*Cough*, *cough*, *splutter*

Finally, my path has coincided with that of a few northbound Sand Martins,... which is nice. The high-tide at Goldcliff also produced 1 Turnstone, 6 Avocet, 2 Spotted Redshank, 1 Greenshank, 1 female Merlin and hardly any birders (well surprisingly few, given it was the third highest tide of the year and there might be things to see, things with feathers,... things that may be of some passing interest).

Even more interesting, however, was the drive home punctuated, as it was, with an Aurelio free-kick, an oh-so deserved sending-off, and another clinical Dossena finish,... lovely.

Now I am become Death...

I have had the worst cold ever for the last few days and I've had enough. This morning I coughed up something the colour of burnt golden syrup which a. knocked on the inside of my teeth to get out; and b. probably possessed a soul.

Anyway, being the unstoppable birding machine that I am, after a morning pestering Siskins, I Lemsipped to the max and pottered off down to Goldcliff. Apart from a Chiff calling in one of the hedgerows there was not the slightest sniff of a proper migrant. Did experience a mini-predatorfest though with Merlin, Marsh Harrier, Peregrine and Sprawk all putting in appearances. The Merlin chased its potential passerine prey halfway to Newport, repeatedly stooping at, and missing, its dinner until lost to view somewhere Nashwards. The wader highlights included 7 Golden Plover on the first lagoon and the long-staying Spotted Redshank and Greenshank.

Managed to get back just in time to start feeling like shit again; blogging does not help eye burn so I shall now away to the medicine cupboard via the drinks cabinet, I feel a brandy/night nurse cocktail coming on. I wonder whether I can invent a concoction that induces Sand Martin/Wheatear/Garganey hallucinations?

Somewhere in deepest Narrrfolk...

This is uncanny, it is precisely how I imagine an editorial meeting at the Birding World office. It's as if we're watching Stonerunner/Sea Lawn CCTV, although I don't suppose Messers Millington and Gantlett have a dog named Brian but, apart from that, it is exactly how I imagine the Birding World office on a Monday morning,... please say it's true.

[NB. The inclusion of a Family Guy clip should not, in any way, lead the viewer to think that Fox, News Corp. or Sky (or any of the numerous Rupert Murdoch inspired media outlets) are anything other than a bunch of arse-gravy spouting, chicken-choking weiner-wackers. They just pay a lot of money for cartoons.]

Eeeeeeeeeeeeyaaa da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da

This post will be all the better if you hum the 'Dambusters March' at this point. If you think comparing Little Egrets with Avro Lancasters is a little far-fetched, click here to watch 633 Squadron attacking the Deathstar.

Awayday

A quick trip up to God's acre produced Ring-necked Parakeet, Dartford Warbler, Red kite and all manner of nephew/niece action.

The wilds of Uskmouth

Staked out Reedbed 8 late this afternoon/evening in the hope that the Bittern might flap across in front of the viewing tump; didn't happen, but both Hen Harrier and Short-eared Owl did put in appearances. However, the highlight of the tripette was seeing Pob doing a circuit of the cycle-path, I tried to stop him for his autograph but he just blew a great big raspberry and cycled on muttering "Pob, er Pob, er Pob, Pob, Pob, Pob,..." By the way, his hair has changed colour and his legs are much bandier than they used to be (or perhaps he was riding a much smaller person's bike, or perhaps it was some bloke that just looked like Pob [if you struggle with 1980s children's TV references see here]).


The view from the tump (tump, tump, tumpitty-tump [note to self: must use the word 'tump' more often]), I can't work out if this photo is evidence of: a. nature's resilience/rebirth against the odds; or b. the ever smaller corners of the UK into which nature is shoe-horned.

PS. Who is it leaving little piles of cheap bird seed on the fence posts down there? Do we have some sort of Hänsel und Gretel fetishist stalking the reserve? I do hope so.

St. Hogwart's in the Marsh?

Saw this on the BBC footy gossip page and thought you'd like to know (the BBC hacks obviously saw it elsewhere too),...

"Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand and his fiancee Rebecca Ellison have arranged for a barn owl to swoop down the aisle and deliver their rings in a velvet pouch when they get married in August. (Daily Mirror)"

How classy is that?!

