Whoop! Whoop!

While I was in Berlin I got a message from Dave Gray that there was a Whooper Swan at Watermead Country Park South. When I finally got my arse into gear today I mosied on down there. The weather was lovely and mild, indeed the shorts made their début for the season. Let’s hope the weather stays mild enough to keep wearing them…

While it may be warm today, it certainly wasn’t bright so here are record shots only.

Whooper Swan

Whooper Swan

The Black-headed Gull numbers have dropped significantly since I’ve been away with only 600 or so and a small number of Common Gull, mainly 1W and 2W. Seeing as they were generally staying on the water I had no rings to read.

 

I’m In Love With German Football

Got a train out to Cottbus today to watch FC Energie Cottbus take on local rivals FC Erzgebirge Aue in a local derby. Plenty of German riot police were in evidence as we made our way from the station to the ground. Why I’m really not sure, maybe there’s a bit of morbo between the clubs, I don’t know.

Inside the ground the atmosphere was excellent, the Cottbus ultras behind the opposite goal were in good voice all match. It’s a pleasure to see fans get behind their team at home in a way you don’t see back in the UK. Darren, Richard and Martin said the atmosphere at Union Berlin last night was even better.

Bundesliga 2 football is a bit hit and miss but we witnessed a good game that ended 2-0 to the home side.

First We Take Manhattan

Then we take Berlin.

For the first time in my 47 years I’m off to Germany tomorrow and Berlin in particular. Really excited by this as it’s always a Country and City I’ve wanted to visit. The Germans do a few things well that I like… they make good sausages, make good music and play good football but most of all the brew good beer. I will, all being well, sample all of the above.

For my football however it looks like we’re going to have to head into the former DDR to watch Energie Cottbus.

Surprisingly for some English the Germans also do good comedy.

Finally my favourite song about Berlin… I give you The Sex Pistols and Holidays In The Sun.

Deutschland über alles

Memorable Birds – Common Yellowthroat, Scilly 97

News broke on Thursday of a wintering Common Yellowthroat at Rhiwderin near Newport on Thursday. Predictably a lot of birders needed the bird and soon Birdforum was alive with posts. I had a few texts to see if I was going and some had asked if I’d seen the 97 bird? Well, due to work I clearly couldn’t have gone yesterday and I would have had to sweat it out this morning. As I post there’s still no sign this morning.

All this made me think back to 1997 – my first year on Scilly. Dave Gray and I had taken the train to Penzance on Friday 3 October 1997 and stayed over before taking the Helicopter next morning. After checking in with the infamous Linda at Strand House we got changed into shorts and got out birding. A walk up to Telegraph got us off to a good start with a ringtail Hen Harrier that settled on Samson for a few days but no sign of the American Golden Plover.

There were a couple of lifers for me on Bryher (Yellow-browed Warbler and Common Rosefinch, I’m almost embarrassed to say) so we took an afternoon boat over as the forecast didn’t look too good for the next few days. Due to the tides we got off the boat via a plank and a wade ashore at the bottom of Samson Hill and headed up the island towards the Vine Cottage. Almost immediately we flushed a Lapland Bunting from the path which flew away over towards Samson.

I soon had two lifers under my belt as the Yellow-browed Warbler and Common Rosefinch showed well in the same garden. We got the boat back from Anneka’s Quay and headed back to St Mary’s and back to Telegraph. This time the American Golden Plover was showing well with a few of its common cousins.

Next day the rain started and we flogged around getting bugger all. Monday was even wetter but we tried our luck over on St Agnes. Soaked I found a lovely cafe in Higher Town. It must have closed that year or in 98 when I didn’t visit as I’ve never found it since. Cafe was stretching things a bit as it was really a woman’s kitchen but the soup and roll has never been bettered on the Islands.

Tuesday and Wednesday were complete wash-outs so the liver took a beating and we got chatting to the likes of Bernie Beck and Tim Lawrence in the Bishop & Wolf. Thursday was still wet but the wind had dropped and we could at least get over to Tresco where I ticked Black Duck and where we added Great Spotted Woodpecker and Common Crossbill to the Scilly lists. Still bloody good birds over there.

Predictably as the weather improved birds were getting found and it wasn’t too long before a mega alert went off: Common Yellowthroat Lower Moors but elusive. Arse! Even though the sun was now cracking the flags the trip back to Mary’s was wet. Wet! Wet! Wet!

Dave and I ran like fuck through Hugh Town leaving a Hansel and Gretel style trail of water as we went. As we got to Lower Moors, Neil Howes and Tony Shepherd greeted us with the just shown well and we almost fell off the Helicopter on to it smugness that makes you want to punch someone. Dave and I then pretty much stripped down to our vest and pants and draped everything over our waterlogged scopes to dry (Bushnell Spacemaster anyone).

After what seemed like an age we waited and waited and waited while our clothes gently steamed in the hot sun and then… pow! Up poppped the bird only a few metres away and what a bird. A real stunner.

