Hello all ..
Brenda's Birdies time !
Firstly here are today's sightings ..
Wombwell Ings had some good stuff today .. Reported from here were 3 little stints, a curlew sandpiper, 26 dunlins, 6 ruffs and 4 ringed plovers.
Old Moor had a curlew sandpiper, 2 little stints, 10 dunlins, a greenshank, 6 green sandpipers, 4 ruffs, 2 black-tailed godwits, 4 snipe, 2 spotted redshanks, 75 shovelers, a garganey and 225 wigeons .. All were reported from Wath Ings ..
A chiffchaff was seen on the Trans-Pennine Trail.
Trudge Day tomorrow too !!
And now news from our resident sleuth ..
Thanks Brenders ...
Hello everyone ..
So .. Shelduck Holmes is flying in tomorrow by all accounts and so we should see a bit more action after he 'splashes down' ..
The Dark One has begun to recoup his losses by doing his first paper round, he made a grand total of 17p .. He would have made nearer 40p but he was attacked by a wasp and by the time he had finished thrashing around he had slashed one of his newspapers to bits with his scythe ..
Consequently he had to pay for the damages ...
Poor old Darkers .. There was a time in his life where things were wonderful, he and Sharon were 'smitten' with each other and every day was full of sunshine and laughter .. In fact he used to laugh so much that he had to start using those 'Tena Lady' things ...
The news on the heron is that he isn't over impressed with his new diet .. Herons don't usually eat Vindaloo you see. Jensen is still having him followed everywhere just in case he happens to pass some loose change in the rest of the 'loose stuff' ... As he was one of Jensen's henchmen, he isn't getting too much sympathy from the other occupants of the reserve and a weasel has been seen wearing a teeshirt with the slogan 'Don't Let The Bottom Fall Out Of Your World .. Have a Vindaloo And Let The World Fall Out Of Your Bottom !!' ..
Charming ....
So it looks like the investigation is to begin tomorrow .. Evidence will be collected from all involved and a case put together based on this information ..
Watch this space !
G xx
G'day friends ...
Welcome to today's edition of Brenda's Birdies ..
On Old Moor today ..
Wath Ings had 2 little stints, 3 spotted redshanks, 7 ruffs, 3 greenshanks, 8 dunlins, 2 black-tailed godwits, lapwings,160 golden plovers, a turnstone (something new !) .. a ringed plover, 3 green sandpipers and 5 grey herons.
A kestrel was reported from the Bittern Hide and a peregrine falcon was seen over various parts of the reserve but spent a fair bit of time 'hassling' the lapwings and golden plovers on Wath Ings.
The Tree Sparrow farm had 13 goldfinches, 4 bullfinches and a few tree sparrows ..
Birds were also seen passing over, maybe heading for warmer climes !
There were 55 skylarks, 35 swallows, 15 house martins, 2 siskins and 50+ meadow pipits all seen heading South ..
By the sound of the report for the coming Winter I might join them !!
There endeth today's sightings so now it's over to our resident 'sleuth' for today's developments ...
Thanks Brenda ..
Greetings chaps ..
So .. Both Jensen and Darkers have given their evidence regarding the 'dodgy dealings' ...
Shelduck then asked to see the heron ...
The heron was questioned about his relationship with Jensen and he told of how Jensen had decided that he must have protection now that he had his 'precious'.. Jensen considered himself a prime target and was constantly in fear of being mugged .. He recruited the water rails as his lookouts and some of the herons as his minders ..
The heron related to Shelduck how Jensen treat him well to begin with but as time passed, and Jensen's ego inflated, things began to be less amicable and Jensen would make the herons do some unpleasant things like, for instance, rounding up most of the coots and moorhens and making them live on the Mere. The herons rapidly grew to dislike Jensen as a result of these kinds of tasks ..
So to the night in question ..
Shelduck asked the heron what had happened at 2:17am on that dark night ...
The heron told of how Jensen had handed the 20p to him and given him strict instructions to go straight to the Bittern Hide. Then, at 2:17am he was to listen for a badly tuned radio approaching ..he was to listen for the noise to approach the hide .. wait for 2 minutes .. and the super 20p should, by then, be in place in the pile of tuna .. and then .. and then ..
'Yes .. go on' .. said Shelduck ...
'Sorry but ... I need a poo' .. said the heron ..
'You can poo in a minute' .. said Shelduck ..
'No .. you don't understand' said the heron .. ' He has forced me to eat curries every day .. and when I need to go .. I really need to go !!'
'Just answer my ques ......'
'Squawwwwwwkkkkkk !! '
Too late ..
After an uncomfortable silence and an overpowering stench .. Shelduck continued ...
'Good grief !!! ...Feel better ? .. Now .. what were you told to do next?' .. Gasped Shelduck ..
