Saturday 12 December 2009

Cetacean training

The safari had a good reason for not being out in the splendid winter sunshine this arvo. Along with over 30 other interested bods, including Fleetwood Birder, (nice to catch up with you in person S), we learned how to get involved with the Marine Life cetacean surveys from the bridge of ferry ships. A new route is being pioneered across the Irish Sea at the moment. The route isn't new but having wildlife surveyors on board is. So duly enthused I will be putting my name forward as a volunteer to take on this exciting role, even though I got one of the gulls wrong on the ID quiz - can you believe that! All is not lost as I was sat next to the great MJ (veteran of several 'Pride of Bilbao' trips) and he too made the same mistake and he is hands down far and away a better birder than I, by a good old fashioned league never mind a mile (think he was in the '400' club BEFORE it was 'invented'.
So I'm off to write my CV and wait for tonight's Bowland lamb chops, garnished with Rosemary from the garden, to roast all washed down with a slug or seven of quality ale.
See ya tomorra, but before I go late news of no Peregrines today (up and at 'em on Patch 1 far too late, and far too foggy to see if he was there last night), but we did get a good sighting of a real rarity so far this winter, a couple of Fieldfares 'wacka-chacka-ing' from the top of a scrubby Willow bush - they were obviously lost in the overnight fog like the skeins of Pink Footed Geese we could hear at various times during the night, maybe it was only one skein going round in circles looking for their usual roosting place - lovely sound in the darkness though - really wild.
Where to next? Local safari tomorrow arvo to see if we can tick off Bittern, Cetti's Warbler, Jack Snipe and some other good stuff, and maybe get a pic or two too.
In the meantime let us know what is out there waiting to be surveyed in your outback.
Sorry no indoor photos today.

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