Common Yellowthroat

Common Yellowthroat

Photos by Tony Collinson

Next morning I was up at dawn and apart from a few other birders I spent a good hour alone with the bird showing almost continuously. Happy days.

Argentinian Government Accuse The Drunkbirder Of Escalating Falklands Crisis

Today the Argentinian Government accused The Drunkbirder of posting provocative songs by The Macc Lads on his blog which has contributed to a rise in tension over the Sovereignty of the Falkland Islands.

In a tit-for-tat move the Argentinians sent Carlos Tevez back to the UK to reek havoc in the Premier League.

Gulling – The Ugly Truth

Someone somewhere commented that Gulling means something very different in the ‘dogging’ world so a quick google for Gulling brought me to the Urban Dictionary. Lo and behold, gulling does have some rather interesting meanings…

1. Gulling

Practised at dogging venues. The audience that is watching the participants ‘dogging’ in a vehicle masturbate, having achieved ejaculation collect thier result in hand and flick it on the ‘doggers.’

Elliott wrote ‘ gulling is addictive, it ruined my life. I lost my job, my wife, my house, all thanks to becoming Gullman”

2. Gulling

Popular pastime involving a third or extra party or parties in a dogging scenario, where ejaculation is achieved onto the doggers’ car window in the style of a passing gull.

“You’re looking great, love, look how many gullers gulling we’ve got.”

3. Gulling

The practice of standing on the edge of a cliff/rubbish dump with a fish inserted into the anus to encourage gulls and other birds to swoop and retrieve the fish for food, thus pushing the participant over the threshold.

‘Jamie needs a good gulling after beating me at poker last night. After that I’m going to tattoo ‘Napalm Death’ onto his neck.’

Personally I feel number 3 is a little fanciful but regular Larophiles might tell me I’m wrong.

TC55

Sounds like a Bowie song but actually it’s another colour-ringed Black-headed Gull from Poland. This bird, white TC55 was ringed as a 2+CY in June 2009 at Pryzkona Reservoir, Radyczyny, Turek in Poland.

Black-headed Gull TC55

This sighting is the first time the bird has been reported to the ringing project since it was ringed 125km South East of Poznań.

Pryzkona Reservoir

Do The Poznan

On Friday after work I dropped in to Watermead Country Park South to have a look at was about and specifically have a look for colour-ringed Gulls. There were a few Black-headed Gulls wearing colour rings that Dave and I both recorded. A 1W bird was ringed with a white ring T5PP. This morning I got back some information on the bird which was ringed as a pullus at a site at J.Łęgowski, Wągrowiec near Poznań in Poland.

Black-headed Gull T5PP

On the map, the green arrow by the place marker marks the spot.

J.Łęgowski, Wągrowiec, Poznań

The bird was also reported by Steve Lister twice in December 2011 at Rutland Water.

Prior to this I had only ever heard of Poznań because of Lech Poznań and their now much copied goal celebrations that were started back in 1961.

Beans, Beans, Good For Your Heart

I had a text this afternoon from Dave Gray to say the Tundra Bean Goose was on his WeBS count. That could only mean it was in the Watermead Country Park North/Wanlip Meadows area. I was unable to get hold of Dave on his mobile so I set off towards Wanlip. On the way a Birdguides message came in to say the bird was back at Wanlip North… buggeration!

I headed up there but no sign of any Geese. I had then missed a call back from Dave who was again unreachable for a while. When I did get hold of him, he ‘fessed up to putting out duff gen on Birdnet, so back to Wanlip Meadows it was. The goose flock was in the field by Church Road in the village.

As it was getting on for 15.00 and the weather was deteriorating I’m afraid any digiscope shots are pretty poor. The 17 European White-fronted Geese were easy to pick up but the Tundra Bean Goose too some finding as I was right at the back of the flock and constantly getting obscured by the Greylags.

European White-fronted Geese

Tundra Bean Goose

Brown Owl

For a while now when I read the monthly LROS sightings Excel file there’s usually a reference to a Tawny Owl showing in it’s ‘usual tree’ near Billesdon Coplow. I contacted the most regular contributors of the news and got an email back with some excellent directions.

After quickly completing my WeBS count, Leigh had volunteered to help this morning (one Moorhen, four Black-headed Gull and three flyover Mute Swan, ice makes my job so much easier) we headed off to look for the Owl. The reports said it was best looked for late afternoon and that he hadn’t seen it in a morning.

Parking up we looked back and there was the Tawny Owl, in full view. I managed a few digiscoped shots but the light was quite murky and over that distance the Coolpix P5100 really isn’t up to the job… focussing is very hit and miss.

Tawny Owl

Leaving the Owl we headed off to Cropston Reservoir to look for the reported Smew from yesterday. Jim Graham was doing his WeBS count but hadn’t seen any Smew. Three stunning male Goldeneye did make us both wonder if yesterday’s ID was correct…