'Much better thanks' .. replied the heron .. ' So .... I was to snatch the super 20p and scarper .. Both coins were then to be returned to Jensen and he would reward me handsomely' ..
'I see' .. said Shelduck .. ' What went wrong then?'
'Well' .. answered the heron .. ' The sound of the badly tuned radio got louder .. then it faded again ..I waited for a few minutes and then I looked around the corner and saw that there was something shiny in the tuna .. it looked as though the super 20p was there but I didn't hear anyone putting it there !! .. I went to take a closer look .. All I can remember is seeing a dark figure standing at the far end of the path and a pair of eyes at the back of the reedbed.. I bent down to take a look in the tuna and that was it !! .. The next thing I knew I was waking up !!
' So !!' .. Exclaimed Shelduck .. ' The plot thickens !!'
'So is the stuff you are standing in mate' .. replied the heron .. ' you best go and get washed !!'
' Ah .. yes .. ' replied Shelduck .. ' I appear to be in deep ... Errrm .. Yes .. Well ..'
'No further questions .. and please .. change your diet .. looking at that lot .. whatever you are eating isn't agreeing with you'
So there we have it .. Jensen, Darkers and the heron, all interviewed ..
We can only conclude at this point that (assuming the heron was being honest) there was himself, a dark figure and a pair of eyes present at the time of the switch ..
Or was there ??
Night all ..
Hey up ...
Me again !
Some good stuff again today on Old Moor ..
Wath Ings had 6 dunlins, 4 spotted redshanks, a black-tailed godwit, 2 green sandpipers, 4 greenshanks, a good sized flock of golden plovers, 800+ lapwings, 80 gadwalls, 320 teals, 170 wigeons, 60 shovelers and 2 snipe.
There was a garganey on the Mere (Pete!!)
Seen on and around Green Lane were; 3 jays, a green woodpecker, a great-spotted woodpecker, 8 redwings, 12 song thrushes, 5 goldcrests and 4 willow tits ..
Wombwell Ings had 15 grey partridges, 2 ruffs and 2 snipe ..
So there you go !
Birds are moving thick and fast at the moment so there is every chance that Old Moor could play host to even more exciting stuff !!
Have a nice evening chaps ...
Brenda xx
Hi fans ..
It's me again !!
No trudge today I'm afraid as I had other stuff I needed to do ...
Still some good stuff to tell though ..
Old Moor today ..
Great news as we now have 2 Cetti's warblers in the reedbeds with the possibility of a third bird as a male was heard singing late this evening. This third bird is, as of yet , unconfirmed, but hopefully it will be correct. A water pipit was also reported from here.
A coal tit was seen in the garden feeder area along with 3 tree sparrows.
The Bittern Hide had a water rail and a green woodpecker.
Wath Ings had 2 spotted redshanks, 4 redshanks, 5 dunlins, a ruff, a greenshank, snipe, and pied wagtails.
A peregrine falcon was seen on the Field Pool as was a kingfisher and 2 long-tailed tits.
Both redwings and fieldfares were seen passing over.
A bit about the Cetti's warblers ..
It is a small, rather nondescript bird, Cetti's warbler (pronounced chetty) is a skulking bird and can prove very difficult to see. It usually makes its presence known with loud bursts of song and the first glimpse will probably be of a dark, rather stocky warbler with short wings and a full, rounded tail, diving for cover. It is one of the UK's most recent colonists, first breeding here in 1973.
The Cetti's is named after an Italian zoologist who was called Francesco Cetti
So now you know !!
Have a nice evening chaps and don't forget to keep an eye out for a dark,skulking figure wearing a cloak and carrying a bucket .. He just might be knocking on your door tonight !!!
Bert xx
Another Friday is here ... Great !!
Evening fans,
It's that time again ..
Old Moor today:
There was a barnacle goose on the Wader Scrape along with a garganey. A green woodpecker was also reported from here ...
Wath Ings was again the place to be, present here was a little stint, dunlins, a curlew sandpiper, snipe, green sandpipers, golden plovers, lapwings, greenshanks and 3 spotted redshanks.
A report from our Jo is of the discovery of some Slime Mould ..
Me too .. absolutely no idea ..
But apparently ..
They can be found as a white or yellow film (the plasmodium) under stones and logs, but the most obvious siting is on grass or other low-growing plants, during wet periods. Slimey, frothy or powdery, cream-coloured clusters of fruiting bodies, produced when conditions are unfavourable for the mould, smother blades of grass. After releasing their spores they turn grey. The whole clump looks like a patch of scrambled eggs (or dog sick) very soft to the touch, something like foam which may look unsightly, but does not appear to harm the grass.
I bet you knew that anyway though didn't you ...
Have a good weekend chaps .