Sorry,... tacky,... I meant 'How stupefyingly, cloyingly tacky is that?!'

Better correct myself, you could get arrested for such blatant misuse of the term 'classy'.

Siskins shmiskins

Quite a few Siskins knocking about at the moment. Last time this happened I had birds to/from Norway, Highland, Merseyside and Herefordshire in the garden; bugger all so far this winter. This lot are showing the usual variability in post-juvenile moult though, anything from 1-8 old greater coverts on the first winters.

A couple of pics from this morning, top adult, bottom 2nd cal year. Note the differences in the tertials, greater coverts (GCs 1-5 and 10 retained juv feathers in the bottom pic), alula, median coverts (outermost is a retained juv feather in the bottom pic), primary coverts, primaries and secondaries.

Roger the hybrid II

Having wasted the morning taking my G5 Powermac to the Apple hospital, I decided to waste my early afternoon on another trip to see the Rogerstone hybrid, and it went a bit like this,...

[Enter Roger the aythya hybrid, diving energetically in the canal]

Me: Mr. 'Scaup', I believe?
Roger the aythya hybrid: Yes — Scaup by name, Scaup by nature. [keeps diving]
Me: Yes... if you'd like to remain motionless for a moment, Mr. 'Scaup'. Please be still. Now, Mr. 'Scaup' you are, I believe, auditioning for the part of a free-flying sub-rarity?
Roger: Right.
Me: Now, Mr. 'Scaup', I couldn't help noticing almost at once that you are a one-winged duck.
Roger: You noticed that?
Me: I noticed that, Mr. 'Scaup'. When you have been in the business as long as I have you come to notice these things almost instinctively. Now, Mr. 'Scaup', you, a one-winged duck, are applying for the role of a free-flying sub-rarity — a role which, traditionally, involves the use of a two-winged bird.
Roger: Correct.
Me: And yet you, a unidexter, are applying for the role.
Roger: Right.
Me: A role for which two wings would seem to be the minimum requirement.
Roger: Very true.
Me: Well, Mr. 'Scaup', need I point out to you where your deficiency lies as regards landing the role?
Roger: Yes, I think you ought to.
Me: Need I say with overmuch emphasis that it is in the wing division that you are deficient.
Roger: The wing division?
Me: Yes, the wing division, 'Mr. Scaup'. You are deficient in it — to the tune of one. Your left wing I like. I like your left wing. A lovely wing for the role. That's what I said when I saw you appear. I said ‘A lovely wing for the role.’ I've got nothing against your left wing. The trouble is — neither have you. You fall down on your right.

Two things I didn't notice during yesterday's brief stop: 1. the right primaries are well and truly clipped, Gosh knows how I missed this; and 2. the bill does darken somewhat towards the base (the Pochard option looms slightly larger in the rear-view mirror).

Rogerstone 'Scaup'

Dropped in on the reported "male scaup duck" at Rogerstone this afternoon. As anticipated, it wasn't a Scaup but it was more interesting than it might have been, cynical ol' me was expecting a Tufty. The bird appears to be an escape, it allows very close approach and readily swims to within a few feet for fodder, I don't think any rings were present though. It looks pretty good for Tufted x Scaup but, given a captive origin and the variation in mixed aythya offspring, back-crosses, etc., I suppose ruling out input from Pochard, Lesser Scaup or even something as exotic as New Zealand Scaup, etc., might not be possible.

Just in case you want a little more detail the bird is larger than a Tufted and quite broad in the beam. The bill is long and broad with an extensive black tip, a sub-terminal white 'crescent' and an inverted black, ill-defined, 'U' on the culmen on an otherwise blue bill (no significant darkening at the base). The iris is medium yellow. The head has a quite steep forehead, short blunt crest and extensive green and purple sheen (green largely restricted to the ear-coverts, purple largely restricted to forehead, crown and nape); overall the profile is much more Scaup than Pochard-like. The mantle is finely vermiculated blackish, appearing medium grey at a distance; tertials black with greenish gloss; flanks very finely vermiculated pale grey, appearing off-white at any distance. The breast, neck, uppertail, tail and undertail all appear black. It didn't wing stretch during my short visit; a pic of an open wing would be useful should anyone feel inspired to get one.