Sittin' when the evenin' come

An hour at the point resulted in precisely no seabirds. It was so tedious I found myself watching the passing boats which got me wondering, how do they name vessels nowadays? I only ask because there's a tug over at Avonmouth or Portbury called SS Brunel's Knackers and a yacht called The Lady Chlamydia drifted up-channel on the tide.

At the pools Knot and Common Sandpiper were the 'best' of the southbound migrants whilst the Ruddy Shelducks and a Barnacle Goose were the best of the escapes.

A gob full of inverts, nice... but not as nice as a couple of veggie burgers in crusty baps with a crispy salad on the side.

Fly the Jolly Fish

There just aren't enough pirates in the world today, must remember to regularly swash my buckles, now,... where did I put my three-cornered hat? That is, my hat that has three corners,...

Interesting facts regarding pirates:

1. Did you know that humans evolved from pirates? Apparently humans share around 95% DNA with monkeys, and more than 99.9% DNA with pirates.
2. Global warming, earthquakes, hurricanes, the suppression of local rarities and other natural disasters are a direct effect of the shrinking numbers of pirates since the 1800s.
3. Real pirates use cutlasses, those “pirates” in the Indian Ocean are guys with machine guns, cruising around in power-boats. They’re not pirates. And the song-downloading “pirates” are smelly nerds, and therefore not real pirates either.

All the above facts and more earth-shattering pirate related enlightenment can be found here.

Spot the birdy

For those who didn't get out birding today, here's your chance to relive the unadulterated excitement of the pools this evening. You're on the third platform, the dudes have left, you're scanning the gull flock, and... ker-ching,... a little ray of Mediterranean sunshine.

The supporting cast was a few passage waders (1 Grey Plover, 2 Green Sandpipers and 70 Black-tailed Godwits) and our two friends from central Asia or Slimbridge (or whatever cage they crept out of).

Meg Ryan circa 1986

The Ruddy Shelducks are still stealing the show down at Goldcliff but there were a few passage waders knocking around too - 1 Knot, 3-4 Green Sands and 50 Black-tailed Godwits were about the sum of it though.

PS. And irrelevant title of the year goes to...

Weatherflash

Looks like it's going to be a bit muggy.

Sound-a-likes

One of the above dazzles with flashes of creative genius out of leftfield, the other is wondering what to do once his contract with Liverpool expires.

In lieu of a trip report

As I am far too busy/ill/lazy to write-up anything approximating a trip report, here is the species list from my recent holiday. I doubt it'll keep you from the tennis for long but it does include all but one of our primary target species (and Plain Leaf Warbler was probably always a bit of a big ask).

The bitter end

A day on the deltas (Ceyhan and Tarsus) produced White-breasted/Smyrna Kingfisher and Greater Sandplover. These two, and another three waders, have booted the trip list to a respectable 205. All in all a flipping good trip, all bar the fact that my stomach currently sounds like a washing machine and I haven't eaten for two days. Good ol' Turkish cuisine,... almost as reliable as Turkish driving.

What price one of these down at the wetlands?

200 up, man down

Bagged Black Stork and Red-tailed Wheatear today which has resulted in the trip list hitting the 200 mark. Unfortunately, I have succumbed to some, as yet unidentified, ailment and spent the day drifting in and out of sleep. Now all pilled up, I hope for a return to form in the morning,... we will see.

Not so rosy

Tried the Murat river valley for cranes, etc., unfortunately, as with every other major river we have seen the Murat is being stripped of it's aggregate. Two of the three former 'Demoiselle islands' had JCBs sat on them (despite the IBA status of the site), the agriculture in the area also appears to be intensifying, not looking good for the future for virgo here. Lots of Rose-coloured Starlings though (must think up a caption for the pic).