It was one of those stupid afternoons when you know you've tried to fit too much in, and then wonder why you're breaking the sound barrier in the car, whizzing around trying to get it all done.
Get through traffic snarl-ups out of city as fast as possible. Tick.
Visit mother. Tick.
Put up surprise skull and crossbones flag on front garden of 5-yr-old godson's house while he's at school. Tick.
Buy smokes. Tick.
Make dinner. Tick.
Eat dinner. Tick.
Go birding....Tick.......managed to check out Plex Moss and the Withins later in the afternoon, but with the vegetation and crops shooting up, it was hard to pick much stuff up, especially in the strengthening westerly breeze.
Station Road at Barton still has loads of House Sparrows, but Lapwings, Yellowhammers and Corn Bunts were in short supply on Plex.
Several parties of House Martins feeding over the crops there.
Three Curlews on the Withins were interesting, especially in the light of Mr Bannon's recent tetrading in more easterly areas of Lancs - my birds were non-breeders surely, but I don't know about the superb Buzzards hanging in the wind there.
Several small groups of Shelducks now, with singing Whitethroat still and a few Red Legged Partridges - but no Greys today.
40-50 Swifts hawking over the Withins too.
Life is short. Bird often.
Eyes to the skies everyone, eyes to the skies....
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BTO fundraisers hope that an auction of
second-hand bird books will raise ã30,000 for the new national Bird Atlas
project. The sale will take place at Keys' of Aylsham (Norfolk) on Friday
20 June and will be the biggest fundraising event with which the BTO has ever been involved.
Book-lovers can bid on 20 June for books from one of the finest collections to come onto the market recently. They will be joined on the phone and internet by bidders from around the globe. It is expected that a number of lots will each raise several hundreds of pounds and that the auction will raise ã30,000.
This collection of books is being sold in aid of the British Trust for
Ornithology's Atlas Appeal, which currently stands ã380,000 short of its
target of ã1,150,000. The appeal will fund a joint BTO-led project to
survey the birds of the British Isles. This is the first such survey for
twenty years. It is estimated that 50,000 birdwatchers will contribute
their bird sightings over the four years of the project. Bird Atlas 2007-11 is a joint project of the BTO, the Scottish Ornithologists' Club and
BirdWatch Ireland.
For further details of the auction please contact Keys' of Aylsham on 01263 733195. The catalogue is published on line at
http://www.keysauctions.co.uk/sale.php?sid=553. For more details about the
books please contact Andrew Bullock of Keys.