Goldcrests = tiny bald baby mites

Goldcrests!  Local Goldcrests.  And a family party of local Goldcrests too.  Evidence of localised breeding.  That's good.  I haven't seen many this year, local or otherwise.  Throughout this year at Spurn, Firecrest records have outnumbered Goldcrest records, which is a bit mad to say the least.

I've just found out that the Duffbirder has added a link to me (this?).  I really should return the compliment.  Has anyone else added this (me?) to their website and I've not linked them? 
Please e-mail me at quigs22@hotmail.co.uk if you have or you want me to link your site on here.
"Who in their right mind would?" I hear you cry.
I was just wondering if I'd been ignorant to the fact that someone has linked me and I've not linked them that's all.  I presume it's internet etiquette?
"It is I suppose" said, erm, you.
Cheers.

This is a new book I've bought.

It's her follow-up to the hugely successful

"Hide and Seek World Champion Found Dead in a Wardrobe"

The old ones are the best.

.....................

Blacktoft

For the life of me, I don't know why the fuck it's big news on this side of the pond, but local loono, Robert Lee Gardner who "just killed a bunch of people and stuff" got absolutely shot dead today by firing squad over there in Utah state county.  He was on death row for 25 head-doing years. He actually got to choose the method of his death. What a proper mental decision to have to make.  I think I'd have said "Ooh.....I'll go for.....erm.....yeah, old age for me, thanks". 
So he asked for the firing squad which are now illegal, but at the time he was sentenced it was still law so he had the right to choose it.  I think I'd have asked for Emile Heskey to be doing the shooting though.

I saw a bloody Spoonbill today.  Imagine that, a Spoonbill.  It was just stood there with it's bill tucked into it's body.  It seemed to be asleep here at Blacktoft Sands.  Some time later it lifted it's bone idle head from it's slumber to reveal a bill that was indeed shaped just like a spoon!  It's a good job they're called Spoonbill and not something else like "Hammerbill" or maybe "Hatbill" because those names just wouldn't suit a bird with that shaped bill.

The journey to Blacktoft was amusing/stupid and/or frustrating, depending on which angle you're viewing from.
"Pay your surgeon very well to break the spell of aging,
sicker than the rest, there is no test,
but this is what you're craving...
A first born unicorn...
Hard core soft porn...
Dream of Californication, dream of FUCKING BASTARD, I've missed the fucking turn off, fuck off" I sang/shouted, funnily enough just as I careered past the turn off from the M62 to Blacktoft.  Spun it around at the next junction (about 400 miles at least).
Red Hot Chili Peppers had long since gone from the radiogram and had now been replaced by Queen's seminal, subliminal, beautifully written and subtle classic "Fat-Bottomed Girls".

".......Heap big woman you done made a big man of me!

Now get this!.....

AAAAAAH, (I know),you gonna take me home tonight (please)
AAAAAAH, down beside that red firelight
AAAAAAH, you gonna let it all hang out
Fat bottomed girls you make the rockin' world go round
Fat bottomed girls you make the rockin' world go round
GET ON YOUR BIKES AND RIDE!
OOOOOOOOOH yeah FUCKING ARSETITS!  FOR FUCK'S SAKE I'VE DONE IT AGAIN COMING BACK THE OTHER WAY!!!!!" I harmoniously sang beautifully as I whizzed past the junction yet again. Over the Ouse bridge, spun 'round and went back back over the Ouse bridge.  Four times I went over that bastard bridge today.

Two (of five in total) Spotted Redshanks were feeding close to the hide in full summer dress. Now I know Spot Shanks are common (ish) but these were quite possibly the best birds I'd seen this year.  I mean that.  They were in proper mint plumage, legs still jet black, showing really well, until I had a very loud random outburst about 'my needs throughout the night' and flushed everything to the other side of the scrape. 

A Ruff, a Common Sand, a Snipe, 30 Blackwits, some Bearded Reedlings, and a cheeky little Stoat than ran across the path before my very eyes made the preposterous journey all worthwhile.  Perhaps. 

My first ever attempt at phone-digi-binning.

This is a Whitethroat, although you can't see it.

This is my second attempt.

Getting better.

This is a Goldfinch.

My third attempt came out quite well, I thought.

This is a Spotted Redshank.

................

Guest Entry From Lee, FROM bucks

Hello.  We've got Lee on here again.  Another guest entry.  Apparently Lee has mde the BOU redundant.  Anyway, enough of me talking, over to Lee, 62, from Bucks:

"Welcome, my subjects.  It's nearly the 16th June and, amazingly, Britain and Brazil's combined total of species seen has gone through the 1000 barrier, whereas another combined total that nobody really cares about, and relates to two totally different countries, the Anglo/Nordic list, stand at 446 with the addition of Icterine Warbler at Spurn and Ross's Gull in high arctic Norway now that we can actually see up there after the winter darkness and daylight being afforded to us by God.  Not me, the other one.
I have also looked into changing the boundaries of the Western Palearctic as some of my species fall outside the recognised perimeters.  Who makes the rules anyway?  The officials?  Oh.  Well, with me being Presidente, I really must question as to who gave these people the authority to set such boundaries. What if I were to come up with new boundaries?  Who's to say I don't have the authority?
Honestly, the lack of respect in British birding.
Tut.
I'm pleased to announce that the British Association of Birding has made some taxonomic changes to the British List.  Eurasian Blackbird now falls into three species, The nominate and two new full species, Albino Blackbird (Zoothera Honkinegrus) and Partial Albino Blackbird (Zoothera Seminegrus).  This now brings my personal British List to 754 (BAB) or 386 (BOU).
This weeks round up features RANDOM capital letters, unexpected CRAZY colours WITH no real pattern.  The marmora's warbler CONTINUES to perform, and A possible BOOTED eagle was DISPROVED by ME as just a BUZZARD.  I don't believe ANY record OF honey buzzard THAT is seen OVER london.  Meanwhile, in, wait for it, Gwent, AN IBERIAN chiffchaff of unknown origin CONtinues to SING from A fucking branch ON a FUCKING tree".


Well, thanks Lee.  I'm not sure what the fuck that was all about but I'll go with it.  Thanks and happy birding to you.




..................

Into June...

Straight from Hell's Teeth, a wind did blow,

'Though just too late for a major show,

Surprised there wasn't a Marshie,

Recompense with and Iccy,

A flurry of Shrikes, and south yorkshire tykes,

And a Flycatcher in a privvy.

Spring finally sprung with some good 'scarce' around here at Spurn Bird Observatory Yorkshire Wildlife Trust National Nature Reserve.  An Icterine Warbler singing down at the point showed at times, with a Red-Breasted Flycathcherer in the same bushes which was proving elusive until I got on it distantly albeit briefly.  Albeit must be the shortest word with three syllables in the world.  Ever. Nah, what about casino and albino?  There's loads of six-letter-three-syllable words out there.  Hang on, what about ratio?  Ray-she-oh.  3 syllables, 5 letters, a new English language record. 
Area.

Area?

Who said that?

Air-re-ah.

Well that's pissed all over my bonfire. Right over it.  An AMAZING 4 letter, 3 syllable combo!
What the fuck am I talking about?

Three Red-backed Shrike were seen today, a male and a female around chalk bank of which the male showed well, the female not so well.  A breeding chance?  It's over 100 years since they bred around here.  Maybe there not quite enough cover for them at chalk bank?

A Gull looked just like a Yellow Legged Gull.  Amazingly like one in fact, which I suppose means that it was, in fact, a Yellow-Legged Gull.  2 Sandwich Tern flew north. Where are they all this year?

A nice mural of todays sightings

..............