Sunday 1 November 2009

Eco-birding coutesy of Chris Packham

The safari had an enforced day indoors today, so what better opportunity than to have a go at Chris Packham's idea of eco-birding. That is going nowhere but doing a 24 hour watch of the garden instead. Having said that we always go somewhat eco-safari-ing with the emissions from the Land Rover's current batch of recycled biofuel being 65% less than normal fuel.
Many moons ago, in the mid eighties, I applied to be on a certain Really Wild Show but as you may have guessed I wasn't a successful applicant.
So off to the kitchen to make a spaghetti 'bollock naked' for dinner (we never have Sunday roasts at Base Camp). Armed with a chopping knife in one hand, my Swazzas in the other and Frank - ever hopeful for spillage - under my feet, the watch started. Not too hopefully as the wind sends sheets of driving rain down the garden and is trying to bend the trees double.
The show mentioned a guy from Southampton who had totalled 40 species - the safari ain't gonna get anything like that!
Seen and heard count..so what have we got
Redwing - heard over - retrospectively last night
Kestrel - dusk last night
Herring Gull - over
Black Headed Gull - over
Feral Pigeon - over
Greenfinch - feeder - and no matter how much photoshopping you do you can't get an out of focus pic anything like half decent!
Goldfinch - feeder
Magpie - over
Woodpigeon - in garden
Starling - over but see link for spectacular swirling pics from nature reserve yesterday - told you we left far too early
Blackbird - attracted to next door's windfall pears
Sparrowhawk - over
That's the lot - fantastic...hahaha
Where to next? That spag bog smells good and needs eating!
In the meantime let us know what's cooking up a storm in your outback

2 comments:

Warren Baker said...

I like the look of you garden Dave, you like gardening as much as I do!

Best let them go wild - more birds and bugs that way. ;-)

Lancs and Lakes Outback Adventure Wildlife Safaris said...

Sounds just like our gardening philosophy Warren.

Cheers
D