Thursday
22nd September fresh to light SE Rain –
AM, sunny - PM
A
morning of heavy rain gives way to an afternoon of sunshine and calm.
Before the sunshine arrives though a common rosefinch shows well in
the Fair Isle Bird Observatory garden.
South
Haven beach has plastic bottles large and small on it as well as dead
adult and 1st
year gannets. I remove the former and place it all in a skip.
Back
at the Observatory garden a couple of yellow-browed warblers are on
view, as well as blackcap and lesser whitethroats.
More
warblers are at the plantation; yellow-browed, willow and a chiff
chaff.
Even
more are at the small enclosed reedbed of Meadow Burn; 4
yellow-browed, a reed, a willow and a lesser whitethroat. A nice
selection.
With
bin liner in hand I make my way down a precipitous slope, down to the
beach of Steensi Geo. A full bin liner hardly makes a dent in the
mass of plastic found here.
Along
the coast north, Lee Gregory has found a red-breasted flycatcher. I
find it and point it out to the Ribble Bird Tour group. It's flashing
white tail patches show up well at distance.
Back
on the road I take the road towards Shirva and have a bluethroat with
a blue necklace for company. It walks just in front of me and flies
to a nearby fence.
Friday
23rd September Fresh to Strong SW Very sunny
A
yellow-browed warbler is still in the plantation and the short-toed
lark is still by the water tanks. The little bunting at Field though
is a new bird. It hasn't got a bird louse attached to it's right eye!
A
stomp through the Da Water marsh gave me a flying moorhen but no
crake.
Then
a dash. Humpback whale off the west coast. I can see people climbing
one of the Raevas and Tommy Hyndeman is already up there with a
telescope. Unfortunately the whale doesn't come around Malcolm's Head
and the group of hopefuls dwindles until eventually I am alone on the
edge of the cliff. A very small baby rabbit comes out almost at my
feet. He keeps looking around at me and quickly disappearing down a
hole only to reappear at another hole not too far away. Eventually I
manage to stroke it! Cute little thing.
Back
on the road there is a whinchat that lacks a tail. I call him Winny.
My first linnet since arriving on Fair Isle is at Chalet as I pass.
Saturday
24th September Strong SE Heavy rain nearly all day.
Soaked
on the way to the Obs', soaked on the way back home. I spend the day
preparing to give a talk about Green Birding and rehearsing a new
version of Morecambe & Wise's Bring Me Sunshine song with Sarah.
A
break in the rain but not in the gale gives me an opportunity to
collect the plastic from the South Haven beach and also get up
Buness.
One
can never tell how a talk goes down with an audience but some seem to
have really enjoyed it. Each member of the audience receives a
songsheet on the back of which are a number of links for further
information. Both I add here for your perusal.
Bring
Me Sunshine – Fair Isle style :-
Bring
us Sunshine
Eastern
winds
Bring
us birdies
Wing bar wings
In
this world where we live
there
should be more happiness
so
much joy birds they give
there'll
be Yankee birds tomorrow
We'll
be happy
Full
of tears
Celebrating
lots
of beers!
Let
our arms be as warm
as
the Sun from up above
Bring
us birds
Bring
us sunshine
Bring
us Love...
and those all important links to
things to do with Green Birding :-
Birds People Climate
Change Health Adventure/Challenge
Walk, cycle, canoe . . . .
Big Sit..... Big Foot. . . Big Day...... BIGBY
BOOKS
Green Birding Book by Richard
Gregson - Amazon from 60p used!
An Unforgettable Challenge by
Gordon Barnes (£5 in the Fair Isle Observatory shop!)
RECORDS
Dorian Anderson 2014 - 616
species WORLD GREEN YEAR RECORD
Ponc Feliu Latorre 2013 -
304 species EUROPEAN RECORD
Gary Biking Birder Prescott
- 292 species (3 months 6 days still to go)
Ponc, Juan, Gimiso and Aleix
– 182 species in a day in May 2015
Chris Mills & Nick Moran
2011 - 144 species in a day
( Gross Big Green Day –
Birdguides article )
Youtube videos
:
Scott Robinson
recounts his and Ted Parker's world record 1982 Birding Big Day In
Peru
Biking For Birds –
Dorian Anderson
Positive Thinking
Morecambe and Wise sung by the Leighton Moss RSPB Choral Group
Bring Me Sunshine
Leighton Moss RSPB Choral Group
Relevent
Blogs: (find using Google)
World of Green Birding, Records, Articles and photos
Birdgirl,
Mya,Rose Craig
Biking Birder Blogs
for 2010, 2015 and 2016
Chaskawasi-
Manu – link on my blog page. PLEASE HELP
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The
book mentioned, An Unforgettable Challenge by Gordon Barnes is
available from the Fair Isle Bird Observatory shop and details
Gordon's life as a crofter and birder on Fair Isle from 1960 to 1975.
A fabulous read for £5; if anyone would like me to post them a copy
then please message me and I will see how much postage and packing
would be to add to the £5. All proceeds go the Bird Observatory.
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