I was inevitably reminded of one of the best scenes from "Father Ted" this afternoon during a visit to Martin Mere - small, but fairly close, the breeding Tree Sparrows were nice to watch.
However, very, very far away, the drake American Wigeon and the female Wigeony thing it has in tow, popped up again, this time from the Harrier hide.
The birds were right at the back of the marsh, so not showing too well at all...
Good to see the pair as they make their annual "spring" pilgrimage through the North West again though.
And while I approve of the surreal in all things, I'm still not convinced the Harrier Hide itself is the best design to watch birds out of.
A lovely and unique construction without doubt, with lots of local "bog history" boards for the young, but I'd hate to be in there if something mega turned up and that was the only place to watch it from.
Maybe next time, the WWT could built a great big replica of Dali's "Lobster Telephone" and we could all try to get our scopes out of the pincers - it'd considerably easier than using the Harrier Hide.
Eyes to the skies everyone, eyes to the skies...
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A massive stock take of summer wildlife is to take place this week as the RSPB launches its new survey, Make your nature count.
Running from 8-14 June, it is the first time the charity has asked people to count the wildlife in their gardens over the summer. The RSPB hopes Make your nature count will build a picture of the wildlife visiting gardens and define how important gardens are for some of our breeding birds and summer migrants.
It's not only birds people are being asked to record. The RSPB also wants to know about some of the other wildlife visiting gardens, like frogs, toads, squirrels and even badgers.
At this time of year, gardens are alive with young birds and the RSPB is asking people to record blackbird, robin and song thrush chicks. Song thrush numbers have declined by 50% since the 1970âÂÂs but in recent years have started to make a bit of a recovery (1). Counting young birds will help give an indication of how successfully they are breeding across the UK.
This year, the RSPB celebrated 30 years of its Big Garden Birdwatch (2). More than half a million people took part. Big Garden Birdwatch has identified trends among wintering bird populations, and itâÂÂs hoped Make your nature count will provide a similar snapshot of summer wildlife.
Matthew Capper, who co-ordinates Make your nature count in Northern England, said: âÂÂEach year hundreds of thousands of people take part in the RSPBâÂÂs Big Garden Birdwatch. Afterwards they always ask for more. Well, this year thatâÂÂs exactly what weâÂÂre offering. The chance to tell us about the wildlife they see in their gardens over the summer.âÂÂ
Alongside common birds such as blackbirds and blue tits, the RSPB predicts good things for goldfinches. Since 1994, numbers have increased by 39% and are increasingly being seen in gardens, possibly due to more nyjer seed being used in feeders. (1). Long-distance migrants like swift and house martins are also likely to be seen in flight over gardens.
To take part, simply spend one hour during the week of 8-14 June, counting the birds and any other wildlife that visit your garden, and record the highest number of each species seen at any one time.
For further information about Make your nature count and an online survey form visit, http://www.rspb.org.uk/naturecount
Alternatively, Make your nature count forms can be obtained by phoning 0300 456 8330. The hotline number will be operational until 10 June 2009.
To celebrate National Volunteers Week 2009, we are thanking our volunteers for the work they undertake for the various BTO surveys, and highlighting the importance of this work. It can make a real difference for BritainâÂÂs birds and the habitats they live in.
For examples of this please see the comment by Andy Clements, Director of the BTO. http://www.bto.org/notices/thankyou.htm
Paul Stancliffe