December 25, 2005
White Christmas
Well, here I am back in Essex, where I shall be based for the next month until my new job in France starts next February. Am experiencing a sort of reverse culture shock; words like 'petrol' and 'rubbish' just aren't rolling off the tongue like they used to! The birds are different, too - Carrion Crows have a much deeper, raucous caw than American Crows, and Collared Doves and Blackbirds abound in my parents' yard. No Redwings yet, but apparently snow is on the way, which usually sends them into this neighbourhood in droves.
My best Christmas present was a trip to Southend seafront with Dad, leaving Mum to fuss over dinner preparations. Eurasian gulls and shorebirds (or is that waders?) were enjoying the sunshine (much nicer weather here than when I left California), but the real treat was an obliging flock of ten Snow Buntings, which showed very well for a few minutes until a dog-walker flushed them over the roof of a Chinese restaurant, never to be seen again. Anyhow, I managed a couple of shots of them before they vanished.
And here's Dad failing to be impressed by the Snow Buntings ('They look just like sparrows to me'). Obsessive birding obviously isn't an inherited trait!
Merry Christmas everyone!
Posted by rjhall at December 25, 2005 3:44 PM