Winged beasts

Not a lot doing this afternoon; a few Blackcaps at Redwick were followed by a couple of Pegs, a couple of Stonechat, a few Snipe and a Cetti's at Magor Pill. All told, it was pretty dire on the bird front. Luckily, I did see a big bloaty dead cow and a communist angel. Unluckily, the photo of the big dead bloaty cow came out crap, so...


NB 1. Please note the angels down-at-the-mouth demeanor, this is common among angels as they live with the terrible irony that, whilst they possess wings, they can't actually fly, lacking, as they do, a sternum and an appropriate flight muscle bulk to enable a large, solid-boned biped to fly. In fact, strangely, they totally lack the anatomical architecture, as supplied by evolution to other flying organisms, to fly. If only they had believed in Darwin.
NB 2. For this particular angel, the tale is sadder still. Close inspection of the neck region shows a rather large amount of repair work which had to be undertaken after the poor chap/chappess/he-she (does angel sexuality confuse anyone else?) attempted to hang themselves (the damage was blamed on local youths but we know the truth).

Swanning about

No Bewick's Swans at St. Brides this morning, just the same 50 Mutes in the same field they were in on the 11th. Different story in the Usk valley though; the Bewick's were with Mutes, Canada Geese and a solitary Shelduck just north of Llangibby Walks. Unfortunately, the field they were in is miles from the nearest viewing point, didn't even see a colour ring, let alone read the darn thing.

Let's be serious for a moment

The proposed shortlist of Severn estuary energy schemes was announced on Monday. Unfortunately, the government are already attempting to rule out the tidal stream and tidal reef/fence options (potentially the least damaging) on engineering grounds; no scheme has been ruled out on ecological grounds. As per usual, it would appear engineering/economic/business concerns are being afforded more weight than the ecological/environmental issues.

The public consultation exercise runs until 23rd April and consultation responses can be filled out online here, make sure you have your say.

The initial responses of the major conservation bodies are listed below for your information (just click on the name):

CCW

RSPB

The Wildlife Trusts

WWF

Personally, I think a 'green energy' scheme is inevitable but a barrage is going to completely fuck the estuary (that's a technical ecological term btw) and will be used by the likes of the Welsh Assembly, local planners, 'developers' and poxy little local business consortiums to further purely economic (and unsustainable) goals such as: 1. a "golden triangle" of development between Cardiff, Bristol and Brean; 2. another road bridge across the Severn; and 3. a significantly expanded Cardiff Airport.

Like I say, wherever you live (this is an internationally important site), have your say now and at every future stage of the process. I'm sure your MP, MEP, AM and local councillor would also like to hear your views too.

Edson Arantes do Nascimento,... or maybe not

Saw this on the Transfers January 2009 section of the BBC Football website:

"Pele [Porto - Portsmouth] Loan"

Avoiding the oh-too-obvious 'isn't he a bit long in the tooth,... even for Portsmouth' gag; I would like to nominate the naming of this poor unfortunate footballer for the 'Making a rod for your own (or a close family member/friend's) back award 2009'.

Deed poll my little footballing fellow, deed poll.

American Swallow-tailed Kite!!!

Have you seen this?!

Oh me, oh my, what will those magical little isles turn up next?

PS. Are you thinking "Pity there isn't a little bit of background in these pics"? Then you are a very, very cynical birder and should be much more trusting,... no really, you should.

PPS. Remember, there is only one thing to do,... learn the language of the flea, earn their trust and breed with their women,... or something like that.

Wild swaaans

I am reliably informed one of the Bewick's in the Usk valley is the proud owner of an, as yet unread, colour ring. So, if you are swanning around between Llanllowell and Llangibby Bottom, keep 'em peeled.

Is it all a dream?

By the time I got to Goldcliff, the Glaucous Gull was parading up and down the far bank of the first lagoon, all very nice, if not the crippling views experienced earlier. A third Gwent tick in as many weeks, outrageous! I have two competing (though not mutually exclusive) theories for this unprecedented run of good(ish) birds: 1. we are using up all our 'good bird credit' in January and the rest of 2009 will break records for ornithological turgidity; or 2. I am actually laying on an intensive care ward in a boredom induced coma and what I am experiencing as half decent birding in Gwent is just a complex neurological reaction to the drugs they are giving me in a valiant attempt to bring me round (a la 'Life on Mars'). Only time will tell which is true,... stay tuned for the next gripping installment...


Pesky gull kept gettting in the way of my cutting edge Lapwing photography.


How to miss seeing a Glaucous Gull fly over your heads by counting Snipe on the back lagoon.

The tide is high but I'm holding on

Given the number of years it has been knocking around, and as it's the closest thing we have to local avian celebrity (especially now the Ring-necked Duck appears to have shuffled off this mortal coil and joined the anatidaen choir invisible) I for one (or two, depending on how the pills are working) think this bird should be invested with a moniker. If our little leucistic friend had been male I'd have suggested 'The Lapwing with no name' or 'Blondie' but, as she is of the feminine persuasion, I'm thinking Deborah (Debbie to her friends). All those in favour say "Aye".

The right duck

A quick visit to Goldcliff turned up the Green-winged Teal on the back of the 1st lagoon. At first sleeping on the far edge, it soon woke and proceeded to join in with a small group of 'normal' Teal displaying to any passing female that would stop to watch,... bad boy, dirty boy, to your room!

The Ring-billed Gull was missing from Lamby and the Lesser Scaup evaded detection at Cardiff Bay (though Slavonian Grebe, Greater Scaup, Goosander and Chiffchaff did show); the Cosmeston Bearded Tit wasn't so coy and, as per, paraded around like the little attention whore it is.

Lesser, Common and Arctic Redpoll showed spiffingly at Cardiff Museum, albeit rather stiffly in boxes with neat little labels attached, but they did show.

The wrong American duck

That 'Weekend Birder' has struck again. Off I head for a day out in Berkshire/Surrey when, whilst watching the Yankee Wigeon at Lower Farm GPs, the phone rings - Green-winged Teal, Goldcliff, county first. All chipperness garnered from having found the americana bobbing before me evaporated (not that I'd usually draw chip from following someone else's directions to a long-staying duck but it was not the standard piece-of-pissery I thought it might be, due to woeful planning and an equally woeful lack of navigation aids the previous 30 mins had witnessed the birth of a new sport 'orientbirding'). Luckily, I then remembered I couldn't give a tinker's cuss about my Gwent list and spent the rest of the afternoon trying to think of an Olympic sport beginning with 'n' (not including netball), a type of soup beginning with 'e', a car model beginning with 'o' (but not Orion, Omega or Octavia [was there a Audi Orifice?]) and a singer beginning with 'x'.