Another quiet week

No digiscoping at all for a while. Just a cheap camera in the pocket. This is not a good photo by any means but at least it shows (just about) the wing pattern of the Thayers Gull on the river near my flat this afternoon. The other odd looking Gull (the taimyrensis) has upped and left it seems. Another very mild day and I walked down the river to the Pacific Ocean (the words sound much more exotic than the reality). Brambling, Siskin, a male Blue Rock Thrush, 5 species of Duck including a male Pochard, a Daurian Redstart, plus some Scaup and Merganser on the sea were the noteworthy species.

I didn't do much birding last week. Although this winter has been extremely mild last Wednesday certainly wasn't. Horizontal snow/sleet/rain and high winds made birding impossible. A good friend of mine drove us to Yakumo as he wanted to see the Eagles. We saw some but as even getting out of the car was an ordeal photos were out of the question.

I just ordered a new lightweight tripod for my lighweight second Scope so on these frequent carless days I may get out and do some digiscoping on the hoof(the bigger scope/tripod combination is a bit of a pain to carry around all day).

I'd like to introduce 2 other good friends of mine. Mr Sapporo and Mr Nikka.



In my late 30's my drinking has stabilized and has become very predictable. These are my 2 current drinks of choice. Lager style beer (which I got a taste for in Munich. How I miss thee Augustiner Edelstoff), in this case Sapporo Black Label and 12 year old (blended) Malt Whisky. Back in the early 90's when I was living in Finsbury Park I remember my Friday night ritual. 4 big bottles of Pilsener Urquelle, 1 cheap bottle of white wine (usually Frascati-yuk) and several fat joints in front of Friday night comedy like Fantasy Football, Frazier and Father Ted. Saturday nights were down the pub of course (we used to favour the Mitre Tavern on Upper Street which had lock-ins). Oh happy days.

Around Feb 18th down the years.

1984 (Feb 18) Penwortham/Longton Marsh. Mixed flock of 77 Whooper/Bewicks Swan, both species of Partridge, 80 Dunlin, 6 Snipe, "000's" of Wigeon and Teal, 1 dead (!) Kittiwake.

1995 (Feb 17). Arrived in Nepal for a month long stay. A bit hazy on the exact details here but my first new bird was a Magpie Robin on the 18th. Here's a photo from that exact same day in Kathmandu.



I fell in with 2 Californians and a German hippy and we got wasted the first night.


2004 (Feb 19) Hakodate. Yellow Throated Bunting, flock of Brambling, Goshawk and Varied Tit all near my flat.

2005 (Feb 18) Hakodate. Male Merlin seen out of my window.

2006 (Feb 18) Hakodate. Peregrine also seen from my window.