Miserable Morning at Mire!!...

I was woken from my deep slumber, a cold sweat on my body from an awful dream where I was being chased, blindfolded, across mudflats by LBJ's, who were laughing & shouting 'you'll never see me, you'll never see me!!!'....
As I lay in bed, I looked over at my bedside clock which read 07:05am, just as I was wondering wether or not to go look for yesterdays Wapit, the chicken chili mosala I had for tea last night decided for me, as it rammed against the final valve in my lower colon, before hitting the bowel!! The 20yd. dash successfully completed with a 'near-miss' but no actual accident, my thought was 'well, now I'm up!!'...
I drove to Mire, grey skies & constant drizzle... this didn't look good at all!!... I arrived and made my way to the spot where we were stood the previous morning, although there were a few pipits, I simply couldn't make one a Water!! Then, they all flew off to the field over the east(?) end of Mire!!...
I had a scan, not a great deal, a Green Sandpiper, 11 Snipe & 12 Golden Plover flew over...
The odd Mipit returned, but after a 45 minute vigil my scope, bins & clothes were getting soaked!!... So, I had to sack it!! Back tomorrow? Maybe?
I soon returned home & got back into my lovely comfy bed for another hour... & no dreams!! ;~)
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A Dip & a Tick!!...

Got up early today & headed for VP to check on any movement, apart from a flock of c.50 Redpoll, there wasn't much happening. I was en route home when Andy phoned me to say he'd got a Water Pipit at Mire Lake!!!!!
Now, Water Pipit is my major UK bogey bird as I have dipped loads of them!!!.... Today was to prove no different!!...
I swung the car round & arrived at Mire within minutes!! Sadly, the bird had just flown!! We were joined by Jim & despite over 2hrs of searching, there was no further sign!!! Totally pissed off, bloody Wapit does one over my again!! Had 14 Golden Plover fly over at one point..., several Green Sandpiper, a few Redshank, good number of Curlew, Grey Wagtail... no Wapit!!! (there is a very pale grey Meadow Pipit there, so be careful ~ it caught us out at one point!!)

Some consolation came from a Wood Sandpiper which flew over, calling, & was relocated back at Mire later... My 158th species for Shropshire this year & a new county year list record for myself!!...
But!!... I'd loved to have got that pipit on my county/Uk life list!!!...
Oh well, back to Mire tomorrow morning then.... Cheers to ze Guru for staying & helping search for the little sod!!... ;~)
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Bird Slang Quiz!!!

How about a bit of fun & a challange to boot, then?... Stumbled across some very interesting bird names today, most of which I wasn't aware of & I wondered just how many people were? So, below is a list of the more interesting bird slang names (all the species below are resident, common or breeding UK birds, no rarities!!), so, see how many you can get right (without internet searching, etc!!!).... For eg: Peewit - is a slang name for Lapwing, easy one that!!...
If you're interested, you can send me your answers via email to - jasobuc2@btinternet.com & I shall get back to you with how many you got correct.... Okay then, here we go... Good luck!!!
(NO cheating!!!)

1 ~ Laughing Goose. 2 ~ Whistler. 3 ~ Poker Duck. 4 ~ Mussel Duck. 5 ~ St. Cuthbert's Duck. 6 ~ White Nun. 7 ~ Old Squaw. 8 ~ Spear Duck. 9 ~ Lesser Toothed Diver. 10 ~ Moor Fowl. 11 ~ Arsefoot Crested Douker. 12 ~ Molly-mawk. 13 ~ Mackerel Cock. 14 ~ Mother Carey's Chicken. 15 ~ Solan Goose. 16 ~ Butter Bump. 17 ~ Frank. 18 ~ Gled. 19 ~ Barcud. 20 ~ Brook Ouzel. 21 ~ Sea Pie. 22 ~ Yarwelp. 23 ~ Plover's Page. 24 ~ Howester. 25 ~ Sand Lark. 26 ~ Heather Bleater. 27 ~ Seven Whistler. 28 ~ Whaup. 29 ~ Watchdog of the Marshes. 30 ~ Tarrock. (answers 2 species of bird!) 31 ~ Carr-swallow. 31 ~ Marrot. 32 ~ Cuckoo's Mate. 33 ~ Laverock. 34 ~ Martlet. 35 ~ Barley Bird. 36 ~ Pipit Lark. 37 ~ Titlark. 38 ~ Water Ouzel. 39 ~ Merle. 40 ~ Storm Cock. 41 ~ Mavis Throstle. 42 ~ Hazel Linnet. 43 ~ Nettle Creeper. 44 ~ Northern Nightingale. 45 ~ Lesser Pettychaps. 46 ~ Wall Bird. 47 ~ Cold Finch. 48 ~ Bottle Tit. 49 ~ Mud Stopper. 50 ~ Spadger. 51 ~ Shelfie. 52 ~ Aberdavine. 53 ~ Heather Lintie. 54 ~ Stubble Lark. 55 ~ Pie-finch.

