exile down in Shropshire who happens to be fortunate enough to spend 3-4 holidays per year up in Northumberland/Durham (Teesdale & Weardale).

In fact, we only returned on Saturday from a week's holiday just outside of Seahouses ... again!
Fingers crossed that I will eventually get a job back "up home" ... but I work in IT and well paid IT jobs around Alnmouth/Newton/Beadnell/Seahouses/Bamburgh are a bit rare .... failing that my wife and I plan to retire up there in 5-10 years time once the kids leave home.

I couldn't reply to your blog posting because I'm not a registered user, hence this email.
So, "born and bred Northumberland loving Geordie and very amateur bird watcher" credentials established, it's my time for a rant.

Is there anything that we (me, wife and teenage kids) dislike about that part of the world. Well, the kids would probably say "the cold and lack of shops" but perversely my wife and I like that ... but the bane of our visits up there is the dog shit!

Now, we have a dog and we take her everywhere with us (which is why we only holiday in the UK and Ireland) and we always (and I mean always) clear up any mess that she might make when we are out. But we have noticed that the vast majority of dog owners in the Northern part of Northumberland seem to think that it's OK for their dogs to shit everywhere .... and that they don't need to clean it up afterwards.

We walked along from Low Newton to Dunstanburgh on New Years Eve (we love the walk - embarrassed by 14 year old daughter showing the snow buntings on the beach that I'd missed whilst scanning the sea with my bins - and like to finish up at the Ship for a drink). We also noticed more dog shit around last week than normal, but as much as you might not want to hear this, that was the case everywhere ... and the problem isn't holiday makers ... it's people who live up there (even if some scummy holiday makers added to the problem).

Seriously mate, I have no idea why this seems to be a much worse problem in Northumberland than it is in most other places we visit ..... but the people that live up there need a serious case of Pol Pot style re-education about cleaning up after their dogs.

Please don't blame the dogs ... please don't blame (all of) the holiday makers with dogs .... don't blame the local councils for the lack of dog bins (we found plenty) .... you may need to look a bit closer to home for the real culprits.

Sorry if that offends you, but I believed that your (kind of valid) rant needed a balancing response."



In response to this response, I would just like to say that..... Yes..... OK...... some of you have spotted that I am very prone to "turd rage", I come home from a day of turd dodging in a flippin stinkin mood, fire up the computer and let rip !!

I do mean a lot of what I say.... I think its disgusting, unacceptable behaviour..... and when I am wound up I am definitely the kinda person who would fly off the handle, get into a punch up on the beach, and then shove a turd in someones face !!

Having said all of that.... the truth is I don't really want to kill any dogs, although I still firmly believe that the owners who don't clean up after their dogs should all be horribly tortured and then forced to eat shit !!

I am not a dog hater.....or a dog owner hater...... in fact I am sat here typing this with Finbar (my missus's very girly white fluffy pompom bichon pooch) sat next to me !!

I do get frustrated tho..... If my missus can carry around a bag whenever she walks her dog, clean up after it, and put it in a bin, why can't everyone else ? Its not a big deal, it just boils down to very selfish behaviour.... by some VERY SELFISH FUCKWITS !!! ......... ooooops..... steady on stringer, nearly went off into another rant then !!

..... Think calm thoughts..... gentle mountain streams, trickling over boulders..... with dippers bobbing on them........ Ahhhhhhh.......... that's better...........and relax.....

So, finally I do know for a fact that one of those very selfish fuckw....... ahem..... I mean, very selfish people,.....does live locally, so it is locals who are responsible too, not just the visitors..... Rest assured that if I ever catch them red handed leaving a big pile of shite I WILL HAVE MY SAY !!

........ Just one more thing, can you get arrested for shoving dog shit in someones face ?

Long Nanny & Newton Pool, 4th Jan 2009

FUCKIN STUPID BASTARD DOGWALKERS !!

I don't know whats happened over Christmas, but its like the entire canine population of Northumberland has been bought to Low Newton to empty their bowels !!

I am totally fuckin sick of this selfish dog owner behaviour, walking the footpaths along the coast today was like walking through a mine field of dog turds..... SHIT ABSOLUTELY EVERYWHERE.... It's totally fuckin disgusting....... the wankers responsible for this mess should be made to eat it !! In fact next time I see someone failing to clean up their mutts shit I am going voice my opinions and suggest that they eat it !!

I really cannot believe that dog owners can be so selfish in such well used public places, I saw kids running around today between the turds, and the final straw was spotting a huge pile under a sign that said a fine of up to £1000 was possible for dog owners who don't clean it up....

WHO ENFORCES THIS ?!!..... I'd like to enforce it in my own way, involving a force feeding the owners a shit sandwich and the immediate execution of the guilty mutt.... if this was the law I wonder how many turds we'd see ?

Anyway rant over..... it's always good to get things off your chest and and now I feel a lot calmer..... honest !! ....... Grrrrrr........ Filthy bastards !!....

Must think calm thoughts........

Take a deep breath........... ahhhhhhhhh............. and relax.........

