November 18, 2004
Quirky? I like that...
Am much reassured to finally hear from someone proving that the infamous foul-mouthed JJ was just a lone(r) and slightly deranged voice raging against an otherwise wholly innocent birding blog. Thank you Dan, you've restored my faith in humanity - especially being from Texas and prepared to speak out against Chimpy the President. 'nuff said!
Have been trying to stick to the new winter resolution of scoping fresh and saltwater every lunchhour, without any notable successes yet. Some lucky sod has found an American Coot on a loch further north, either last year's bird returning or a newcomer. No such luck for me - plenty of bog-standard Eider on the sea, many Tufties and Goldeneye at Clickimin, one normal Coot... such is the stuff of everyday birding in late November here. Highlight (for me anyway) are the Long-tailed Ducks, surely the funkiest of all seaduck? Up to 7 scopable at any one time in Lerwick harbour. Gorgeous.
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Come back soon!
November 14, 2004
It's about birding, stupid!
For the first time ever, a non-birding entry. Just found out that some cretinous arse of an American was stupid enough to take exception to my choice of site-counter, and felt sufficiently incensed to post an abusive comment on the end of the last diary entry...
"What are you some kind of asshole? This is a birding site. Not a place for your lazy ass way of advertising your sleazy law practice if you can call it that!!!"
Posted by Jj at November 12, 2004 07:01 PM
Okay you stupid hick, one or two home truthes - firstly it's a free site counter, so if it comes with an advert for a company entirely unrelated to me then that's none of my business; secondly if you're imbecilic enough to blindly click on every link you find (even the site counter), then you're clearly the sort of credulous tosser who takes everything at face value (presumably someone who voted the chimp-faced environment and liberty-hating president back in again without thinking to ask yourself some searching questions); and finally as for saying that this site has nothing to do with birding, I suggest you take the time to actually read the contents of the blog rather than choosing to wildly click on the pretty little pictures instead and jumping to laughably wrong conclusions.
Go and look at some porn sites instead of bothering me with your ill-conceived drivel. And I'll stick to birding.
I should just point out that almost every American I've met has been charm personified, and whoever this weirdo was is clearly not representative of his or her countrymen. (How did I know our correspondent is American - easy - the frequent and quaint use of "ass" - to us Brits an ass is some kind of donkey; an arse is the sort of person who feels the need to write abusive comments on a well-intentioned birding weblog. A hunch confirmed by a little elementary online research - our friend viewed this blog from the location "12 November 18:58 EarthLink, San Francisco, United States".
But just for fun, you can contact our simple American friend via their thoughtfully provided email address - isn't technology a wonderful thing?
I'm sure they'd love to hear your views on American foreign policy or disregard for the environment... or just any random rant you might have - after all, if they're happy to dish out some wildly ill-conceived abuse, I'm sure they'll enjoy getting some back in return. Aurora Borealis goes fully interactive!
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Disclaimer for the terminally slow-witted - this is nothing to do with the Aurora Borealis content - it's a site counter! Good grief, some people...
November 08, 2004
The owl and the whooper swan
As per usual recently a fairly non-birding weekend, although to be fair things are winding down now and the expectation for rarities is tailing off. JL had a report of a grey shrike sp on Saturday, but couldn't locate the bird, and he's now away to the fishing again, so the island's coverage is dramatically reduced.
Did the Whooper Swan census yesterday, something which our island isn't renowned for producing great numbers - something about swans preferring a certain type of fresh water (oligotrophic/something-or-other-else-otrophic) - and our lochs are the wrong -otrophic. Anyway, science apart, managed a very respectable count of two family parties, one a pair of adults and three young, the other a single adult and two young. A 100% improvement on last year's total.
Yesterday produced a flurry of activity - my two Shetland ponies arrived for grazing and habitat management duties; my new cattle grid arrived to keep wandering sheep off my land (last winter roaming sheep tore down all my chicken fencing), and last but by no means least a dog-walk at dusk produced a Long-eared Owl being mobbed by two Hooded Crows in and around the plantation. Excellent views of this owl from the road as it jinked and swerved midair to avoid the harasment being dished out from the crows.
Have finally made the effort to put my scope with window mount in the car, so will now be able to go out gull/duck watching at lunchtimes for the winter. Surely can turn up a King Eider or similar around Lerwick?
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November 01, 2004
Masked Shrike? Not quite…
Fairly uneventful weekend, as despite last week ending on a nice spell of south-easterlies, I was unable to get out birding at all over the last two days. Am only too aware that winter is just round the corner, and up here that means some pretty ghastly weather for the next few months. The sort of weather that means I’m going to want to keep my car inside overnight, to avoid flying debris (salmon feed sacks, gravel, loose fenceposts, pallets etc). Would like to pretend I’m exaggerating, but I’m not. So spent the past 48 hours clearing out an outbuilding so I can get the car in.
The sum total of the weekend’s birding were a pair of Goldcrests, and whilst walking the mutt to the golfcourse and back for a pee, my third shrike species of the year on the island, and fourth on Shetland as a whole… a Great Grey. Always a pleasure, and for a southern birder there’s something uniquely pleasing about finding any sort of shrike. Somehow more satisfying than a warbler for instance. Or is that just me? Anyhow, very nice, though Masked would have been better of course…
The Fife Masked Shrike is something of a epiphany for me – I finally know the twitchy thing is now dead and buried for good – I look at the photos and find myself thinking ‘nice bird’, but not feeling I should be making travel plans, or even just rotten because realistically I can’t leave Shetland for a bird. I just look and appreciate a blinding bird, and think to myself ‘if there, then why not here one day?’. It’s a pleasing flight of fancy… imagine if that had turned up on Shetland, not Fife… ho ho, the poor chequebook birders who’d have had yet another expensive twitch this autumn! I’m well out of it.
Mind you, Fife is hardly local for many people. It’s another long haul, and surely another nail in the coffin of innumerable relationships. There are going to be more than few splits on the back of this year, and I don’t mean taxonomic ones!
Bizarre birding moment on Friday – eating lunch at the superb North Atlantic Fisheries College (mmm, monkfish… dreamy reverie), looked up as a movement outside the window caught my eye. At first I thought there was a rat sitting on the window ledge, but then it raised its head… a knackered Water Rail! Poor little sod sat there for the whole meal watching me stuff my face. I got a box from the kitchens, and walked outide to the rail – which let me pick it up without a struggle. Completely knackered, and with none of the usual spiteful venom you associate with Water Rails.
Took it home to a plate of earthworms (devoured in moments), roosted it overnight, then released it (fighting fit) on the water meadows by the island harbour. Like all the best stories, a happy ending.
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