Phew!!... There you go then, all British, all common/resident/breeding UK birds, in fact I'd bet you've seen almost certainly 95% of them!!!
Good names, aint they!! I'll be very interested in seeing how many you get right ~ go on, have a go!!! Once again, good luck!!!...
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A Diary from VP!!...3#.

With a few minor chores completed this morning I had a rare 'spare hour', & decided to nip to VP for a quick search... Not a huge amount happening, but a Kingfisher was perched near 'ze spot' where you'd expect to see the 'still present' Bittern!!... (however, I didn't see the Bittern today!!...).
A Green Sandpiper was an unusal sight for this time of year (they're all at Mire, aint they?...). Also a cracking Grey Wagtail, always a great bird to see & a fave of mine!!...
North Marsh gave up an adult Green Woodpecker, sadly not a Glossy Ibis, or Water Pipit... or even a Jack Snipe!!... Which I was hoping for!!!...
Birds flying over included several Siskin & roughly 12 Redpoll, with a few Fieldfare & Redwing!!...
Just over an hour before I set off for work.... Looking forward to a day off so I can get 'out & about'... only the good 'ol british weather can spoil it!!...

91 ~ Goldcrest.
92 ~ Common Scoter!!... (missed this off my list when I saw it a few weeks ago!!!)

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No.11 Netted!!!

What the flying f**k is going on in Shropshire this year!!??... I had planned a jaunt to Whixall today to search for the SEO that Mike & ze boys had had the other day (my only remaining county bogey!!)...
I was getting ready for the off around 10:30am when my bud Mark Payne, from Cheshire, called to say 'I presume you know about the Cattle Egret at Ellesmere?'
WHAT!!???....

I got the known details from Mark & sped off, desperatley calling as many people as I could en route, Andy was the first to answer, & like myself, he'd heard nothing!!! Rob was next, & I agrred to meet him there (I was now on the Ellesmere road!!).
I arrived a few seconds after Andy, who was now on the bird, I looked into the obvious 'sheep field' & there it was.... the Cattle Egret!!! My 11th county tick for the year!!!! Leaving me needing just 8 more county ticks for the magic Shropshire 200!!!
I waited for Rob, who soon arrived & we watched the bird at very close quaters for around an hour before deciding to move onto Whixall Moss for a look there for a SEO!!

Sadly, no SEO or HH, but who cares?... Cattle Egret, a lifer for me & another amazing county bird (& one I think I predicted!!?).... Couldn't be sure if this was a 1st, as Rob thought there was a carcass of one found many moons ago!!!?

A slight downer, as of writing this, Dave & Jim are there & they have had no sign as yet!! I assume the ird has maybe flown to an early roost somewhere?....
Anyway, my county year list record now equalled at 157 species!!! And I'm now on 192 species for Shropshire!!!!

Right then, where are those 2 Bean Geese last seen flying west from Belvide?!!... ;~)

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A Diary from VP!!...2#.

No sign of the Bittern this am, but a flock of 3000+ Starling leaving the roost at 07:10am this morning was quite a spectacle!!
At least 3 Water Rail calling, 5 Snipe & a Siskin over was all else of note.

~The logbook reported 2 Little Stint present last night? No sign today.~

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A Diary from VP!!...

Arrived at VP this morning at 06:45, immediately I was on the Bittern, which was perched on the large stump in the opposite reedbed from the main hide. It remained perched here until 07:20, where it turned & dropped out of view into the reeds....
A Brambling was a nice addition outside the main hide & a few Redpoll flew over also....
Pretty good 45mins birding....

89 ~ Brambling.
90 ~ Redpoll.

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