OK..... birding...... In between dodging all those disgusting turds today I found some time for birding......

I started off at Newton Links, in the dunes quite a large number of thrushes included, 2 mistle thrushes, 5 song thrushes and 7 blackbirds all feeding around a pile of manure !! The weedy margins to the paths here held a few chaffinches, goldfinches and 2 bullfinches.....

Goldfinch in the dunes

Down at the Long Nanny the flock of twite now number 17, also on the saltmarsh were 2 rock pipits.....

Twite

Rock Pipit

On the shore here 2 snow buntings were associating with 2 dunlin and ringed plover !!

Snob...

In Beadnell Bay there was a male long tailed duck, 4 common scoter, 7 goldeneye and 2 red-breasted mergansers..... At the southern end I found the remains of a Long-eared Owl.....

Ex LEO...

Back up at High Newton I checked the flood in the hope of a jack snipe..... no joy but there were a few snipe, a male peregrine, and 17 whooper swans flew north

Not a jack snipe....

Down at Low Newton a good variety of sea ducks were drifting about the haven, 5 common scoter, 1 velvet, 3 scaup, 5 red-breasted mergansers and a good number of eiders....

Scaup

On the shore a decent gathering of waders included 12 purple sandpipers and 2 barwits.

Finally at Newton Pool it was all quiet apart from around 200 honkin great greylags, and that bar headed thing. A small number of dabbling ducks here included 2 gadwall, 2 wigeon and about 50 teal.

Percival G Crump

Periodically I receive correspondence from that old skool ornithological legend Percival G Crump....

Often his words of wisdom are enlightening, such as his expert opinion about the glaucous-winged gull that I received today....

Your name = P.G. Crump, MBOU, FRS, UK500 Club etc
Your e-mail address =
Your comments... = WHAT HO STRINGER!

Good to see you're mobile (although Darth Vader boots are great). Can you imagine phoning birdline and getting the news from Darth - "in the furthest corners... heavy breathing... of the known Empire ...heavy breathing... unconfirmed reports of a......heavy breathing... dopey looking gull..."

Was the Glauc winger a TICK???You should have celebrated with Burberry clad quick scrambler bike session on the tip through the Wagon Wheels wrappers and offal flusshing it and all other winged denizens of the gull tribe to the skies.

If I was a G-w Gull (oh I wish) I would definitely top myself. And quickly. Weirdly dopey depressed looking in bred birds. Thought I had problems. Nice primary tips though if that's your thing.

Thanks for the nubile canoe woman in Gambia photos. Is that really your girlfriend or a well paid actress? Any chance of more pics of her wearing a nice pair of Leicas (rest optional)?

Ah, ah, got you there only joking Stringer. I'm not really a birder perv (although telescopes do come in REALLY USEFUL at times). Lovely gal I'm sure - no offence meant.

So, felicitations of joy in this new year. Just don't get TOO FECKIN BASTARD ANGRY BOLLOX SCRAPINGLY UPSET every time you miss a patch tick in 2009.. you will have cardiac problems.

Toodle pip
Crump


Click this link to see a picture and short profile of

Percival G Crump

from a past birding trip.

ARRRGGHHHH !!!! GULLS !!!...... AGAIN !!!

Some of you may remember about this time last year I went a bit "gull crazy".....

Well it's that time of year again, and when news came through yesterday evening of a "probable" glaucous-winged gull in Cleveland, of course I couldn't stop myself........

This morning at 8.45 I found myself stood in a layby on a busy main road, in the bitter cold, dodging the spray from heavy goods vehicles, and looking at a ploughed field next to a rubbish tip...... classic gull habitat !!

An hour went by with no joy, so myself and TC both tried to string caspian gulls.... you know, just to keep everyone occupied !!

At around 9.30 a stonkin 1st year glaucous gull put in an appearance....... close but no banana...

Then at 10.30ish a call went up and we all focused in on this.........

FUGGIN ELL !!

Now all along I had been sceptical about this bird...... I saw the only 2 pictures of this bird on the Internet last night, I have to admit one showed it with open wings, the patterning on the primaries looked "spot on" for glaucous-winged gull, however the other pic made the bird look small, and its head shape and bill were difficult to judge, if anything tho I thought it looked herring gull ish.......

When I clapped eyes on the beast today it looked nothing like those pics ! Larger than the herring gulls, big deep chest, and a small headed appearance...... in flight it just looked large, deep chested, with broad based wings, closer in structure to a glaucous gull than a herring....... BLOODY HELL !!

Now I have never seen this species before and can only go on what I have read, and photo's I have seen, but I have to say it all looked pretty good to me...... My only concern was that it appeared to a pale iris at some angles, however after a bit of research it turns out glaucous-winged can show that too.....

We watched this bird for about 15 minutes before it was flushed by a bird scarer on the tip and vanished into a cloud of thousands of swirling gulls.....

So..... We decided to retire to a local cafe for a full on greasy fry up with all the trimmings, and a closer look at our gulls literature...... On the way there we spotted this.....

Nice !!